Rest and relax @ Pangkor Laut Resort

Having been away from Hawaii , I truly missed the smell of the ocean and the sound of the waves...... I was extremely excited when a few of us decided to go on a trip to Pangkor Laut over Valentine's week! Perfect timing to rest and relax at one of my dream destinations in Malaysia! I am not lying to you when I say "dream" because I have always wanted to go there when I was younger but couldn't afford too...... boo* But now, with their new packages, I finally made it there...teehee....not just with a few friends but also with my special someone:)

After a restless and bouncy 2 hour drive to the Lumut jetty, we finally arrived at the reception counter for Pangkor Laut resort. The interesting thing is that, you register and check in at the Lumut jetty Pangkor Laut resort counter before you board the ferry....it's actually very efficient! why? because once you arrive at the resort, you receive information on the island and you automatically get to enjoy the resort already!! Smart eh!

The waiting area next to the reception counter

You have to cross this huge road to the jetty, but the porters will take your luggage for you

Boarding.... the boat crew was amazing! I have to add, there are people sending you off from Lumut jetty and a welcome crew ready and waiting at the Pangkor Laut jetty!!! That's what I call first class service right there...

The view as you enter the Pangkor Laut jetty

Exotic waiting area just for the shuttle! Basically surrounded by naturally beautiful architecture...

The villa was spacious and pretty....there was even a huge bathtub with SEA SALT provided! WOW!

The view from the Hill Villa was breathtaking especially in the morning

Going on this trip was truly a gastronomical adventure for us...you know why? Under our package,we get 6 meals, and each meal is inclusive of one appetizer, one main course, and one dessert......my eyes popped out when the waiter told me that......OMG! Here are some pictures to tantalize your taste buds even further....

You not only get to eat delicious food at every restaurant, but you will get to enjoy the view from each seating area you are at...all their restaurants are open air.... my seal of approval right there!

My first appetizer out of my 6 meals... hehehehe..malay spring roll....

Ben's salad..so much cheese! they clearly don't stinge on the good stuff....another nod of approval...

our desserts which I finished! Yes...I am THAT greedy!

And while we were eating, there were hornbills flying around...one with nature...

We had both dinners at Uncle Lim's....

Delicious Chinese food!!!!! And we got to choose three side dishes as our main course...are you guys hungry now?

Another one of our lunches at Chapman's bar....

My amazingly huge char kway teow which tasted "oh so yummy"! Look at that huge prawn!

And our vantage point was magnificant(I am running out of adjectives here!!hahahah)

I didn't get to take pictures of the huge breakfast buffet spread... Whatever you can think or imagine of breakfast, you got it right there...they have everything from dim sum, to roti canai, to fresh fruit juice, to muesli cup, and the list is endless if you don't stop me!!!! Another perfect view of the sea from where I was sitting

You are probably wondering what you can do besides eating right?!? For a city girl like me, I have to admit, I don't think I can stay more than 3 days because I will be bored stiff... I can rest and relax for awhile..but after that, I want to be on the GO! I know...it's like that with Type A personality types....aiks! but for those 3 days, what I did was kick back and spend most of my time in the pool or at Emerald Bay(one of the prettiest beaches I have ever seen)

Feels like the pool joins to the sea...

Sun setting at Emerald Bay

The library area..you have beds of all kinds to read at....inside and right under the sun...

Besides all the water activities you can do, they have jungle trekking(which I didn't partake in because I forgot to bring sports shoes, typical city gal!), cooking classes, and day trips to Pangkor island. Being there for three to four days is a perfect amount of time to get some R and R

And another thing I have to highlight about the place would be their courteous and friendly staff...I give their service a 6 star...that's the highest right?!? The staff at Pangkor Laut resort are always smiling and happy...it makes my day chatting with them! The best part is that they come from all over the world...such as Japan and even Germany!

This trip to Pangkor Laut resort is one that will be ingrained in my memory for years to come for giving me such utter relaxation and laziness!hehehehe.... You get pampered all over the place not just by the facilities and infrastructure, but also by the staff there..... So, I advise those who haven't been there to save up, and go for an experience of a lifetime! It's worth it....

xoxo

Meiz

Happy Valentine's Day! Believer or not?

Is love in the air???? According to print advertisements and the radio...it is...Happy Valentine's day!!!!!!!

There are probably some of you cynics out there or some "organizations" that would like to ban Valentine's day, but I feel that it is a day to express love not just to your partner, but to your friends and family! Even though it's rather commercialized, it's still worth celebrating, just be creative! Come on...for those guys that say "valentine's day is everday"...that is very very sweet but who are you kidding?!? Unless you are the sweetest guy on earth , you wouldn't take the extra effort to treat your girlfriend to a nice dinner or cook them a nice meal EVERDAY of the year right?? If you are that guy, please leave your name and possibly your email...because I am sure the thousands of girls out there would love to get to know you.....hehehehehehe

I have to tell you guys something, I am a romantic person at heart and belive in Valentine's day and all the lovey dovey things..... but for the past 5 years, I didn't get a chance to celebrate Valentine's day as I was in a long distance relationship..so I did the next best thing, celebrate it with my friends and still having a good time! To me, it was celebrating it with my closest friends when I was in Hawaii... it doesn't have to be with your partner technically, it could also be with your lovely mom or dad:) I was shocked and surprise when Jakim banned muslims from celebrating such a day...I am sorry to say this but what were they thinking? You mean husbands cannot express love to their wifes, and girlfriends to their boyfriends, or even children to their parents? The question that came to mind was "what is wrong with expressing love"? It could be a dinner or a picnic, or a movie, but what's wrong with that? You mean Muslim couples or families don't do that on a normal day?

With that disturbing piece of information flashed all over the news, I was still glad to see some Muslim couples out and having a nice dinner even with their friends...good on you guys!I on the other hand, finally got to celebrate my first Valentine's day in 5 years with Ben:) We went to Alexis to watch Atilia perform...her voice is beautiful!

Dinner tables all set up

The roses on our table were in full bloom...

Atilia set the mood for the night!

On to the food...it was a three course meal.....

Appetizers

Main course

Desserts to satisfy my sweet tooth

I would say the food was adequate for the night...it was a set meal with a variety of choices to pick from, but the portion was quite small....but judging from the crowd..most people came in for the performance..... All of the songs she sang were melodious, harmonious and did I say ROMANTIC?

The progression of gifts went from Godiva chocolates with the card, followed by the Tiffany necklace.. the poor guy tried to suprise me...but he couldn't hold it in and gave me the necklace in the car...at the beginning..it was suppose to be at the end..lol!

A picture with my new necklace! It's the one I wanted after first laying eyes on it *wink*

I didn't just have a great Valentine's day but a great Valentine's week! A few of us went to Pangkor Laut resort after that for some sun, sand, and sea! I hope that all of you had a great one too, and I am sorry for those who culdn't celebrate it.......you can possibly celebrate after to make up for it(just a thought)......:)

When you stop putting love first in your life, you die a little or a lot. You live as much as you love(by Robert Holden)

xoxo

Meiz

First day of the Rabbit Year

The First day of Chinese New year is usually the most busy and exciting period for me and I am guessing, most Chinese people...... This Rabbit year around, it was the same and the beauty of it after not celebrating for so long, was that nothing really changed.... from the food, to the sequence of houses we visit and the people BUT one thing did change.....everyone grew older!!! (I know.... obvious stated but I felt that it was a big difference with some of my cousins even having children....hehehe)

First time I actually experienced CNY on such a cooling day....Brand new year, clothes and car peeps!

First house of the day...grandparents from my father's side! loved the decorations.... my mom somehow blends in perfectly with her cheongsam:)

Both of us in our Chinese outfits!Decided to embrace my Chinese culture more with wearing a red cheongsam

Lovely orchids

My cousin, Andy and the newly wed couple! Congrats Kor and Joyce!!! They were standing in front of the new goldfishes my grandpa bought..hehe...

Cute Cady!!!!! My cousins four month old daughter celebrating her first Chinese New Year!! She is one smart girl, she even knows how to hold ang paus now.......guys watch out!!!

The adults table! Its pretty hierarchical in the Choo family! The "kids" table are make shitft tables in the living room..but hey..no complains there...we get the same food!

First day is always vegetarian with rice! healthy and delicious!

My grandfather was soooo cute...he sat there the whole time waiting for people to arrange themselves next to him for the family picture.

After about half an hour...voila! The choo Family portrait:)

My naughty father and his firecrackers... He says its tradition, hence he lights two long red ones up every year...one in my grandpa's house and one in my mother's side grandmother's house...makes you feel truly festive listening to it!yippeeeee

Chinese traditional outfits galore...all looking good!

with my beautiful popo...still looking regal and elegant after preparing a round of vegetarian food for us...this is the second house we visit and eat again!!!!

Seow Family!All very red and "ong"

Third house would be my father's uncle's house.......

My grandmother and her brother's...all of them are from China! Can you tell?!?

With two of my cousins who look similar to me(according to my aunt!)

With my 2nd cousins and their partners! It's good to see them again after so long!

Also my second cousins....but waaay younger! cutie pies!!!

Fourth house of the day.... this grand auntie is paralysed but she still has the festive spirit!! wearing her Chinese New Year clothes and insisting that we get cookies...... She's also from China and is still very very healthy at the ripe old age of 88!!

The final destination of the whole day would be my father's friends house which we have been going since we were kids...literally!!!! A picture with Alexis and Amanda...I would say...we definitely grew up together.....

To me, this was a truly memorable CNY...why?!? Because alot of things have happened in recent years and one of it would be my grandfather's health! I am glad he was able to celebrate this Chinese New year with us........and I hope many more to come..... It strikes deep within me when I think about how as we were kids, we would complain and not appreciate it when we have to wake up early to go to our grandparents house on the first day and all the "tiring" visits to our relatives house....BUT now, I enjoy every moment of it......... I guess you can call it maturity or just realizing many things after travelling overseas but I don't complain anymore and even look forward to these visits(Bai nian)! I am even learning more about all the Chinese traditions that needs to be incorporated during Chinese New Year! Appreciating and not taking things and people for granted, especally my family, is definitely something I have learned over the years....

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!!!

xoxo

Meiz