After five months of stress, everyone, especially the kids, will definitely look forward to the school holidays in June to de-stress! I think we parents need it badly compared to the kids.
For our family, crossing the border for a short holiday it’s more like a norm, just like a normal road trip in a big country. We decided to do it frequently in addition to our flying trips ever since the end of the COVID restrictions. So if you follow my instagram closely, you can see that we frequent Malaysia a lot.
So this June holiday, we planned a short 3D2N in Jb and stay at Holiday Inn JBCC. Hence, the itinerary will be focusing on Larkin area and JB City.
Since it’s just the start of the school holidays and we are early birds, we left the house at 5am to avoid heavy traffic. It took us about an hour and a bit to pass through both the Singapore and Malaysia customs, which wasn’t too bad.
Day 1 itinerary
1st Stop: Restoran Kacang Pool Haji
Restoran Kacang Pool Haji
Address: Jalan Sabar, Taman Dato Onn, 80350 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 7am to 12mn
We headed to Restoran Kacang Pool Haji for breakfast. They serve very authentic local Malay food and are popular for their Kacang Pool with thick toast.
This is what we ordered. From the left, I ordered lontong. It’s very nice; the soup is flavorful and the rice cake is moist and dense. The two bowls with eggs on top are Kacang Pool, which you are supposed to dip the thick toast bread into. My husband ordered one original and the other with sardines (if I remember correctly). Very interesting taste, but acceptable to both my older kids. The other two dishes are nasi lemak with added chicken. A traditional nasi lemak, simple yet tasty. If you want to order for your kids, remember to request non-spicy.
Because we were among the first few customers, it wasn’t busy. The staff were very friendly and patient with us, even though the person taking orders spoke only Malay. Lucky my hubby knows how to speak a little! If you go during peak hours, do be patient!
2nd stop: Pasar Besar Larkin
Pasar Besar Larkin
Address: Jalan Kenyalang, Kampung Dato Onn Jaafar, 80350 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 5am to 5pm
I’m not sure about you guys, but I love to explore local markets. Local markets are always the best way to learn about the local culture, what people eat and cook. Since we were early, we dropped by Pasar Besar Larkin.
It’s a 2-story building. Level 1 houses a bus interchange with services to and from many cities and towns in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, and Hat Yai in Thailand, as well as small eateries, fast-food restaurants, and a wet market. Level 2 has many handphone shops, clothes stores, and a hawker center at level 3.
The wet market is similar to our local wet market but very different from the one I usually visit in JB. The Larkin wet market is much wetter in the seafood section and has a stronger smell, but it definitely offers a greater variety.
After walking around level 1, we went up to level 3 hawker center to enjoy some food, again.
The hawker center is divided into 2 parts, the chinese and the malay stalls. It looks just like our local hawker center.
Ho Chuai Yong fish soup hawker
Opening hours: 7am to 2pm
3rd Stop: Eco-Shop @ Southern City Johor
Eco-Shop @ Southern City Johor
Address: Lot No. JA-17, Southern City Hypermarket, Level 2 (Food Court, No. 3, Jalan Suria 19, Taman Suria, 81100, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10am to 10pm daily.
It’s one of my followers who recommended me to shop at this place after my sharing about Memoland.
They have many outlets in JB, and this one is nearer to us. Eco-Shop is more like a value shop, selling snacks, household products, food, toys, accessories, etc., at RM2.40. Whereas Memoland is more like a wholesale stationery store, selling paper products, art and craft materials, gifts, and toys. So I would say both are actually quite different.
4th Stop: Lunch at Pahpai Steakhouse
水手西餐厅 Pahpai Steakhouse
Address: 38 & 40, Jalan Sutera 3, Taman Sentosa, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 12pm – 2am daily
We drove past here many times but never really went in to try it. Actually, they are more popular during dinner time for their fresh lobsters. But I decided to drop by for lunch as it’s new and might be interesting for the kids and is closer to our hotel. Parking can be quite tricky here during peak hours.
The kids’ meal is not too bad at RM15 and comes with fresh mushroom mashed potatoes, corn, scrambled eggs, and nuggets. I ordered the salmon steak, which looked okay but actually tasted good—not dry, especially when eaten with their golden brown garlic and salsa salad.
5th Stop: Holiday Inn JBCC
Holiday Inn JBCC
Address: Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, Bandar Johor Bahru, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
The check in time is at 3pm, once we check in, the children was welcome with ice cream!
While the kids having their ice cream, we decided to tour around the hotel before going into our room!
We got a connecting room for our stay. 1 room with king size bed and 1 room with standard twin bed. Both room are equally spacious with city view. To book the connecting room, you just have to book 2 rooms as per normal and under the remarks, you put to request for connecting room. After that email or DM them your booking/invoice number to confirm your connecting room request. Additional flat rate of RM50 charges is to secure the connecting room on public holidays, Friday and Saturday.
If you wish to have connecting room, it’s best to book your rooms in the following order:
- Standard King and Standard Twin
- King Accessible and Standard Twin
- King Suite Sofa Bed Top Floor and Standard Twin
Toilet is very clean and spacious. Toiletries are also provided.
After we settled into our rooms and unpacked our luggage, we actually wanted to go to the Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum, but when we were almost there, it started raining heavily. By the time the rain stopped, the museum had already closed. If you are staying at the Holiday Inn and have some spare time, I suggest visiting the museum. Even though it’s small, it’s a good way to learn about a different country’s heritage. It’s about 14mins walk from Holiday Inn JBCC.
Opening hours: 9am to 5pm, last ticket sold at 4pm.
Closed on Monday.
Dinner at Holiday Inn
By the time we went back to hotel after the rain stop, it’s time for dinner! All of us where looking forward to the hotel dinner buffet.
Their weekend dinner buffet is every Friday & Saturday, 6pm to 10pm.
Adult RM128+, Children (6-12 years old) 58+, Senior Citizen (60 years and above) RM108+
20% OFF for IHG Members and 15% off for Hotel guest.
Showing you guys some of the food we had. The seafood is really good, fresh and tasty. Espcially the crab, full of meat and tasty. Their Thai phad thai is good too, I had 2 servings of that. More food selection can see my IGS!
Junior Chef Cooking
After the kids had their dinner, they got to experience the Junior Chef cooking activity organized by Holiday Inn JBCC. It’s included in their Family Getaway package, which is available every Friday and Saturday. It comes with adorable junior chef attire and a certificate of participation. The cooking takes place in the buffet area, so you can continue to enjoy your food while the kids enjoy cooking their pancakes!
The kids learn how to cook pancakes and decorate them into cute animals or whatever designs they like, depending on their creativity!
Day 2 Itinerary
Buffet Breakfast at Hotel
I have heard good reviews about the Holiday Inn JBCC breakfast, and now that I have tried it, I can say they really live up to the hype. Their breakfast selection is very extensive and tastes really good, especially the prawn broth noodle, DIY pastry and nasi lemak with prawn sambal.
1st stop: Skyscape
Skyscape Johor Bahru
Address: Level 34, Menara JLand Johor Bahru City Centre (JBCC, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 930am to 4pm, subject to weather condition.
After breakfast, we went over to Skyscape at Menara JLand, which is right beside the Holiday Inn. You just need to take the lift to the G Level and walk towards the end of the building.
For Holiday Inn JBCC hotel guests, there is an additional 15% off the ticket price. This promo is ongoing until the end of the year. You just need to show your hotel card for the discount.
We need to wear shoe covers before going out. It’s actually a very short walk and at level 34, so it’s not as bad as we thought. It’s still quite scary to look down, but the scenery is very good, and I would say it’s quite satisfying and calming.
After finishing the walk, there are some activities outside, such as watching a short clip on Malaysian attractions, VR game stations, and some traditional games that you can enjoy indoors while looking at the nice scenery. All activities are already included in the ticket price.
2nd Stop: Johor Bahru City Square
After our visit to Skyscape, we still had some time before lunch, so we went to City Square JB to shop, as it is just in the next building. They are also having activities for kids for the whole month of June. You can also catch a movie if you have more time to spare!
3rd Stop: Lunch Buffet at Holiday Inn
Since their breakfast and dinner buffets never fail, neither does their lunch buffet! The kids enjoyed the lunch buffet even more because of the ice kachang station and cotton candy!
Lunch Buffet
12pm to 230pm
Adult RM52+ , Children (6-12 years old) RM25+
20% off for IHG Members, 15% off for hotel guest.
Personally I love the fried durian puff more, so nice and authentic that I took quite a number of it.
4th Stop: Chunky Cat Cafe JB
Chunky Cat Cafe
Address: Lot No. 302, 3rd Floor, Komtar JBCC, City Centre, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10am to 10pm daily
After lunch, we went to Chunky Cafe! The kids had been wanting to go ever since they saw it after playing at Kidz Paradise, but we were short on time previously. So we took the opportunity to visit. Hotel guests get 15% off when they show their hotel key to the staff.
The café overall is bright and quite spacious as they limit it to 20 people at a time. There are two levels, and both levels have cats. The area is very clean and bright with no unpleasant smell at all. You can see that the owner and staff put in a lot of effort to keep their cats and the place in good condition.
If you are too afraid to handle the cats, the staff will bring them to you and introduce them so you can play with and touch the cats too!
We also got both the wet and dry treats, at RM5 each, for my kids to feed the cats. Every cat has its own preference—some like dry, some like wet. They will definitely come to you when they see you holding the treats!
5th Stop: Kidz Republic Indoor Theme Park
Kidz Republic Indoor Theme Park
Address: Lot No. 308, 3rd Floor, Komtar JBCC, City Centre, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10am to 10pm daily.
It’s not our first time going to Kidz Republic. Since we are already here, which is just below the hotel and opposite the Cats Cafe, the kids don’t mind playing there again. Plus, there’s an additional 10% discount for hotel guests.
It’s quite a big area that is suitable for toddlers, kids, and maybe bigger kids if they have someone to play with. My older two kids enjoy the trampoline and flying fox, and they occasionally play with their two younger siblings. We stayed there for almost 2-3 hours.
6th Stop: Hotpot Buffet at Good Family
Good Family Steamboat
Address: 84, Jalan Serampang, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 1230pm to 2am daily.
If you don’t drive, you can actually just walk to Zenith Mall for HDL or Guoma, which are just opposite the hotel. But since we had tried both before, we decided to drive out and try Good Family Steamboat. It’s about an 8-minute drive from Holiday Inn JBCC.
In terms of food, I kind of like Good Family because they have a lot more handmade food and seafood selection, plus bundle promos if you have trouble deciding. Their sauces are free of charge, and pricing-wise, both are similar. As for the soup, they are popular for their fish soup, which I honestly like because it doesn’t make me feel thirsty after eating. The kids prefer HDL’s tomato soup base.
Their high reviews are mainly for their services, environment, and handmade food selection. Even though they do not have toys or performances, the spacious and family-friendly environment makes me feel less stressed about eating here.
I’m not sure if they fry their own shallots, but the shallots with oil in the sauce section are really shiok if you add them to your fish soup or use them as a dip.
3rd Day: Itinerary – Home Sweet Home
The checkout time is at 12 pm. Overall, the stay was very enjoyable. The hotel room was spacious and clean, and the food and services were good and didn’t disappoint. I would say it’s one of the better choices in terms of kids’ activities if you do not wish to travel out much and/or do not want to drive around in JB. The car park is very safe and bright, with security guards present 24/7.
After we checked out, we went for grocery shopping at our usual place and had dinner at HDL since the kids requested it. We avoided the peak time and went around 4 pm for an early dinner, allowing the kids to eat slowly, get their manicure at HDL, and play at the playground before we headed back to SG! Never stay for long as next day I need to go for early class.
Our stay was sponsored by Holiday Inn JBCC, but all opinions and experiences shared in this review are our own.
