It’s the March school holidays, and we decided to take a short, relaxing getaway to Johor Bahru (JB) for 3 days and 2 nights. We initially planned for a short trip, but since we were too slack to pack the itinerary with back-to-back activities, we just went with the flow and enjoyed the trip without a fixed plan. LOL!
Pre-Arrival
I’m glad my phone supports eSIM, so I got one from Klook for slightly over SGD 6, which gave me 3 days of unlimited data access. Kpo Kia Papa, being less kiasu than me, opted for the 3-day plan with 2GB of data per day for around SGD 4+.
We had heard how convenient it is to use the MyICA Mobile app for faster immigration clearance at Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints, so we downloaded it beforehand. It was an interesting experience using the QR code generated by the app instead of our passports for immigration clearance.
Since we drove over to JB in the afternoon, the queue was manageable. It took slightly over an hour to clear Malaysia Customs.
Checking in to hotel
Kpo Kia Papa had booked KSL Hotel & Resort for our accommodation, which is conveniently linked to KSL City Mall.
Although the hotel lobby was crowded, many reception counters were open to assist guests. However, while I was queuing behind another guest, the manager suddenly directed him to another counter for check-in, and left me standing at the unattended counter without any further instructions. Tsk tsk… I eventually switched to another queue since no one attended to me.
Our room
I didn’t have high expectations for the hotel given the price, but I was relieved that the room didn’t have any weird smells or a see-through bathroom. The room amenities were minimal—just two sets of toothbrushes and toothpaste, plus a soap that smelled nice but was annoyingly stuck to the soap holder. I didn’t bother checking the coffee and tea selection because, hey, we’re in Malaysia! The location is so convenient that I could just hop down from our hotel room anytime for a Nanyang coffee!
There was no bathtub to entice Kpo Kia to spend hours in the bathroom, just a rain shower. The bathroom was a comfortable size. I had read reviews about some guests experiencing clogging issues in the shower area, but luckily, all the taps were working fine.
The bed was super big~ since Kpo Kia Papa had requested for beds to be combined, making it spacious enough for all three of us to sleep together. I was relieved that I didn’t feel itchy at night—my sensitive skin tends to react if the bed isn’t clean. I didn’t even get a chance to watch the TV because Kpo Kia immediately claimed it for her YouTube spree as soon as we entered the room. Unfortunately, the hotel WiFi had trouble connecting to the internet, so we had to rely on my mobile hotspot instead.
DAY 1 @ KSL City Mall
We had wanted to try a Google 4-star eatery, but we spent over 45 minutes searching for it. Our directionlessness seems to run in the family, and the store units not running in sequence made our search feel like navigating a maze. I struggled to find the mall’s directory map, but eventually gave up and settled for the nearest eatery.
Empurau Kopitiam
Empurau Kopitiam had an oriental decor, with a big “Nanyang Coffee” sign at the bright storefront. I ordered Fried Chicken Nasi Lemak (RM20.80), Kpo Kia Papa got the Roti Canai with Curry Chicken (RM18.80), while Kpo Kia chose the Egg Mayo Toast (RM8.80).
Kpo Kia didn’t like the mayo in the Egg Mayo Toast, finding it a bit too sweet for her liking, but she enjoyed the fried chicken from my Nasi Lemak. Kpo Kia Papa didn’t have much to say about the Curry Chicken—nothing special.
Noticed quite a number of youngsters having Chicken Rice there, likely drawn by the reasonable prices, decent taste, and generous portion.
Empurau Kopitiam 忘不了咖啡店
LG 044, KSL City Mall, Jalan Seladang, Taman Abad, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Tel: +60 12-738 1922
Opening hours: Daily 10AM to 10PM
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empuraukopitiam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empuraukopitiam/
Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) KSL City
After our early dinner, we headed to GSC KSL City to watch Ne Zha 2. Since it was a new release, it wasn’t eligible for any promotions, and there’s no special price for children’s tickets. We paid RM51 (RM17 per pax) and RM12 for a regular pack of caramel popcorn. The cinema seats were quite spacious and clean, but I was too focused on eating the popcorn and completely forgot to take photos.
Although Kpo Kia’s Chinese is weak and she didn’t understand most of the dialogue, she still enjoyed the movie and even cried along with Ne Zha. For some reason, I also teared up while passing tissues to the crying girl—motherhood!
After the movie, it was quite late, and most of the shops were closed. We just roamed around the mall for a bit and stopped by Funtopia Sdn Bhd until it closed at 10pm. Most of the hair salons and massage centers had also closed by then, so after a quick exploration of the convention center, we called it a night and headed to bed, ending our tiring but fun day.
And that wraps up Day 1 of our JB adventure! Stay tuned for the next post, where I’ll share more about the places we explored and the food we indulged in.
