The Pacific Sutera Hotel @ Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Hubby, lil' tot and I recently had our annual family getaway in Kota Kinabalu. Just the 3 of us :)

Hubby made the arrangements ie accommodation and car rental to drive around town. 

This year, we went to SUTERA HARBOUR and stayed at the The Pacific Sutera Hotel

Upon making the hotel reservation online (www.worldhotels.com) along with securing the deposit and receiving confirmation via email, we were all set. Hubby proceeded to call worldhotels via the number provided to us in their email to check if it was possible for us to check-in early upon arrival. 

They confirmed that everything was booked and ready for us so we just needed to walk-in and the hotel will make the necessary arrangements.

As our plane touched down at the airport on the day of our trip, hubby called the car rental company to enquire if the car was ready. 

It was actually waiting for us outside. 

As we got into the car and hubby set up Waze to locate the hotel, he called the hotel to enquire if it was possible for us to have an early check-in.

A bit of drama here. 

The hotel couldn't locate our booking number / reference number or even hubby's name! 

Imagine us, sitting in our car, ready to drive to the hotel, only to find that no records of our reservation was ever made. :( 

I felt like it was a nightmare since we were already in KK. 

Hubby was upset but spoke diplomatically with the personnel on how to resolve the issue. 

The hotel advised that they would call us back within the next 15 minutes.

Of course, us being anxious, we counted every single minute that passed and as soon as it went beyond 15 minutes, plus or minus, hubby quickly called the hotel again. 

The hotel requested us to come to the hotel and will take it from there. 

So we drove all the way to the hotel using the trusted Waze. It was a 10-minute drive from the Kota Kinabalu International Airport to Sutera Harbour. 

The city centre is just a 10-minute drive from the hotel too and you could either board a taxi or take the shuttle bus which the hotel will gladly arrange for you. Approach the Concierge located just next to the hotel's entrance.

We proceeded to reception who advised us to go to the Club Floor and meet a staff there who would assist us with the reservation.

THE HOTEL LOBBY

Once everything was settled and the lady apologized for the inconvenience, we were served with coffee & juice at the Club Floor Lounge. 

The view was just awesome!!!! Breathtaking !!!! Amazing !!!! Beautiful !!!!

We then went to our room (Room 1013) and noticed one thing, we were upgraded to the Junior Suite! 

Wow!!! This was SUPER DUPER AWESOME!

We had a dining area, living room and a bedroom with a huge bathroom along with a huge wardrobe and a vanity table. 

I had to ask hubby if he had indeed booked us a Junior Suite initially and he confirmed that he hadn't. He only booked us a room on the club floor so had no idea how we ended up in a Junior Suite. 

Hubby called the Club Lounge to confirm if the room was correct and they acknowledged.

Super duper lucky us! Wow!

Later in the afternoon, after 4pm, we went back to the Club Floor Lounge to enjoy our afternoon tea. 

Seriously, how can one not LOVE this gorgeous view while enjoying the meals and coffee? 

I've always LOVED going to Kota Kinabalu and it will always have a special place in my heart :) More so, hubby and I chose KK for our honeymoon so, of course, feeling sentimental here :D

I have a special shout-out to one of their Club Lounge staff too. His name is Hakri :)

He's extremely friendly, constantly has a smile on his face and often checks-in on us, whether we needed more food / drinks, if our meal was OK and built rapport with us too. 

Like, really, you could tell that he genuinely wants to serve you and make your stay a pleasant one. What's more interesting is that he had only started working there for a couple of months! Not THAT's impressive!

When I told him that it was our first time at the hotel, he came back not long after with a map (of SUTERA HARBOUR) in hand and explained where we could go to check out places, island hopping, club facilities, location of ATM machines, etc.

Whenever you're staying at the Pacific Sutera Hotel, do look out for this gentleman. :)

This is an excerpt from their Deputy CEO, Gerard Tan, who responded to guests' feedback via tripadvisor.com :

Being just adjacent to The Magellan Sutera Resort and Sutera Harbour Marina, Golf & Country Club, all guests are privileged with cross-signing facilities whereby you will be able to enjoy dining experiences in all 15 F&B outlets and exclusive access to all recreational facilities within Sutera Harbour Resort which includes a 50m Olympic-sized lap pool, 3 free form swimming pools, a 12 lane Brunswick Bowling Alley, a 27-hole Graham Marsh designed championship golf course for both day and night golfing and also the internationally renowned Mandara Spa. 

You can walk around the compound as they have a private beach and you can also see boats / ships docked. Picture perfect moments.

Despite the initial hiccup with the room reservation, The Pacific Sutera Hotel had quickly managed to resolve the issue at hand.

Now, I'm not picky and I was even prepared to get any room which was within our budget but the fact that we got an upgrade whilst paying for the same room rate we previously booked, that was certainly BEYOND our expectations!

We definitely enjoyed our stay in KK at the Pacific Sutera Hotel. Felt that time whizzed past us too fast. 

Our lil' tot most definitely loved the beach and the bouncing castle they've setup by the pool.

This is one hotel we'll come back to for our family trips in the future! 

Poslaju Online Airway Bill

Based on my experience so far using the Poslaju postal service, parcels shipped to recipients would successfully reach them by the next business day. 

The only time where there was a delay was when I sent it on a Friday and the recipient only received it on Tuesday the following week. 

Even though I've handed it over the counter around 10am+. Hence, I'd avoid sending parcels on Fridays. 

Now, dragging a toddler into a packed post office whilst trying to juggle the parcels, filling up the form and referring to your mobile phone or notes for the address and at the same time, eyeing your toddler running around the post office is one challenging task!

So hubby advised me on creating an online airway bill. 

Here's how:

Go to www.poslaju.com.my

Click on 'CREATE CONSIGNMENT'

Fill up the online form, starting with the details of the RECIPIENT followed by your details:

Once all fields have been filled, click on the 'CREATE CONSIGNMENT NOTE' button at the end of the page:

 It will then prompt you to print a pdf form with all the fields already filled up for you. 

You'll need to print out 2 pages (there will be 4 forms in total) and complete the signature section along with details of the parcel's content.

You can bring the 2 pages and your parcel over to the post office for them to arrange the necessary. 

If you wish to make their job easier, particularly if you have more than once parcel to ship, you can cut out all 4 forms separately. 

3 forms will be retained by the post office whereas the remaining 1 form will be for your personal copy. The forms already have a tracking number so you may provide this to your recipient.

It has made my job much easier ever since I've prepared the print-outs prior to my visit to the post office so I could pay close attention to my toddler :D

Hope this helps! :)

Our Lil' Tot at 3-years old

This is going to be super random, in no particular order nor format nor structure.

Our toddler's development at the age of 3:

She still breastfeeds (yeay!)

She doesn't take afternoon naps anymore if she's busy playing BUT will oblige when I ask her "Would you like to take a nap and have milk?" (Milk = breast milk) ... She'll instantly say "Yes!"

Her sentence construction has definitely improved, at times when she attempts to construct long sentences, she'll pause for a moment before completing her sentence. It brings us joy that she makes the effort to use words. 

The other day when I wanted to pass her something, it fell to the floor. I quickly apologized and picked it up before handing it over to her. She responded with "Not a problem!" 

Her appetite has improved. Just the other day, she had 3 pancakes for breakfast, 2 slices of pizza for lunch, 2 pieces of cookies for her snack and as for dinner, finished off a small scoop of rice coupled with chicken soup (along with a few pieces of chicken). 

She has started to understand emotions. She'll ask "Are you happy?" after she has taken her shower or finished her meal. We'll respond with "Yes, because you have done ... ". On the other hand, if she did something wrong, we'll say "I'm feeling sad / not happy because you ...". She'll immediately apologize if she knows that she was in the wrong. 

She loves having us read to her, even asks us "What does this say?" whilst pointing towards a sentence. 

She loves finishing puzzles. 

She loves playing with LEGO pieces, especially the smaller sized ones.

She dislikes using colour pencils and prefers painting instead. 

She very proper in terms of ensuring that her toys are kept away once she has played with them. When she does activities like painting or baking and her hands are dirty, she'll either grab a tissue to wipe it off or wash it off, then resume her activity. She can't see things out of order (not everything but what stands out for her) and she'll put them in place. 

When a particular music is playing and it strikes her fancy, she'll dance or nod to the beat. The best part, her moves are according to the beat. :)

She helps out with the house chores like sweeping the floor, wiping the kitchen counter, washing her plates upon finishing her meals, doing the laundry (including folding), among others. 

Between playing and helping us out with chores / cooking / baking, she'd choose to help us out. 

When she's playing with her toys, sometimes she'll insist on us playing with her. So we'll sit next to her while she plays. 

Her stuffed toys no longer receive the same attention as before, with the exception of Hello Kitty and Toothless (the dragon).

She can go on a couple of days without her formula milk. 

Although she's not potty trained, whenever she needs to poop, I'd bring her to the washroom. She won't tell you straightaway she needed to do her business. The signs I'd look out for would be a red-faced toddler trying to hold onto a table or chair and tiptoe on her feet. 

Homeschool? Unschool?

The other day when I was sitting outside our home whilst watching our toddler play her scooter around the compound, out came my neighbour with her 2-yo son. 

We exchanged greetings and she said "We're late for school" as she smiled and walked towards the basement car park with her 2-yo son who was sipping milk-to-go from his bottle.

I know of another neighbour who sends her 3-yo daughter to school as well on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

I looked at my daughter and thought to myself. 

Oh wow, these mothers are sending their kids to school at a pretty early age. 

Of course, it got me on a guilt trip somehow for not sending mine to pre-school. 

Thing is, I stay home to look after my child and after scouting around for information on fees for pre-school, my heart just sank. 

It's expensive especially if we only have one breadwinner in the household. 

So I started Googling and following FB groups on homeschooling.

One article which I found quite interesting, especially if one is not familiar with the word unschool, explains in depth what unschooling is all about:


The Beginner's Guide to Unschooling

I'm determined to find out more information on this and I've even planned a schedule /routine just to guide me on what to do with my toddler during specific time blocks in the day. 

It doesn't need to be precise to the minute. Allow flexibility especially since you're working with a toddler :D

Actually, all the things that we have been doing with our daughter IS part of her education which they call 'unschool' and things like doing house chores or washing dishes or even the laundry are categorized under 'life skills'. 

True enough, I stumbled upon a montessori that shared pictures of their activities via FB where the kids learn to wash dishes and put them away etc. 

- Montessori a Day Challenge -

One resourceful website, Patchwork Cactus , encourages parents to bring montessori education into the comforts of the home. One activity is to complete the 31 tasks listed above and document it via IG / Twitter / FB using #pcmontessoriaday

I thought to myself. 

Every child is unique, hence their growth and development is unique too. 

So are their learning styles / learning pace and even their interests. 

They may be interested in one thing now but on an entirely different thing at a later point.  

If I can do these things with my daughter and impart knowledge to her along the way or learn things together since I have the time, I'd be able to save the money from being spent on pre-school and use that money to buy learning aids and other resources.

I'm sure there are many people who may look on homeschooling as a hindrance to the child's socialization skills etc. 

Homeschool does not mean that a child purely stays at home and not mix around with other people or is prohibited from going out.

That definitely beats the purpose of having a parent educate their child at home. 

The values and knowledge the parent wishes to impart or gain together with the child may come in many forms and the exposure level is different too.

Trips to the library in doing research (apart from the Internet), visits to the zoo or museums, going to the supermarket and looking up and comparing prices or how to choose poultry or vegetables, having play date sessions with kids from other families (both homeschooled or non-homeschooled) and the list can go on and on and on. 

Even if a parent brings their child to work (ie runs a business), the child can observe how a business is run or how to build rapport with customers or how to make business decisions etc

Homeschool allows the child to learn on survival skills too ie knowing how to prepare meals or clean up after meals, making the bed, doing the laundry, cleaning up a mess, etc. 

Interacting with other people of all ages can be learnt by observing how their parent interacts with others and the most important thing is how to respect other people of different faiths and embrace differences. 

Are homeschoolers an entirely different species altogether? 

Studies have shown they're no different than kids who actually go to school, perhaps score higher in the measurements below: 

Source: http://www.home-school.com/

The Internet is an amazing place to source for ideas on activities as they have an abundance of information, free printables and even other parents / guardians sharing their experience on homeschooling.

We're pretty new at this but strongly believe that we can do this! :)

Goodsaltz The Curve, Mutiara Damansara

One fine Sunday afternoon, hubby, our tot and I headed to Goodsaltz after catching a movie at e@curve. 

We've read raving reviews about the restaurant so we went to check out the place.

It was packed with the Sunday afternoon lunch crowd but we managed to secure an empty table inside. (The only ONE table left. Alternatively, you could sit at the bar).

Thank goodness for the a/c as it was scorching hot outside!

What we love about new cafes and restaurants in Klang Valley (well, some, that is) are the ID. They're simply awesome!  :)

Goodsaltz had it too! 

CRISPY SHIITAKE SHROOMS - RM 12

The mushrooms were good, you know why? Our toddler who's a picky eater loved it! :) 

BUTCHER'S RAGOUT WITH FUSILLI - RM 24

Hubby loved this dish, particularly the sauce. The only thing was that the portion was quite huge so he had a tough time finishing it. :)

CARBONARA - RM 24

I changed my pasta from fettuccine to spaghetti. 

MANGO TANGY - RM 10.90

Hubby's thirst quencher was this drink, he loved it as it tasted like pure mango juice.

In the event you feel like checking out the place, here's a glimpse of their menu.

Service was good as the staff were friendly, attentive and efficient. 

When we asked for a baby chair, the staff even helped our toddler climb the high chair. 

As we were about to leave the restaurant, they echoed their thanks and gave us warm smiles.

I sure do hope they'll retain this level of service as this is one restaurant we'd definitely come back to.

Address: Lot G41, Ground Floor The Curve, No. 6 Jalan PJU 7/3, Mutiara Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Phone number: +603-77337860

Email address: mailbox@goodsaltz.com

Opening hours:
10am-12am (Weekdays)
10am-1am (Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday)

Sam's Groceria @ Encorp Strand Mall, The Strand, Kota Damansara

I instantly fell in love with THIS supermarket! 

I'm extremely impressed! 

Sam's Groceria at Encorp Mall, The Strand in Kota Damansara.

The supermarket, located on the Ground Floor, is extremely CLEAN, smells fresh and everything is just organised. 

(Notice me using the word 'extremely' for the second time? It really is an AWESOME supermarket!)

The staff are friendly and from time to time, they'd make their rounds to check out the aisles and re-arrange items on display to ensure that the shelves look neat and organised. 

Seriously, I don't mind doing my grocery shopping here. 

They also have another section called Sam's Deli where all the baked / fried / cooked dishes are ready to be picked out and they also have a dining area for you to enjoy your meals.

The concept is quite similar to Ben's Independent Grocer (B.I.G) in Publika.

The latest trend in our local supermarkets would be the self scan facility.

This feature is quite common overseas but only recently we have seen this implemented locally. 

Check out the video and guide on how to go about using this. 

(You will need to register with the Sam's Groceria Family Card Program)

Video explanation on the Self-Scan feature

I'm willing to frequent Sam's Groceria in a heartbeat, the only pain is the traffic jam as you'd need to brave through traffic due to the on-going MRT construction. 

You'll need to figure out which timings would be feasible so as not to get caught in the jam. 

On another note, they have JKids located on the 2nd floor, right next to TGV Cinemas. 

For the Muslims, a surau is located on the Ground Floor and is extremely comfortable too. 

You may check out their list of tenants here 

Best part, as of now, parking is FREE of charge!

The mall is THE best place to go to ... now, if only the traffic jam heading there wasn't such a headache! :(

Address: G-01, Encorp Strand Mall, Kota Damansara PJU 5 Petaling Jaya, 47810 Selangor, Malaysia

---

Business Hours: Open Daily, 10am - 10pm

---

Contact Number: 03-6143 7512