Malacca (Melaka) is a perfect trip for a short getaway from Singapore and great for those who do not wish to take the plane. With just about a 4-5 hour bus ride you literally land in a town that is completely seeped in old history and sample delicious traditional Nonya cuisines.
There are a couple of ways to travel to Malacca on public transport. The adventurous sort and those on a tight budget could go to Queens Street bus station and take a bus to Larkin Sentral and from there purchase a bus ticket to Malacca. This could take longer as you may need to wait an additional 2 hours for the next bus. Alternatively you could take a return trip on a premium bus service that brings you direct to Malacca. The best would be to choose the bus service that stops right at the hotel you have booked. For example Luxury Tours & Travel bus stops at hotel Equatorial Melaka. With that you don't have to pay additional transfer to your hotel destination.
Personally I like to stay at
Holiday Inn Melaka as it is just next to the beach. It is well kept and rooms are really decent. It is however a 20-30 minute walk to Jonker Street (where everyone goes). I was just there last weekend and another hotel that is right at the start of Jonker Street is Hangout Hotel. It looks fairly new and clean and I might just stay there the next time round.
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| Holiday Inn Melaka |
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Holiday Inn Melaka View From Guestroom
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Things to do in Malacca
As with all Singaporeans the trip to Malacca means sampling the famous
chendol found along the middle of
Jonker Street. You cannot miss it as there is always a queue. What makes the chendol special is the gula melaka (palm sugar). The ice cold dessert consists of coconut cream, ice shavings, green jelly and red bean, a perfect thirst quencher after a long walk in the hot sun. You can also sample their local Assam Laksa and Curry Mee in the same shop.
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| Jonker Street, Malacca (Melaka) |
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| Jonker88 - the must stop chendol stop |
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| Delicious Durian Chendol |
It is also an almost must to eat the
Chicken Rice with Chicken Rice Balls also found on Jonker Street. There are two shops selling them, so try both and conclude which is better. Personally I would not eat that as the only thing special is that the rice is shaped in a ball, which really is no big deal to me. But of course, there is always a first for everyone.
The other popular must eat is Nonya food and Nonya Kueh. For that I like to head down to
Nancy's Kitchen. Probably the best time would be lunch as the Nonya Kueh would still be available and it would not be so crowded. Also found along Jonker Street but you have to turn left (where you will see several pubs lining the street)
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| Nancy's Kitchen |
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| Nancy's Kitchen - interesting keuh for purchase during the day |
Apart from the main Jonker Street which houses lots of interesting food, craft, and fashion, what's even more interesting is the two streets both left and right of Jonker Street that houses lovely local craft, paintings and clothing stores. It's lovely just to walk around and admire the shops and the peranakan shophouses that have been well kept and intact. And a just a short distance away is
Christ Church Melaka building which is a famous lovely red brick church to check out. Up the red brick stairs and up the slop will take you to the top of the hill for a aerial view of Malacca and also houses the ruins of the
St Paul's Church. The little path that lines
Malacca River just across Christ Church Melaka is a quite a lovely stroll - only that it is quite smelly during the day. At night one could take the river cruise when the smell would have also gone.
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| Christ Church Melaka - the pretty, historic church in Melaka |
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| View of Malacca fom St. Paul's Church |
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| Jonker Street turns really lively at night! |
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| Malacca River - hop on a night time cruise for a beautiful boat ride |
Between Malacca and Penang, I would say Malacca is easier to wander about by foot and more interesting in terms of the shops to see. It is also a prettier historical town and certainly closer to Singapore. With everything from food, to shopping, to tourist sights all within walking distance this means that you will save a lot on taxis as well. Certainly Malacca is a place I will come back when I need a break from city life in Singapore. And all you really need is just an overnight in Malacca. A perfect holiday just for the short weekend getaway.
