Road Trips:
What’s it like doing a driving holiday from Singapore? We find out from KATIE MORTLOCK, who has done two trips through Malaysia in the past couple of years with her family of four. Adventure is just a causeway away!
An expat family explores Malaysia by car
What first inspired you to do a road trip in Malaysia?
My husband Mike is from New Zealand and we had done a couple of driving holidays there, which the kids really enjoyed. They really liked the adventure of going from place to place – never knowing what the next stop might be like, what we might see and where we might stay. We had also previously done a minibreak in Malaysia, going through Melaka and Kuala Lumpur, and friends had told us about so many other nice places to visit in the country. It just made sense to plan a driving trip as it’s right on our doorstep.
What type of vehicle did you have?
The first time we went, we had our old Mazda 3 hatchback. For our second trip, we took our brand new VW Sharan. It made a huge difference having a car with cruise control for the long drives. Also, having a bigger car made it much easier with the luggage.
How did you find the driving?
It was challenging at times, and the motorways can be crazy; you can be driving at 120kph and have a rusted junk heap go screaming past you at over 150kph! You need to be on your toes. Traffic accidents can cause dreadful delays, too, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the traffic ahead. Sometimes it’s better to divert around a jam than spend two hours in stationary traffic. We use our mobile service provider’s 30-day roaming service so we have data for Google Maps in Malaysia. And another new tip we learnt on our most recent trip is that you can register for the Touch ’n Go app and load up your card electronically. No more being stuck at toll booths with not enough money on your card!
How do your kids entertain themselves on the road?
Our two girls are now 14 and 11. We had some long driving days and spent the time listening to talking books (including The Hobbit and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). I also read to the girls (thankfully, it doesn’t make me carsick). And we invented a game called “Doggo” where we would try to spot wild dogs on our way up to the Cameron Highlands. It’s very competitive and the girls get very excited arguing over who spotted one first! We also tried to break things up by having longer stays after long drives, and planning interesting visits to farms, gardens, places where you can make batik, and so on. We mix up flash resorts and more basic accommodation; it’s quite fun waiting to see if the next place turns out to be fabulous or not!
What were some of the destination highlights – for kids and for adults – of your two trips?
• Melaka has been a big favourite of ours. We’ve stayed there three times now; we really like the Casa Del Rio, a hotel right in the middle of town, and the night market on Jonkers Street is good fun to explore.
• The Tropical Spice Garden in Penang was another highlight – lovely gardens and you can buy spices to take home that have been grown on the property.
• We also enjoyed visiting the plantations in the Cameron Highlands, including Boh and the Barat Group.
• Langkawi was very special – the car ferry across was an adventure, the beach was fantastic and we stayed at a brand new resort, Dash, that was quirky and fun.
• The Mangala Spa & Resort in Kuantan is amazing – it’s a rehabilitated tin mine with fabulous gardens and lakes; we stayed in a two-bedroom villa with a private pool. It was a splurge, but well worth it.
• At Tanjong Jara, we were able to witness the release of 180 turtle hatchlings.
Was everything pre-planned and booked, or did you find some accommodation while on the road?
We pre-booked everything. Mike did the research, planned the itinerary and found all the accommodation. We only had one fail across our two trips. We’d booked an eco-resort that was a complete disaster – our room had been given away and we were put in a different one that not only overlooked a busy road, but was also utterly infested with mosquitoes. Mike did a quick search and found us some nearby alternative accommodation, which was fantastic.
Anything you would do differently in future?
In future, we’re probably going to book a minimum of two nights in each place. Sometimes we book somewhere that everyone loves so much that it’s a shame to have to leave after just one night.
Any ideas for your next trip?
Nothing just yet, though if we get the chance to plan a longer trip, we may consider driving up into Thailand.
We like to mix up flash resorts and more basic accommodation; it’s fun waiting to see if the next place is fabulous or not!