Lembang Floating Market

Eventhough Lembang is only an hour away from our parent's house in Bandung, I seldom go to Lembang because of its traffic jam especially during weekend. Kampung Gajah and The Ranch didn't interest me to go there until  I read blogs regarding Lembang Floating Market. The place is so awesome which made me planned a one night stay in Lembang with @rona_willis and @alisahaqiqi's families.  

colorful food stalls at Lembang Floating Market

As it was a school holiday period, we left early from Jakarta to avoid the traffic jam, and went directly to Lembang Floating Market. We arrived there at 9 am, became one of their first guests coming that Saturday. We had to buy tickets IDR 10,000 per person and IDR 5,000 for our car. We could change our ticket with a cup of hot/cold coffee, chocolate or lemon tea inside the market.

tickets & the entrance to the market

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Warung Bambu

After spending a whole day at Batu Secret Zoo, we were looking for a kids friendly restaurant in Malang or Batu to have our dinner. We didn't have a proper lunch because kiddos wanted to go directly to the zoo upon arrival in Batu. As kiddos were very hungry that evening, we decided to look for a restaurant in Batu.

I remember visiting a resto called Warung Bambu about a year ago, as recommended by @alisahaqiqi. That time we had a driver who took us there, so I didn't notice how to get to Warung Bambu from Batu Secret Zoo. So this time we had to ask people how to get there, and after a 30 minutes of search, we arrived at Warung Bambu. Kiddos choose where they wanted to seat, a table where they could put their legs in the fish pond were chosen.

kiddos could play with the fish while eating

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The Best Zoo in Indonesia: Batu Secret Zoo

I have chosen Batu Secret Zoo as the best zoo that I've ever visited in Indonesia. So far, I have been to Bandung Zoo, Ragunan Zoo, Taman Safari, Bali Zoo, Bali Bird Park and also the Reptile Park. Still, the best zoo (in Indonesia for me) is the Batu Secret Zoo. 

First thing that impressed me was the healthy animals within the zoo and also how clean the zoo is. Our effort flew all the way from Jakarta to Malang to visit the Batu Secret Zoo really worth it. 

healthy animals

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Harris Hotel Malang

Everytime we travel with kiddos (especially in Indonesia), pool is one of the most important thing to decide which hotel to stay (of course the other important thing is the price:p) Most of the hotels with nice pool are expensive, but finally I found an affordable hotel with great pool in Malang. Yes, it's the newly opened Harris Malang.

lobby area in a Dutch Colonial style

We booked directly to the hotel, and got a corporate rate for the Harris room. Upon check-in, we were upgraded to a Terrace Room, located on the same floor with the lobby. It has a terrace overlooking the garden and the pool. Well, it's proven once more, late check-in means a free upgrade:p We checked-in at 9 pm that night, after spending a whole day in Batu.

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Fave Hotel Langkawi

We were confused of getting the right place to stay in Langkawi (oh yes because of the price!), we then read in a magazine that Fave Hotel has opened their branch in Langkawi. Having stayed in some of Fave Hotels in Indonesia, we booked their superior room for the four of us. We booked through their website and got a 10% discount with their bookdirect promo code. Our room cost IDR 700,000 per night, including breakfast.

Actually we booked this hotel because of the picture of the pool on their website, too bad the pool's depth was disappointing. The maximum depth is 1,5m and only few area having this depth. Most of the pool is 0,5m to 1m only. But of course, kiddos love the pool and they said "I could reach the bottom of the pool":p

great pool for kiddos

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Snorkeling at Pulau Payar Langkawi

Visiting Pulau Payar was not included in our itinerary, but we changed our mind and decided to have it a try after seeing the brochure at the tour desk of Fave Hotel Langkawi. The most interesting part of the brochure was the picture of the coral and the fishes. We thought it would be a great experience for our kiddos to swim with all of the fishes.

One day before the tour, we bought two adults and 1 child package tour (kiddos up to 3 yo was free), the cheapest option was the package of snorkeling at Payar Island. But it does not include enjoying the reef platform. Well, nevermind as our objective was to have a snorkel and swimming session for our kiddos.

At 8 am, we were picked up by the Langkawi Coral's bus. We picked up other guests in different hotels before heading to Jetty Point, located next to Dataran Elang. We arrived there one hour after being picked up, and were divided into groups. Our bus was not the only bus, there were still two other buses. They gave us a waterproof paper bracelet, then walked to the ferry.

ferry to Payar Island

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Langkawi Cable Car

The reason why we decided to spend a long weekend in Langkawi was because of the Langkawi Sky Bridge and the its Sky Cab. But we found out that the sky bridge have been closed for sometime due to maintenance and safety reason. Of course we were disappointed, but when we got there, I felt very fortunate that the skybridge was closed. I will tell you later why.

The cable car station located in the Oriental Village, a touristy place where we could find restaurants, souvenir shops, and also playgrounds for kiddos. There's a lake in the middle which made this place more beautiful. 

a lovely village 

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Tips on Traveling to Belitung

Traveling to Belitung for the first time and you are confused whether to take a tour or not? Hmmm that was what I experienced on planning our trip to Belitung. There are many Belitung tours available on the internet. I called one of them asking whether I had to pay for our kiddos. I got the answered that they will email me the details, but I have never received the email. 

So I pushed the "call a friend" button, asking my friends who have been to Belitung regarding driver and hotel recommendation. @hellorico, @alencantiek and @diniros were my source of information, and I am blessed to get useful information from them. Thank you guys!

A 3D2N tour with a room at Bahamas hotel cost IDR 1,750,000 per person, while staying at Lor In will cost you more around IDR 1,900,000 per person. I cut the price by organise our private tour, and I am sharing the tips with you.

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