Surviving JB during the school holidays

Back to JB again with the kids this time round so that it gives a better bang for our bucks. Don't be surprised but being novice we went during the school holiday...and survived it. Much to contrary beliefs, you SHOULD NEVER TAKE A CAR in. We took public transport and the wait was actually within acceptable standards. By the 5th bus (with 2 coming together), we were up and going. 

If you taking the train in, you would need to book way in advance. I heard it is at least 2 months. But for us, it was really a spontaneous decision. Although there were still train tickets, the timing just wasn't desirable. We decided to check out something off the beaten track - Eco Palladium. 

Lunch at The Courtyard Place

Though not fully occupied by tenants yet, Eco Palladium has lotsa of eateries. We settled on this because it seems to have more options for the kids. I really enjoyed this place because it serve a very healthy take on everything and some of the food was not something I could find outside. There was a kids menu available and also a mini play area to entertain the children as the adults have their own meals/ conversations. It is not very expensive too!

2. Work in Progress Studio

Next up, we went to get some crafts done! At Work in Progress Studio, you could make a moru doll or a silver ring. For the kids, we decided to go for the former because it was just easier for them. At Rm 88 (~S$30), you can make a doll with 10 tokens, a mystery accessory and unlimited beads. There was a lot of variety of apparels and accessories to pick from. My son being quite decisive, didn't use his full 10 tokens for his more simplistic doll. 

My daughter used his remainder to bring home cute little mini charm accessories to place in our mini house display (not all has to be attached to your doll). I really love their accessories cos some were really relatable like starbucks coffee and chagee bubble tea. The children had a lot of fun and it took around 1.5 hours in total to fully complete their moru doll. 

3. Kacha Kacha Studio (S$28)

Next up, we went to take some prints because the children were always badgering me about it and it is just way cheaper to do this in Malaysia. We only had 20 minutes to take our unlimited shots and 10 minutes to make the selection. It was pretty intense, given the toddlers had to be carried and dictated. We got to bring home some prints and digital prints for memories. It is a very popular place and some people travel to Eco Palladium just for it. 

4. Cuddle Co

The children needed a place to exhaust their energy so we decided to pop by Cuddle Co. Given its more outskirt location, I expected to be cheaper than the indoor playgrounds near the causeway malls. It turned out to be slightly more expensive. The staff, whom I initially thought to dislike children, turned up to be just anti-Singaporeans. They refused to speak to me in English and were basically very cold to us. The next family who popped by were Malaysians and they were absolutely charming. 

The indoor playground is very new and well-maintained. The kids had lots of good fun in an hour. There were cars for rent, photobooths services and also a top floor which sells overpriced kids clothings. You could also order food and drinks while you wait for the kids. However, the service was so deplorable and unwelcoming, I would 100% never step in again. 

After which, we headed back to the causeway malls for a quick meal and a pet cafe visit before we headed back home. No jam once again :D

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** Use the discount code "BABYNFAMKLOOK" when you book through Klook for a 5% Discount. Applicable to All Klook Activities with min. spend of SGD50. Discount capped at SGD15.

Day Trip to JB for the girlies

I think I am pretty late into the game. But I am starting to enjoy the "retirement life" where you gather your friends on a weekday to charge into JB. One thing for sure, JB helps to stretch our sing dollar and let you have a better bang for your buck. Here's a itinerary which I went together with my friends for a short day out! I have compiled the best from 2 trips with 2 separate groups to create the ultimate day out guide. 

Breakfast at Roast & Coffee

I thought their steamed chicken was really soft and yummy. Their drinks were really on point too. Best of all, it is affordable! They sell other local delights if you want something else. At the same street, you will find Hiap Joo Bakery selling the supposedly famous banana cake. (I think it is so-so only, but I know people who love it) So it is quite a good spot to visit and settle breakfast/ bunch. 

The Hidden Farm 

For lovers of petting places, this is quite a must-go. I don't find their entrance fees particularly cheap (S$16 for adults) for locals, but for Singaporeans it is quite affordable. There is a good variety of furies and even reptiles for you to carry, feed and pet. There is even my current obsession - the fennec fox. It is not compulsory to get any food that and that is great because there is not many people in their cafes. If you are not into petting animals, I would suggest to give this a pass because, there isn't anything else near there. 

Head Spa

For the girlies, this is really quite a nice try. It is really expensive in Singapore. So while we were there, we just max-ed it out and took the most expensive and longest treatment (~around 2.5 hr). Note: You can choose a treatment based on your available time/ budget.  It was a really interesting experience for me. I found it rather ticklish and hard to relax. I would prefer more shoulder massage. We did ours at Queen Hair Studio. I like the amenities cos it is really clean and the service is good. I would probably be back for other treatments. You can try it at other places too.

Late Lunch at Eden by Wizards

A lot of influencers have raved about this place, so I don't think it is unknown. I asked my local friends and they also recommended this. Upon stepping in, I can understand why. It is a really well-designed cafe that lets you walk into a quaint space to enjoy a serene meal. You can't really speak and laugh that loudly because this place traps sound. The food is decent and well priced. It is basically good cafe food at half the price you would have had in Singapore. I really like it and I do see myself coming back once every 4 trips to try out different items on the menu. Did you see how big the crab is and the pie, which was not even in the mains, was huge!

Massage at Borneo Oasis

Just to clarify, I don't think this is the cheapest massage place. But I feel this is made for Singaporeans. If you are like me who is icky about cleanliness, this probably suits you. It is probably a little fancy for their local standards and the staff thoroughly pampers you. The strength of the massage was good and I felt so sleepy and relaxed after. Pss, they do hair spa here too. If you come in a bigger group or come here for a full suite of services, you can enjoy a better discount price. 

After this, I usually head back to the malls for my shopping fixes and settle my dinner there. No specific recommendations because the food options at the malls are rather generic and of acceptable standards. It is always a rush affair for me because when I shop I forget the time. Oops!!!

JB Cat Cafe: Chucky Cat Cafe

A while back, we made our trip to JB. One of things we are looking out for was for kid-friendly pets cafe because my kids really loved animals. Based on my humble research, Chunky Cat Cafe was the only pet cafe located within a shopping mall. Fortunately for us, this cafe was right smack beside our hotel. (We happened to stay at Holiday Inn.) So, we managed to save the Grab fees too. 

We got our tickets from Klook. You could probably get your tickets on the spot (with a lot more different package option). But if you want to be cash-free and accumulate credit card points and also use vouchers, the deal was better on Klook. The kitties were so clean and well kept. 

Generally, the kittens were also very gentle (despite how pushy my littlest one could be). The wilder ones had collars with bells, so I made sure our girl avoided them. She is not rough per-say but we were scared she could not manage her strength. Our only initial problem was that the felines were so reserved. After 15 mins in getting all the pets he wanted, my older one got bored. 

So I thought to get them some beverage/ ice cream. It was only then when I noticed they sold cat tidbits (RM5 each). It is quite a game changer. The cats flocked towards them and they started to enjoy the close proximity with the cats. Also, it helped the cats to start trusting these shorter humans. Tip: Please spend on the cat food! These cats are really realistic. No food, No honey!

We ended up buying 2 servings for each kid. The kids had lots of fun (so did I) and I also managed to capture a lot of good photos (to send to the relatives). Overall damage is less than S$100 for sure. I bought drinks and ice-cream too! The kids didn't stay longer than an hour because they were slightly hungry for their late lunch. I don't think I could have stayed the whole day with the kids. 

For the hotel, we came in a huge group so we took the suite at Holiday Inn. I think it could stay up to 5 adults. It was insanely spacious and the kids enjoyed just jumping around. Most importantly, it was super convenient to everything. We barely even needed to move out via Grab. The only problem was that the swimming pool was not very kids-friendly. But hey, we came prepared and brought our own floats. HAHAH

Just so you can get the best bang for the bucks, you can use the discount code below :)

** Use the discount code "BABYNFAMKLOOK" when you book through Klook for a 5% Discount. Applicable to All Klook Activities with min. spend of SGD50. Discount capped at SGD15.