1. frontage of ibis Melaka
With a schedule packed with work, it is difficult for me to travel as often as I did. Therefore, like the millions of employees in Malaysia, I, too, have begun counting the days to the next public holiday.
2. spacious, high-ceilinged lobby
3. cosy corner with a painting of the original business of ibis Melaka, a cinema
As you can imagine, I was delighted with the recent long weekend, which allowed me to sneak away to the historic city of Melaka, about 5 hours away from Ipoh by the North–South Expressway.
4. web corner for guests’ use
5. one of the three function rooms
It has been a few years since I visited Melaka and welcomed the opportunity to get a product update. I was eager to experience something new, one of them being Encore Melaka. More on that in a future post.
6. Lobby Bar Café
7. Standard Room
My first stop was ibis Melaka (pronounced as i-bis), located within the UNESCO World Heritage Site, just on the fringe of Melaka’s Little India.
8. the frilly bolster covers give me a sense of homeliness
9. Suite
Opened for business on 23rd June, 2017, ibis Melaka, a member of French hospitality group AccorHotels, features a unique eye-catching English-style architecture, very different from its neighbours.
10. luggage rack, wardrobe and other conveniences
11. electronic safety box hidden in a drawer
Its location is a definite plus point for me, someone who heavily depends on public transport. Ride hailing service, Grab, is available but unnecessary if you wish to visit mainstream attractions of the city, such as Christ Church, Dutch Square, A’Famosa Fort, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Jonker Street, Pahlawan Square, Jalan Bunga Raya (Melaka’s version of Ipoh’s Concubine Line) and the vibrant F&B strip along Melaka River.
12. coffee & tea-making facilities
13. washroom
They are all within walking distance. I should know, because that was what I did during this trip. Walking is good exercise. Besides, I personally feel that I see more things on foot, as opposed to travelling in a vehicle, especially when I get lost. Haha
14. Family Room
15. Superior Room
While location is always a top priority for me, I am big on comfort and service as well. The main reason of going on a holiday is to refresh and rejuvenate not only the body, but the mind as well, after all.
16. garden gym with floor-to-ceiling glass wall that looks out to lush greenery
17. ibis kitchen
Indeed, that was what I managed to do, with the friendly smiles that greeted me and the soft, cosy bed that enveloped me as I laid my weary body down for the night, tired from rediscovering Melaka after a few years’ gap.
18. buffet line
19. Nyonya chap chye
Boasting 249 well-appointed contemporary guest rooms, room categories are: Standard, Superior, Family, as well as Suite, all with the exclusively designed Sweet Bed by ibis.
20. Thai-style deep-fried tofu
21. vegetarian sambal squid
For the convenience of guests, there is a garden gym that is equipped with a ceiling-to-floor wall that looks out to a lush garden, one F&B outlet (ibis kitchen), one bar (Savioe) and one Lobby Bar Café.
22. roasted lamb in black pepper sauce
23. chicken wings in lemon sauce
ibis Melaka also makes a wonderful venue for meetings and conferencing, as there are three function rooms and a banquet hall, to meet the requirements of modest-scale business or social events.
24. fried yee mee
25. salad / dessert bar
Before planning my trip to Melaka, I spoke to a few friends to get insider knowledge on what to eat while visiting in Melaka. Armed with a list of ten eateries that locals patronise, my holiday nearly became a food trial. In the end, I only visited one outlet, as most of my other meals were settled at ibis Melaka’s ibis kitchen.
26. salads
27. desserts
Oh, why?? Was it for the sake of convenience? Not actually. It’s because the dishes tasted too good to not savour them! The culinary crew is led by Head Chef Mior, who used to serve at Ipoh’s Casuarina Hotel. Perakians would know that Casuarina was the default caterer for the Perak palace. That experience really counts for something.
28. more desserts to appease that sweet tooth
29. a short visit with Chef Mior (ibis Melaka Hotel head Chef) in his territory
As we’re both from Perak and conversant in loghat Perak, I had the privilege of visiting him at his “territory”. Do take note that the kitchen is usually only accessible by authorised personnel.
30. Chef Mior prepares Nyonya chap chye
31. Nyonya chap chye
My stay already came with complimentary breakfast at ibis kitchen but that wasn’t enough for me. I had to go for their buffet, as well as sink my teeth into their Nyonya lunch set that included main courses of steamed fish in Nyonya sauce, ayam pongteh, and Nyonya chap chye.
32. ayam pongteh
33. steamed fish with Nyonya sauce
My mouth-watering lunch wrapped up with a smooth crème caramel. There are two dessert options, actually. The other is Nyonya cendol. I would have both if I could, greedy me!
34. Nyonya lunch set at ibis Melaka Hotel
35. crème caramel
Oh, by the way, the Savioe (bar) is very happening at night, from about 8pm onwards. Photos not available as there were other guests dancing the night away. LOL
36. ibis kitchen @ ibis Melaka Hotel
ibis Melaka may be a 4-star leisure/business-class city hotel, 3-stars according to AccorHotels’ international rating, but I give it five stars. Do I plan to return for another, longer stay? You bet!
ibis Melaka
Add: 249, Jalan Bendahara, 75100 Melaka, Malaysia.
Tel: (+60)62228888
Fax: (+60)62228899
Email: H9101@accor.com
Web: ibis Melaka
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