Hey, Faithfuls! I'm so glad because borders are finally open and I can go back to my motherland, Malaysiaa! My boyfriend and I just got back from a trip to Europe (stay tuned for that blog post!) and we're experiencing severe travel withdrawals, and since his birthday is in June, I thought it was a great time to go for another trip - to Genting Highlands. We planned this trip very last minute so everything was a rush and we could not get the hotels we wanted, but I would say that everything still worked out amazing in the end.
Grand Ion Delemen Hotel
The hotel we stayed at was called Grand Ion Delemen Hotel. This hotel was rather far from the main Genting Highlands centre, which is where First World Hotel, the Genting theme park, and casinos are at. Grand Ion Delemen Hotel is about a 10-minute cab ride from the centre, which can be quite a hassle, but it was the only hotel available for booking during our dates.
We booked a Deluxe Double Room for about ~S$300 for two nights. Our room was pretty basic; it had toiletries, towels, shower and body wash, an electric kettle, coffee and tea packets, and WiFi.
It was okayy I guess, for a short stay, but our room wasn't the cleanest. For starters, it had hair all over the shower drain, rubbish on the carpet and sink, as well as half-used shampoo from the previous guests! Also, the walls are super thin and we could hear the very noisy kid next door. Anyway, I still took a picture of the bathroom after doing some cleaning up.
Wasn't sure if I wanted to talk about this but I thought it's worth a mention, especially if you are someone who's very sensitive about this. So while we were queueing to check in, we actually stood behind this family who claimed their room was haunted. I don't know the details because I did not hear everything they said, but they were very flustered and wanted to check out immediately.
As for myself, I did not experience anything odd at the hotel (thankfully). Also fun fact: the alleged haunted and super famous Amber Court apartment is just opposite Grand Ion Delemen Hotel, so brave souls can go take a look or even spend the night if you dare.
Genting Highlands itinerary
We spent 4 days at Genting Highlands, which I thought was more than enough time to explore the area and hit all the spots we wanted to visit. Feel free to plan your own itinerary if you'd like - after all, mine's just a simple guide.
Genting Highlands itinerary day 1
5.45am: Depart for Genting Highlands
We booked our charter bus with WTS Travel. Since I travelled with them before and liked their service and relatively affordable rates, my boyfriend and I decided to just book with them again. We booked online about three weeks before the trip, and it cost about S$60/person. There are many pickup points around Singapore, and we chose the one at Ang Mo Kio which is near AMK Hub.
The bus departed right on time at 5.45am. Because we left Singapore so early, there was no traffic jam at the Singapore customs and when we entered JB. Do check out the WTS website for what documents to prepare when entering Malaysia! After we cleared the Malaysian customs, the WTS staff briefed us on what to expect during the ride, how long the ride would take (about 6 hours), and where our pit stops would be at.
For our first pit stop, we stopped at a Kopitiam for breakfast and our first toilet break. You could also buy a bunch of Malaysian snacks if you'd like.
We also used this time to purchase our Malaysian SIM cards. I have a Malaysian IC, so I was able to get a 20GB SIM for 20 days. For non-Malaysian ICs, the rates are only slightly higher.
Our second pit stop was another toilet break, after which was a non-stop journey all the way to Genting Highlands. We reached the Genting Highlands bus terminal at 1pm sharp and got to enjoy the breezy cool weather.
1pm: Lunch @ Grandmama's
Since our check-in time was at 3pm, we decided to go have lunch first. The bus terminal was linked to SkyAvenue Genting Highlands, which is a shopping mall. After walking around, we decided to have lunch at Grandmama's since my boyfriend was craving local Malaysian food. I was a bit sceptical at first, but the food was quite delicious! He ordered noodles and I had nasi lemak; the portions were very generous and the prices were around S$15++ a plate.
3pm: Check-in @ Grand Ion Delemen Hotel
We booked a Grab down to Grand Ion Delemen Hotel for less than S$3. Once we reached, we checked in and registered for the hotel shuttle bus on days that we wanted to travel to the First World Hotel area or back. One trip cost ~S$3.16 (RM10) for two people. We'd usually book to go to SkyAvenue and not back to Grand Ion Delemen because their last bus timings are around 11pm and we thought it was too early.
We were really, really tired after travelling for hours so we decided to just take time to chill, rest, and wash up at the hotel. We also toured around the hotel and visited their gym and swimming pool.
The swimming pool is awesome and I recommend dedicating some time to check it out!
6pm: Dinner @ Mr. Dakgalbi Korean Restaurant
We left our hotel around 5pm for SkyAvenue. Getting a Grab is a bitch here and we had no choice but to hire a cab from the taxi stand outside the hotel. One trip to SkyAvenue cost ~S$12.64 (RM40) and honestly, I'm still not complaining because that's still really cheap.
After walking around for about 30 minutes (because SkyAvenue is so damn big), we finally decided to try Mr. Dakgalbi Korean Restaurant, this Korean restaurant. Dakgalbi is basically a Korean stir-fried chicken dish, and the restaurant and several fusion versions of it. It was delicious!
8pm: Explore SkyAvenue Genting Highlands
After dinner, we spent some time walking around SkyAvenue and window-shopping at Uniqlo, Adidas, Vans, and more. There are luxury stores as well including Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, and Hugo Boss. There are two massage places as well such as Healing Touch and Thai Odyssey Signature.
If you're an adrenaline junkie, feel free to check out the Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park. Apparently, there are a few new rides and you can try everything at the theme park for $19.59. I didn't go, but my sister went before and told me it was really fun. Judging from the screams we heard while we were there, the theme park looks pretty thrilling.
10pm: Drinks @ RedTail Genting
We initially wanted to check out Zouk Genting but unfortunately, it was still closed. We were pretty disappointed but decided to go check out RedTail instead because we were really in the mood for drinks. It was good we did because RedTail was really fun! The music was amazing, and we got pretty darn drunk and I remember my head was spinning like mad. We were even treated to free drinks by the staff because they said they saw us having such a great time.
1am: Cab back to hotel
We didn't book the hotel shuttle bus because the last bus timing was too early for our schedule, so we had to get a cab back. This was quite a pain because imagine - we're drunk and totally out of it, and taxi drivers everywhere were trying to rip us off since it was past midnight. My very amazing boyfriend managed to get us a cab for exactly the same price that it took us to get here, so big shoutout to him and his thick skin.
Genting Highlands itinerary day 2
9am: Breakfast @ Kembali Kitchen
Our hotel booking included breakfast, so we made sure to wake up 30 minutes before the buffet ended at 10.30am because we're lazy assholes. Breakfast at Kembali Kitchen was alright and quite standard, although the food tasted so-so. There was always a crowd no matter what time you came down, but I do recommend coming earlier when the food is still hot.
11am: Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park
Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park reopened in the second quarter of 2021, so it's still quite new. We booked our tickets on the Genting SkyWorlds website at ~S$47.74 (RM151)/person. I'm not the biggest fan of roller coasters and I hate rides with drops, so I didn't really mind that almost all the major rides were not yet open. My boyfriend on the other hand is a big roller coaster fan, so he was quite disappointed that we could not experience the theme park in its entirety. However, we did agree to come back again once the theme park was fully open!
Meanwhile, I thoroughly enjoyed some of the rides including Independence Day: Defiance and Samba Gliders. My boyfriend tried Andromeda Base which was the most intense ride in the entire theme park (for now), which basically sent him flying upside down and all around.
3pm: Lunch @ Trattoria Il Lago
We wanted to try one of the restaurants in the theme park so we walked around and found Trattoria Il Lago, this quaint Italian restaurant. We did not have high hopes but boy did they exceed our expectations! Their pasta was delicious and so were the sides, and we thought the prices were reasonable. If you'd like, you can also try their red wine which is affordable and decent to drink.
9pm: Dinner @ LeNu Chef Wai's Noodle Bar
It was quite late by the time we reached SkyAvenue and most of the restaurants were closing. LeNu Chef Wai's Noodle Bar was still open and there was no queue so we headed in. I was still rather hungover from the night before, so this was the perfect hangover cure. The noodles were quite good and the broth was flavourful. I had a simple porridge which was tasty and filling.
Genting Highlands itinerary day 3
10am: Genting Highlands Premium Outlets
On the third day, we headed down to Genting Highlands Premium Outlets (GPO) for some shopping! We actually wanted to take the Awana Skyway cable car down to the outlet but it just so happened to be closed during the day we wanted to take it! We managed to take a Grab, and it was only ~S$2.85 (RM9).
There are many brands at the outlet including Polo Ralph Lauren, Coach, and Nike, but they lacked those really luxury brands such as Chanel and Dior. There was Moschino and Burberry though. Generally, the discounts ranged from 25%-65% off. We spent most of the time at Nike because the sales were amazing. My boyfriend and I got Nike leggings which originally cost ~S$104.10 (RM329), but it had 40% off and an additional 10% off when you downloaded the Nike app. I also got some shorts at only ~S$15.50 (RM69). I also went to Cotton On and bought a dress, a cami top, and a crop top for less than ~S$9.49 (RM30).
12pm: Lunch @ DubuYo
We had lunch at GPO at DubuYo, this Korean restaurant. Lunch was not bad, although the jajangmyeon we got did not look or taste like jajangmyeon at all! Still, it was a hearty meal.
Other food options at GPO include Marrybrown, Absolute Thai Highlands, The Chicken Rice Shop, Dapur Santai Yamch'a, Burger King, and more. It is very difficult to get a Grab back to the SkyAvenue area from GPO, so you'll have to flag the cabs that drop off passengers at the GPO entrance. Don't accept anything more than ~S$12.64 (RM40) if you're travelling as a couple.
7pm: Dinner @ Paradise Dynasty
I love Paradise Dynasty and it's one of my favourite restaurants in Singapore. My boyfriend really wanted to experience Paradise Dynasty in Malaysia, so we decided to give it a try. I found the food to be delicious, although on the sweeter and more jelak side compared to Singapore. The meat and fillings tasted a little different too. Price-wise, it was a little cheaper than Singapore's.
8pm: SkyCasino
One fun fact about me is I love playing slot machines. I don't have the best luck when it comes to gambling, but I do love to try. We did visit SkyCasino a few times during the first two days and even won some money, but did not have a membership card to withdraw the money and had to ask a random nice aunty for help. On the last night, we decided to just queue to sign up for the free membership which took at least 3 hours. You had to bring your passport to sign up, and they would give you S$9.49 (RM30) in free credits, as well as tons of discount vouchers to spend at SkyAvenue.
Genting's SkyCasino was huge and spanned two levels. There was also a cafeteria inside where I would go to get a drink and rest my legs. We spend at least two hours inside the casino at a time and I really enjoyed watching people play, shout, and scream. Most importantly, I loved winning more money.
Genting Highlands itinerary day 4
10am: Breakfast @ Gindaco
We were initially planning to have breakfast at the hotel, but since we had discount vouchers, we wanted to use them at Gindaco for some tasty takoyaki! I never had Gindaco before, and I was really happy because their takoyaki was so delicious. Definitely worth a try.
11am: Shopping @ Pandora
After breakfast, we dashed down to Pandora so I could use another one of the vouchers on some pretty charms. I bought one adorable robot man charm for ~S$41.13 (RM130). Honestly, we should have signed up for the membership earlier so we had more time to use the vouchers!
12pm: Depart for Singapore
12pm was the agreed meeting time and we headed to the bus terminal to register with WTS. Once we were on the bus, it was about 4 hours before we had our first stop, which was the Kopitiam where we bought our SIM cards. We bought some lunch there, and then it was a straight journey back to Singapore.
Genting Highlands budget
Here's the amount we allocated for the trip, and we spent about 80% of the entire allocated budget. The budget reflected here is for one person.
- Coach service: S$120
- Food: S$160
- Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park: S$47.74
- Hotel: S$150
- Miscellaneous: S$100
- Shopping: S$200
- Transport: S$30
Total expense: S$807.74
Genting Highlands itinerary
Personally, I believe that 4 days was more than enough to explore Genting Highlands. We had a lot of fun and it didn't cost us a lot. It was a shame that the cable cars and theme park were not fully open, but that just means that we have an excuse to go again another time!
So if you're looking for a quick and affordable getaway, consider going to Genting Highlands. You'll enjoy it as much as I did!
Love this post? Feel free to share and comment below or check out this Cruise To Nowhere Itinerary (Part 1). Follow my Instagram @faithjoanchua and YouTube for more content.
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