Genting 3D2N Day 1

1st: Spore-> First World Hotel FWH (Genting Highlands, Malaysia) -> Good Friends Restaurant (好友记) @ Maxims -> Genting Bowl -> Sky Avenue -> BMS Organic @ Sky Avenue FWH

Morning! It is 3 days to Christmas and we are off for our Year end Short Vacation to the highlands today! This time round we are off to Genting Malaysia with WTS Travel Pte Ltd. The Package we booked includes 2 way coach from CCK to Genting (Mushroom Farm Bus Terminal) and back, plus 2 nights stay at First World Hotel Deluxe Room. WTS provide several pick up points. Feel free to head to their website to find out more about their Genting package and pick up points!

Disclaimer! Due to time constraints, to make blogging more effective, photos posted in this post are unedited. Bus rest assured, it will still be as informative! We welcome email queries about our trip @ all4travel.enquiry@gmail.com

WTS coach to Genting

 Our coach depature time is 6am. When we reach at 5.53am, the coach was already there. There were 2 coaches departing from CCK to Genting on that day! Good Business !

onboard PA9199G to Genting

we were seated on the first storey of the coach

 This coach is a newer one. Seats are definitely more comfy than our return coach and they provide free wifi on board the coach. Our return coach does not come with free wifi :( Seats were pre-allocated.

Free Wifi onboard new WTS coach

We cleared Malaysia custom by 6.51am. Custom clearance (Singapore - Auto lane and Malayia - manual lane) were both fast with little queue. We went via Tuas Link.

Provision shop @ Malaysia Custom

Big Billboards you will see along Malaysia

Not forgetting the multiple Toll Stations (aka ERP)

 We reached our first rest stop cum breakfast at Yong Peng at 8.35am.

Yong Peng food stalls

Tandas Toilet

Souvenir stalls @ yong Peng

 We were given about 25mins for 3 toilet and food. We bought 2 sets of siew mai (3/set) @ RM 9 (SGD $3.33) / set. They are tiny and taste normal. Seems to be more expensive than what we can get in Singapore.
Souvenir prices were also on the high side. Afterall this yong Peng stop station is a popular rest stop for tour buses.

Our next rest stop was a pure toilet stop. Given 15 mins for toilet and off we depart again.

2nd toilet stop

 Weather was good and no jams along the way. Good Traffic, Good Weather to start off our holiday!

Spot the famous Twin Towers in KL!

 Genting Highlands is located near KL and hence explain why we are able to catch glimpse of KL Twin Towers/Petronas Tower.

residential building in KL area

 As we approach KL we see many high rise buildings.

spot the twin towers again!

 It was about 11am when we spot the Twin towers. And in another hour time, we spot Awana Hotel!

The tour guide/lady on the bus was nice enough to offer plastic bags in case we get nausea on the long winding mountain road up Genting Highlands. Awana Hotel is situated mid hill of Genting Highlands.

Cradle Rock - near the peak

 And ta dah - iconic Resort World Genting hotel logo!

Resort Genting Hotel

 We were supposed to alight at Genting Mushroom Farm Bus Terminal and thereafter transfer the Genting shuttle bus up to First World Hotel, however the driver was kind enough that day, and drop us right off the porch of First World Hotel (FWH). We reached FWH at around 12.15pm, which was really early we thought!

Our package supposedly provide XYZ deluxe room however upon checking we realised they only provide Deluxe room. Deluxe room is in Tower 2 and XYZ deluxe room (renamed as Y5 deluxe room) is in the new tower which is in Tower 3 and offers free WIFI.

As we wanted to try upgrade to the Y5 deluxe room, we went to queue at the counter. Otherwise they have check-in machines which can help u fulfill basic request such as connecting room/mountain view room. Check in at counter requires additional RM 15 (SGD $5.55) per transaction.

Automated check in machines (taken Day 1 Night)

Automated check in machines which can accomodate request like early check in, connecting room and mountain view

holding area at 1.15pm - probably people were camping there while waiting for 3pm check in

Counter @ FWH

 However when it was our turn, we were told that we cant upgrade as they have sold out ALL their rooms with the exception of standard room (lowest grade). We were disappointed and went to the machine.

Somehow we can't get both mountain view room and connecting room. As such we sacrificed our mountain view room request and went for connecting room instead. In total we paid RM 15 (SGD $5.55) (RM 5 x2 rooms for early check in and RM 5 for connecting room)

Receipt from auto check in RM

We managed to check in at 12.50pm. Usual check in is 3pm. Our rooms are situated on the 17th floor at Tower 2! Highest floor is 28th storey!

Our connecting rooms 17919 & 17918!

passage way

They have been refurbished, carpets all changed and even TVs are upgraded to LCD TV instead of previous CRT TV. Fridge and kettle seems new and clean too. There is dispenser (hot and cold water) near the lift lobby on every floor. But hot water temperature hovers around 85 degrees celsius. The wallpaper in the room makes the whole room livelier.

Room 1 (Queen Bed)

TV

clothes hangar / bed

connecting room door

shower

We could not request for the bedding for the second room. Our guessing is all connecting rooms comes with 1 queen and 1 twin bed room.

Twin bed (room 2)

hangar clothes area

window facing opp room

As our rooms are facing the inside aka other rooms, it is quite dark all day round. And of course if you do not draw the curtains, opp neighbours can see your room and vice versa.

separate toilet and basin area

separate showering and basin area

With this renovation, bathing/toilet area is separated which is good. However there is no doors to the bathroom, this design might not be friendly if you are travelling with friends.

TV

Quality of TV isnt exactly clear and there' only like 5-6 channels. But oh well, with data connection via our DIGI mobile, we don't really need the TV :)

Twin bed

After checking in to put our luggage, we went to collect the Genting Rewards membership card first.

iconic FWH lobby with christmas deco

I must highlight here the importance/benefits of getting the Genting Rewards Card:
1. Membership is FREE. Just sign up online. Processing takes time so best to sign up as early as possible. Impossible to sign up on the spot at Genting as they take time to process and by the time they process and can give you the card, you might have already left Genting. They can mail the card to your house but it takes about 1 month. We only managed to apply early Dec and it finish processing within 3 working days but we did not get our card in time, hence we head to the Genting Rewards counter to get. It is instant - just provide your membership ID and passport for verification purpose.
2. Genting restaurants tend to have 2 different pricing (Member rate and non-member rate). By showing your genting card, you get to enjoy member price. Member price and non-member price differs by around 5-10%! So it is cost savings still especially if you are footing the bill for your family/big group! Afterall, Genting food aren't exactly cheap!
2. Spending in Genting (selected shops but most restaurants okay) earn you points! Points differ among merchants, but restaurants typically provide 5x reward points(RP). Means every RM$100 (SGD $37.04) spend, gives you 500RP. RP redemption is pretty limited. An overview: RP 330 can allows you to redeem a cup of hot coffee at The Bakery @ Genting Grand, RP 800 can redeem a hi tea set at Terminal 2, RP 500 can redeem a one way Awana Sky Way ticket. You can redeem a free Standard room stay at FWH for as low as RP3500 during the low season! Spending at Casino allows you to accumulate a different kind of point called the Genting Points (GP). Generally, GP is much better as it allows you to redeem a wider range of products and services and free hotel stays. Can't say much on GP as we did not place any bettings at Casino.

Genting Rewards Card membership is valid for a period of 6 years. The points accumulated are valid for a period of 3 years. For eg, my membership which i signed up in Dec expires 31 Dec 2022, and my points which i accumulated during this trip expires on 28 Nov 2020. Points expire on the 3rd year of the 28th of your birthday month.

Genting Rewards Centre are situated in the casinos. The only non casino outlet is at FWH near Hou Mei and Lao Jie Fang.



After that, we went for lunch at Good Friends Restaurant (好友记) @ Maxims Hotel which is a 10-15 mins covered walking distance from FWH. There are signs along the way to guide you to the hotel from FWH.

Good Friends Restaurant @ Level 2 of Maxims Hotel

Kindly note that it is a non-halal restaurant. It is a hakka restaurant.

waiter/waitresses at Good Friends restaurant

Inside the restaurant

It was about 1.40pm when we reached for lunch which probably explain the empty setting. Their last order for lunch is around 2.30pm.

Salted fish Long Bean and Brinjal RM 19 (SGD $7.03)

Preserved Veg Soup RM 19 (SGD $7.04)

Duck Herbal Soup RM 16 (SGD $5.93)

Tri Roast Combination platter (choose 3 out of 4 - Roasted Pork, BBQ Pork, Roasted Duck, Roasted Chicken). RM 56 (SGD $20.74)

 We chose Roasted Pork, BBQ Pork, Roasted Duck.

Poh Choy RM 25 (SGD $9.26)

Homemade Beancurd Stew RM 22 (SGD $8.14)

Prices reflected above are all member rates.

Generally the food is good but the winner is still Genting Palace Restaurant which we had for dinner on Day 2. The food at Good Friends Restaurant is good but a little too salty we thought. Food all comes in a standard portion aka, it doesn't have S, M , L sizing.

Chinese Tea (Pu Er) cost RM 2.50/pax (SGD $0.93) and plain rice cost RM 3 (SGD $1.11)/ bowl.

In general, menu pricing in Genting are inclusive of service charge and 6% Government Tax.

Our lunch @ Good Friends Restaurant result in a total damage of RM 179 (SGD $66.30). Spending at Good Friends Restaurant rewards you 5x RP. i.e. RP 895.

Receipt @ Good Friends Restaurant

We finished our sumptous lunch at around 2.40pm. Good Friends Restaurant has the chinese dining setting ( more for big groups) or you can opt for the Fast food Express just beside its Restaurant. Good Friends Express mainly sell combo of like char siew rice / Wanton noodles... Ordering is hassle free, all done via machine.

Good Friends Express

Good Friends Express automated ordering machine

Next up, we are off to settle our first world problem - staying connecting with data. We happen to pass by DIGI store. Digi is one of Malaysia Service provider. We were looking for data plan so that we can put it in a phone/tablet and set it to mobile hotspot and hence all of us can use :) Unfortunately they do not have data only plan, and offer us the next best plan. We chose the one with 3GB data which is RM 41.50 (SGD $15.37). It is only valid for 30 days. After which, you will need to top up. If no top up is done within 1/2 mths, the whole card will expire (i.e. the SIM card cannot be used anymore and you will have to buy a new one)

DIGI Plan 

DIGI mobile shop @ Genting Hotel

Activation was fast. Sim card needs to be registered hence passport of one pax per sim card is required. It is instant activation and we all tried to use it as soon as we got hold of it. And wow, the speed is really fast! However what we noticed is, the speed is fast even though we have 4 devices connecting to the hot spot. However in the night, the speed seems to be slow as compared to daytime.

Foggy FWH in the background

Maxim Hotel 

21 degrees celsius @ 3 pm

Merry Christmas @ Resort World Genting

We headed to First World Cineplex to check out the movie times. There were only 2 movies on screening that day - Assassin Creed and Star Wars Rouge One which we aren't exactly interested. As such we headed to Genting Bowl instead! Along the way we spotted the newly opened Sky Avenue! We were so lucky to have Sky avenue opened on the same week (20 Dec 2016) and the Awana Skyway was opened on the day we reached!

Genting Skyway replaced with Awana Skyway on 22 Dec 16 (our day 1!)

There are fruit stalls in Genting (FWH and Resort Hotel). We bought a cup of papaya (Mcdonald's Large drink cup size) for RM 10 (SGD$3.70). Quite pricey but oh well, you can't get fruits any where in the mountain top.

Sky Avenue with Santas ~

giant christmas tree at Skyavenue entrance

Skyavenue is a shopping mall (kind of atas) that is linked to FWH. We decided to leave shopping in Skyavenue after our Bowling. So stay tune for more pics of sky Avenue.

Genting Bowl offers Glow in the dark bowling after 6pm. Of course, the rates are more expensive. As it is the school holidays (Malaysia School Holidays too), rates are as follow (grabbed from Genting Malaysia web):

Screen grab from RWG

We paid for 1 game first and rent 4 shoes. We brought our own socks.
Cost breakdown as follow:
RM 8.50 * 4 pax + RM 3.20*4 pax = RM 34 + RM 12.80 = RM 46.80 (SGD $17.33)

Genting Bowl - 28 lanes in total

Genting Bowl

1 game of ours lasted around 30 mins and we added on for a second game. This time round we paid an additional of RM 8.50 *4 = RM 34 (SGD $12.59)

Genting Bowl does not have member rates. However Genting Members can still accumulate RP at 5x. Our total spending at Genting Bowl is RM 46.80 + RM 34 = RM 80.80 which translates to RP 404.

We were done with Bowling at around 5pm. We went back to our hotel to rest awhile (approx 30 mins) before we came out for dinner! We wanted to head to the Mushroom Farm Restaurant for meal however we realised that
1. The shuttle bus to Mushroom Farm bus terminal is till 4pm only. And for seasoned Genting travellers, you would also know that Mushroom farm restaurant is not at Mushroom farm bus terminal
2. We saw the van from Mushroom farm restaurant (free transport to and fro) however as we are still quite full from the hearty lunch, we weren't sure if we will definitely order a spread at the restaurant. As such we decided to cancel our trip to Mushroom farm Restaurant for Zichar.

Shuttle bus service to Chin Swee Temple and Mushroom Farm Bus Terminal @ FWH

Look out for Lane 3 for shuttle bus service as the signs aren't exactly clear!

Lane 3 for Genting FREE shuttle bus services

Carpark/pick up / drop off pt at FWH

As such we headed back in FWH and hop to Sky Avenue!

Popular huge LED screens in SkyAvenue - near Awana Skyway (Level 4)

Renovation work still ongoing

Only certain sections of the sky avenue is open as renovation work still ongoing . The new picturehouse cinema is not open yet too. The whole sky avenue shopping mall is extremely dusty and filled with construction debris as there is still ongoing construction work. But, it is really spacious and pretty. Now it is only soft opening. Awaiting its grand opening when all construction is ready. However everything inside is pretty atas (by atas, I mean pricing is of Singapore pricing standard)

inside Sky Avenue

Retail shops

christmas deco?

christmas deco

Restaurants are generally on the first level. Second level and third level are retail. While the top most level is Awana Skyway boarding area.

We had our dinner at BMD Organics which sells no meat. Environment and food was good but a little pricey we thought.

Menu of BMS Organic1

Menu of BMS Organic 2

Summer Breeze Tea (Hot) RM 22.90 (SGD $8.48)

Summer Breeze Tea Hot

BMS Hakka Lei Cha w Noodle RM 25.90 (SGD $9.59)

Lei Cha

End product of Lei Cha

Vegetarian Noodles RM 19.90 (SGD $7.37)

Tempura Seaweed Fried Rice RM 25.90 (SGD $9.59)

Yee Mee in Herbal Noodles RM 23.90 (SGD $8.85)

Order Chit @ BMS Organic

In total we spent RM 118.50 (SGD $43.88). The price is on the high side at Sky Avenue but worth tasting in particular the Lei Cha and Ee Mian in herbal soup for vegan eaters. Do note that BMS organics does not provide member rates or allow member to accumulate points.

Receipt @ BMS Organic

We were done with dinner at around 7pm and guess who we spot?

Santa and live carolling ~

Santa claus and Christmas carolling!

Live Carolling

Christmas Carol

We then went to Genting Rewards Centre @ FWH to get a scratch and win dip. In conjunction with Christmas, Genting Rewards give members a promotion where every RM 50 spent in a single receipt at Genting gives you a chance to get a scratch card where you will be able to redeem Points or gifts. For 3 days, we get RP bonus only. We got a RP 100 bonus on the first day from our scratch card. 

This brings our total RP for our first day to RP1399. With that we redeem at the machine beside the counter, 2  one way Awana sky way tickets. Each tickets cost RP 500. 

Redemption of 2 Skyway tickets (original value of RM 8 SGD $2.96)

Apparently the validity is only on the day itself and the next day. Luckily we are taking the skyway the next day (23 Dec)

With that we ended the day early and headed back to our refurbished comfy room. The bed and pillows were comfy - seem like they changed new ones too. However we were rudely awoken by noises in the night which disrupted our sleep. The walls are thin. 22nd night seem to have more room guests than 23rd night.

Click here for Day 2