It was our first flight via Scoot and I faced some problems with the website (couldn't link to my Krisflyer account at first, and after much struggle, realised that the transaction service charge ($60) costs more than the miles I could redeem). I almost gave up but I really wanted a holiday. Thankfully the flights were mostly hassle-free except for the part where the ground crew at Ipoh airport actually put me and my toddler on the emergency exit row, and I got questioned whether I was sitting on the right row. So I told the air stewardess that I was puzzled too. haha!!
We went for a free and easy trip in Ipoh (arrived on Monday morning and departed on Friday morning). It's considered a long stay in Ipoh since most tourists actually use Ipoh as a quick stopover (half day to two days) when they travel from Kuala Lumpur or Penang. We travelled around Ipoh via Grab.
Where we stayed
We stayed at Sunway Lost World Hotel for one night to enjoy the theme park in the day and night (for hot springs), before moving to an airbnb near the old town.
Sunway Lost World Hotel
Address: https://goo.gl/maps/8uYoMjfT4zk
It's a basic hotel since you will probably be at the theme park most of the time. We booked a Classical room which came with an additional bed for Miss Ting. I was pleasantly surprised to see such nice deco in the room. I really liked the paintings and the cushions! There was sufficient space to walk around and play toys on the floor even after opening up our luggage. We reached the hotel at about 10am (check-in is at 3pm) and requested for early check-in. We were the only ones at the lobby both during check-in and check-out, and didn't really see many guests while we were there. However, we were told that the Classical room with large bed was fully booked and was asked if we wanted to upgrade to a deluxe room at an additional charge. (I wonder if that's just a tactic for us to incur extra costs since it was a very quiet day at the hotel and theme park.) Anyway we decided to stick to the Classical room. Our booking came with free breakfast but we didn't utilise the vouchers since we wanted to eat authentic Ipoh breakfast food.
Guests get a free ticket to the Night Park and 35% discount to the Day park. Remember to bring your vouchers along to enjoy the discounts.
If you are hungry, there's Papparich at the ground floor of the hotel. The food quality is not as good as KL or Singapore, but I think it's still not bad! Opens at 11am.
Airbnb
We stayed at an airbnb at Majestic Condo, the location is central, grab rides to the furthest attraction (Kek Lok Tong) costs RM10, while most of our rides were RM4-8.
Sunrise from the airbnb
Where we went
Lost World of Tambun (Park Map)
We spent half a day at the theme park since Miss Ting was still too small to take any exciting rides (she had free entry since she was 90cm!) If you are going to the water theme park, I would suggest leaving your bags at the locker first (turn left after you enter), and then start the tour of the theme park anti-clockwise (turn to the right after you enter). That way, you can enjoy the rest of the theme park first without having to walk around in your swimwear.
We returned again in the night for the hot springs. Miss Ting didn't fancy the hot springs by the time we went (it was a long day without proper naps for her), so we stayed for about 30mins before returning to the hotel.
Han Chin Pet Soo 闲真别墅 (Hakka Museum)
Address: https://goo.gl/maps/a6tCsZgGiWN2
Online reservation: http://www.ipohworld.org/reservation/
Han Chin Pet Soo (闲真别墅) used to be the clubhouse used exclusively for Hakka Tin Miners. Now the 3-storey building is used for a private exhibition. There are only guided tours (max 20 guests per tour), hence reservation is recommended. Personally I enjoyed the informative tour (about 1.5 hours) and would recommend to anyone interested in the history of the Tin Miners. Climbing of stairs is required to enjoy the entire tour.
Qing Xin Ling Leisure & Cultural Village 清心嶺休閒文化村
Address: https://goo.gl/maps/yNKTcwnQz5p (The entrance is via the Association Of Pureland Amitabha Buddhist.)
Tickets have to be purchased from Syarikat Perabot Kota (https://goo.gl/maps/eZU19RX4GNw), about 5 to 10 minutes drive from the village entrance. There is a limit on the number of cars per day as the village is located near residential areas, and the popularity of the village has caused inconvenience to the residents before.
The village was relatively empty on a weekday, hence we were able to enjoy cycling around the village using the free family bikes. Bikes are first come first served. You can walk around too but I would strongly recommend the bikes to shelter you from the hot sun. We took a family bike for 3. Miss Ting was able to "cycle" in between the two of us with her own (fake) wheel and pedals.
The village was relatively empty on a weekday, hence we were able to enjoy cycling around the village using the free family bikes. Bikes are first come first served. You can walk around too but I would strongly recommend the bikes to shelter you from the hot sun. We took a family bike for 3. Miss Ting was able to "cycle" in between the two of us with her own (fake) wheel and pedals.
Qing Xin Ling tickets
Address: https://goo.gl/maps/dTQ9k9Koudt https://goo.gl/maps/HC4Zb84pPMp https://goo.gl/maps/1WATi6wFRLm
The 3 temples are next to each other. I would suggest stopping at Sam Poh Tong or Ling Seng Tong, and then exploring the 3 temples in one direction. Having been to Sam Poh Tong and Kek Lok Tong, I personally prefer Kek Lok Tong as it really looked majestic. The 3 temples definitely have their own unique characteristics. They reminded me of Haw Par Villa in Singapore.
Sam Poh Tong
Nam Thean Tong
You can purchase bread crumbs to feed the fishes and tortoises in the pond.
Ling Sen Tong
Address: https://goo.gl/maps/VC53NF8PhFH2
Kek Lok Tong is a limestone cave temple with huge Buddha sculptures and a beautiful garden with a pond. It's recommended to visit even during late morning or early afternoon. You can avoid the mid-day heat as the cave temple is really spacious and airy. You can also buy fish feed for the fishes in the pond!
Ipoh Old Town
Address: https://goo.gl/maps/QuACJ4NUNjB2
Download a copy of the heritage walking trail
Address: https://goo.gl/maps/QuACJ4NUNjB2
Download a copy of the heritage walking trail
One of the things I like to do is to visit the old town area of the city I visit. The shops in the area are mostly closed in the evening, so it's recommended that you visit in the morning when it's not so hot. We had breakfast at Restoran Two Six which is just one lane away from Concubine Lane, and then explored the old town area. The shops at Concubine Lane are meant for tourists, some visitors may find them tacky, but it's a good place to find souvenirs. I bought a really pretty fridge magnet hand drawn by a local artist! If you like murals, you can also find wall murals painted by Ernest Zacharevic scattered around the old town. I prefer the ones in Penang though as they are better maintained.
Fridge magnet of 三奶巷 Third Concubine Lane (Market Lane)
Concubine lane (Lorong Panglima) was relatively empty on Thursday. Some shops were opened at 10am while some were still preparing for business for the day.
We went to this shop to buy souvenirs - coffee and keychains with our Chinese names
Found in the shop!
We bought Miss Ting a toy from the pushcart. I ended up playing it more than her. Haha!!
三奶巷 Third Concubine Lane (Market Lane) was decorated with colourful umbrellas and lanterns. You can take photos there with the wall murals but other than that, there's not much going on.
Wall Murals at 三奶巷 Third Concubine Lane
https://goo.gl/maps/Q5pABrzfpku
Wall Murals at 三奶巷 Third Concubine Lane
https://goo.gl/maps/Q5pABrzfpku
Other parts of old town
After visiting the concubine lanes, we also walked around the old town randomly. There are local businesses around the area, but nothing very interesting other than the wall murals and historical buildings. Go in the early morning as it gets really hot in the afternoon!
An Old Uncle Drinking Kopi
https://goo.gl/maps/dp8DUMrAUjw
The Chennai Potty's specialises in textiles for the Indian market.
https://goo.gl/maps/u4zPNA6JDPp
https://goo.gl/maps/aAWtVawkryQ2
AEON Mall Kinta City
Address: https://goo.gl/maps/76hJV8hDfT92
We went over for some quick shopping at the supermarket (nothing much to buy) and popular bookstore (bought cheap books).
Address: https://goo.gl/maps/76hJV8hDfT92
We went over for some quick shopping at the supermarket (nothing much to buy) and popular bookstore (bought cheap books).
Ipoh Parade
Address: https://goo.gl/maps/DvbGRtNZtt52
Website: http://ipoh.parade.com.my/
Gerbang Malam - Night Market
Website: http://ipoh.parade.com.my/
Ipoh Parade was more interesting than Aeon Mall. There's Parkson as the anchor store (I love to shop for kids' clothes there - much cheaper than Singapore!) There's also Watsons, Guardian, Adidas, Nike, Birkenstocks, Popular... favourite brands at a cheaper price due to exchange rate!
Address: https://goo.gl/maps/kiq4xmwYpdP2
The night market sells mostly cheap clothes, counterfeit shoes, bags, etc. It wasn't interesting to us but there were shops selling biscuits and other food souvenirs which opened till quite late.
This post ended up much longer than I expected so I've decided to split up the posts! Here's the list of food places we went to.
| Sun Marpoh Restaurant 孖宝海鲜饭店 |
| Restoran Hong Kong Dim Sum BFB (八分半点心) |
| Café Sin Fonzie 芳子 |
| Pasar Malam Taman Ipoh Timur |
| Nam Heong White Coffee |
| Kopitiam Zero One Two |
| Maiale Japanese Italian Restaurant |
| Restoran Two Six（26 茶室） |
| Big Tree Foot Yong Tau Foo 大树脚(兵如港口) |
| Ayam Garam Aun Kheng Lim (Aun Kheng Lim Salted Chicken 宴琼林盐焗鸡) |
| Funny Mountain Soya Bean 奇峰豆腐花 |
| KamWan Restaurant 冬菇亭美食中心 |
Kedai Biskut
Sin Eng Heong 新榮香淡汶餅店
|
Check out my other post on the food to try!
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