Experiencing Hotel Seri Malaysia Melaka & Hotel Seri Malaysia Port Dickson

Text & Images by MUHAMMAD HASIF MOHD JELANI

After more than 20 years, Hotel Seri Malaysia is an iconic treasure in Malaysia’s tourism and hospitality industry as a brand that is well-reflect the authenticity and warmth of Malaysian hospitality. With 21 hotel branches totalling over two thousand hotel rooms spread across almost every state in the country except Kelantan and Sabah, Hotel Seri Malaysia remains the largest hotel chain in Malaysia.

Gaya Travel Magazine team members, together with a group of bloggers and social media influencers, explored the historical city of Melaka while staying at Hotel Seri Malaysia Melaka. The hotel is located in Ayer Keroh, around one kilometre away from Ayer Keroh toll exit.

Hotel Seri Malaysia Melaka has 99 rooms that are categorised into standard queen, standard twin, deluxe, family room, and suite. One of the strengths of this valuefor-money hotel is the spaciousness of its rooms, which is sufficiently large. All rooms are air-conditioned and equipped with water heater for showering, safedeposit box, television and complimentary tea- and coffee-making facilities.

Other perks when staying at the hotel include free Wi-Fi connectivity, swimming pool (separate pool for children), round-the-clock reception, Muslim prayer room and ample parking space.

Hotel Seri Malaysia Melaka has six meeting rooms, including one ballroom that can cater up to 300 persons. The meeting rooms can also be arranged into several different set-ups such as classroom, u-shape, theatre, boardroom or roundtable. As much as the hotel is enjoyable for leisure staycation, this feature is definitely convenient for business travellers too.

The network of Seri Malaysia hotel chain is also renowned for serving delectable food at its respective restaurants, mainly on local favourites. With regard to Hotel Seri Malaysia Melaka, its all-day dining restaurant is named Jonker Café.

Thanks to Jonker Café’s Chef Rizuwan, we had the privilege of not only indulging in, but also learn about,several of the restaurant’s signatures. One of them is Asam Pedas Melaka, well-loved for its spicy and sour taste with ingredients that include mackerel, red onion, ginger, lemongrass, turmeric, curry powder, and tamarind juice. Ayam Kapitan, a Peranakan dish, is also worth trying. This exquisite dish is made up of chicken, ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, dried chillies, and bunga kantan (torch ginger), among others. For dessert, Serabai Seri Melaka, which is best served with toppings like gula merah (palm sugar syrup) and pandan, comes highly recommended. Its ingredients comprise rice flour, cooked rice, coconut milk, yeast, sugar, salt, and water.

Since COVID-19 still daunts the tourism industry, Hotel Seri Malaysia Melaka consistently keeps updating its standard operating procedures (SOP) and follow the guidelines suggested by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC) so that travellers can enjoy their stay with peace of mind.

As we entered our rooms, we were satisfied to find stickers on the doors informing us that our rooms have been fully sanitised!

Located around 30 minutes from city centre, Hotel Seri Malaysia Melaka is within reach to well-known attractions in Ayer Keroh such as Butterfly Park, Melaka Zoo, Crocodile Park, Mini Malaysia Park and Melaka Wonderland.

On top of the mentioned places, guests of Hotel Seri Malaysia Melaka can easily pay a visit to Karyaneka, which lies next to the hotel. More than just a centre where travellers can buy local crafts like batik and wooden bags, including playing traditional games, the place also organises interactive cultural activities that travellers can partake, for instance batik-colouring, learning how to play gasing (top-spinning), and more.

After a day of roaming around Melaka city to experience its long list of delights, we recommend that travellers enjoy Melaka at night by taking the Melaka River Cruise, a must when being in the destination. Travellers are bound to find the cruise romantic as it meanders along Melaka River, passing by colourfully illuminated heritage buildings and murals along the way.

Another way to enjoy Melaka is to relish delectable delicacies at Makan Avenue in Kampung Hulu, particularly its satisfying cendol, besides other dishes. This frosty dessert is made from shaved frozen coconut milk as its main ingredient is best consumed with durian as its topping, but travellers can even try it with other local fruits such as mango, dragon fruit, longan, and pineapple too. This place is located next to Melaka River, therefore it is safe to say that the culinary experience here is truly gratifying with good food, good view and good music performed by a live band too!

In conclusion, a staycation at Hotel Seri Malaysia Melaka is definitely rewarding. With warm hospitality, comfortable rooms and Melaka itself as a top-notch travel destination, staying at the hotel is an unforgettable experience for all travellers.

W: www.serimalaysia.com.my T: +6 06 232 8460 IG: www.instagram.com/rangkaianhotelserimalaysia / www. instagram.com/hotelserimalaysiamelaka FB: www.facebook.com/Hotel-Seri-Malaysia- Melaka-1579503765708816 / www.facebook.com/ rangkaianhotelserimalaysia

Detour: Hotel Seri Malaysia Port Dickson

On our way to Melaka from Kuala Lumpur, we stopped by at Teluk Kemang Café in Hotel Seri Malaysia Port Dickson for lunch. We were so delighted to find the choice of mouthwatering dishes served by this cafe, especially Daging Salai Masak Lemak Cili Api, Apam Johol and Roti Jala with Serawa Durian, which are highly recommended!

Hotel Seri Malaysia Port Dickson has as a total of 90 rooms consisting of three categories: Standard Twin, Standard Queen and Family Room. Other facilities and services are complimentary Wi-Fi, prayer room, swimming pool, 24-hour reception, safe-deposit box and parking space.

Since the hotel is located in a sea-side destination, Port Dickson, other attractions within the area are the Army Museum, Wan Long Temple, PD Waterfront, Ostrich Farm and Cape Rachado Lighthouse (Rumah Api Tanjung Tuan).