It has been a long time since I last visited Melaka. When I was still in school, I used to visit Melaka for long stretches each holiday. My cousins' have got relatives in this quiet Malaysian town and by virtue of that, I somehow became rather well-acquainted with them as well. We have spent many nights giggling away in the room and completing the whole Korean drama serials till the wee hours of the morning. Those were the days when we were so carefree and happy. On hindsight, this has been a good getaway for me to forget all the unhappiness and stress of life. The 7 of us took the 7pm bus to Melaka on Friday night and by the time we arrived, it was nearly midnight. Thank God for the rather smooth traffic!
Our activities started the following day where my cousin insisted we go round Melaka like any other tourists, which to me, was an absurd idea. But I complied in the end. We started our day at the heart of the old town where you can find the famous church. My mum claimed that she recognized one of those trees around the area and insisted that I took photos under that tree as a young child.
Whenever I go to Melaka, the main draw for me is food. Many years ago, we patronised this obscure chicken rice stall that has since become quite famous (thanks to all the Singaporeans who came here to 'spoil market'). When in the past, we could simply pop in and eat, we now have to queue the ridiculously long queue under the hot sweltering heat.
So, while my cousin queued, mum and I took the chance to visit a shop selling local produce. I was amazed to see these familiar looking lemon sweets. I used to eat this as a child and it is rare for us to see this in Singapore these days.
After 30+mins of queueing, we finally got our seats and had our long awaited chicken rice lunch. However, we were rather disappointed as we felt the standards have fallen quite a bit. Perhaps as they get more popular, quality is compromised as the owners have to keep up with the demands a lot more. We told ourselves that this will be the last time we queue for this. My cousin swears that the other chicken rice stalls in the suburb area taste much better.
In the evening, after enquiring at the hotel's concierge, we found our way to Nancy's Kitchen at Jonker Street. This is a tiny restaurant selling Nonya food. We waited nearly 45 mins before we got our table. One defining trait of a good and authentic Peranakan restaurant includes it being non-halal. And according to the hotel concierge, Nancy's Kitchen is one of the 10% of a non-halal Peranakan place.
The scanty and simple decor of Nancy's kitchen:
While waiting for food to be served, customers can visit the back kitchen to buy some Nonya goodies like good old 'Achar' and Nonya kuihs. The restaurant is helmed by this busty bibik who has quite an attitude but is always willing to explain more if you show interest in her goods. Haha.
Some of our food. Below are my 2 favourite dishes: ayam buah keluak and prawns ananas. The chicken is extremely tender where the prawns were fresh with a balanced sweet and sour flavour.
One reason why I wanted to come to Melaka this time round was because I wanted very much to try out Majestic Malacca, a member of the SLH group. The hotel boasts of a very strong Peranakan ambience and the rooms are luxurious.
The lobby area of Majestic:
The endless and unlimited sweet treats you can find at the lobby. Hotel guests can help themselves to these as and when they want. Very interesting concept. A first in many of the great hotels I have stayed at.
And finally, the room. Like all YTL properties, the room is extremely comfortable and relaxing. I can spend the whole day just lazing in bed and watching TV.
The infamous bathroom of the Majestic Malacca. Many guests are wowed by the standalone bathtub and the whole setup of the place.
Every night, we are greeted with Nonya kuihs when we return to our room. The turndown service at the hotel is impeccable.
Although this is an extremely short trip, it has been quite a nostalgic one for me; a time for me to reminisce the past and to appreciate the time spent with important people in my life. 
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