We finally did it. We took our first family (of 4) holiday overseas. The country of choice was malaysia for many different reasons, but the most important reason was because it is extremely child friendly. When i was pregnant with Miss T, we decided to go to malaysia for our baby moon so i had been to KL before and we kinda had an idea of what to expect. We had never been to Sunway Resorts and Spas before, so on my sister’s recommendation, we booked it and boy, are we so glad we did! There are 3 hotels under the Sunway brand but we stayed at the resorts and spa.
And what a stunning hotel it was with so many adventures to be had. We were so impressed by the theme parks which were part of the hotel, like who would’ve thought! Apparently they are the biggest theme parks in Malaysia so this made it even more exciting.
Activities included a massive water park, amusement park, Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon where the kids met Spongebob, a wildlife park and adult activities such as bungee jumping, quad bike racing and bridge crossing to name a few. Lets just say you need to explore over a few days so comfy shoes are a must! The wildlife park was filled with gorgeous animals that both the girls loved and Miss S has not yet been to a zoo so this was super cute to experience with her.
And let’s just stop and appreciate the stunning views from the theme parks.
Now our actual resort was just beautiful. We spent most of the time lazing around the beautiful pools sipping on coconut shakes (a must try even if your’e not a fan of coconuts, trust me these are different) and other times shopping in Sunway Pyramid Mall which was literally a doorway away.
It’s a major department store that has over 900 shops and an ice skating rink inside the centre. We were so shocked when we saw it, definitely not something you see everyday. Oh and it opens from 10am until 10pm so you have so much time to relax and shop. My feet were worn out by the end of our stay but luckily enough I found a massage and spa in the centre that was affordable so if you visit, trust me its the cheapest you will find in Sunway, thank me later!
Arokaya House massage is located on LG2 in the Marakesh hall to the left. I had a 2hr Massage which converted to $61. The current conversion is $1 -3MR. Although this is more expensive than other Asian countries, it was the cheapest in the area.
Sushi Jiro is a sushi train, also located on the same level and so cheap. After the 5th plate, the price drops to 99c so you can see why we ate 20 plates haha, so cheap.
Now i know a lot of people are thinking how we managed to travel overseas with little children and let me tell you it’s not easy and yes we were that couple that people probably swore at because our baby did not sleep until 3 hours into the flight. But I promise you it’s not that hard and i do have some tips and tricks and must haves for travelling with children that worked for us that may also help you in your travels.
IN FLIGHT MUST HAVES – (what we took)
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Kooshykids inflatable mattress- this saved our flight and the kids both shared it to both rest and sleep.
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Kooshykids activity packs- Miss T spent 80% of the flight creating so it was def a life saver. I would also recommend some playdough.
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Snacks: I went to Coles and bought some chips, crackers, Lesnacks, and teddy biscuits that lasted 2 trips from one city to the other and I will buy the trip home snacks from here before we head back to Australia.
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Just In Case: Spare clothes, nappies, wipes, Zyrtec & panadol. We took a change for the kids in case of an accident and the meds just in case they suddenly fell ill on the plane and we needed to administer medication.
WHAT & HOW WE PACKED:
- Baby Yus Pronto Pram: This pram has been my saviour since I got it and has saved us on this trip. Long walks are easier and Sienah slept in it after a long drive to Georgetown.
- Reed & Co Bento box and squeeze pouch. Im glad I brought these as I would fill them with snacks and yoghurt at breakfast and it would keep them going until dinner time. perfect by the pool.
- Medication: Thankfully we havent used anything but a band-aid, but I packed Nurofen, Panadol, Zyrtec, Hydrolite, Cortizone cream, Bepanthen, Sudocrem, Thermometer, Daktoran Oral gel, Teething gel, Adult pain relief, Band-aids and sterilising tablets. you cant be too safe! I packed them in $2 shop waterproof travel packs in case they leaked. I also kept the kids shampoo and toothbrushes in similar bags.
- CNP Brands Project Nursery Baby Monitor. This was a must have as we often like to spend time on the balcony and being soundproof windows, we would not feel comfortable leaving the baby on the bed alone. I took the wrist band and the mini monitor and it was perfect!
- Daily Clothes: I packed one full set of clothing per kid per day, so undies, clothing, 2 nappies and packed them in cheap $2 shop laundry zipper bags. Easier to pack and so easy to grab a bag before the shower and have it all laid out to wear. It is also easy for partners that have no clue what to dress the kids. I colour coded similar outfits for the girls so the pics are similar tones and it was just easier. Nappies that were not used we kept as spares. The laundry bags are in $2 shops in the laundry section. they come in various sizes. Reject shop also have them here
- Huggies Swim Nappies: I bought 1 pack for our 11days stay and they were great.
- Swimming and sun gear: I ended up taking 3 pieces per child. Long sleeve gorgeous swimmers from Willow Swim, sunglasses and hair accessories from Elleporte, Sienah’s bonnet from Mamer Sydney and gorgeous Rash vest and swim hats from Bedhead Hats along with a Kmart swimsuit each. They wore their swimmers on rotation as one dried. The swim hats were worn all day everyday as the sun is so strong here. We bought the kids Speedo floating vests which were amazing and allowed us to swim hands-free whilst being within arms reach. I highly recommend these for all kids.
It’s safe to say we had an amazing time and the staff were so helpful. A major highlight of the hotel for me, other than the parks and shopping had to be the amazing breakfast buffet! Oh Em Gee let where do I even start? So I read there were 100 dishes to try how crazy is that? The variety was so big and multicultural so you were not short of choices. Maybe three days were not enough to try it all though so we may just need to come back soon hahaha! Miss T had the best time preparing her own breakfast daily and this snack slave mamma got a break finally!
I hope this was helpful to some that have thought of travelling to Malaysia with children. I cannot recommend Malaysia enough. It is a beautiful and clean country that is extremely child friendly. Every corner you turn, there are attractions and shows and ames for kids. The staff and locals are beautiful and so friendly and welcoming. If you have never thought to travel to Malaysia, you should reconsider. We will be back again I’m sure, but for now off to Penang Island we go.
Disclaimer: I do want to add that we chose not to immunise this trip because I wasn’t allowed to as I breastfeed and Miss S was under 2yrs old so she wasn’t allowed so that left hubby and Miss T. We decided that it was best for our family not to as we were staying in a good hotels and had no plans to visit remote areas where the diseases are common. Having said this, this worked for our family alone and I highly recommend you see a travel doctor for your personal travels to make a decision that best suits your family as each person is different. We did have ice in our drinks as did the kids and we are still alive to share our experience hahaha! I was in two minds and very torn but I decided against seeing half the family wouldn’t be immunised.
More images can be viewed here
