Port Dickson: 3 Days 2 Night of Spa, Massages and Personal Pools

Port Dickson is one of those Malaysian resorts that every Singaporean has been to once when they were young, but no one could ever quite remember what they did there, or mix the memories up with Desaru. As part of my twice-annually habitual trips to Malaysia now, Port Dickson was one location we wanted to revisit. We're gradually making excursions further and further out, and one day  year I'll get to Kuala Lumpur! 

We recruited the same driving company that brought us around Malacca last year. (Our package was RM660 for 10 hours of driving on the first and last day, but contact them online for the most updated prices.) Wary of making the same mistakes we did the previous time, we opted for a bigger van this time (a whooping 17-seater!), which meant that there was plenty of space to go around for the 10 of us. The bigger bus meant that we had to alight to pass through customs on either side of the checkpoint, but honestly, getting to use the bus lane instead of car lanes meant we probably shaved an hour off the queue. We left home at 7 and crossed into Malaysia by 750am. 

We had a hearty dim sum breakfast at Restoran Ta Si Xi HK dim sum (大四喜香港点心楼). It's not meant to be a fine-dining experience, but we particularly enjoyed their xiao long bao and ming xia juan. 

Address: 
11, Jalan Camar 1/3, Taman Perling, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia 81200

We were determined to fit a durian stop somewhere along the way, and after an hour scouring the internet, we located one along the way. Not going to drop the name, as it wasn't impressive, and price-wise pretty expensive even by Singaporean standards.  

Fortunately, Malacca is in close proximity to Port Dickson and we recouped our losses with a stopover at Nancy's Kitchen, and remembering our past experience, stopped by Yeast Pastry House next door to grab their gorgeous-looking CD bread (a Kouign Amann lookalike), as well as their fabulous European Cheesecake that I was eyeing on my Malacca trip. 

Wan Loong Chinese Temple is pretty dilapidated, but we picked up a beauty of a watermelon from the fruit stall below. Worth it!

Address: 
Kampung Teluk Kemang, 71050 Si Rusa, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

We reached the Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson Beach Resort, which we heard positive things about from my brother-in-law's colleague who was from PD. Hibiscus is the current Guinness World Record Holder for the most number of swimming pools in a hotel - a staggering 634. Every apartment gets their own private pool and sauna, and since the apartments are built over the ocean on stilts, the view from the pool is an impressive sight. The nephew and niece was so stoked by this (and honestly, as was I), that the first order of the day was to take a dip, and that pretty much summed up our afternoon. Not all pools are created equal, and ours was the better ones that remain shaded from the afternoon sun. 

(I also love the fresh sandals that they provide for their residents, especially after spending the six weeks prior to this vacation looking at contagious feet warts at National Skin Centre...) However, one grip that I have, which seems more and more common in hotels nowadays, is the ridiculous bathroom design. Why do you have an open concept, and where on earth are the locks? This wasn't nearly as bad as the hotel I stayed in Guangzhou with a fully see-through glass wall (for pervy people?), but still, a design with a little more privacy in mind would be nice. 

To get around the sprawling expanse of the resort, there are about 65 buggies operating all hours of the day to ferry residents back and forth from the main complex to their rooms. The resort is designed to be wheelchair-friendly, and several buggies come with wheelchair access. The service is pretty efficient, and while things can get a little congested around peak hours, the wait was never too long (~20 minutes for meal-time).   

There are a few restaurants in the main complex as well as an open-air market style option along Hibiscus Walk. Taking advantage of the great evening weather, we made our way towards the cluster of food stalls by the beachfront. There was a spot set up for a pair of singers to entertain the crowd, and they did a pretty great job. 

We like the Prata (RM3 per piece, and comes with two types of curry to boot!) and the Chicken Satay. The highlight of the night was the fire performance that starts here at 830pm. 

Smeagol casually exhaling fire.

There is the Lighthouse Bar that stays open until 11pm, but we were rubes who went back to our room after the fire performance instead. I sat around in my pyjamas sipping a mug of tea courtesy of their complementary TWG tea bags, and snacked on the watermelon and the European Cheesecake (We borrowed a few metal utensils from the outdoors market during dinner... I'm sure they won't mind?) 
I could think of no better way to cap off the first night.


                                                                        *****

Unlike other holidays where we scramble to do as much as possible, Port Dickson is a welcome change of environment where a day's activities consists of nothing more than a leisurely dip around a pool or lounging on the reclining chairs on the beach. Relaxation doesn't come easy to me (hence the reason why I have a blog instead of making a Calvin-sized hole in my bed.) There are a number of leisure activities suitable for children and the adults. 

Yoyo Car
Never heard of a yoyo car? Join the party. It's a metal contraption with two seats between two giant wheels. You control the movements with a joystick and the seats oscillate forward and backwards with gravity. The first time it happens, it feels a little if you're going to tip over backwards, but it becomes tame after a while. My 4 year old nephew had plenty of fun operating the Yoyo car after he got used to the swinging. Toddler-friendly and approved.

Banana Boat
It goes for RM25-35 per person, depending on which type of boat you choose. RM25 is the standard banana-shaped one, and comes with a stabilising platform to rest your feet on either sides of the boat, and makes it harder for the banana boat to flip over. The RM35 version is a giant inflatable sofa and is suitable for 4 year olds. The downside? Water collects in the crevices and soaks you waist-down even before the speedboat tows you off towards the sea. 

Massages
There are two locations for massages. There's a fancy one on the second floor above the main lobby, and a cheaper one on the beachwalk just slightly beyond the outdoor dining area. I had a terrific foot massage in the afternoon, and went back in the evening after dinner. When the masseuse walked in the door and saw us again for the second time, he was pretty dumbfounded, and stared at us in the doorway for about 5 seconds. Can't say I blame him.

For the beach walk massage, they open at 12pm but there's only 1 masseuse available. In the evening, more slots (~6) are available.  

Outside Destination
If you have transport options available, you may enjoy the night markets of Port Dickson, the Wan Loong Chinese Temple (as above), the Army Museum and the Ostrich Farm. 

Meal options
There's Umi Restaurant with 30% off for residents. Roselle Coffee Roaster also has 20% off for members, and the ala carte option was terrific, and a far better dining option than their buffet. The oxtail stew with cheese was simply delightful, and other dishes such as the Cantonese Noodles and Nasi Goreng were well-cooked. The ala carte meal at Rosella was the best of the trip, besting the meal we had outside the resort at Xiwang Seafood. 

                                                                        *****

The resort goes the extra mile to make the stay a luxurious experience. Singers fill the air with melody not just at the outdoor dining area at dinner-time, but also in the morning in the main complex and bewitching the small toddlers into gathering at their feet. Post-lunch, an hotel attendant sets up a complimentary fruit juice stand in the main lobby. The people working here are always unfailing polite. These small touches do add up to a pleasant weekend stay at Lexis Hibiscus. 

One unhappy episode did occur in the middle of our last night, when a thunderstorm knocked out the electricity in our rooms. We awoke by the harsh bright emergency light that lit up in our bedroom. Everything else was down: the air conditioning, telephone, lights, wifi and power points. It seemed that everything all ran on one grid and went down together. The loss of wifi and telephone line made it impossible to contact anyone outside our room or to confirm if the damage was isolated to our room or if it was a widespread problem that would have been noticed by the staff. With the air-conditioning off and the bright emergency light in the bedroom, sleep became unfeasible and the electricity was only restored two hours later - something you don't want to experience at 3 o'clock in the morning before you check-out. A little acknowledgement would have been appropriate instead of pretending everything was as status quo the next day.  

But still, all in all a wonderful stay, and would recommend to people interested in Port Dickson.