WITH busy parents working around the clock trying to make ends meet, while their children are growing up right before their very eyes, time spent with each other means a lot, making school holidays an ideal time to catch up as a family without the interruptions of the daily grind.
Putrajaya Secret Garden
Located in the vicinity of the centre of Malaysian government and management in Precinct 1 where the ‘night lights’ come to life.
This magical secret garden was specially designed and adorned with drapes of neon LED lights that change colours across tree branches, with twinkle lights at virtually each angle of the garden, including the infrastructure, which gives the milieu a seemingly fairy tale-like ambiance.
Located just opposite the Pulse Grande Hotel Taman Putra Perdana, this secret garden has no specific opening time – just head over in the evening when the lights come on around 7 in the evening or when it starts to get dark.
Admission is free with ample parking space.
99 Wonderland Park (Wildlife in The City)
This is a one of its kind recreational park in Selayang, Selangor that features over 99 species of animals, a musical dancing fountain, and LED lights on a beautiful landscape.
Visitors can learn about wild animals such as the Malayan tapir, saltwater crocodiles, sun bears, black-handed gibbons, meerkats and many others, while gentle animals such as fawns and ducks are able to be fed and patted as the park adopts an ‘open’ approach in allowing visitors to interact with these animals.
There is even a Jurassic Park themed play area that will delight kids who are into dinosaurs.
This park also includes 99 LED Eiffel Tower, 99 Universal Bear, 99 Wild Island, 99 Windmill, 99 Zoo Lights, 12 Zodiac Zone, 99 Panda Street, Golden Waterfall, Sky Fountain with koi fish and a 99 Cafe & Kitchen.
Admission fee varies - starting from RM20 for children, senior citizens, and people with disabilities (PwD), RM40 for adults and for non-Mykad or Mykid holders it varies from RM35 – all according to time slots.
Berjaya Times Square Theme Park
Hidden inside a mall in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, lies the largest indoor theme park in Malaysia – according to the Malaysian Books of Records – that offers exciting attractions across its three storeys, filled with exhilarating rides and a simulated entertainment area.
The indoor theme park is split into three sections: the Fantasy Garden, Galaxy Station, Virtual Reality, as well as a function venue area that caters for both adults and children.
At the Fantasy Garden there are 13 sections that adults or parents can enjoy a memorable time with their kids with the interactive attractions such as Cosmo Theatre, Fantasy Trail, Zoofari Fun Ride, Fantasy Games, The Fantasy Labyrinth, Ooorts’ Super Run, Botanic Drive, Kidz Playground, Crazy Bus, Buddy-Go-Round, Flying Bumble Bee, Honey Bump, and Molly-Cool’s Swing, which is located at level seven of the shopping mall.
In the Galaxy Station, there are nine sections that are more suited for thrill seekers such as the Spinning Orbit, Robo Crash, Beat Saber, Supersonic Odyssey, cosmic games, arcade games, Cosmo Climb, Dizzy Izzy, Ooorts’ Express, which are located at level eight.
The Virtual Reality area offers six attractions: X-Fighter, Doomsday Survival, Haunted House, Starship, Beat Saber and the Commando League.
There is also a function venue area which has three sections; (i) the Professor Cosmo’s Party World for birthday celebrations, (ii) Galaxy Stage for various stage performances and (iii) the Cosmo Theater that seats approximately 180 people to host parties or even team building sessions.
The admission fee starts from RM45 for children, RM55 for adults, RM20 for senior citizens, and there are also family packages available from RM168 for Mykad and Mykid holders, while infants under the age of 3 are free to enter.
Port Dickson Army Museum
Just 93km away from the heart of Kuala Lumpur, this museum is located next to an army training base in Port Dickson off the main road at 5th mile, which has long been a military town.
In the museum, visitors can observe various galleries to peek at the army through the ages – from the 16th century Melaka Sultanate, through to the eras of Portuguese, the Dutch – on to the British era until Malaysia achieved its independence.
The museum also exhibits discharged military vehicles including planes, tanks, artillery guns, and has a memorial fountain dedicated to soldiers who served through Malaysia's military history.
One also can find the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) tunnel, which is a mock-up of an underground network of tunnels of the type used by communist insurgents during the Emergency.
This army museum is the largest military museum in Malaysia and is considered as one of the most modern museums in the country.
It was also reported that the Army Museum Port Dickson won the Merit Award in the category of ‘Best Tourist Attraction on National Identity (Heritage) 2005/2006’ by Tourism Malaysia.
Admission is free, while parking can be quite tricky as it is located next to the museum and visitors need to take a short stroll.
Pulau Sembilan
A unique collection of islands in Perak, which is approximately three hours’ drive from Kuala Lumpur and a further 25-minute boat ride from Jetty Bagan Datoh that attracts visitors for its spectacular fishing, snorkelling and scuba diving to see coral reefs and various types of exotic marine life.
Located in the Manjung district, Pulau Sembilan is just 19km away from Pangkor Island, and is uninhabited, nevertheless visitors can go for field trips or for overnight camping on weekends.
Rental tent services are available alongside small huts to rest and relax to enjoy the beauty of its beach, mainly at one of its islands known as Rumbia.
Pulau Sembilan is well-known for its 'Blue Tears': luminescent bioluminescent phytoplankton along the shorelines which is visible at night.
Within the vicinity of Pulau Sembilan Island are: Rumbia island, Agas island, Payong island, Nipis island, Lalang island, Saga island, Buluh island, Black Rock and White Rock. – The Vibes, September 4, 2022
