Desaru Coast Adventures

Usually we head to Legoland and stay at the themed hotel for a quick weekend getaway with the kiddos. It was starting to feel a tad boring so hubby decided to spice things up by booking a 3 day 2 night stay at Hard Rock Hotel Desaru.

The drive from Singapore was relatively straightforward and took around 3 hours after a 1.5 hour wait at Woodlands causeway. Other than that, it was a relaxing journey dotted with palm tree plantations and sleepy towns. We even spotted some wild monkeys along the way.

The hotel was slightly humid as we entered in the afternoon. Ventilation is lacking in some areas, especially the toilets. Beware of mozzies lurking on the first floor.

Carpark lots are ample and parking within the hotel grounds is currently free. Overlooking the hotel is a giant wavepool which we mistook for the hotel’s private beach at first (thinking that the concept was similar to Singapore’s Hard Rock).

While we appreciated the brisk check in, certain important info was lacking. For example, the hotel collected myr400 as a deposit and issued a receipt. Little did I realise that the receipt had to be safekept and presented on the last day at checkout. Not sure what would have happened if I threw it away.

We excitedly made our way to our allocated room on the 5th floor. It is located at the extreme end of a side wing far away from the lobby and restaurants. Our favorite part of the room was the spacious and tasteful bathroom (boohoo to no bath tub though). Whilst our booking was clearly for 4 pax, there were only 3 towels provided and we had to either make do sharing a towel or call room service. The safe was faulty and the sink stopper could not properly release water. Aircon temperature control was also faulty.

Kudos for the complimentary mini bar, which is replenished everyday and well stocked with yummies like KitKat, double decker and Fanta. The kids had a field day. Also great is the bedding which is comfortable and provides for an excellent night’s rest. In line with its eco friendly endeavour, the hotel does not provide guests with bottled water but has instead equipped each room with big opaque metal flasks which are refillable at water kiosks conveniently located at each level. Whilst this is a commendable initiative, the flasks are difficult to refill and inaccessible to kids, who will instead have to make do with the water cooler.

Dining options are painfully limited, especially if one does not drive. The hotel only has 2 proper dining facilities- Sessions and the Elephant and Butterfly. The others only serve ice cream or drinks.

Elephant and butterfly is by the poolside. Its restroom is absolutely filthy. Dishes and drinks are lacklustre. My Long Island iced tea was weak and definitely not befitting of hard rock standard. Do not order the grilled octopus, which is extremely chewy and stale. We later found out that room service is another viable and reasonable option which (surprise surprise) offers a more extensive menu range than the restaurants at equivalent prices. Unfortunately, by the time we found out, it was too late. There is a side gate on the first floor (near the kids club) leading to a little enclave outside the hotel with largely unoccupied mini kiosks. Keep your eye out for a delightful convenience shop run by Desaru Fruit Farm serving fresh fruit,  juices as well as all sorts of interesting snacks.

The key attraction is undoubtedly Desaru coast water adventure park, which is mainly a waterpark complete with a huge wavepool, water roller coaster, lazy river and numerous slides with varying complexities. Older kids will undoubtedly have more fun than younger ones. Entrance fees are rather exorbitant. We paid about myr528 for our gang of 2 adults and 2 kids (remember to book one day in advance only if u want a slight discount) and entered through a dedicated gantry for hotel guests which is conveniently located within the hotel grounds. The kiddos enjoyed the wave pool best and were thrilled by the huge waves crashing out in intervals of 30 mins. Hubby exclaimed that the Kraken’s revenge rollercoaster was intense even based on his standards. He also spoke fondly of a delicious beef burger from a food kiosk called River Grill near the Kraken ride. Everyone was quite exhausted by afternoon and decided to call it a day, even though we were permitted to make same day re-entries as hotel guests. The blistering heat can really cause serious damage so do slather on tons of sunblock.

The locals recommend Nelayan seafood restaurant for dinner if you drive. It is located a stone throws away from Hard Rock Hotel and supposedly serves excellent seafood. Also further down the road is a lovely stretch of picturesque beach with soft powdery clean sand and rolling waves that will sweep you off your feet.

We rounded off our trip with a short stopover at KFC (10 mins drive from hotel) before heading home. This was hand down the cheapest and best meal we had this trip. The kids didn’t require any cajoling whatsoever to finish their meal. Kfc rocks!

Will we come back to Desaru? Probably not in the near future. The hotel still seems to be experiencing teething problems which hopefully even out over time. I think Legoland still offers more bang for buck given its closer proximity to Singapore and stronger appeal to young kids like ours. The food is also much better too.

Signing off till our next adventure.

Christmas lunch at Bar and Billard Room

By this time, if you are planning a pre-Christmas lunch with colleagues and friends, chances are that you would be unable to secure a reservation at a good restaurant.

A and I were initially planning to go to Sheraton Towers for a very affordable pre- Christmas lunch international buffet (SGD45+++ per pax) but subsequently decided to splurge on a more atas luncheon at Bar and Billard Room instead (SGD118+++ per pax). Thank God for the Feed At Raffles Card which shaves a whooping 50% discount off the bill for 2 diners.

Many have lamented that the food quality in Raffles Hotel has declined over the years. Being a relatively frequent Feed At Raffles Card diner, I tend to agree. Gone are the good ol days where the chocolate buffet at Bar and Billard was purportedly "the best in Singapore" and the cold seafood section "to die for".

Nonetheless, the buffet spread yesterday did not disappoint. The ambiance was charming, with high colonial ceilings adorned with fairy lights, humongous Christmas trees and giant wreaths.

Bottles of bubbly and fine wines for those who can afford it

A most delicious looking bottle of French liquer. I would have ventured a sip if not for the fact that I am pregnant...

What is a Christmas spread without turkey and ham? In this case, both dishes were executed perfectly. The turkey meat was surprisingly moist and tender. Accompanied with savoury bread and chestnut stuffing and giblet sauce, it was easily one of my favorite dishes.

Piece de resisance. Don't forget to ask for the stuffing!

Not forgetting the ham, which was prettily studded with cinnamon cloves and basked in honey. A little dry but otherwise sublime, especially when doused with apple sauce.

What is Christmas without ham like this?

Ham with apple sauce- a marriage made in heaven

Sauces and side dishes to go with your ham and turkey...stewed carrots, brussel sprouts, squash and cranberry sauce

I happily skipped the cold seafood section (having resolved to reserve room for dessert) -but not without taking some shots of the neatly arranged prawns and glistening oysters.

Prawns arranged in almost military precision.

The forgotten oysters...didn't look too fresh

There was also a special section for ham and cold meat cuts this year.

The salad, cheese and bread sections looked decent but otherwise boring. Next please.

Bar and Billard Room also offers a cooked food station where meat lovers can feast on meat dishes like veal, lamb and duck confit. Based on previous experiences, these dishes are named fancifully but often taste lack lustre.

Red snapper with coco bean and roast peppercorn. I tried a coco bean out of curiousity and it tasted like..emm..just an ordinary bean?

Veal what?

Dry looking duck confit

some other meat dish which looked too gamey for my liking

My eyes started to twinkle after spotting my favorite potato gnocchi with four cheese sauce happily bubbling in the adjourning pasta station. Mama mia!

Three cheers for the four cheese gnocchi

What can I say about the gnocchi? It was creamy, rich and luscious, boasting a melt in the mouth texture. Frankly, I couldn't ask for more.

Strategically placed next to it was a dish of tantalising baked eggplant parmigiana. Being a sucker for all things eggplant, I couldn't resist scooping a generous portion for myself too.

Crumbly soft and strangely reminiscent of the breaded pork chops my late grandma used to lovingly cook for us. How I miss mama.

If you like your pasta prepared ala minute, get the pasta man to whip up something for you.


Dessert was a lavish affair centred around a gingerbread theme (gingerbread ice cream, gingerbread tiramisu, gingerbread cheesecake etc). I couldn't resist taking a small scoop of gingerbread ice cream doused with chocolate sauce and chocolate balls.

Gingerbread and candied chestnut cheesecake

Festive gingerbread tiramisu

Waragaw's gingerbread ice cream concoction..unfortunately this didn't taste great.

For non gingerbread aficionados, there's always Christmas pudding, vanilla ice cream and other chocolate delights to contend with.

some hits and misses. the creme bulee is not bad though

Of all the logcakes featured that day (Green tea azuki, Berry cointreau with cranberry, pear lemongrass and milk chocolate, chocolate truffle), the pear lemongrass and milkchocolate log won hands down, with milk chocolate that was not cloyingly sweet and tangy morsels of pear embedded within.

Prettiest presentation of the lot- the green tea azuki

Summarized in two words: Sour vomit

The Winner!

I like to end off my meals with a cup of good tea and cookies/chocolates/lapis. The restaurant offers quite a good selection of TWG tea. However, being my usual boring self, I opted for camomile tea with honey. This went reasonably well with the Christmas cookies offered at the dessert station. I would have much preferred some chocolate truffles instead.

TWG rocks! love the feel of the muslin tea bags- so quaint

The Christmas cookie selection..all are nice except for the squarish almond studded one at the far right corner

Having thoroughly overdosed on Christmas food (unceremoniously gaining yet another kilo in the process), I grudgingly trudged back to the work with A.

After thought no 1: Always take half day off to recuperate after a good meal.

After thought no 2: Opps! I forgot to eat fruits! (but at least I managed to take a picture of it)