Genting Highland Premium Outlet & Awana SkyWay

Genting Highland Premium Outlet

69000 Genting Highland
Pahang Darul Makmur


Hours
1000 - 2200 daily

Parking Rates
Weekdays: RM5 per day
Weekends: RM8 per day

I don't have a lot of photos of GHPO because on both visits, I was too busy shopping. Finding the place should be no trouble. There are sufficient signs and once you arrived, there should be plenty of indoor parking spots available. Even on weekends.

  GHPO is located just after Gohtong Jaya so you don't have to drive all the way up to Genting. If your main objective is to shop, you can opt to stay at one of the hotels or homestays in Gohtong Jaya. I think the drive from Gohtong Jaya is shorter compared to downhill drive from Genting top.

  There are a lot of popular premium brands in GHPO and their deals are pretty good as well. Restaurants and cafes are plenty; aside from the food court, they have a whole street just for eateries. I saw a playground for kids at the Low Street (food & beverages area). Prayer room and wheelchair are also available. There's a masjid just down the road anyway. Exit the roundabout, go straight instead of taking the u-turn to GHPO. The mosque is at the end of the road.

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Awana SkyWay Lower Station

Next to the premium outlet is the Awana SkyWay station, connected at High Street. I couldn't find the parking (if any) at the station so your only option may be to park at GHPO. From the station, you can get to Chin Swee Temple and go further up to SkyAvenue.

One-way ticket for standard gondola is only RM8 per adult. Return tickets are valid for 72 hours from date purchased. Tickets can be purchased from the self-service kiosks and counters.

  Visitors will have to go through metal detector. One carry-on baggage is allowed. The security check isn't as strict as at airport but the usual dangerous and sharp items are not allowed. So check the notice board. Wheelchair and cane aren't allowed in the glass floor gondola (RM40 per pax).

I took the SkyWay on Sunday morning so the crowd wasn't too big. I imagine it might get quite busy on Saturdays and school holidays. Fret not, you can pay extra for express passes.

So yeah. If you go shopping up in SkyAvenue and plan to return via cable car, consider the baggage limit :) Even if you don't want to go up to the hilltop shopping mall (why not? There are Sephora and Uniqlo and Burger & Lobster up there!) there are shops and eateries in the Awana SkyWay Lower Station that might interest you to hop over the road.

  You can find Kenny Roger's, bak kut teh restaurant, shops selling local/Asian snacks, Family Mart (try their cheesecake ice cream if you haven't), a gadget (and other trinkets) shop, bakery and many more on the station side. 

  Oh, Thai Odyssey is over on this side as well :) I mean, all those shopping walking, right?

KhunThai, Teluk Kumbar

KhunThai

1052 Mukim 9 Pasir Belanda

Teluk Kumbar

11920 Bayan Lepas

Pulau Pinang

(+60)4 625 1155

Hours

1100 - midnight daily

Such a short and sweet name to remember. If you're a Thai cuisine fan in Penang, come over to KhunThai Authentic Thai Restaurant in Teluk Kumbar. It is about 20 minutes drive from Penang Airport. Use Waze or Google Map to help you. Once you're in the area, there is a signboard you can't miss. Ample parking available but careful not to hit/step on some of the dogs roaming nearby.

This restaurant has seaview option but if you come in small party, you may have to compromise about roof. The tables under the roof are big round ones while the smaller ones are outside. Of course, it is a non-issue if you come at non-peak hours. We got the whole big table for the two of us.

The staff were friendly and helpful. Be sure to ask them if you need clarification on things like price and portion size.

  I went there for lunch and there were about 3 or 4 other tables occupied but service took some time. It wasn't a really long wait mind you, but I can imagine they *might* get slow on busy days. 

Taste

Good and portion was generous

Price

Fair. RM67 for 2 pax

Ambiance

Thai hut-like feel. A bit dated but good enough to bring guests

If you want somewhere with aircond, try Siriwan

Thai Style Salted Egg Prawn (small) RM27

Kailan Oyster Sauce (small) RM10

We also tried their Green Curry Chicken, also small portion at RM21. It looks ugly, the chicken was cut in a way I don't favour (I'm fussy) and a little oily but it was also delicious. I love everything we ordered! Obviously I didn't eat the kailan but the kuah was tasty. And seriously their portion was generous. We thought 3 small dishes of lauks are just enough for the two of us. Boy, we had to skip dinner.

  Highly recommended especially on lazy weekends and if you don't mind a bit of waiting. The food was good and pretty worth it. While waiting, just go to the beach and have a swing or two.

La Baguette French Bakery, EmQuartier Bangkok

La Baguette

The EmQuartier Mall

Ground floor, The Glass Quartier

Sukhumvit Road

10110 Bangkok

Thailand

Hours

1000 - 2200 daily

Note: NOT a pork-free outlet

This gorgeous chandelier-lit cafe is in the EmQuartier mall, near our hotel in Bangkok. It was late and we were looking for a cafe to hangout in. Most of those on our list were going to close by the time we arrived so we opted to find something in the shopping mall itself. That was when we saw this classy cafe and were mesmerised by the selection of cakes on display.

Taste - Good cakes. Meh beverages

Price - Standard Bangkok mall cafe

Ambiance - Gorgeousness! I think Audrey Hepburn would look at home here.

Overall 3 <3<3<3 of 5

It is not a cafe that you must visit while in Bangkok. But if you happen to be nearby and craving for some good fancy cakes, try this place. Their service was excellent although you probably have to think very hard to remember a poor service experience in a Thai restaurant.

Kinkao, Terminal 21 Bangkok

Kinkao

Terminal 21

4008 Level 4

Hours

1000 - 2200 daily

Note: Pork-serving restaurant

Kinkao serves traditional Thai cuisine. It is quite popular so you might have to wait for a bit if you visit during lunch hour or dinner. They have a variety of seafood and non-meat dishes but please note that this is NOT a pork-free outlet if you're strict about that.

Pomelo Salad

Crab with Egg in Thai Sauce

I love that they served our drinks in the old-style mangkuk tingkat thingy (it's not the tiffin la but from the same set). Service was also good. Although the restaurant was busy, the staff were very helpful and courteous.

Taste

Good

Price

I can't remember. It was a treat by Dr. A

Ambiance

Comfortable. No weird smell. Didn't really notice the decor as I was too busy eating

Overall 4 <3<3<3<3 of 5

Chatuchak Market, Bangkok

Chatuchak Market

Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road

Chatuchak, Bangkok

Hours

Wed & Thu: 0700 - 1800

Friday: 1800 - 0000

Sat & Sun: 0900 - 1800

Note: There is Chatuchak Night Market on Friday - Sun till past midnight!

Chatuchak Market needs no introduction. It is THE shopping destination for many tourists and locals in Bangkok. You can take the skytrain, bus or taxi/Uber. The place is huge so even if you plan to just window shop, don comfortable footwear and outfit. 

  You might also want to get hold of the map for the market. If you already have something specific to buy from a certain shop, the map will be useful. It is however, not very helpful if you're searching by goods category as they can be all over the place. So if you want to buy a handbag for example, you still need to walk from one soi to another to see the options. But, take note of the soi number so you can find the shop selling the handbag you love most again.

  If you have no plan, just head towards the clock tower and start there.

Gorgeous pastels!!! *eeeksss*

A bit like the Chowrasta in Penang eh?

There are many eateries in the market should you get hungry. Dessert carts too. So feast to your heart content and if you need the washroom, there are many public toilet dotted around the place.

Some of the outlets look fancier than the others. Their price wasn't too cheap but still affordable (or at least make sense considering the gorgeousness they were offering)

If only I am as slim as the mannequin...

Halal Food in Chatuchak Market

We had lunch at Saman Islam. It is near the clock tower and very hard to miss. I thought the price was reasonable because their portion was generous. If you have an average appetite, you might want to consider sharing your plate with one or a couple other friends.

 

Aside from Saman Islam, there are a few more halal places nearby. Kah Jak is just a few soi away (to the left if Saman Islam is at your back and you're kinda sorta facing the clock tower). There is also a Muslim prayer room close by.

There are many cafe selling coffee and fruit juice here so if you're tired, you can have a break. I stopped for juice at a very pretty pink & purple-ish cafe =D

Expect to spend HOURS here. Do not believe the kaki shoppings who say that they are gonna be in Chatuchak for "just an hour".

  When your feet are ready to collapse, stop by one of the many Thai/foot massage centre and let the skilled masseur do their thang. Then, you can either continue to shop till you drop or hail a taxi home. Before getting in, ask if the driver will use meter. If the taxi driver won't use meter, simply smile, thank him/her and walk to the next waiting taxi near the entrance. Or book an Uber.