Weekend at Melaka - Part 2: Arrival and Lunch

We arrived at Melaka after what seemed to be a very long trip despite the very comfortable seats of the Star Mart bus (our seats even had massagers!). Arriving at the Melaka Sentral Bas Terminal after what seemed to be an hour from the tollway exit to the terminal due to the traffic congestion, we found no taxis were available for us to get to our hotel. It turned out that there was a cycling race (Tour of Langkawi?) that day and many roads were closed to traffic to accommodate the race. Fortunately, the hotel was able to send transport and we eventually arrived at our home for the weekend.

The Clairvoyant was able to book our accommodations in Melaka at the highly rated Casa Del Rio. It is a boutique hotel the Clairvoyant saw on the internet that we were quite lucky to book at greatly reduced rates over at Agoda.

Welcome sorbet at the Casa Del Rio - the staff, especially Ms. Yin, was very helpful and attended to us immediately

Posing at the River Cafe where we had our very late lunch. We were already starving by the time we could finally relax upon our arrival at the hotel.

The Clairvoyant sipping lemonade while waiting for our lunch

We had identical dishes for lunch - chicken, fried rice and egg with a side of salad

Our hotel room was large and probably one of the best if not the best room we've had while traveling. One could see the entire room through the doors and windows separating the different sections of the room.

The furniture and everything about the room was appropriate for a hotel in this heritage city and was just perfect for a weekend retreat.

The tub was inviting and there was a separate shower enclosure.

Our balcony made for a splendid view of the river and the the city center; a good preview of what Melaka offers to its visitors and residents alike.

Traditional welcome delicacy waiting at our room

The Peranakan delicacy is made of rice flour and a centre of liquid Palm Sugar coated with fresh desiccated coconut

The notepad at the room was according to the heritage theme of the City and the hotel. It is actually the notepad used by storeowners or shopkeepers for keeping track of credit (pautang).

I will feature photos of the hotel facade and exteriors in another post. We took many photos in and around the hotel during both the daytime and nighttime. I believe the best shots were those taken from across the river. The hotel, we learned, was actually an old warehouse that was converted into what it is now. First impressions do last and we will definitely stay at Casa Del Rio when we return to Melaka for another weekend getaway.

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