[3D2N Itinerary] Johor Bahru in December

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To fellow Singaporeans: Have the urge to travel but have no more leaves left? Consider a weekend gateway to Johor Bahru (JB)!

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Day 1: A Smooth Arrival and Delicious Start

Our journey began on Friday night at Woodlands Checkpoint in Singapore (SG). Out of all the other ways to get there, the train is by far the most efficient and took a mere 5 mins. Despite the short journey, it was nice that we got a seat. We saw quite a number of people who had to stand and were glad that we were not one of them.

Tip: Be early as the gates close 20 mins before departure and seats are first come first served!

Upon arrival, we made our way to DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru, which was about a 15min walk from CIQ . To our pleasant surprise, we were served 2 warm cookies at the point of checking in (which were really good!).

Cookies with a (great) view

After gobbling down our cookies, we headed out for dinner. Our dinner was at a place known for its iconic Halal Xiaolongbao (aka soup dumplings) – Din Tai Fung (DTF) @ Mid Valley Southkey. Even though DTF is a restaurant that can be found in SG as well, we were eager to see if the one here in JB was more value for money. The menu was generally similar but one notable item not found on the Singaporean menu would be their Chicken Chop and Prawn Egg Fried Rice (yes, combined!).

You won't regret popping these into your mouth

The Xiaolongbao was, as usual, bursting with so much flavour. The highlight of our meal, however, was the Sichuan Spicy Chicken. The chicken was SO tender and juicy and the spice was not too overwhelming - definitely a dish we would order on our next visit. There is a completely different dish with a similar name... wait for it...  Spicy Sichuan Chicken... so if you're looking for this dish, it is "Sichuan Spicy Chicken"!

Xiaolongbao: 17.92 RM = 5.14 SGD
Sichuan Spicy Chicken: 35.85 RM = 10.23 SGD

Not a fan of DTF? You could consider going to the Haidilao @ Zenith Mall (Opposite Komtar JBCC), especially if you’ll be staying at DoubleTree. As it only closes at 4am, it could be a supper option too if you have room for more. 

Day 2: An Ambitious and Adventurous Day

Day 2 dawned bright and early, fueled by our anticipation for a dim sum feast. We ventured to Tasixi Dim Sum @ Eco Botanic, a local favourite known for its authentic flavours and generous portions. At 10am, there was still a beeline.

Tip: Write your initials down on the clipboard at the entrance upon arriving and wait for your name to be called

Despite the crowd, the wait wasn’t long and we were ushered in after 15mins.  Now I must say that this was by far the most interesting dim sum experience we’ve had – Instead of taking our order, the staff came to our table carrying a huge tray with an assortment of dim sum and we just picked whatever we liked. The staff would then mark it down on the blue clipboard to keep track of what we’ve ordered. As the staff would make several rounds, we recommend to take only 1-2 plates each time so you won’t be too full after the first few rounds. 

Address: 58, Jalan Eko Botani 3/2, 79100 Gelang Patah, Johor, Malaysia
Highly recommend: Spicy Wanton in chilli oil, Crispy egg tarts
Damage per person: 66MYR = 18.84SGD

To digest everything we’ve had, we took a short walk around the area. There were many eateries beside Tasixi as well; good news for those who aren’t craving dim sum at 10 in the morning.

Further down the road, we landed ourselves in Eco Galleria.

Even though it did not seem to be a crowded mall, we think that it is still worth a short visit given its European-inspired aesthetic and regal architecture. Jaya Grocer is also within the mall. We realised that they were also putting up christmas decorations so it should attract more crowds in the last 2 weeks of December.

Since there was nothing much to do there, we went for a grocery spree at Jaya Grocer we stocked up on snacks and household essentials, all at remarkably affordable prices. Some gems we found:

Afternoon saw us exploring the diverse offerings of Sunway Big Box. We had the opportunity to feed adorable bunnies at just 5RM per stick! 

Next, we headed to Book Xcess @ Sunway Bix Box – An IG-worthy bookstore with over 1million books! 

By the time we finished exploring the book store, it was already in the afternoon and we decided to head elsewhere for lunch as we were famished. If we had more time here, we would definitely navigate through the obstacle courses at Energ X Park @ Box in Box (JB’s largest indoor adventure playground!) or Go-Kart @ X-Park (Do make reservations early as the slots run out quick)! Such a pity that it wasn’t in our plans to spend the whole day here but I guess we’ll know where to go next time 😉

Lunch was at Keijometo, an industrial-themed cafe. This is a cafe that many of my friends have recommended to us and we were excited to see if it would live up to its reputation. There was a strong industrial design aesthetic to this cafe which we liked. The place was also decked out in Christmas decorations.

Tip: Upon arriving, scan the QR code at the entrance to get a queue number

We ordered the Sando Mentaiko Tamagoyaki (20RM), Truffle Carbonara (28RM), Sea Salt Brownie with Matcha Cream (18RM), Watermelon Matcha Iced Tea (14RM) and Lychee Matcha Iced Tea (14RM).

The Sando Mentaiko Tamagoyaki was beautifully caramalised while the Truffle Carbonara was creamy with a slight hint of truffle. And no, that’s not matcha powder if you’re wondering. We polished it up in minutes and ended our meal off with a warm sea salt brownie paired with light matcha cream. The drinks were pretty disappointing however as the fruity taste didn’t seem to go well with the tea (or perhaps we were too adventurous). It would be safer to stick to their Hojicha or Latte.

Address: 3, Jalan Chengai, Taman Melodies, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Highly recommend: Sando Mentaiko Tamagoyaki, Truffle Carbonara, Sea Salt Brownie with Matcha Cream
Damage per person: 55RM = 16SGD (after 6% SST and 10% service charge)

After our hearty lunch, we headed to Paradigm Mall. As a Sylvanian Families collector, I was delighted to know that there was a Sylvanian Families Meet & Greet session.

We were charmed by the adorable decorations put up and the 2 mascots – Chocolate Rabbit and Walnut Squirrel. I walked away with some loots too. If you’re a fan too, head down to Paradigm Mall before 26 Dec 2023 to have a hopping good time!

Our next activity was Window Art Painting and Sand Art – a childhood favourite! And yes, in Paradigm Mall too! We headed to the store, which was parked at Level 4, beside a bouncy castle for kids.

We were spoilt for choice as there were SO many designs to choose from. If you’re worried that you do not have any artistic flair, don’t worry because none is needed 😆. The outline of your chosen design would be provided to you and all you would have to do would be to squeeze the paint into the right spaces, very much like colouring a picture. After you’re done filling it up with colours, the staff would bake it and you may take it home and stick it right on your window! Don’t go too late though as they started packing up at 6pm.

By the time we were done, it was time for dinner but we were still full from our late lunch. We spotted a bakery that looked nice and bought a butter kaya croissant from Manzanita. They were really generous with the butter, which we liked.

After the snack, we geared up to Ice-Skate @ BlueIce Rink & Snow Park (in Paradigm Mall as well!).

Tip: To save some money, bring your own socks and gloves as they are 7RM each.

The skate times are in blocks of 2 hours and there are 5 sessions daily.

Screenshots from the website

To top off the day, we ventured to RUD Karting Medini for an adrenaline-pumping go-karting session.

Address: PTD 200284, Persiaran Medini Sentral 6, Bandar Medini Iskandar, 79250 Iskandar Puteri, Johor, Malaysia

We were surprised that there were still so many visitors at 10pm but we reckoned that everybody wanted to avoid the heat and soak in the nice vibes at night. Despite many visitors in line, we didn’t have to wait long before it was our turn. As we had our bags with us, we had to rent a locker which is located in the briefing room. The sessions are in blocks of 10mins, so we decided to book 2 sessions – 1 for Basic Kart and 1 for Advanced Kart. Racing around the track was indeed an exhilarating and unforgettable experience for us but we were appalled to find out that we spent 2 whole hours there for just a 20mins session 😯

#Protips

• Bring your face mask/shield if you have one (It’s 16.90RM to get one here)

• Don't bring too many things or you’d have to rent a locker (10RM for rental + 10RM deposit)

• Submit the indemnity form online while queueing to speed up the process

• Be aware of the blisteringly hot engines which are on the right for the basic karts ( Don’t ask me why)

• Go for the Advanced Karts instead of the Basic ones as it is equipped with seatbelts (safer), better insulated and much easier to steer

• When selecting the helmet, choose one with a clean visor

After returning to the hotel hungry at 1am, we enjoyed a satisfying room service meal from DoubleTree. It was the perfect end to a day packed with adventure and delicious food from the Overnight Menu (11am-6am).

We were impressed by how quickly the staff attended to our requests after we ordered our food via the Whatsapp Chat. There was a good variety too and the food took about a mere 30mins to come. So just in case you ended the day late like us and didn’t manage to grab dinner, this is a great option to have! 

Day 3: Final Bites &Farewells

On our final day, we reluctantly checked out of DoubleTree and headed to Komtar JBCC, a mall known for its diverse range of shops and restaurants. We enjoyed a hearty lunch at Pizza Hut as they were promoting a festive pizza which looked really interesting. To our dismay, the supposed cheeseballs were more like meatball. The cheesy sticks were delicious though and the shaken iced tea was super refreshing as well. 

Just before we headed for our train, we did a final shopping haul. We brought back Famous Amos Cookies (yes it’s really cheaper here!) and Roti Boy coffee buns for our loved ones back home. 

With heavy hearts, we boarded the train back to Singapore. While this trip wasn’t a long one, it was indeed a perfect weekend getaway!