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Hi everyone! I realized that I have been MIA yet again, and I admit defeat. With two children and a full schedule it is almost impossible to upkeep this blog. I still love sharing my experiences and sights with you, and that is why I have decided to create an Instagram account for Malaysian Girl In Paris. Please follow me (aliainparis) and do share your pictures too! Send your pictures to malaysiangirlinparis@gmail.com, and I will choose a photo weekly. This account is intended for sharing, I do not intend to discuss religion or politics or put up with hateful comments. Thank you everyone!

Marbella

Ah.. another getaway, another Spanish one to be exact. I have always wanted to go to Marbella for its reputation of being chic, the Spanish St Tropez as certain people call it. I have also had warnings of too much bling, prostitutes, and a not so great coastline. Eh I didn't care, I wanted a different destination for the Toussaint (All Saints) holidays and finally convinced my husband that it might be a different experience with the kiddos. 

We were both pleasantly surprised and disappointed. It was out first vacation as a family of four without the help of grandparents or nannies, so it was difficult to adjust at first but we did. It was great spending time with each other, our hotel Gran Melia Don Pepe, had amazing service and offers spacious family suites. The outdoor pool was way too cold for my Malaysian skin, but thank God they had a heated indoor pool as well. It was hot, up to 29 degrees Celcius during the day time, but not enough to heat up the sea. 

The beach (picture above) isn't great. I can safely say that the sand was dirty, lots of cigarette butts and beer bottles lying around. We have pretty high standards for beaches, and if I can't see my feet in transparent water then it isn't a great beach, easy as that. A bit rocky and lots of seaweed, we didn't spend much time here. 

We did love walking through old town Marbella however, with its quaint stores and restaurants. Some are rather touristic, so we decided to ask a local policeman where he would eat with his buddies. As usual, people were friendly and cheerful despite the economy, but I guess having sun all year round helps the mood!

Plaza de los Narajos

Old Marbella town city hall

Balinese beds at our hotel, great for families

About 10 mins drive away from our hotel is the port of Puerto Banus. Ah so there is the bling. Megayachts and yachts are parked here, alongside big brand name stores that line the streets. It wasn't too bad because October isn't high season for Marbella, but I can see how it can get nauseating. Bon, not too much time spent here either but I did enjoy our walk. 

  

                                      

So If I were to give advice to people who ask for it, I would definitely recommend going to Mallorca instead. The distance from Paris is about the same, but it offers more interesting things to do and places to visit than Marbella. Of course if you're looking to party and show off your newfound friendship with a reality show star, Marbella is the place to go! I must say I had fun anyways, I can have fun anywhere when I'm with my little family, but we will definitely not have a second trip here. 

Photos by Me

The Lean Canteen

                           

My entreprenurial little sister Aina and her boyfriend Mark has recently launched their hip little business called The Lean Canteen. As you can tell by the name, they provide lean and healthy ready made meals to Klang Valley-ers, with delivery service and pick up points around the city. Malaysia is well known for its food and sweet drinks, delicious but often not exactly great for the waistline. I even read somewhere that we are the fattest nation in South East Asia! Fortunately for us, we are starting to be more aware of our health, and the fitness and healthy food industry is booming. 

Mark and Aina work closely with a nutritionist and monitor the calorie count of each dish, which is displayed. Prices range from RM13-RM19, and they often run out of stock so its best to pre-order your meals. Personally, I haven't tasted the meals, but from what I have heard, The Lean Canteen has managed to provide the health benefits without sacrificing the taste. Their Facebook page also provide tips on how to eat better and have posts on the health benefits of a certain vegetable or ingredient. Check it out : www.facebook.com/theleancanteen

Babas Beef Burrito

                            

Don Aglio

                                

Bangkok Beef

                           

The Taj Mahal

It all started when my sister realized that the lifestyle she has been leading for years has got to stop. Weight loss became her obsession, and the hardest part for her was finding the time to prepare healthy meals. Her problem is faced by many in Malaysia, and I quote "as a food lover, it was hard to find delicious food that doesn't break the bank". How true. It is easier and cheaper to have a fatty meal of nasi lemak or other local delicacies, than a simple salad. 

Mark, a personal trainer, always insist that the formula to losing weight is of course working out but most importantly, food intake. The Lean Canteen vacuum packs all of their meals that makes the food lasts longer, and thus easier for one to plan their weekly meals. It is stored in the fridge, than reheated at any moment. 

So now, how to order?

Please leave your details to Mark (012-3682980) or Aina (012-2086440):
- Your name
- Name of meals and amount
- Payment mode (COD or bank transfer)
- Pick-up at eCurve or delivery & delivery address

Pictures courtesy of The Lean Canteen

                               

Santec and Roscoff, Brittany

Plage de Theven

This August,  instead of having our usual month long vacation in Asia, we decided to do something typically French. Baby 2 was only 3 months old and my parents were in town, and my husband wanted to use show off his Breton heritage once and for all. We rented a seafront villa in a small village called Santec. You won't find the crowds of the south here, non non. Quaint and quiet, it is the perfect spot to relax, enjoy nature, and eat affordable fresh seafood as often as you please.. 

A plane ride from Paris costs less than €200 and takes about an hour. A car ride would take about 7 hours and with 2 kids under 3 we opted for the first. A car rental is needed however once you reach Brest Airport. Then you're free to roam the countryside. This region isn't tourists' favorite for a reason. Despite having picturesque views and more affordable hotels and villa rentals, the weather is very mild and the sea is cold. In mid August, we were lucky enough to have 60% sunny weather, and clouds and rain for the rest. Its a bet that you take, because temperatures can reach 29 degrees Celcius  like it did last year!

View from our villa

Heated indoor pool with a view

10 minutes drive away from our little village is the town of Roscoff. Popular with the Brits, it is more lively and touristic. Here you can enjoy the region's specialties like crêpes and Kouign Aman. Crèpe I'm sure you know, but what in the world is that bizarre sounding word? Brittany boasts its own language that sounds nothing like French. A Kouign Aman is an artery clogging dessert made purely out of butter, flour and sugar. It is DIVINE. 

Seafood is abundant and affordable. When I say affordable, I mean cheaper than Paris because if you convert Euros to Ringgit it is still quite expensive from a Malaysian's point of view. Our seafood night that consists of 3 lobsters, 2 crabs, and 1 spider crab costs €120 fresh from the fisherman's market. Most villa rentals come with an equipped kitchen and a BBQ pit so you can prepare your seafood as you wish. 

The port of Roscoff

Get your arteries clogged here

They grow lots of onion in the region

Voila, an alternative holiday outside of Paris that isn't the usual. For a nature loving person, 2 weeks is more than enough. Here you get to really appreciate the French countryside, "just like Belle!" as my daughter claimed.

Photos by Me and my Pops

Disneyland Paris

It's so wonderful to be able to relive your childhood again! What other way than to live precariously through your 2 1/2 year old daughter?!? We went to Disneyland Paris twice this summer, only because my Princess didn't get to meet the Disney Princesses the first time around. Crazy doting parents we are, we learned the hard way the tricks of this château magique (magic castle as our daughter calls it). 

Firstly, choose wisely the day you decide to go. French children don't have school on Wednesdays, thus it is a bad day to go. People take extensions of their weekends, so Friday and Monday is not a good idea either. The best day ever- is the first day of school, or during the rentrée scolaire. Wigglemonster 1 goes to a private shool that starts a day after the public schools do, so we had the chance to do everything we wanted that we couldn't the first time. 

If you have a Princess crazed daughter or son, one parent must RUN towards the Princess Pavillion to get a meeting time with a princess. Once you have your ticket, you will be assigned a time frame. With this you enter the Princess Pavilion and wait again between 30 and 60 mins. If you have a younger child, do not enter! The wait is torturous, and with a moody baby you will quickly give up. This is what happened the first time so we decided to leave our son at home the second time around. The wait was worth it... The look on our baby girl's face... And MINE!

There is a thing called the fast pass. For any popular ride, you can scan your entry ticket to get your fast pass. It gives you a time frame and another line to wait in that is way faster and shorter. You can have one fast pass at a time. But if you go on the first day of school like we did, you don't even need it. Space Mountain had a 5 min wait which is unheard of! 

Main Street

There is a restaurant called L'Auberge de Cendrillon where you can dine with the princesses and princes. Book way ahead. The parade starts at 5:30 pm but with a car, we decided to leave before it starts to avoid the crowd. 

It's a truly magical place to be. Disneyland Paris brings out the kid in everyone no matter how grumpy and moody of a person you are, and makes every child's dream come true. 

Photos by Me 

Salut tout le monde!

It has come to my attention that my last post was about exactly a year ago, and I am appalled at myself. Milles excuses, I have been busy having a second child and everything, and no one warned me that having two children is like having two full time jobs! I drop literally everything for my family, but tada here I am again, with one Wigglemonster in school, 2 nannies, and a 5 month old who sleeps all the time- I am back! 

Our son, yes son! - was born on April 25th 2014 after a labor way shorter than the first one. Same hospital same doctor, all went well. We survived the difficult first two months, then he started sleeping through the nights so Papa and Maman became humans again. Baby A.M.A is an easy one, although way more clingy than his sister ever was, his smile just melts my heart and he gets his way.  I totally understand crazy mothers and their sons now.

Anyways, I am looking forward to writing on this blog again. I have so many things to share, within the past year we travelled to Prague, Langkawi, Normandy, Brittany, and soon to Marbella.. started to do even more kiddie stuff in Paris like Disneyland and Jardin d'Acclimitation, will keep you guys posted!

France Miniature

Visiting France and no time to see everything? Come to France Miniature, where you will be oohing and aahing at 116 historical monuments of France, exact replicas built on a 1/30 scale. I don't know why I didn't know about this place before, I don't think they publisize it as much as they should. Its a great way to spend the day with your children, there is even a mini fun park available for children above 6 years old. 

We took a car ride and was stuck in traffic for a good hour and a half, but without that it shouldn't take more than 40 mins to get here from Paris. I'm pretty sure there are tour buses who organize group visits, but I'm not such a big fan of tours. Tickets are not cheap, €19.50 for adults and €13.50 for children. I assume that this is only because it is expensive to construct and maintain the mini monuments. You will be awed at the accuracy of the details! 

There is a restaurant on site which we didn't try, and a cafeteria that sells sandwiches and pizzas. However, I highly recommend that you bring your own food, they provide picnic tables for people who do so. Pick a nice sunny day if you have the luxury to do so, everything is outdoors so you definitely do not want to come in the winter months. 

Miniature Château de Chenonceau

Mini me at mini Arc de Triomphe

A dream dollhouse!

Miniature port of Saint Tropez

Photos by Me

Checkout http://www.franceminiature.fr/en

Mallorca

How silly of me to think that we need to take a 10 hour flight minimum to get to a pristine beach, beautiful weather, and friendly people. Real silly of me! 2 hours by plane and about €200 away from Paris, you can find yourself in the Balearic Island of Mallorca. One of the best vacations with family that we have ever had! Our Spanish love affair continues with this destination, for as usual, the island is kid friendly, hotels are abundant and not expensive, no monetary exchange needed, and summer weather is available as early as end of May. 

Mallorca offers something for all sorts of travellers. If you are single and travelling with friends you can party the night away at Ibiza-like Magaluf. If you are with children and prefer hotels with ramps for strollers head up to Alcudia and its surrounding areas. Couples who like nature would love the luxury boutique hotels in the mountains. We stayed in a hotel on Playa de Muro called Be Live Palace de Muro. Five stars and rooms start at only €160 a night including breakfast! The service is excellent.

When we went it was the beginning of June. Daytime temperatures shot up to about 28 degrees Celcius, with cooling winds. Mornings and nights are a bit cool, so a sweater or two is still necessary at this time of the year. The seawater is freezing for a little Malaysian like me, but it didn't stop my little half Malaysian from taking a dip with her Breton father!

After coming back I couldn't stop ranting about Mallorca. We ate fresh seafood at the port of Alcudia, had an excellent dinner at Fusion19 (my François le Francais husband even dared say that he'd give it 1 Michelin star), spent hours with my parents on the beach, and just had the best time ever. I suggest this destination as a sidetrip be it with friends, family, or lover. Not only is it beautiful, but also convenient. It has become quite a trendy European destination, so everything a tourist would ever need is available at every corner- hospitals, convenience stores, ATM machines, and car rentals to name a few.

This just may be our yearly destination... Highly recommended peeps, GO TO MALLORCA!

Palma, Mallorca's capital

Palma Cathedral

The streets of old town Alcudia

The port of Alcudia

The streets of Palma

The crystal clear waters of Playa de Muro

Really good fried calamari at Fusion19

Photos by Me

Hotel Ermitage Evian Resort

So if you decided to checkout the mountain-side of France and are wondering where to stay, search no further. The Ermitage of Evian Resort is probably the only hotel you should consider. Hotel Ermitage (4 stars) and its sister Hotel Royal (5 stars) share the same grounds right on Lac Léman in the town of Evian-les-Bains. It has a baby club, a kids club, a teen club, a golf course, a spa, and exterior and interior swimming pools- it pretty much takes care of the whole family.

The service is friendly and efficient with staff who speak French, English and Russian. Babysitting services are available for a fee and there are several restaurants to choose from. The playroom is a mini heaven made of a pool table and wooden toys. Placed strategically next to the library and bar, you can relax while keeping an eye on your child.

Clients of Hotel Royal consists more of the older set, very calm and old school. We picked the Ermitage because of its appeal to families. The ambience is relaxed, kid friendly, with just a tad hint of snootiness which I don't mind. Wigglemonster was well entertained by the pianist in the evenings, she enjoyed her session in the jacuzzi, and slept very well in the hotel's baby cot.

All in all, it was a good experience. This hotel is recommended.

Our room with garden view

The Ermitage

The Ermitage garden

The Royal lobby bar

Outdoor pool

 Photos by Me
Checkout http://www.evianresort.com/fr/index.php