Ritz Carlton Naples Golf Resort

Work took us as a family to Florida last week. While there we were housed at the Ritz Carlton Golf Resort in Naples. The resort is beautiful in so many ways - the rooms, the golf course. The jazz trio that plays in the lobby deserves more than a mention. Their pools are salt-water pools and hence very swimmer-friendly.

However, in keeping with the focus of this blog, I must admit that the children's menu was very disappointing. Thinking that we would be at a 5-star resort and therefore must at least have decent food for kids, I decided that my son will just eat the kids' fare they serve. But upon arrival, I found that the only healthy and appetizing main item they had for the little ones was the mac and cheese. As we were there for almost a week, my 20-month old son had mac and cheese for almost every meal the first few days. Finally on the third day, he retaliated. So I decided that perhaps he will like the chicken fingers with fries. After all, which kid does not like fries. And fries it was. The kiddo wanted nothing to do with the tough and oily chicken strips and just wanted the fries which I greatly disapprove of - they were very greasy and extremely salty.

Ritz Carlton has another resort nearby - the Ritz Carlton Beach Resort; and the Golf Resort shuttles its patrons over for free. Desperate and in search of food for my son, I shuttled over in hopes of finding more palatable meals. I was disappointed. They do have a slightly more diverse menu at the coffee house and I decided to try the fail-proof chicken noodle soup. After his first spoonful, my son rejected it like bad medicine. I tasted it and realized why - it was SO salty. I could barely finish the leftover. So the poor boy ended up having cereal for most of his meals. By the time our conference was over, I was thrilled that we'd be moving to a service-apartment where I can cook again for the tyke.

Beautiful rooms, but...

The skinny: If you have kids, Ritz Carlton Golf Resort Naples is perhaps not a place where you'd want to stay if you plan to dine at its F&B outlet during your time there. On second thought, even if it were just an adult-only holiday, I would suggest you eat out and give the restaurants at the Resort a miss. Seriously.

Holiday in Kuantan, Malaysia

If you're looking to get away from city life for some R & R with your kids, and not deal with airline ticketing, long haul flights and packing large suitcases of stuff, a place like Kuantan could be one destination you might want to consider.

For those of us living in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan, the capital of the state of Pahang, Malaysia would be just about a very manageable three to four hours' drive via expressways, or scenic coastal roads if you choose. Kuantan is well known for its beaches in Teluk Cempedak, Batu Hitam, Balok and other nearby beaches such as Beserah and Cherating.

According to Wikipedia, Kuantan has the most beaches compared to other cities in Malaysia. It has quite a number of hotels too, ranging from basic ones to resort types.

During the school holidays earlier this year in March, my family and I made a trip to Kuantan and stayed at the Swiss Garden Resort. It is a popular resort among families as they have quite affordable packages. The hotel amenities are reasonably good with the usual F&B places one would find in a resort, adults and kids swimming pools, gym and sauna, spa, jacuzzi and a pretty decent beach.

The seaview rooms

The swimming pool area

However, I found their ability to cope with a full-house situation a little lacking. You can make reservations online through their website or by calling them. Since it was peak period, checking in and checking out took some time. There were many Malaysian and Singaporean families at the resort since it was school holidays then for both countries.

The complimentary breakfast spread was satisfactory like most hotel breakfast buffets. The only problem we faced was the overwhelming crowd. There were not enough tables to cater to the full-house crowd at the Garden Terrace where breakfast was served so the queue at the entrance could get long if you arrived at the peak breakfast time. As the place overlooked the pool and featured a partially open concept, it was fully drenched by the morning sun, giving you a rather hot and humid start to your day if you happen to get seated at unstrategic spots. They have an outdoor deck section and a fully glass-walled indoor section so you can imagine how much sunlight the place was getting. It however, transformed into a very nice restaurant in the evening with a warm, cozy ambience created by clever design and location of water feature and lighting.

Recreational facilities are good as long as you are not expecting six-star luxury. I would rate this resort as a four-star place that meets general requirements of everyday middle-class families. They have their Tupai Kids' Club and Games room that offer various activities to keep kids occupied in a fun way. And there's the beach where you and your kids can spend hours playing in the sand or sea.

For mommies who need some pampering, do check out their Samsara Spa. Their treatments are totally relaxing and rejuvenating! Unless you're the type who can afford the time and money to visit a spa regularly, the couple of hundred bucks you cough up here is a worthwhile once-in-a-blue-moon treat.

Getting to Swiss Garden at Balok Beach from Kuantan is not difficult as the hotel website offers directions (about 9 km distance). The carpark is not covered so you'd need to drive up to the lobby to drop off your passengers and baggage especially if it rains.

If you wish to dine outside your hotel, there are quite a number of options in nearby places. Kuantan is known for its seafood and you can pick and choose from various restaurants lining the main roads leading to popular hotels and the town center. To name a few, they are Pak Su, Alor Akar and Muhibbah Seafood Restaurant. I'm not able to comment on these restaurants as I didn't get the opportunity to eat at any of these places. But judging from the crowd and some with tour buses parked outside when we passed by these places at night, I would think they would be reasonably good.

One place we did eat at was a western food restaurant called East Grill Steakhouse. The skinny on this place: good service, good food, reasonable price, comfortable, air-conditioned, fairly good menu. May be a bit hard to locate if you're not familiar with Kuantan but a GPS or a phone call to them for directions(we did both) would get you there.

Steak at East Grill

If spending your time at the resort is not enough, there are a few things you could do venturing out. Here's what we did:

Drive up north towards Cherating and Kemaman (about half to one hour's drive). You could visit the turtle sanctuary located beside Club Med Cherating. The turtle sanctuary is a simple, functional place although it is open to visitors. Admission is free (they welcome donations). They have a small exhibition room detailing info about turtles and conservation, and a small pond with some turtles swimming in it. You'd be done within half an hour there. Good initial exposure for kids on turtles, the danger they're in and how to help, although I spotted some bad English on their posters and brochure.

Driving along the coastal road towards Cherating and Kemaman gives you sights of 'kampungs' and cottage industries. You can stop by the roadside at one of the many stalls selling dried 'keropok' which you need to deep fry. You can buy them loose by weight or pre-packed in sealed plastic bags. They come in various flavours such as fish (various types), prawn, and lobster. They also have a 'wet' version that is dough-like called 'keropok lekor'. They have a fishier taste and you can dip it in chilly sauce. You might also want to try 'satar', a local delicacy made from fish paste, spices and coconut, wrapped in banana leaf, skewered and grilled over fire.

After Cherating, you'll come to a town called Chukai in Kemaman. You'ved basically crossed over to the neighbouring state of Trengganu. There's nothing much to see in Chukai (it's a small town) but if you're a foodie like me, there's food to check out there! Holidays and weekends will require you to queue outside Kedai Kopi (Coffeeshop) Hai Peng for its much-touted tasty Kemaman coffee and Hainanese coffeeshop fare. Then you can try Chukai's famous stuffed crabs and other local seafood dishes at one of the restaurants on Jalan Sulaimani. To name a few: Restoran Malaysia and Restoran Tong Juan.

Stuffed crab at Tong Juan

What's good about going to Kuantan:
- relatively short journey, can self-drive if you're going from Singapore or Malaysia
- convenient, numerous comfortable resorts to choose from
- see, learn, experience: local sights and culture, turtle conservation, local food
- relaxing and fun time with family by the beach and in the resort, away from hustle and bustle of the city
- relatively affordable short holiday compared to overseas trips
- Kuantan is within easy driving distance to other places of interest in the east coast of Malaysia, good place for halfway stop if you're driving further up north to Kuala Trengganu

Not so tyke-friendly train system

As any mother would know, during those infant months, when it is time for a feed, one must drop everything to make sure that the screaming baby's tummy is filled. And often such episodes are unpredictable especially during a growth spurt. Fast forward to a year later when that cherub is now a busy toddler. Sometimes the only break our sleep-deprived bodies get from having to run after the active tot is when they get a favorite snack.

If you are a parent that would fit into either of these categories, and if you plan to visit Singapore (or you already live here!) you may want to be informed that you can be fined up to S$500 for either breastfeeding or giving an impatient rug rat some snacks (for keeping him from another meltdown) on Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train system. This no-food, no-drink rule applies not only on the trains themselves but also in the station. So, the next time your two-month old wails for your breasts, do not even think that you can appease her until you "approach our customer service officers who will accord them the temporary use of the staff room" - according to the FAQ's on the SMRT website (click here to read the restrictions).

While I love the fact the trains are mostly pristinely clean due to this restriction on eating and drinking, I do wonder if this regulation has been taken to its impractical extreme. Here's a scenario from a personal experience: you're in a crowded train with your 18-month old and you've a 30-minute ride on the train. After 10 minutes of reading the books you've brought along to entertain him, he starts to get bored - and finicky. His verbal protest soon turns into squealing and his noisy retaliation is clearly bothering the other passengers. The ONLY thing that will stop him from a full-fledged meltdown is his favorite string cheese. Question - should I give him his snack - that will immediately ease the stressful situation for everyone - OR should I maintain my adherence to the "rule" and let my poor tot bawl for 20 minutes till we reach our destination?

My other question: Should some of these rules be reviewed for their baby-friendliness (or unfriendliness) in view of the Singapore government's drive to increase the national birth rate?

(Pix credit: www.nydailynews.com)

It would be interesting to note here that back in 1994, a legislation was signed in New York to protect a woman's right to breast-feed "in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be, irrespective of whether or not the nipple of the mother's breast is covered during or incidental to the breast-feeding."

Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary

If you are looking for an outdoorsy, no-frills, back-to-nature type of outing with your kids, you could check out the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary which is located in Pahang, Malaysia, about two hours' drive from Kuala Lumpur.

This elephant conservation park had been set up in 1989 by Perhilitan (Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Parks) to protect these beautiful creatures.

The location is a distance away from towns or cities so prepare for the trip with enough snacks and drinks in the car. While there's a small canteen and convenience store, I would suggest you pack a proper picnic lunch. The garden area of the place has picnic benches and wooden pavilions for you to rest and have your lunch there if you wish.

They have a small museum providing information about elephants, a video room where you can watch a short documentary of how elephant rescue and conservation efforts are conducted, and take part in activities such as feeding, riding and bathing with the elephants in the nearby river.

Bring along a set of extra clothing, cap, tissues and wet wipes just in case. With kids, you never know how sweaty or dirty they can get from running around, or accidentally spilling food or drink. And you'd certainly need a change of clothes if you intend to jump into the river with the elephants! Wear comfy clothes and sandals as it could get quite hot in the outdoors.

It would suffice to make a day trip there. Click here to get directions to the place. This other website gives a good overview of the place and the activities conducted. Entrance is free but they welcome donations.

If you have extra time, there is also a privately-run place called Deerland nearby which charges an entrance fee for you to visit their collection of wild animals.