“Shall we go for a trip to Malacca this coming weekend?”
My wife popped the question to me on a Wednesday night.
I was taken aback as it’s such an impulsive idea and my main concern was unable to book a hotel room in Malacca with such a short notice. Then she dropped another bombshell – there would be a total of 12 persons for the trip – 7 adults (her friends) and 5 little kids!
I rolled my eyes but I didn’t want to spoil her mood. When I agreed to go along with her idea – to do an impromptu weekend getaway to Malacca, I needed to quickly do some research and plan a 2D1N Malacca itinerary:
- Where to stay in Malacca and how to hire a minibus to bring us from Singapore into Malacca
- What are the must-eat food in Malacca to sample like Satay Lok Lok, Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Balls
- Where are the Shopping Malls in Malacca and what to do at tourists attractions like Jonker Street
Hotel Hatten Melaka Vs Hotel Equatorial Melaka
Luckily I was recommended to a Singaporean, Uncle Peter, who operates private bus business chartering Singaporeans to and from Malaysia for weekend getaways. Uncle Peter is a private tour operator who also helps us to secure hotel rooms in Malacca.
Our initial plan was to stay at Hotel Hatten Melaka – a very popular hotel among tourists from Singapore. Unfortunately it was fully booked. In the end, we settled for a night stay at Hotel Equatorial Malacca.
Singapore to Malacca by Minibus
The price tag for a night stay at Hotel Equatorial Malacca and private minibus charter package for a 2D1N Malacca Weekend getaway is S$1,120, which works out to be S$160 per adult.
We also reserved a tip of S$4 each for the driver. It seems little pricey compared to self-drive or taking an express bus but one has to pay for the convenience and hassle-free arrangement.
As the group has many kids, it’s best to arrange a private minibus and on hindsight it is really worth it. Another plus point is as we all live in the north, Uncle Peter kindly offered to pick all of us up to the minibus assemble point. So, if all your traveling kaki (friends) live in the same area, you should consider hiring a private minibus.
Read on… Malacca by Minibus!