We went for another short weekend trip to Johor Bahru in March. For us Singaporeans, besides the good exchange rate, Malaysia is just an easy and convenient getaway when we need a quick break. That’s also why I have shared so many kid-friendly JB itineraries on my blog.
This time, we stayed and explore Bukit Indah / Iskandar area.
Where We Stayed
Since is quite a last minute decision, we booked an airbnb around Iskandar area. We purposely chose this Airbnb because of the monkey bars and slide. It’s a mario theme, so they paste a lot of mario stickers and mario figures around the house.
Day 1 Bukit Indah / Iskandar Itinerary
Inuyama Cat Cafe
This Inuyama cat cafe was our first stop after breakfast at Holiday Inn Johor Bahru. It’s a newly opened cafe in Bukit Indah. I have done a detailed review in another post, you can check it out! They have more than 30 cats, and the entrance fee for adults includes a drink. They also sell small snacks like croffles, and you really have to try them because they are so good!
Inuyama Cat Cafe
Address: 10, Jalan Indah 13/2, Taman Bukit Indah, 79100 Iskandar Puteri, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10am – 7pm
Lunch At Meet House Cafe
After playing with the cats for almost two hours, we headed to Meet House Cafe for lunch. It’s quite near the cat cafe about a 3 minutes drive or a 17 minutes walk. They serve western and korean fusion food.
I love the vibes of the cafe it’s very chill and relaxing, with a glamping-style design.
The kids had mushroom pasta and we have grilled chicken.
Meet House Cafe
Address: 1, Jalan Indah 22/3, Taman Bukit Indah, 79100 Iskandar Puteri, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysia
Opening hours: Mon-Thur 11am to 10pm, Fri-Sun 1030am to 10pm
Gentle Farms
Gentle Farms is a small farm with goats and chickens, open to the public only from Thursday to Sunday. It is operated by Singaporeans but managed by their Malaysian relatives.
The entrance fee is affordable at RM8 per person for those above 8 years old. Each ticket includes a large bucket of feed for the goats, rabbits, and chickens. It also includes tadpole catching, learn about different types of chickens, and taste goat’s milk.
“My kids enjoyed feeding the goats. The area is very clean and doesn’t have any strong unpleasant smell. The chickens are kept below the goat shelter.
Overall, the experience was very pleasant, even though the farm is small. The two staff members there were very helpful and patient in teaching the kids how to feed the chickens. Just be prepared to get a little sweaty and dirty, but there is a toilet where you can clean your hands and feet.
Gentle Farms
Address: Jelutong, 81550 Gelang Patah, Johor, Malaysia
Opening Hours: Thursday – Sunday, 9am to 5pm
Sunway Emerald Lake
After we checked in and played for a while at our Airbnb, we headed to Sunway Emerald Lake for a walk. It’s a large and beautiful park in the Iskandar area, about a 4 minute drive from Sunway Big Box.
We spent about 45 minutes to an hour here. You can simply follow the arrows to walk one round around the lake. There are small animals like ducks and rabbits, and you can also bring fish pellets to feed the fish.
There is ample parking nearby and a small shopping mall. You can also buy some drinks and food to bring to the park for a picnic.
Sunway Emerald Lake
Address: 9JRQ+C6 Emerald, Lake View, 81550 Iskandar Puteri, Johor, Malaysia
Dinner at Mr Dakgalbi
For dinner, we chose to eat at Sunway Big Box since we had already booked our movie tickets at GSC there.
The Korean food place we went to was very affordable and kid-friendly, with generous portions and non-spicy options available. Taste-wise, it was decent though it’s hard to judge the authenticity as we only ordered the non-spicy dishes.
GSC Play Movie
I booked the tickets online to watch Nezha because I was worried that the time slot I wanted might be full or not have my preferred seats, especially since GSC Play has limited seating.
We usually try to book GSC Play when watching movies with the kids in Malaysia, as it comes with a play area both outside the theatre and inside the movie hall. That way, if my younger ones are not interested in the show, they can play on the slides and in the ball pit. But luckily, they all enjoyed Nezha!
Tips: Remember to bring socks along! If not you have to buy a pair of socks before going to the movie hall.
GSC has many outlets in Malaysia, so check their website for details.
Day 2 Bukit Indah / Iskandar Itinerary
Breakfast At Sek Bao
The second day was quite chill, so we just slept in and checked out before heading to our breakfast spot.
For breakfast, we went to Sek Bao at Eco Botanic, which was about a 10 minute drive from our Airbnb. They serve Hong Kong style food, and even the shop’s setup is designed to resemble Hong Kong in the 80s.
Overall their food is not bad, although the seating area can be quite squeezy but I don’t mind going back again!
Sek Bao
Address: 14A, Jalan Eko Botani 3/2, 79100 Iskandar Puteri, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysia
Opening hours: 8am – 5pm daily
Bestari Bestmart and Ninso
After breakfast, we drove to Bestari Bestmart and Ninso for some grocery shopping. They are near each other, but in opposite directions.
Bestari Bestmart is a large shopping area with a supermarket, wet market, hardware stores, coffeeshops, massage places, and more. It’s one of my favourite spots to get fresh groceries like seafood, vegetables, and eggs.
At Ninso, most items are priced at RM2.40, but they also have some premium products that cost more. We go there just to let the kids get some snacks and get their holiday gift. You can watch the video below to see more about Ninso. The outlet that I took the video is Skudai outlet.
Bestari Bestmart
Address: Bestari Bestmart, 3, Jalan Sutera Danga, Taman Nusa Bestari 2, 81300 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 9am – 9pm
Ninso Nusa Bestari
Address: No.4 PTD 182908, Jalan Sutera Danga, Jalan Bestari 15/2, Taman Nusa Bestari, 79100 Johor Bahru, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10am – 10pm
Lunch At Super Steamboat
After all the shopping, we headed to Super Steamboat for lunch. We had a good experience at their Mount Austin outlet, so we decided to try another one. This outlet in Bukit Indah is a little cheaper than the Mount Austin branch, but it doesn’t have a playground, and the food variety is definitely a bit less.
But the basics like a wide variety of meats, prawns, flower crabs, and scallops are available at this outlet.
Itinerary Timeline
My itinerary timeline for your reference.
Day 1
7am Breakfast – Holiday Inn JBCC
(We went in very early, so choose this place for breakfast, so we can spent our time longer. You can choose other places for your breakfast)
10am Inuyama Cat Cafe
12pm Lunch – Meet House Cafe
130pm Gentle Farm
3pm Check in airbnb
4pm Emerald Lake
5pm Dinner – Mr Dakgalbi
7pm Movie
Day 2
9am Breakfast – Sek Bao
1030am Besteri Bestmart Grocery shopping
11am Ninso
12pm Lotus Aeon Grocery shopping (just drop by)
13pm Lunch – Super steamboat