Vacationing At Seaside Resorts Or Frolicking At Theme Parks?

KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 (Bernama) -- Fancy going for a short weekend holiday within the country to spend quality time with the family? That is something most families yearn for especially when the weekend is sandwiched between a public holiday either on Friday or Monday. Some may choose to simply spend hours of fun and frolick with their family at theme parks. There are several theme parks available for such trips. In addition to Bukit Gambang Resort City in Kuantan, Pahang which is the latest to join the country's list of theme parks, there are also others for the 'picking'.In the Klang Valley alone there are several such as the Sunway Lagoon and Desa Water Park. By driving several hours up north, one would arrive at the Bukit Merah Laketown Resort in Taiping and there are a few more 'wetworlds' spread over in several states.

TRIP TO A THEME PARK
However an outing at a theme park proved to be not a cheap affair. This writer, who decided to have an outing at a theme park in the Klang Valley recently, had to fork out a total of RM370 in order to gain entry for four adults and three children on an extremely bright and sunny Saturday morning. This amount included the deposit for wrist bands (at RM10 each)issued to seven people. Entrance to two parks (out of five available) is RM48 for an adult and RM36 for a child below 11 years of age. Indeed it is a privilege for locals with their MyKads. However some had their grouses over such 'steep' price for the admission tickets as well as food sold there. A housewife from Shah Alam who wished to be known as Hanim of Shah Alam had this to say: "I am here only because the tickets are sponsored by my husband's employer. I feel the food prices are exorbitant. A packet of fried noodles costs RM10!" "What irks me is that we are not allowed to bring our own food in. It is too costly to spend a day in here especially when the children will have to eat after a good dip and the running around." Another visitor, Annie (not her real name) felt the same way too. She said: "The price for a 500 ml bottle (small bottle) of locally produced mineral water is RM3. That is way much higher than what we get at the petrol kiosks. Why is it so?"

LOCAL RESORTS
On the other hand, some may prefer to spend their weekend in resorts with swimming pools for their children to enjoy the whole day through, at the same cost or maybe slightly more. One of the 'not-so-busy' and 'not-so-far' from the waterfront resorts is located at Km 16 (10th Mile), Jalan Pantai, Teluk Kemang in Port Dickson. It is also situated close to the Port Dickson's famed 'Blue Lagoon'. The resort that the writer stayed in provides apartment-style accommodation and is frequented by families on holiday from nearby towns as well as Singapore. The one to three-room apartments receive frequent bookings as the resort is a regular venue for seminars and training both by the government and corporate sectors. This resort is located close to green mangrove jungle at Tanjung Tuan which is famed for raptor-watching activities. The apartments are priced between approximately RM300 and RM640, depending on its floor space and number of rooms, as well as whether it is the peak season or the otherwise.

FOOD
Vouchers for buffet breakfast are provided for two guests occupying each apartment room and the other food and beverages charges are quite reasonably priced. The facilities at the resort are also quite well maintained. The gates to a portion of the beach from the resort offers its guests free access to the open sea to enable them to enjoy the many other water activities available. There is also a modern and extended swimming pool in the middle of the apartment blocks, conveniently visible from the balconies. A feature parents feel very comfortable about especially when their children want to take a longer dip than normal. Encouraging Malaysians to spend their family holidays within the country has always been part of promotions by Tourism Malaysia. However, local theme parks, resorts and hotels should also work towards making their holiday packages affordable and lucrative to the 25 million Malaysians who are their potential clients at all seasons, throughout the year. Not only this will bring more business but also motivate Malaysians to go on vacation and spend their money in their own country.