[Review] 3D2N trip to Sinar Eco Resort, JB, Malaysia with a 2 year old toddler

The long weekend trip to Sinar Eco Resort was our first family trip post-covid. It also served as a birthday trip for PL.

As H's school was closed on 2 and 5 Sep 2022, we had to make plans to ensure our sanity. Initially, I wanted to go somewhere further but common sense and logic won out.

After much deliberation and consideration, we narrowed the locations to JB and had 2 choices in mind. One is Sinar Eco Resort and the other one is Rainforest Tree House. In the end, we decided on Sinar Eco Resort because of the following points:

• All-inclusive stay (RM280 per night/pax) H doesn't need to pay since he is below 3 years old.
• Location (Near to SG. If H falls sick, we could rush back.)
• Kid's safety (Since it's an enclosed farm, we could be sure that he wouldn't be kidnapped or something along the line. Sorry, I'm just too paranoid)
• Activities (H loves animals and animal feeding is included in the package)

One thing I must say about PL; he is really a do-er. After we talked about it, he went to contact the resort, made all the necessary payments and most importantly, booked the train tickets from Woodlands Checkpoint to JB Sentral.

I cannot emphasize how important it is to book the train tickets, especially when there is a toddler and school holidays involved. As we stay pretty far from Woodlands, we took the option of 12.30pm train. On hindsight, we could have taken the earlier train as we reached earlier and had to wait for time to pass.

1st Day

We brought along a huge luggage and as it was raining, we decided to cab down to Woodlands. If not, the journey would take us about 1.5 hours.

Train Journey

• As H was below 3 years old, he is not required to buy a ticket. However, we had to reach earlier and check him in at the counter (Passport is required). The whole procedure took about 5 mins as there were no one in the queue (tickets were all sold out for the day)
• We had to queue up to scan the boarding tickets (we printed them out in hardcopy) but there was no need to. They have become high-tech and just scanned our passports. 
• After that, we went on to the immigration counters for both sides (Singapore and Malaysia).
• Following which, we started to board the train.

Tip: Go earlier so that you can grab a seat. Those who board later may not have seats especially when the tickets are sold out.

It was very hassle free and we reached City Square at about 12.50pm. There were some mooncake festival decorations and we went on a mini photoshoot.

Posing with the rabbits

We had planned to grab lunch before heading over to Sinar Eco Resort and we shortlisted Dragon-I. The food was average and nothing much to be wowed at.

Lunch at Dragon-I

Then, when we tried to book Grab to go over to the resort, the price had shot up as there were many people waiting around for Grab too! (I think it's a post-lunch trend + it was raining). The usual price to Sinar Eco Resort is about RM60 but it shot up to RM90 after lunch hours.

We had to book it anyway since H was overdue for his naptime. Luckily, it wasn't a long wait for the Grab. H fell asleep in the car and it was about an hour later when we reached the resort, after navigating through a small path (with the assistance of big visible signs that point towards the resort).

View from the River Cruise

Upon reaching, we checked in at the reception where they had thoughtfully served cordial drinks and cold water. In fact, we refill our bottles every day from here.

Meal timings

Layout of the resort

H was excited when he saw the animals (dogs and cats) and we had to drag him off to put our luggage. 

Excited but scared at the same time

Room

Room photo (Pardon our bums)

Cozy (It's perfect for 2 persons but slightly squeezy for 3, especially when there is a toddler who likes to kick during his sleep.)

• A water kettle is provided so we could boil water for his milk intake.
• Hot shower is available and the water pressure is good! 
• There is enough space for our luggage, which is a huge plus as we brought tons of stuff for H.

Once we had dumped all our stuff, we went back to the reception hall for teabreak. Teabreak was mantous with different kinds of filling. 

Then, we headed off to the animal areas and started feeding all the different creatures (cats, calves and goats). The calves looked a little malnourished and we tried to feed more grass to them. Hopefully, the next time we go over, they would be in a better condition.

At around 5pm, one of the staff drove the tractor around to pick us up for the river cruise.

We gingerly made our way to the small little pier and got onboard the boat. It was about a 45 mins ride back and forth along the river and H got kind of bored after a while. I personally think that it's more suited for adults who can appreciate nature even though we managed to spot some ducks, dragonflies and monkeys along the route.

On the river cruise

After that, we went to wash up before heading back to the reception area for dinner. Dinner was steamboat. The food portion was generous for 2 pax.

Steamboat Dinner

Then, it was time for bed, even though we saw some older kids playing with the cats and dogs.

2nd Day

H woke up early and was very eager to feed the animals again.

As usual, we went for breakfast, but it wasn't to H's taste. Breakfast was bread, noodles, nuggets and nasi lemak, which H couldn't appreciate. Luckily, we anticipated this and brought along some of his bread.

Breakfast at Sinar Eco Resort

Animal feeding begins and we spent the whole morning feeding and chasing after the animals. There is even a porcupine there! H tried his hand at feeding the horses and was overwhelmed when they started "fighting" to get the carrots.

Photo with the horse

We saw some families who paid extra for horse riding but we skipped as H was not ready for it. I was so tempted to ride though.

Free roaming animals for H to chase around

Afternoon came by very fast and it was a chinese-style lunch with yong taufoo, fish, egg, veg and soup. As usual, the portion is generous.

2nd day lunch

Then, we went for a nap as the weather was pretty hot. And as a result, we missed the teabreak.

Before dinner, we walked around the area, just enjoying the scenery. The staff also gave H more bread to feed the roaming animals. They also checked if we wanted to go on the river cruise again, but we declined, as it was hard managing H.

Dinner was scrumptious. Since it was Saturday night, they did BBQ dinner! I suppose it's because the place was full house. One of the staff mentioned that they have about 50 guests that day.

Staff hard at work preparing the dinner

Pardon the lousy photo but we were too hungry

After dinner, we managed to catch mini fireworks. Apparently, for an extra fee, there is an option to purchase them (need to order in advance). The staff offered to let us try but H was too afraid of the sound, hence we were standing so far behind in the video below.

We enjoyed a bit of the stars before heading off to bed. The staff also kindly packed additional BBQ food for us (supper!).

3rd Day

Breakfast was pretty similar, hence we didn't take any photos. 

We went for another round of animal feeding before going back for lunch. (H never got sick of feeding them). We spent a lot of time feeding the horses.

PL and H also went on the trampoline.

Soon, it was lunchtime again. Lunch was herbal chicken, egg, veg and soup.

 

3rd day lunch. Delicious~

After lunch, the staff kindly sent us to Perkan nanas Public Bank to Grab back to JB Sentral area. 

Tip: Just take the transport that the resort provides if you have toddler(s). We waited for more than 20 mins to get a grab ride back. Apparently, it's pretty hard to get a Grab from that area in general.

Then, it's back to KSL area for a night's stay before we head back to Singapore~

Overall review for Sinar Eco Resort: 4/5

• Very amazing staff (They helped to entertain H when we were nearly at our wits' end)
• Delicious food (We did not go hungry there. You could also ask for second helpings if the food is not enough)
• A wide range of activities (paid and free). We didn't spend a single cent on paid activities and we were not pressurized to do so too. However, if you have older kids, they would probably be glad to go horse-riding and get on the ATV rides. We also didn't try the karaoke, billards, swimming pool as we were busy managing H. 

Of course, there are also some room for improvement. The animals could be better kept and the playground was kind of abandoned as tall grass grew around the area. Hopefully things would become better as the tourists start coming back.