Melaka
 

Is there any members on here living in Melaka. My wife and I are moving there in late January. and need some information on the area.
First, where to rent a house, good areas, we are very quiet people, so would like a quiet area, love the water, would like a house on the Malacca Straights, between Muar and Malacca, but not the most important option. Minimum 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms.
Price, that is negotiable depending on location.

Second, Car, will need to get a car when we arrive, only want something cheap as I will either import my present car or buy a new one under the MM2H scheme. Should we try to buy private or through a dealer, if dealer, any recommendations.
Thanks
Frank

Re: Melaka
 

From the 5 or 6 river estuaries I've driven down for not to good sea food between Muar and Malacca the housing didn't seem too great.
North of Malacca some of the houses are ripe for purchase and renovation as they include quite a nice area of land and are of the old 'mansion' type style.
Don't live in Malacca but enjoy 4 days or so there a few times a year.

Re: Melaka
 

I've not been to Melaka but have read quite a bit about it and am interested in spending some time there, just gotta convince 'the missus'. Would be interested AusMex in any info you could forward after you arrive. Are you an Aussie (AusMex), I am but lived in the UK for quite a while so sorta relate to the Brits on here, enjoy Malaysia, was there in the Australian Air Force quite some years back and also find this a great site and 'lurk' :D here quite a bit.
Cheers

Re: Melaka
 

I've got friends who moved to Melaka not so long ago. They love it there. They were initially looking at Penang but decided on Melaka, partly due to proximity of KLIA. I've tried to lure them onto BE with no luck :( but have got the following info from them which they say I can pass on. Hope this helps.

quote from friend:
In response, we live in Ozana Country Resort in Ayer Keroh, it will certainly meet the couples requirements 'good but quiet area'. It's a gated development, near the North South Highway. There are three small malls and other eating places nearby.

Other than that, there is a place at Ozana that I have seen advertised, see the link below. Again it is in Ayer Keroh which is about 9KM (20-25 mins drive) away from downtown Melaka. If they want to stay in a condo near the sea then they will find these in Klebang.

Finding a place to rent in Melaka is not as straightforward as in Penang, many places are not necessarily advertised on the internet. It's by word of mouth that many people find places to rent.

I suggest they stay in a hotel and look for a place to rent, we stayed at the new four star Hatten hotel which has very attractive promotion rates and found a place to rent in 10 days. It is a very nice downtown hotel, we recommend it.

http://www.mudah.my/Bungalow+In+Orna...h-16087498.htm
http://www.hattenhotel.com/English/P...oms-Promotions
unquote

Note from me: I've literally copied and pasted the above from my friend's email so you may have to copy the links for them to work.

Re: Melaka
 

Thanks BakedBean, you are one of the reasons I 'lurk' here. You put out some great info. Know its off thread but a brief comment, see you are in Penang, I was at Butterworth in the 70s and back in Penang last year - almost unrecognisable. All the high rise and Penang Road seems to have got much shorter - even the old Tiger Bar seems to have disappeared. Oh well things must move on :D
Cheers

Re: Melaka
 

Hi Moonbeam, there was a thread last year which kind of wandered off topic :D into olden times in Penang in the 70s and 80s. Do have a read of it - link below. Unfortunately it's more than a year old so has been closed up/archived. Maybe we should start up a new thread Penang in the 70s and 80s... what do you think?

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=732680

Re: Melaka
 

Had a read and do remember the HK bar along with many others colloquially know as 'traps', Chung King, New Nam Keow just to name a couple. Young single (well mostly) guys would do what was known as a trap run, always done in trishaws which was the main mode of transport for getting around in Georgetown. A trap run involved visiting low devious dives which would look a bit average in the cold light of day but after a skin full at night they and their occupants didn't look half bad. Bit like some of the curry houses in Butterworth, had to be a brave man to set foot in them while sober but about 3am after a ferry trip following a night out on the town they looked pretty good. Ah the memories :D.
Cheers

Re: Melaka
 

Thanks Bakedbean, tried to send uou a PM, but it would not let me, will try again tomorrow

Re: Melaka
 

Thanks ex reg, when we get there, we will have a good look around before making a decision, we will go for a drive down to muar, and will let you know what we think

Re: Melaka
 

AusMex, fyi when I say north of Malacca I mean on the coast road before you get to the oil/gas refinery.
In most cases much closer to the town centre than that.
Of course those places ripe for reno aren't gated and security may be one of you concerns.

There do seem to be a few nice looking condos recently built.
IIRC there are 1 or 2 just up north from the centre.

We'll go up again for a short trip before CNY.

And finally if you are willing to look as far south as Muar maybe you'd consider even further south say to Batu Pahat which although smaller than Muar is quite nice.

Re: Melaka
 

:confused: It should work. You just click on my name and hit the bit that says send a PM.... or you can send me an email if you prefer - don't mind. Again just pick the Send Email bit.

Re: Melaka
 

My (Malay) wife & I are in the process of moving to Melaka - well, our furniture and the rest of our possessions were delivered to our rented accommodation on December 18, although for now we are still stuck in the UK! We are hoping to come over shortly and we are renting (until our own house is built) a 3 bedroomed house (unfurnished, and not in a gated community) in Taman Seri Mangga (a kampong) for RM400 a month! I guess that's one of the benefits of having local family (a couple of houses along from a sister-in-law)! Not so near the beach, though. I guess it's probably about 20 minutes or so drive.

Re: Melaka
 

Hi, any further feedback on Melaka, apart from a lot of history am finding it difficult to gain impressions of daily life.
Cheers

Re: Melaka
 

My chums who have moved to Melaka are visiting Penang in two weeks time and the bakedbeans will be having lunch with them. So, if you've got any specific questions, stick them on here, or send me a PM, and I'll try and tackle them :D I wish I could lure them onto BE. I have tried :o

Re: Melaka
 

Good to see more folk moving to Melaka. Hopefully we can keep it going. There must be a smallish but developing community in Melaka these days. I lived there 81...and was there for extended periods in the late 70s. I have sen the changes in 03 last back.......already closing in on ten years. Must make a return very soon. Keep the Melaka news coming......

Re: Melaka
 

Hi Bakedbean,
Really just after impressions of the quality/enjoyment of life in Melaka, availability of rental accommodation, recommended areas to rent in and what it is like for European expats to fit in generally as opposed to being a tourist. Also interested in cost of living as compared to Penang which on my visits I have found increasingly expensive.
Cheers :)

Re: Melaka
 

We owned a house out of town a bit. My OH being a local. Found the locals great. There were some real charecters around in those days. Melaka in those days was a bit of a sleepy hollow as the locals called it....but I enjoyed it but mostle because of the people. Shame the beaches there not ideal...but there is a pool. Also used to go to Port Dickson sometimes for better beach.Some great eating places as well. It has all changed so much in appearences..........A very easy place to be and to be part off I found...

Re: Melaka
 

Thanks Troubadour, appreciate the feedback.
Cheers :)

Re: Melaka
 

hi all!

A friend (who is retired) from US will stay with me in Melaka for a month this coming March. He's quite interested in MM2H program, and it would be great to meet up with local expats :)

I am a native Melakan. If anyone needs help, or want to meetup, feel free to PM me.


See ya soon!

CY

Re: Melaka
 

Hi Larsson and welcome to the forum :) Good to have a "native" on here to answer questions. Seems to be a lot of expats moving to Melaka these days, and they keep very quiet about details hehe. Would be nice if Melaka got more exposure I reckon.

There's a whole thread on MM2H below, if you want to pass on to your friends
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=757238

Re: Melaka
 

I live in Melaka for almost whole of my life, though I was once an expat myself in Europe some times ago .

It's safe to say I am not a stranger to western culture, and I know how it's like trying start a new life abroad. Hopefully I would be able to offer some helps, if anyone need that :)

Re: Melaka
 

Hi larsson, tried to send you a PM, would not go through, I need to find a hardware store, and auto parts store in Melaka.
Thanks
Frank

Re: Melaka
 

Hi, maybe I've missed it but not seen much lately on Melaka. If someone has the time wouldn't mind an update on how life is there these days. Used to read a bit about golf estates at Ayer Keroh (what does a round of golf coat anyway) and some of the houses seemed quite nice and not overly expensive e.g. RM800K would get a very nice property. On the condominium side Klebang seemed to be popular. Really just looking for some feedback if anyone has local knowledge and the time to put a paragraph or so together.
Cheers
Peter :)

Re: Melaka
 

I'd like to get the latest as well about Melaka.

Re: Melaka
 

Strange as it may seem, although living in Melaka, I don't have that much to contribute as I don't really go out that much. A few trips into the City, mainly in and around Mahkota Mall, and visiting family members who have been unfortunate enough to find themselves ensconced in Mahkota Medical (hospital!). We've been down to the beach at Klebang a few times with family and it's not that bad, although I have seen better!

I cannot help much on the food front either, as I do not do pedas (hot/spicey) food! Having said that, I would certainly reccommend Bistro 1683 on Jonker Walk - we've been there 4 or 5 times now, mainly with family, but popped in this afternoon with some friends who were down from KL. They have quite a varied menu and cater for just about all tastes.

About 45 minutes drive (actually, in terms of Km it's not very far, just the length of time it has taken us to get there each time we've been!) in the direction of Muar, is, I am assured (I'm not really into seafood either!), a great seafood restaurant. Although it is expensive (for Malaysia), it is well worth a visit. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of it, but I'll ask around the family. Of course, there are hawker stalls a-plenty, almost everywhere you look.

What I do find incredible is the vast number of empty shop lots, not just in Melaka City, but throughout the state. And they keep buiding. More and more are being thrown up, and I have to admit that, other than keeping people in the bulding trade working, I cannot understand their purpose! In my opinion, the rental prices aren't particularly attractive either!

Actually, it seems to be a similar thing with houses - so many are being built, you would think that someone must know something! Also, you would think that with that many being built (and lying empty) prices would be rock-bottom. But that doesn't appear to be the case. Having said that, although we have visited quite a few sites, we haven't actually got around to making what you would call concrete (fogive the pun :D!) enquiries.

There are a number of new estates being built in and around Cheng (either side of the main road near Tesco) and we did go to look at a few houses there. Upwards of RM700K for a 3-bedroomed house with virtually no land. In fact, the vast majority of houses being built are link houses (in the U.K we would call them terraced houses) and, unless you are lucky with a semi-detached on a corner plot (there are actually a couple of detached corner-plots), very few of them have any land to speak of.

There is also a huge build going on at 1 Malaysia (very close to Klebang beach) and again, the majority of those are link houses. Although these are close to the beach, they are not actually that close to the sea and, to be able to actually see the sea, you may just need to buy a pair of binolculars!

There is the zoo, which has a night-safari, but the safari now only operates on Bank and Public Holidays (the zoo is open virtually all year round) as we found out one day last month when we went late afternoon; also worth considering is the revolving tower - if you pick the right day, you get a great panorama of the Melaka skyline. In Melaka itself there is the river boat cruise (around 45 minutes - 1 hour).

That's my view of Melaka so far - I'm not sure if it will help anyone that much, but there you go!

Re: Melaka
 

Of course food is a personal thing and generally I don't go much on Malay cooked sea food.

But between Malacca and a 45 min drive from the center there are many creeks and each one has a sea food village built around it.
The Portuguese settlement being about the nearest to the center.

Unfortunately we don't go much on any of these places. Tried just about all.

Next time you're not far from Jonkers then pop in to Bei Zhan just at the SW corner of Taman Laksamana. For us it's as nice as any in Malacca, in fact we'll be eating there this Thursday.:thumbsup: The lamb shanks, otherwise known as deep fried lamb shoulder, or so I reckon, is excellent. So are other dishes.

Re: Melaka
 

Well I find it an interesting account from someone on the ground there. The over building is worth noting. Looking at pictures of modern Malacca it looks more a boom town. Somebody must be making money from the building, so I guess they must be selling.

What I do notice though is the newish developments beside the river always appear devoid of people in every picture I see. I wonder if a little sterile? They were just commencing improvements the last time I was in town.

I take it the ex pat population remains very low there. I get the impression you could quite easily relocate.

Re: Melaka
 

To be honest, I really have no idea about the expat population! Whenever we are out and about, we do notice the odd fair-skinned person, but have no idea whether they are tourists or here for the duration! Suffice it to say that I still get stared at often enough to suggest that there cannot be many living here!

As for relocating - yes, of course anything is possible. That will not happen any time soon, though because:

a) We only arrived in Melaka in March;
b) We own land in Batu Berendam and are in the (very slow) process (it is Malaysia, after all!) of having our own house built;
c) Almost all of my wife's immediate family (it is a large family, she has 6 brothers and 5 sisters) live in or near Melaka. Her father's family are all from Melaka and her mother's family from Alor Gajah, which is only 30 minutes or so away. So, certainly for my wife, who has lived away from here for a number of years (including 6 years with me in the UK) then relocating is definitely not on the horizon!

Re: Melaka
 

For what it's worth, reading the MM2H site (which obviously is mainly MM2Hers and wannabes) there seems to be far more people considering Melaka these days, than say 2 to 3 years ago. I have a couple of friends who were initially thinking about Penang, but have moved to Melaka instead. They were influenced by (a) cheaper property, and (b) proximity to KLIA. They still travel internationally a fair bit. Something to consider I guess.

Re: Melaka
 

Hey, thanks everybody it is always great to get an impression from people in the area. The wife and I have booked flights and will be in Malaysia for a couple of months next year for a look at a couple of places one of which is Melaka. Many years since I have lived in Malaysia (Butterworth/Penang) and over the last couple of years have been back a few times to have a look. Place has certainly changed and has more appeal now than 40 years ago (eek, 40 years wow), so much has changed and modernised. Malaysia is certainly on the way to 1st world status, not sure if that is good or not. Continue to appreciate any viewpoints MM2Hers care to offer on life in Malaysia particularly Melaka.
Cheers :)

Re: Melaka
 

I don't know if Malaysia is 1st world status or not but, from a retirees point of view, surely progress has to be good. Who needs power cuts ? I sure don't. Hospitals are good here. While folks may not wish to think about it in their 40s, 50s, it's something to consider for long term retirement plans. I'm in 50s but still think about it.

Re: Melaka
 

Is 1st World status not partly what 1Malaysia is about? Also, I believe the Government have set a target to achieve 1st World by 2020 - at least, as far as I know, that was part of BNs plans after the last-but-one election.

Couldn't agree more with you, BB, about progress being good. Certainly the Telecomms companies are being encouraged to beef up the broadband speeds, and the Government are also trying to push things like solar panels, using excess generated to feed into the national tariff. I also agree with you about the hospitals (maybe because I also am in my 50s! :blink:).

Re: Melaka
 

Well I don't know about 1malaysia. We get a kinda different propaganda up,here in Penang in Opposition controlled territory :D. Not that I would comment about politics of course.

Haha I'm the wrong end of 50s but, hey, who cares, it's just a number. I'm thinking of counting backwards at next birthday ....way to go ;)

Re: Melaka
 

Hi, wife and I (aussies) are travelling to Melaka 3-8 July to have a look around. Contemplating spending time there in our retirement which is fast approaching. Any retired expats like to catch up for a coffee and a chat about Melaka as a place to live. Despite being aussies most people seem to think we are relatively civilized :). Cheers Peter.

Re: Melaka
 

Hi, just thought I would follow up as we have had no responses to our request to catch up with retired expats in Melaka when we visit there 3-8 July, see earlier post. Does anyone know if there is an active expat community in the Melaka area we could link into to seek some feedback.

Appreciate feedback.

Cheers
Peter

Re: Melaka
 

Hi Peter. I am not sure if there is an expat community in Melaka. I certainly haven't heard of one, active or otherwise!

If we are around, I would not mind meeting up with you if you like? I will send you a PM.

Re: Melaka
 

There's quite a few MM2Hers in Melaka these days. There was a Makan meetup there a few months back organized by posters on the my2home site. You might want to take a look at that site.

As far as I know, Bluenose is the only BE regular on here in Melaka.....unless there are a few lurking :sneaky:

Re: Melaka
 

Hi bakedbean, thank you for your reply, Bluenose1 has pm'd us to which I have replied and it looks likely that we may meet up which we (wife and I) are looking forward to. Read your posts with interest, you certainly stay on top of things. Was in Penang two years ago and it has changed beyond all recognition from when I was there in the 70s. All that highrise now and Penang Road seems so much shorter.
Cheers
Peter

Re: Melaka
 

Yes everywhere changes, doesn't it. A couple of bridges to the mainland, and looks like we'll be getting some offshore islands now (E&O STP phase 2 now approved). But go over to the west coast of Penang island and you'll find the national park still intact and not a high rise to be found.

Re: Melaka
 

I'd be interested to read your thoughts and impressions after your Melaka visit. I lived there off and on 79 to 81 and found it a great place, the people are what made it special.

Everywhere has changed from those times. As you rightly point out Penang is hardly recognisable. We found it very built up and to be honest a bit of a concrete jungle.

Last in Melaka in 03, so again long ago, the river improvements were in their very early stages then. Even then Melaka has changed considerably.
Still had thoughts about moving back there for at least part of the year to check it out. We live in Perth so quite easy to nip over and back.

Anyway what impressions do you take away from the place? Can you imagine retiring there? Elsewhere in Malaysia?
Be interested to have your thoughts.