I was surprised that Malaysia Airlines only served a packet of salted peanuts with either Guava or Orange juice for the Kuala Lumpur - Medan one hour International flight. There was no offer of hot coffee or tea. MASwing, the subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, was more generous serving muffin or cupcake, packet drink and even hot coffee during the one hour Domestic flight from Kota Kinabalu to Miri. 
Landed at Medan Polonia airport, the 4th largest airport in Indonesia. It has a single runway of 2990m long and 45m wide with a Domestic and Interntaional terminal servicing daily flights within Indonesia, to/from Malaysia and Singapore. 
As our aircraft was taxiing in, an Airasia A320 was lining up for take-off. Airasia is popular in Medan as they operate 4 x daily to/from Kuala Lumpur offering budget fare against 2 x daily by Malaysia Airlines. 
Boarding and disembarking - the convention way, using Mobile steps as there are no aerobridges. 
A short walk to the Terminal - Apron buses would only be used for aircrafts parking at the outer bays. 
The Immigration clearance was prompt with no question asked. However, collecting the baggage was a hassle as there was only one old fashion baggage conveyor belt used. It reminded me of the old Kota kinabalu airport back in the early 80's.
We had to squeeze through the crowd in the congested arrival concourse to get to our transport. 
It was only a 10 minutes drive from the airport to our hotel, JW Marriott, a 5 star hotel. Their rate was reasonable at 750,000 Rupiah or about RM260 per room per night + buffet breakfast for 2. 
Security was strict at the hotel. All vehicles must go through security screening at the main entrance. To get to the hotel lobby, we had to go through a security check, similar to that of the airport (during departure).
We were given a room on the 23rd floor by the courteous and efficient receptionist.
The only unusual feature of the room was the "see through" bath room which could be block off with a switch - very interesting.
It was almost dinner time when we finally settled down. Since this was our first trip there, we did not know where and what to eat. We decided to try the Chinese restaurant in the hotel. Surprisingly, the food was delicious. 
Landed at Medan Polonia airport, the 4th largest airport in Indonesia. It has a single runway of 2990m long and 45m wide with a Domestic and Interntaional terminal servicing daily flights within Indonesia, to/from Malaysia and Singapore. As our aircraft was taxiing in, an Airasia A320 was lining up for take-off. Airasia is popular in Medan as they operate 4 x daily to/from Kuala Lumpur offering budget fare against 2 x daily by Malaysia Airlines. Boarding and disembarking - the convention way, using Mobile steps as there are no aerobridges. 
A short walk to the Terminal - Apron buses would only be used for aircrafts parking at the outer bays. 
The Immigration clearance was prompt with no question asked. However, collecting the baggage was a hassle as there was only one old fashion baggage conveyor belt used. It reminded me of the old Kota kinabalu airport back in the early 80's.We had to squeeze through the crowd in the congested arrival concourse to get to our transport. It was only a 10 minutes drive from the airport to our hotel, JW Marriott, a 5 star hotel. Their rate was reasonable at 750,000 Rupiah or about RM260 per room per night + buffet breakfast for 2. Security was strict at the hotel. All vehicles must go through security screening at the main entrance. To get to the hotel lobby, we had to go through a security check, similar to that of the airport (during departure).We were given a room on the 23rd floor by the courteous and efficient receptionist. The hotel's Deluxe room - with all the 5 star amenities offering the bird eye view of the city.
The only unusual feature of the room was the "see through" bath room which could be block off with a switch - very interesting.It was almost dinner time when we finally settled down. Since this was our first trip there, we did not know where and what to eat. We decided to try the Chinese restaurant in the hotel. Surprisingly, the food was delicious. The starter 
Sweet potato shoots top with 3 different types of eggs (century /boiled and salted egg) cooked in special sauce. 
The restaurant's speciality dish - the black pepper beef with garlic and red onion, recommended by the captain of this restaurant. 
The last dish was this well presented Indonesian fried rice topped with grilled eel's slices. 
Indeed, it was a fabulous dinner and I paid half a million Rupiah ! Fantastic.....I was a Millionaire for the few days in Medan..
On the next day, we had our breakfast at Marriott Cafe which I believed was the best buffet venue in the city. They served an incredible spread of food with superior quality! We had a good feast - the buffet ranging from American to Indonesian and Chinese, made to order noodles, salads and choices of cheese, fresh juices, a hefty pastry station and etc etc. 
One section of the Marriott Cafe - Breakfast was served from 06:00 - 10:30 daily.
One section of the Marriott Cafe - Breakfast was served from 06:00 - 10:30 daily.
With such a good hotel and the fabulous food, we did not feel like going anywhere. I believed the best was yet to come once we could get to a local restaurant in the city ... To be continued...
1 comment:
nice blog entries! =) i enjoyed reading them and looking at the photos.
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