Visit Malacca

Where history comes alive

Tourists the world over visit Malacca largely for its antiquated charms.

That it has been gazetted an United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) World Heritage site has also helped draw in the visitors. Indeed, almost every nook of the city is replete with historical significance.

Its old, uniquely-designed buildings are one of the main attractions. Every day, busloads of tourists arrive to take in the charming splendour of these vestiges of Malacca’s past.

The Stadthuys, St Paul’s Church, mosques, temples and mausoleums are among the places that attract swarms of tourists.

Interestingly, and unique to Malacca, too, are its heritage-themed hotels. These are popular as not only are they cosy, they give tourists the opportunity to live and breathe Malacca’s past.

The hotels are well-known among foreign tourists, too, and as such, are usually fully-booked, especially on weekends and holidays.

Heeren House looks nondescript from the outside but step inside and one will virtually be transported to another time.

Located right in the centre of town - the old part of it - next to Sungai Malacca, Heeren House, which was once a warehouse, a coffee shop and a family home, is now a hotel furnished with colonial and Peranakan furniture.

It has a homely ambience and would be particularly nostalgic for those who grew up in a Peranakan household. The rooms are simple but fitted with modern amenities.

There are souvenirs for sale and a small café at the ground level of the hotel, which should more appropriately be referred to as a guesthouse, given its home away from home atmosphere.

It is also strategically located. Walk several metres and one will reach the bustling Jonker Street, which has everything from antiques and kebaya nyonya to ethnically-styled clothing for sale.

Another hotel with a heritage theme is Puri Hotel, located not too far from Heeren House.

Puri Hotel once belonged to the descendants of an eminent philanthropist and rubber plantation owner, Tan Kim Seng and it has been carefully and beautifully restored.

It has a beautiful interior that is decorated with antique chairs and vases, which lend it a heritage touch.

Like Heeren House, accommodation at Puri Hotel is reasonably priced compared with some of the more upmarket hotels in the city.

A luxurious heritage-themed hotel called Majestic Malacca has recently been launched.

A totally reconstituted 54-room hotel, the Majestic Malacca, previously known as the Majestic Hotel, is YTL Hotel’s first classic hotel in Malacca.

The Majestic, also located on the bank of Sungai Melaka, was once a private mansion that was built in the 1900s. It has been redesigned to integrate the old with the new, and the modern with the historic.

Abd Rahaman Rasid
abdrahaman@gmail.com

Source: New Straits Times, Wednesday, March 11, 2009
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