Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park

The name may sound unfamiliar to you, but how about Hello Kitty Town or Little Big Club? If these ring a bell, then we are on the same page.

Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park refers to the 2 park attractions which the first houses the famous Sanrio characters Hello Kitty & Daniel, plus some others like Little Melody, Badz Badz Maru, Kerropi, etc. The second park has residents like Thomas the Tank Engine, Barney & friends, Pingu, Angelina the Ballerina and Bob the Builder.

We have long heard and seen lots of publicity on this Theme Park located offshore at our neighbouring Malaysia. It seems like the best choice for a short weekend getaway with your kids who undoubtedly are obsessed with their daily watched cartoon series and the characters.

The travel agency specializing in the travel booking for Hello Kitty Town (HKT) & Little Big Club (LBC) is WTS Travel. They also offer Legoland Malaysia as part of the itinerary. We have been to Legoland when it first opened its doors to public, so we decided not to repeat Legoland again.

The price WTS quoted for a 2D1N trip with hotel stay at Traders Hotel, Puteri Harbour was $174/adult n $89 for child with daily breakfast but without bed. This includes 2 way coach to Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park and return, and of course entrance tickets to HKT & LBC. We didn't want to rush through out trip, so we went with a 3D2N trip instead.

Thus the trio departed for Puteri Harbour on an early Saturday morning in end Sept. Customs clearance at Singapore was quite bad even at the Tuas checkpoint. We eventually landed and checked in to Traders at around 12pm. We wanted to tour 1 of the 2 parks on Saturday itself so we had to settle lunch quickly.

The F&B options at Puteri Harbour are pathetic. They have this area called 'Little Red Cube' which supposedly refers to the shops, F&B restaurants located in the same compound as HKT & Traders Hotel. But 80% of them are not open yet. It is a sad sight to see the glorious Shangri-la hotel and the interesting Theme Parks being buried away in a place where bored patrons could only find consolation in the beautiful harbour with countless yatchs anchored.

We did not manage to visit HKT & LBC on separate days. Both parks have to be visited on a single occasion. So, we had a relaxed first day of our trip, walking around and exploring both the hotel and the harbour which is walking distance from Traders.

Parallel to the harbour are a few bistros and one of them sells alcohol and has a live band singing on Saturday nights. Sitting there, drinking and enjoying a meal while nice soft voices flow into a night of sea breeze; can be quite relaxing actually.

Of course, this post is about the main attraction which is the theme parks; so here are my two cents worth on HKT & LBC :

. Suitable for young toddlers between age 2-5, anything older should go to Legoland or Universal Studios Singapore.
. Grab every chance to pose for a picture with the characters. You have to queue like mad for such shots in other theme parks. Whatsmore, they have a package deal of 4 pictures at the price of RM 100; so it's quite worth it to take these pictures tagged with memories home.
. A camera is a must bring, at least a camera phone should be available. The Hello Kitty house is where you will ever find the most Hello Kitty merchandises and furniture, some being especially unique to the house only; like HK's bed, bath-tub etc.
. Complete all the missions/areas in HKT. Every one promises a different experience for the kiddos. From jewellery making, nails painting to cookies decorating, the girls are expected to enjoy themselves more than their opposite sex.
. Avoid taking the helicopter ride at Thomas The Tank Engine area at LBC on a full stomach. Too many spins at a speed of at least (in my opinion), 30/40 km. Scary until my little pilot alighted the flight feeling nauseous!
. Do not leave your child at the Thomas playground on their own. It is a maze, full of tunnels and dead ends (yes, dumb right?!). We almost didn't make it out if not for a little girl who guided us to the exit. It is most imperative to take a good look and remember the route to the exit before embarking on the maze. Else, I bet you will be panicking inside with your body permanently arched or on the floor, when you cannot find the exit after numerous attempts!
. You are allowed multiple re-entries to both parks within the same day of your visit. It is advisable to bring your kids out of the parks for lunch then go back to where you have stopped. Lat's Place is my recommendation for a quick but filling lunch fix. Both kids & adults will like the kampong inspired restaurant decor, and the interactive screen which tells tales of the old kampong days. Ask for non-spicy dishes for the children (if they have not learnt to take spicy food) and not assume the kampong style fried rice is definitely not spicy.
. If you really have to buy something from the merchandize shop located at the exit of the Theme Park, then buy something. The stuff are not cheap, and you can probably find the same things in any Sanrio shops around.

With all of that said, I genuinely believe the kiddos will enjoy HKT & LBC when more than 1 of their favourite characters come together under 1 roof!

Big smile now for the camera!!! :)