Singapore-Malaysia Diary Day 2 (Legoland and Johor Premium Outlet)

This is our first full day in Singapore and we started the day by travelling to its neighboring country, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Johor is the border of Malaysia and Singapore. It is just about 30 to 45-minute-drive from Singapore. If you are going to Johor, be sure to plan your transportation options early.

How to get there:

To avoid queues and hassle, we booked a LEGOLAND ticket with a coach to and from Singapore. We booked our tickets online with WTS Travel and Tours PTE Ltd. We bought it for SGD70 per person. This includes one day full pass at Legoland Malaysia and a roundtrip coach from Singapore to Legoland.

The meeting place is at Singapore Flyer. So from Fragrance Hotel, we walked to Opt Mohd Salleh for 2 minutes and rode Bus 63 towards Eunos Int and alighted at Park View Square (7 stops later). We walked a minute towards Bugis Station and rode DT line towards China Town and alighted at Promenade. We walked another 6 minutes going to Singapore Flyer.

We went to their office, lined up to get our tickets and waited for the coach to arrive.

Actually there are number of ways to cross border Malaysia from Singapore. Here are some:

• Causeway Link (CW1, CW2, CW3, CW3S, CW4S, CW5 and CW6)
• Taxi
• Private Car
• Train via JB Sentral railway station

For first time travelers, I suggest to just get round trip coach tickets so that the risk of getting lost will be minimal.

Here is how our bus looks like:

Immigration

Before we crossed border to Malaysia, we passed through Malaysia’s Immigration Office. We were asked to leave the bus including our entire luggage. The Immigration Office is as same as in other airport immigration. Our baggage was scanned and we faced immigration officers for some queries. Always keep your passport with you as this will be your access to depart/arrive from one country to the other. After we got our passports stamped, we headed back to our bus and headed straight to Legoland Malaysia.

Legoland Malaysia

Legoland is a themepark with more than 70 hands on rides, slides, shows and attractions. The centerpiece is Miniland wherein Asian Landmarks have been recreated with more than 30 million Lego bricks.

Since our sole purpose of travelling to Johor is the Johor Premium Outlet (JPO), we just spend an hour and a half to tour around Legoland. Haha. Yes, you read it right! We just spend an hour and a half inside. We checked every corner and took photos all over the place. Though we haven’t tried any rides at all, it was fine because the place is a haven for kids and not for adults like us.

Taj Mahal

After touring around the place and taking some photos, we munched some burger at Legoland and headed straight to the bus stop to ride CIQ 2^nd link going to JPO. The CIQ 2^nd link arrives and departs from Legoland every two hours starting at 8:30am. Since we arrived at Legoland at exactly 10:00am, we chose to catch the 11:45am bus to have ample time shopping at JPO. Here is a snapshot of the bus schedule:

 

Currency

Note that the currency use in Malaysia is not Singapore Dollars (SGD) but Malaysian Ringgit (MYR), so better exchange your dollars to Malaysian Ringgit ahead of time. Also when paying the bus (CIQ 2^nd link), EZ link pass is not accepted hence you will pay using your Malaysian Ringgit. Again, when riding a bus, there is no change given as you will just drop your payment in a transparent box.

Johor Premium Outlet (JPO)

Johor Premium Outlets  is a collection of 130 designer brand stores. Here you can buy luxurious stuffs in a very low price. Most of them are discounted for as much as 70%. Some of the stores are Armani, Calvin Klein, Burberry, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Coach, Nike, New Balance and a whole lot more. For further list of brands, kindly click Johor Premium Outlets Center Map.

 

There are a number of ways to visit Johor Premium Outlets from Singapore. Just click this link: Direction to JPO.

Since we rode the 11:45 CIQ 2nd link bus from LEGOLAND to JPO, we arrived at JPO at 12:35pm. We paid MYR4.00 for a one way ride. We splurged much time shopping there as we were lured by the discounted price they offer. If only I had enough money to buy all those stuffs I wanted, I will; but sadly, I was on tight budget that I only bought those that I badly needed.

One of the things I bought there was this Samsonite luggage. I bought this because my backpack were torn upon arriving at Changi International Airport. Hence, I badly need a new one. Good thing I saw this very cheap and affordable luggage in the Samsonite Store. Lovely, isn’t it?

Other things I bought were RTWs and wrist watches. My friend also bought a pair of new kicks at Nike and scents at Victoria Secret. I would highly recommend if you can roam around JPO for one full day so that you can fully check all stores. Unfortunately, we had to go back to LEGOLAND by 6:00pm because our coach to Singapore is scheduled at 6:30pm. So, we catch the 4:15pm bus to LEGOLAND at the bus area and  arrived at LEGOLAND at 5:05pm. While waiting for our coach, we roam outside the vicinity of LEGOLAND and had our dinner at KFC. We also bought some grocery items like water and some chips in a grocery store just infront of LEGOLAND as Malaysia’s goods are cheaper than those in Singapore.

If you have ample time, you can actually stay at Johor; but if you are like us who have tight schedule, I suggest that you go directly to Johor Premium Outlet and forego LEGOLAND.

When our coach arrived, we headed straight to Singapore Flyer, drop-off point. But before we reach Singapore, we were asked to disembark the coach and again meet the Immigration officers for clearance.

When we arrived at Singapore Flyer, we decided to go to Gardens by the Bay. Just imagine walking towards Gardens by the Bay, crossing the Helix bridge and  couple of streets bringing that pink luggage I bought from JPO. It was such a bad  so please NEVER do it. HAHA.  We don’t enjoy the place that much as we were so exhausted walking and carrying a heavy luggage. So, we just decided to go back to the hotel and have some rest.  We seldom asked for directions as Google Maps in Singapore is very accurate. As I said in my other blogs, Google Maps will be your best travel buddy and of course pocket wifi. 🙂

Other Related Posts:

Singapore-Malaysia-Indonesia for less than Php25,000

The Best of Singapore with Singapore City Pass

Travel Guide to Singapore

Singapore Diary Day 1

Singapore Diary Day 3 (S.E.A. Aquarium and Universal Studios Singapore)

Singapore-Indonesia Diary 4 (Kota Batam, Indonesia)

Singapore Diary 4 (FunVee Night Adventure, Gardens by the Bay and Bugis Street)

Singapore Diary Day 5 (Merlion,Singapore Flyer and DUKW Tour)