Spunky Sepang

Text & Images by FARIDAH DAHALAN

Travellers simply shouldn’t miss this place because as soon as planes touch down in KLIA, it means they already enter Sepang district, which is the youngest in Selangor. Although Sepang is in the southern part of Selangor, folks from Nilai in neighbouring Negeri Sembilan often come here to shop and enjoy a weekend getaway.

The Place to Stay in Sepang:

Movenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA

www.movenpick.com/klia

We stayed at the amazingly designed Movenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA equipped with efficient facilities. Owned by Lembaga Tabung Haji, travellers can spot the Islamic elements such as geometric and interlace patterned ornament on the building’s walls, which looks simply breathtaking when set against the clear blue sky as backdrop! Standing next to the hotel is the Convention Centre that is ideal for big or intimate events. Travellers can choose to hold their events at Anjung Tinjau for a breezy open-air experience or at Astaka for its stylish ambiance.

Movenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA distinguishes itself from the other upscale hotels by organising Chocolate Hour from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day, the time when the hotel dishes out various chocolate delights to its guests for free! Do not miss this joyous treat, including light snacks, at Sira in the lobby lounge which operates from 11:30 a.m. until midnight.

Movenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA also provides a complimentary scheduled airport transfer for its guests every two hours from as early as 4:00 a.m. until midnight, which is very convenient! For those who want to relax, bring along your swimsuits to the swimming pool. The area is surrounded by date trees that provide shade from the heat. The female swimming pool is separated from the male’s for complete privacy.

Things to do in Sepang

So, what exciting things can you do in Sepang? Let’s explore the following list:

1. National Automobile Museum, Sepang http://www.jmm.gov.my/en/nationalautomobile-museum-sepang

This museum was the brainchild of Malaysia’s fourth and seventh Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and has been opened to the public for free since March 2004. Located within the Sepang International Circuit’s Welcome Centre, the museum is home to 22 classic and local automobile models, a haven for car enthusiasts and collectors. The first floor of the museum showcases The Brushmobile made in 1904, Jaguar D type in 1955 and Austin Healey 3000 in 1960. The exhibits on the second floor might be familiar to all Malaysians: vehicles created by local companies such as Proton, Modenas and Perodua are on show. To visit this museum, travellers should inform the guards at the entrance gate and they will let you in.

Visiting Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Closed on Eid Fitri and Eid Al-Adha

2. Sepang International Circuit www.sepangcircuit.com

A visit to Sepang is not complete without taking the tour to Sepang International Circuit (SIC), the home to Malaysia’s international circuit, which happen to be among the finest circuits and marshals in the world! So much trust is being put in SIC by the automotive and motorsports industries that 54% of its clients consist of international automobile manufacturers testing out their models in tropical climate. Besides being designed to suit every aspect of motorsports, SIC also provides track rental venue-forhire service to suit whatever event you are staging. If you find walking down the aisle to exchange vows is just too mainstream, then you could opt to walk down a race track instead for your wedding; better yet, strut on a runway fashion show on the same track where Lewis Hamilton drove!

3. HL Restaurant & Café facebook.com/HL-RestaurantCafe-144994542571968

We found ourselves roaming the grounds of a lush dragon fruit farm owned by HL Nursery Trading at noon. The café manager, Miss Queenie refreshed us with vibrant pink Lokal Pitaya Wholesome Juice, a dragon fruit-based beverage served with salad on top. The highlight of our meal was when Miss Queenie gave us a demo on how to eat the Jumbo Dragon Curry Bun, a soft round bread with curry chicken filling – dipping the bread into the curry is a perfect match! Once our stomachs were full, it was time to burn the calories off by touring the farm. This two-hectare land is filled with hundreds of dragon fruits ripe for picking. We spent two hours on the farm and would be happy to do it again!

4. Mitsui Outlet Park www.mitsuioutletparkklia.com.my

Mitsui Outlet Park (MOP) is without doubt a paradise for shoppers. Located eight minutes away from KLIA, travellers can do last-minute shopping at this Malaysian-meets-Japanese culture shopping mall. MOP offers free shuttle service to KLIA and KLIA 2. Travellers may shop in style since MOP provides free luggage storage near to the bus drop off point. Upon completion of its phase 3 plan which is set to be completed in 2021, MOP will be the largest factory outlet in Southeast Asia. After checking out the entire shopping centre, we rested our legs at Leten Restaurant (https:// www.paradisegp.com/leten/) on the first floor, which served up seven unique and cute looking dim sum! Our personal favourites were Signature Original Chicken Xiao Long Bao and Chocolate Xiao Long Bao. Do ask the waiters or even the friendly restaurant manager, Miss Faridah, on how to eat the Signature Originals Chicken XLB to avoid burning your tongue!

Gaya Travel Magazine team extends heartfelt gratitude to Movenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA and Tourism Selangor for making this two-day exploration of Sepang possible.