The Majestic Malacca – Dining at The Mansion & Pampered at The Spa Village

When we were at The Majestic Malacca, we loved climbing up the wooden staircase to The Mansion – the semi-formal dining room just a floor above the lobby.  The polished wooden balustrade reminded me of the grand old houses back in Ipoh, especially the “big knobs” design on the vertical pillars.

The Mansion has a capacity for 106 guests and 2 private dining rooms seating 10 and 16 guests respectively.  The tables are covered with crisp white linen cloths and table napkins are folded elegantly in the old-fashioned “crown-like” pattern.  Heavy brocade drapes hang from the Straits Settlement windows and the colorful stained glass at the entrance of The Mansion is very 1920s-like.  The mood is certainly nostalgic, especially in the evenings when twilight filters in through the green-painted wooden-framed windows.

Kerabu Nyonya – appetizer

Udang Assam Pedas

Inche Kabin

Melaka Nyonya-style Ju Hu Char

Ayam Pongteh

Peranakan cuisine is offered at The Mansion.  On the menu, there are classics like Otak-otak,  Ayam Cencaluk and Snapper Assam Pedas.  We dined on Ayam Pongteh (a Peranakan dish of braised chicken in preserved bean paste), Udang Kuah Pedas Nenas (Prawn Pineapple Curry), Melaka Nyonya-style Ju Hu Char and Inchi Kabin (Nyonya Fried Chicken) with lots of plain white rice.  We love how the dishes were presented on traditional butterfly-shaped Nyonya china.

The Mansion took on a more casual look for breakfast and lunch.  The daily breakfast is offered as semi-buffet and “mains” are ordered a la carte.  Teochew porridge, murtabak, French toasts, waffles, sausages, ham and eggs in various styles are on the a la carte menu and these are served to your table piping hot directly from the kitchen.  At the buffet tables, take your pick at cereals, fruits, breads, cakes, croissants, noodles and nasi lemak, of course.  Malaysian breakfast can never happen without nasi lemak!

 

Spread across 2 floors, the Spa Village Malacca is the world’s only spa to base its therapies on the healing heritage of the Peranakan culture – a unique combination of Chinese and Malay influences.  There are 6 treatment rooms and 4 pre-treatment rooms in the Spa Village.

The architecture and design of the Spa reflect the rich culture, as seen in the finely detailed porcelain wall tiles, ornate silverware and intricate traditional wood carvings.

The Spa Village Malacca’s therapies are moulded around a person’s cool or warm energies, based on Peranakan beliefs and inspired by traditional Chinese medicine.  The various combinations of age-old traditional remedies are sourced from indigenous ingredients such as local herbs and these are believed to cleanse, replenish and reinvigorate the body and mind.

Malacca Fruit Tea – hydrate the body before spa treatment!

I soon found out what the pre-treatment room was for.  This is where the guest enjoys a soothing hair care ritual which includes washing, combing and scalp massage – as inspired by the elaborate and colorful 12-day Peranakan Wedding Ceremony!  After having my hair washed and scalp massaged, jasmine flowers were clipped onto my hair.  I was served some refreshing Malacca fruit tea at the Spa Relaxation Lounge before proceeding with the 100-minute Nutmeg-Rice Rolling Massage which is a “warming body” treatment.

Lying on the spa bed, I could feel every knot and tightness in my muscles ease out as the nutmeg and rice were massaged onto my body, reducing the “wind” and aches from the tissues.  After the massage, I felt immensely relaxed and I could feel a warm tingling in my loosened-up muscles.

Refreshing Herbal Tea and Pickles after massage

There are other fascinating treatments listed… start with a Pandan-Coconut Hair Mask?  How about a Malacca Palm-sugar and Honey Body Scrub (guaranteed to sweeten you up!) or a Yoghurt-Guava Leaves Body Scrub before going for an Egg Rolling Body Therapy followed by a Bird’s Nest Facial with Fermented Tapioca Mask?  All these sound so delightful (and delicious too, perhaps?) and I’d love to go back and try them all out!

 

The Majestic Malacca
188 Jalan Bunga Raya
75100 Melaka
Tel: (606) 289-8000
Fax: (606) 289-8080

Website: www.majesticmalacca.com

The Majestic Malacca is listed on www.slh.com – Small Luxury Hotels of the World, a portfolio that covers more than 520 of the world’s finest hotels in more than 70 countries.  Check this site out if you are looking to stay in hotels with exceptional experiences!