2019 Pekanbaru Indonesia

---

ABOUT PEKANBARU

Timezone : UTC+07:00
Currency: Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)
Visa: Not required for Malaysian
Plug adapter:

GETTING THERE
It was a year delay that I thought of taking both my parents for a short trip, so decided to go Pekanbaru because of the short flight time (1 hour from KL) and the many choices of delicious food, especially nasi padang. Took Air Asia flight from KLIA2 to Sultan Syarif Kassim II International Airport, Pekanbaru. Bought the ticket during promo period so manage to secure a return ticket which cost less than RM1000 for 5 (4 adults, 1 children + luggage + insurance + seat selection). From the airport to the hotel (airport is already within the city), you can take a taxi which cost around 50,000 Rupiah and the ride will take you roughly around 30 minutes. When leaving the airport to leave Pekanbaru, please note that if you want to eat or buy some souvenirs, please do so before going into the international boarding area as there’s only 1 small stall inside and the area is very small (only to accommodate passengers of 1 plane).
ACCOMMODATION
Booked 2 rooms at Fox Harris Pekanbaru via Agoda. The hotel is quite new and located opposite Novotel Hotel Pekanbaru and Ciputra Mall. There’s a mini mart nearby (love going to mini mart and buy local products!) and a lot of restaurant as well mostly selling nasi padang (Halal). The hotel is suppose to link to Sadira Plaza, which was being renovated when we were there. The room is modern, clean and comfortable with free wi-fi.
Image source: agoda.com
GETTING AROUND
Getting around Pekanbaru is convenient. Basically we just use Grab to go places and the fee is very affordable. We even ask the same Grab driver to drive us to few places without needing to call another Grab driver. He is happy to wait for us and drive us to our next destination.
INTERESTING PLACES
Trans Studio Mini – The one in Pekanbaru is not as big as the one in Bandung, hence the word ‘Mini’. We went there by Grab and seems that the Grab driver is not aware of the existence of this place. To go here, you can tell the driver (Grab or taxi) to go to Transmart, as Trans Studio Mini is located on the 3rd floor of Transmart. We, not only my son but even the adults had a great time (since my husband and I manage to ride the rollercoaster as my parents help to look after my son for a while) An-Nur Great Mosque Soeman H.S. Library Taman Wisata Alam Mayang Anjungan Seni Idrus Tintin Waterpark Boombara Riau Fantasy, Labersa Waterpark Museum Sang Nila Utama Kebun Binatang Kasang Kulim SHOPPING
Pasar Bawah – a famous place in Pekanbaru to buy t-shirt, souvenirs, telekung, dried food etc. Ramayana – a place to consider to buy souvenir Kembang Sari – famous for its cake and brownies. Love the pisang molen. There’s few branches available within Pekanbaru. Vizcake Outlet – famous for its cake and brownies. Love the pineapple roll. You may refer to the official website for the list of branches. We stop by 1 of its branches on the way to the airport. Ciputra Mall – located next to Novotel and opposite Fox Harris Hotel. Have cinema, hypermart, Matahari department store, indoor games for the children, es teler 77 (love the es nangka), etc. Bought few HotWheels storage box at the hypermart (really worth it. Cheap and I still can’t find it in Malaysia) SKA Mall – the biggest mall in Pekanbaru Living World – a new mall located close to Ska mall FOOD
Es Teler 77 – A place that I will always look for whenever in Pekanbaru. I simply love the es nangka! Recommend to try Mie Ayam Pedas Rumah Makan Raso Situjuah – Discovered this place from Tripadvisor, and we decided to give it a try. Love the food at the price is very affordable. Was charge around 215,000 rupiah for 4 adults! Sate Bundo Kanduang – You should try sate padang as it is a bit different from the one in Malaysia. The gravy is spicy, quite similar to sate bulayak’s gravy which I had earlier in Lombok. If you can’t take spicy food, you can opt for kuah kacang. Pondok Gurih – one of the most famous place to eat in Pekanbaru. We didnt manage to visit this place as we were still quite full from lunch Pondok Patin HM Yunus – one of the most famous place to eat in Pekanbaru. We didnt manage to visit this place as we were still quite full from lunch Restoran Garuda Rumah Makan Kayu Manis Rumah Makan Pak Abbas Nasi Padang Pak Nurdin Rumah Makan Melayu Pondok Asam Pedas Baung Rumah Makan Sederhana

---