Driving into Malaysia was something we have not done for a while. Taking advantage of the National Day break on 9 Aug 12 (Thurs), we drove in on 10 Aug with family for a quick retail therapy!
Equipped with our newly purchased GPS - Garmin NU2565, we ventured in early morning! Note: JPO opening hours are from 10am to 10pm daily.
We don't know whether we could trust the new GPS so we brought along paper maps! And of course, also relying on the trustworthy googlemaps at times on our IPhone! So kiasu!
The route to JPO from Singapore to Johor was straightforward, so much so that we casted those paper maps soon into Malaysia we drove! From Tuas checkpoint, it was probably a jiffy 20-30 mins depending on how fast you drive. We took about 25 mins at speed of 100-110km/hr. The speed limit on Malaysia expressway is indicated to be 110km/hr.
At the Tuas checkpoint, be prepared to pay Toll of $3.20 leaving Singapore, using our Cashcard.
After reaching the Malaysian checkpoint, you have to pay Toll again! So get ready your Touch & Go card this time! If you dont have one, you can purchase it when you reach the Tolls. Top up at least Ringgit 40 to pay both Tolls to and fro. One way will cost about total Ringgit 10.70 for both tolls driving in from Singapore to JPO (first toll costs Ringgit 3.20 and second costs Ringgit 7.50). Dont worry if you dont have enough money in your card. You can top up with cash once you reach the Tolls.
From Tuas, follow E3 highway all the way. The first stretch right after you pass the checkpoints, you can see signs of fork & spoon indicating restaurants and toilets. You can drive up and stop before you carry on if you really do need some food or toilet break!! Our gut instincts tell us to drive on with no stops till you reach your destination!! (So we wont find any chance to re-enact those horror theft/kidnapping stories we hear about driving in Malaysia!!) Off we sped without stopping..
Along the expressway, you will see huge vast empty land and many plots of palm trees! Hardly get to see in congested Singapore! Those terrace houses and resort developments on sale in Singapore (eg Leisure farmway, East Ledang, Setia Gardens, Nusajaya, Indraputra areas) can also be sighted along the way!! Most of those areas look like they are in developmental stage. We think it may take a while for it to be fully developed!
The first signboard we saw on JPO indicate we should take exit E304! So all the way, it's a pretty easy route on E3 highway. After the second toll, we drove on about another 10-15 mins and we hit the E304 exit. Driving a while more, we hit exit E302A to exit to JPO and we could see JPO on our left!! Driving into the vast land lined with oil palm trees and into the big carpark, there was a security guardpost at the entrance. Daily one-time carpark charges of Ringgit 3.00 is chargeable. Reasonable.
So began our foot into JPO! We headed to the Information office first for maps and to check out on discounts! The staff said that discounts of 25%-65% are given daily at all shops and we have to check out the stores individually to find out! Ok!
We decided to settle lunch first since it's close to 1130am when we reached. We choose Kampachi Japanese Restaurant famous for Japanese cuisine in Malaysia! Mum and me ordered the Gindara Teriyaki Set at Ringgit 55 (~S$22). Ted had Salmon Teriyaki set at Ringgit 40 (~S$16). Dad and bro shared Gindara Tara Chiri Nabe for 2 pax at Ringgit 70 (~S$28). Total our bill came up to Ringgit 287 (~S$115) for 5 adults! Thought it was reasonable for a first class Japanese restaurant in Malaysia! However, I thought the meal was not so up to my expectations.. The Gindara and salmon teriyaki sets were tasty but somehow lacks something in my opinion! Maybe its the rice or? There werent goma seeds on top of it, just plain japanese rice. The Gindara fish slices were thick and fresh but I found the pickles that came with it a little bland. The set came served with chawanmushi and a salmon side-dish, miso soup, pickles and fresh fruits. Miso soup tastes a little salty to me but the fruit slices (watermelon, honey dew and peaches) were fresh and sweet!
The nabe was a big pot for 2 pax and soup tastes great! The salmon teriyaki was tasty like the Gindara. It's overall a good meal though!
Finally shopping!! No photos to show here on my shopping spree!! Started from High Street to Low Street... No time to lose.. 2-3 hours proved not to be enough for us! There were sales in almost every store! Could be due to Hari Raya coming soon in next week! Puma shop, Levis outlet were good deals! Addidas, Nike, Gap outlet, Fossil, DKNY, Brooks Brothers outlet, CK, polo Ralph Lauren, Coach, Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, Armani...
We visited the Tokyo Gotemba Premium Outlets before. The place looks similar but somehow the shopping here at JPO seems lacking!! There weren't any Kate Spade or Jil Sanders or United Colours of Bennetton here! Found many shops we have locally instead eg Raoul, Charles & Keith, Pedro outlet, G2000, city chain, shanghai Tang etc. The Malaysian stores like Padini, Vincci shoes, Royal Selangor etc can also be found.
We sighted many fellow Singaporeans, japanese, chinese and french tourists on this shopping spree too! The crowd was not packed that Friday! Lucky us!! And I did manage to haul back some bargains back! Happy me!! But there wasn't enough time to visit all stores.. The Coach outlet gave me a further 10% discount card on top of those 30-50% discounts but i had no time to use!! What a pity!
Our verdict: The place is ok for a great spree away from home for a thrill! Dont expect cheap prices cos this is a premium outlet! But there are real bargains in their local stores!! We maybe back again another day.. Check it out yourself!
Johor Premium Outlets is at Jalan Premium Outlets, Indahpura, 81000 Kulaijaya, Johor Darul Takzim, Malaysia Tel: +607 661 8889 Http://premiumoutlets.com.my
