Singapore to Thailand by Car: A 2,300km Cross Border Road Trip

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Driving from Singapore to Thailand has always been something we wanted to do properly not by tour bus or flight but by car. This trip turned out to be more than just a road trip. In total we clocked over 2,300km, crossing two countries and exploring multiple cities in Malaysia. On the way to Thailand we stopped over in Penang, and on the way back we stopped in KL and Melaka before finally returning to Singapore.

This post documents the actual experience including how we cleared the border using our company registered car which is not under either of our names. For those thinking of using a company car or Grab/PHV car yes it is possible.

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Day 1 Singapore to Penang George Town

We set off from Singapore at 5:00am aiming to cover as much distance as possible before traffic built up.

By around 12:00pm we reached Penang covering roughly 700km. Since it was still too early to check in we drove straight to George Town for makan first cannot come Penang and not eat.

For the night we stayed at Crowne Plaza Penang Butterworth which worked well as a rest stop before heading north the next day.

Although driving from Singapore to Bukit Kayu Hitam is about 900km we decided not to push all the way. Afternoon border crossings can get congested so it made more sense to rest and cross early the next morning.

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Why This Trip Was Different

We have been to Thailand before Hat Yai Krabi and surrounding areas but this trip had a very specific purpose.

We wanted to test drive our new company car which is not registered under either of our names to see whether it could successfully enter Thailand. The plan was simple:

• Cross the Bukit Kayu Hitam / Sadao border

• Drive into Thailand legally

• Do some shopping and eating

• Take a photo at the famous 7 Eleven in Phatthalung

• Return to Penang the same day

No overnight stay in Thailand just a proper real world test.

KSL Hot Spring Resort

Morning All!

Here is our blog review on the new hotel in Malaysia, Johor Bahru KSL Hot Spring Resort that opened in July 2018, while we are still enjoying our staycation and soaking myself in the hot spring now :D

KSL HOT SPRING RESORT - ENTRANCE

Located at Taman Daya,  KSL Hot Spring Resort is Johor's first ecologically friendly with 24-hours front desk, daily housekeeping, full service, Hot Spring Resort & Spa. The access to its hot spring & Spa  is complimentary to all hotel guests.

KSL Hot Spring Resort is located 15 minutes from Singapore Johor Causeway. 10 minutes from KSL City Mall, Aeon Tebrau City Shopping Mall and IKEA Tebrau. 

Somerset Puteri Harbour Nusajaya Johor Bahru

Our weekend staycation at Somerset Puteri Harbour Nusajaya Johor Bahru. Staycation which feels like home with beautiful views of the harbour.



Somerset Puteri Harbour Nusajaya Johor Bahru - Sunrise

Somerset Puteri Harbour apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom units that come fully-furnished with modern amenities. With facilities such as a gymnasium, swimming pool, restaurant and residents’ lounge available in the property.
Somerset Puteri Harbour is 20-minute drive from the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link causeway and 25 minutes away from Johor's Senai International Airport.
It is located at Puteri Harbour, Somerset Puteri Harbour is near quayside lifestyle stores, fine dining restaurants, alfresco cafés and an indoor theme park featuring popular children’s characters such as Hello Kitty, Thomas and Friends, Barney and Bob the Builder. And is 10 minutes away from the Legoland theme park.
Below is our review and hope it is informative enough to help you if you are planning a staycation or short gate away to Johor Bahru.
We managed to booked 2 dulex room and the room layouts happened to be different. One with room partition and one without but comes with balcony.

Here are the review and photos of the.......

Hard Rock Hotel Penang Staycation with Sea & Sunset View

Hard Rock Hotel Penang, one of the most beautiful place to watch the sea & sunset.

Hard Rock Hotel Penang Staycation - Sea & Sunset View

Hard Rock Hotel Penang Staycation - Night

Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour Johor Bahru

Our weekend staycation at Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour. Have always wanted to stay at this hotel but we have been delaying our stay here because of its inconvenient location and not knowing what to expect. And yes, after so long we finally stay here! And no regret staying here as the view is really beautiful and relaxing too. Below is our review, hope it helps.

Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour Johor Bahru - Sunrise

The Pines Melaka Staycation with Pool by the Bed

Yes! What make us choose this hotel for our weekend staycation was all because of its beautiful pool side suite.

The Pines Melaka Pool Side Suite

The Pines Melaka is located in the heart of Malacca, just minutes from the city's main dining and entertainment district and key tourist attractions. About 10-20minutes walk to Jonker Street.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Johor Bahru

Our weekend staying at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Johor Bahru Staycation. Although this is a 4 stars hotel but we decided to give it a try after seeing many good reviews and convenient being just 5minutes away from City Square/Custom.

Our best hotel experience in Johor Bahru - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Johor Bahru

Must try Curry Fish Head in JB! - Kam Long Restaurant 金龙咖喱鱼头

Super long queue curry fish head just across the causeway! Kam Long is always full with people queuing waiting for seats or waiting to take away. We went there on Sat at 1pm but decided to came back the next day earlier due to the long queue today and hoping for a shorter queue the next day. Indeed the queue was shorter the next day when we came at 10am but we still have to queue 50mins before we got ourselves seated.

Biggest Lok Lok stall! K K Lok Lok!

After seeing and hearing so many good reviews of K K Lok Lok. We decide to go there and try it! Yes indeed this was the biggest lok lok stall we came across.

$21 The Puteri Pacific JB Hotel Staycation!

Another cheap hotel booking using Hotelquickly for our weekend trip to JB.
To know how I get people to redeem my code to earn a almost free staycation, you may refer to my previous post Pan Pacific Marina Singapore. Even without the invite codes vouchers, the prices using this app is roughly 30-50 cheaper compare to agoda/expedia.