This sanctuary, also known as Rama Rama dan Reptilia Melaka is located in Ayer Keroh, Melaka. It was established in 1991 and spans about 11 hectares of jungle that provide a suitable habitat for the various animals and insects that call this attraction and educational park home.

Let’s meet Ms Khairiyyah, one of the animal attendants here who brief us on where and what animals to feed with the animal feeding pockets that we had  purchased.

Our next activity was to feed the Sulcata tortoise, and we were given a demonstration on how to do it properly. At first, my son was a bit scared, but I helped him overcome his fear and he ended up enjoying it.

These tortoises are quite large and would be loved by the children. After feeding them, we explored more of the park's fascinating creatures.

We were introduced to the Giant Malayan Stick insect, which is the longest walking stick insect in the park. The female insect is longer than the male and can reach up to 555 millimeters in length, including their fully extended legs.

Lady Amherst pheasant is also one of the most striking birds on the planet and they can actually fly but prefers to run. They spend more time on the ground, looking for food, but roost in the trees at night.

Let’s meet this majestic Indian Peacock. They are known for their impressive 25-year lifespan and are believed to have originated in Sri Lanka. Its stunning long feathers, called trains, are attached to its back and are even longer than its body!

Check out the blue-tongued skink, whose unique tongue can deform and produce thick mucus to catch its prey.

This is Smith’s Green-eyed Grecko. This originated in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Thailand, and Burma. This specie has a large claw to grasp onto rough tree trunks.

These are Neon Day Grecko. They are rare and were only discovered in 1990. They are found in the Northeast Island of Madagascar. The dominant female of this especially actually prevents another female around her area from breeding.

This is Gargoyle Grecko. They are found in New Caledonia. This specie often shreds its own skin not only giving them extra nutrients but also helping hide evidence of their presence from predators. This is a crocodile skink. It is found in New Guinea. This specie usually stays in a tropical rainforest and they tend to freeze and play dead when handled and startled.

We also check out their Albino Racoon which is one of the newest attractions here. It is estimated that 1 in 10,000 newly born raccoons are born with albinism.  Sad to say that when we visited this place, their raccoon is resting.

Now let’s go to their butterfly section. It is located in a close door garden and we can see lots and lots of butterflies flying around.

Guests are advised to walk slowly along this area to avoid stepping on any butterflies along the walkway.

After the butterfly garden, we went deeper inside this park and we saw this Malayan Horned frog which is found around the southern part of Thailand, Peninsula Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, and Borneo.

Part of the attraction inside this place is their swan lake where we can see these beautiful black swans happily swimming inside this lake. By the way, these black swans are a native of Australia.

Part of the lake is also their fish section where we can have the chance to feed their koi. This activity for us was really relaxing. There are available benches around the area to just relax while the kids are happily feeding these fish.

After feeding the fish, we also tried feeding their emus. This is an available animal attendant to assist you when feeding this emu. My son loves feeding them actually.

Right after feeding these emus, we went to their Kampung Buaya area for the kids to see them in real life and insisted on just seeing them from illustration books. Their crocodiles are really well fed and most of them are fat.

They also have a display of their crocodile eggs and baby crocodiles. These are separated from adults to avoid being eaten by the big ones.

The other side of this crocodile area is where we can see these big alligators relaxing with a few fish inside their clean pool. The kids are very excited indeed.

Next up is their pig-nosed turtle. This turtle specie is found in Northern Australia and south of New Guinea with a life span of about 20-30 tears.

Next up is their snake and phyton area where we can see various species of snakes. They also have their king cobra, anaconda, and many more. I also had the chance to experience entering a snake garden where the place I sounded by about 8 sleeping snakes. Very challenging indeed.

Next up is some of their reptiles and other insect living in low temperature like this Dyeing poison dart frogs, and green tree snails which love to feed on fungi, lichens, and detritus.

Part of this section is also where we can see some of their giant spiders. This is Brazilian Salmon Pink Bird eater which is known as a terrestrial tarantula and is the world's 4^th largest tarantula.

These specials are properly placed separately in this section.

Right after this section is their butterfly museum where we were able to check out the largest butterfly in the world.

Last but not least, this journey ended up at their souvenir shop where we can see various displays of aquariums inspired by nature which is a good remembrance to bring back home after a long journey to this educational butterfly and reptile sanctuary here in Melaka.

This hotel is about 20 minutes five away from the city center of Johor Bahru and also about 15 minutes to the Second Link Tuas going to Singapore.

Chef Yap, the executive Chef of the Hotel mentioned that their buffet highlights this year will be purely focusing on Malay Traditional dishes suitable for this Ramadan Buffet. 

They also have this Nasi Basmathi Putih, Nasi Ulam topped with Kerepok, as well as nasi Basmati Briyani.

Chef yap has also brought us to their grilling area we can try their barbeque whole lamb.

This is their Satay, one of my favorites, and is also available in this buffet. It is grilled on the spot hence you can really smell the satay taste from the smoke out from the grilling pan. They have beef and chicken satay accompanied with condiments as well.

Guest would also be happy with their fresh Durian that is all the way from Melaka. This durian will be served from 8 PM onwards during this buffet period.

Part of this buffet is also their assorted local desserts that are arranged properly for everyone to easily take it.

Their Ramadan Buffet will be taking place at their Caprilicious dining area. This place can fit about 130 pax and can be extended outside this dining area to fit up to 180 pax in one seating.

On top of all these Traditional food items such as starters, we also checked out the display of their ABC station where I myself had the opportunity to prepare my own DIY ABC dessert according to my preferences.

In addition to this ABC station with lots and lots of available ingredients, they also have a good selection of their tea and assorted local beverages suitable during this Ramadan buffet.

As a finisher, the buffet is loaded with various selections of local and international desserts included with tropical fruits that will surely be loved by everyone. 

This year, The Food Store is hosting a Bazaar concept of various local delicacies inside DoubleTree By Hilton Johor Bahru. 

CITARASA SERANTAU BUFFET:

: 23 March -21 April 2023

Time: 6:30 PM -10:00 PM

Location: The Food Store on Lobby Ground Floor

RSVP:

• Phone: +607 268 6868
• Email: JohorBahruFB@hilton.com

REMARKS:

• Diners can proceed to the Landmark Medical Center Parking (just after the Catholic Church) to proceed at the level 6-10 parking area.
• Diners must only park at Parking Pillar E, F, & G only.
• Take the lift to get to The Food Store in the Lobby of the hotel (Ground Floor).

This buffet is included with their Durian Stall where diners can enjoy a taste of their durian which was locally outsourced here in Malaysia.

Going to this place from the City Center of Johor Bahru is about 55 minutes drive via the beautiful Senai Desaru Express Way.

Anyways, today, we had the chance to check out the buffet highlights of the Els Club Desaru for their Ramadan Season 2023.

On top of this, their culinary team has also prepared a few items of their own version of local sauces fitted for their buffet lineup.

In addition to these local desserts, the buffet also included their own version of cendol where I myself prepared my own version according to the ingredients that they have. I just like it.

 
On the beverages side, diners can enjoy their various selection of drinks as well as their own version of Lai Chee Kang.

It was indeed a very nice experience to try out their Jom Makan Ala Local buffet for this Ramadan Season 2023 while overlooking their beautiful golf course area. 

Chef Daniel, the head chef of the hotel along with his team shared that this year, they are showcasing exotic food as part of their menu line-up.  

The buffet is also included with their Dapur Selat Tebrau or Seafood on Ice showcasing their fresh mussels and well-presented prawns accompanied with lime on the side.

The buffet is also included Shawarma. This set is just nice since it is prepared on the spot by one of their F&B Team.

The buffet line-up is also accompanied by their Duran Stall where guests can enjoy a taste of their fresh durian that was locally outsourced here in Malaysia.

Other desserts that we spotted were these lovely local kuihs that were neatly arranged at their dessert table accompanied by these assorted bitesize cakes.

The chocolate fountain was also spotted followed by their wide array of condiments for their ABC and Cendol. This is indeed a nice local dessert to try to end our Ramadan Buffet here at Fraser Place here in Puteri Harbour Johor.