Photo courtesy of Angelight

If you are planning for a short getaway with no rush, no fuss and lots of shopping and makan, I would recommend One Utama — a mega award-winning shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur — which we visited last year. We also stayed at the One World Hotel, a nice business-class hotel conveniently located within the shopping mall itself.

Staying in a hotel within the shopping mall proved to be a bonus as it means we could wake up late (since the shopping mall only opens at 10) and shop until the mall closes at 10 at night before dragging our tired feet back to the hotel in just five minutes. Of course with a young child in tow, it means that we have to go back to the hotel room to let her take a short afternoon nap, so staying and shopping within the same area is a great convenience indeed.

Of the hundreds of shops at One Utama, there are some interesting specialty shops. If you are planning for a party, you should check out the Balloon Buzz Party Centre where you can find a great variety of party gear and accessories like masks, hats and of course, balloons of all shapes and sizes. Tea-lovers will not want to miss sampling the specially brewed Chinese teas at the Purple Cane Tea Art Centre.

There is no lack of eateries at One Utama — posh restaurants, no-frill family-run eateries or fast-food outlets — there is something to suit every tastebud and budget. If you want to taste authentic Malaysian delicacies, try PappaRich for its assam laksa, nasi lemak and vegetarian dim sum; or Kluang Station for its hand-roasted coffee and good yet cheap food. Also worth trying out are Little Taiwan for its Taiwanese fare and of course, bubble teas. We tried the authentic Vietnamese food at the cosy and reasonably priced Vietnamese Kitchen, the food was good and so were the ambience and service. If you have a big budget to splurge on, there are a couple of posh Japanese and Thai restaurants you can choose from.

One Utama is not just a food-lover’s paradise, but also the ultimate haven for any shopaholic. Apart from two big departmental stores like Jusco and Parkson, there are also rows and rows of retail shops selling the lastest fashion with brand names like DKNY, Dorothy Perkins, Forever 21, Guess, Laura Ashley, Miss Selfridge and Zara. You would wish that you have an additional 24 hours to shop. Bargain hunters can also get some good buys from the factory outlet stores here. There are several shops selling kids’ fashion, and the dresses are so pretty that I wish I could buy back a whole wardrobe of them for my little girl.

All in all, this short vacation at One Utama was very relaxing compared to our previous holidays as we didn’t have to rush from place to place, and everything was all under one roof. We would definitely go back again.