Escape to Putrajaya

Putrajaya

Putrajaya is not only an administration city, but a beautiful smart city graced with fascinating buildings, bridges, and endless activities.

By Gaya Traveller on June 16, 20157 minutes read

Putrajaya somehow escapes the mind when it comes to short weekend getaway choices. Which is quite unfortunate, really! Putrajaya should be the first destination that comes to city folks’ mind when deciding where to go for a quick rejuvenating trip.

We have witnessed how Americans love a trip to their capital Washington DC, with huge crowds walking along the boulevard and do museum hop! We would love to see Putrajaya with huge crowds throng the city every weekend to enjoy what the city has to offer.

The amazing architecture of various government ministry’s buildings will make you feel like you’re in a different environment instantly. With wide boulevard and carefully manicured landscaping, Putrajaya seemed like a page out of Disney’s Aladdin fairytale.

Fantastic Stays

The city is not short of places to stay. Five star hotels and nearby resorts provide a very nice home away from home for weekend travellers. Putrajaya is a great destination for a pampering break. Hotels like Shangri-la, Pullman and The Everly are located right in Putrajaya for travellers’ convenience; while hotels such as Marriott, Palm Garden, Equatorial Bangi and Cyberview Lodge are still within an easy reach from the garden city of Putrajaya. These hotels offer great facilities, should you prefer to just laze around at the hotel.

While we are great advocators of enjoying hotel facilities fully, it will be a waste to not want to explore what Putrajaya has to offer! So stay a night or two, or maybe three, to learn more about Malaysia’s seat of administration.

HOTELS IN PUTRAJAYA

PULSE GRANDE HOTEL
Taman Putra Perdana Presint 1, 62200 Putrajaya, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Phone: +60 (3) 8887 8888

PULLMAN PUTRAJAYA LAKESIDE
No.2, Jalan P5/5, Presint 5, 62200 Putrajaya, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Phone: +60 (3) 8890 0000

The Iconic Buildings and Bridges of Putrajaya

It is hard to miss the great buildings of Putrajaya, the Federal Administrative Capital of Malaysia, all built in handsome and palatial fashion, emitting the air of sophistication. It is quite hard to describe the aura of Putrajaya – travellers simply must come to the place to experience it for themselves if they have not done so already! Our personal favourites are the Putra Mosque, Perbadanan Putrajaya and Ministry of Finance.

Apart from the buildings, the Putrajaya bridges are definitely worth mentioning. There are eight bridges in Putrajaya. Like the buildings, they too have their wow factor. The bridges add more charm to the already fascinating Putrajaya. Some are built with a classical feel to it, while others have a very modern and futuristic look. We pick the modern and utilitarian Seri Wawasan Bridge as our favourite!

We have come to Putrajaya countless times, and never once the buildings and bridges cease to amaze us. Due to these manmade wonders, Putrajaya also has become one of the favourite destinations for photography enthusiasts!

A Big Garden

: Putrajaya Botanical Garden

: Putrajaya Botanical Garden

Driving through Putrajaya is like driving through a huge maze of garden, as approximately a third of its 45.8 square kilometres of land have been set aside for green lungs and natural settings. This carefully planned city is intended to become a garden and intelligent conurbation, and now we can see that it was well executed and implemented.

Nature buffs would love Putrajaya Botanical Garden (Taman Botani Putrajaya); the country’s largest botanical garden that covers 92 hectares of land. The garden has been designed as a national sanctuary for Malaysian living collection of plant taxonomy, including as a centre for education and research. Another distinctive feature of the garden city is Putrajaya Wetlands (Taman Wetland Putrajaya), the first constructed freshwater wetland deemed to be the largest in the tropics. Besides these two parks, there are also Agriculture Heritage Park (Taman Warisan Pertanian) and Taman Saujana Hijau. Do take time to enjoy the greenery and be with nature by visiting those parks!

Cruise Tasik Putrajaya

The main feature of Putrajaya would be Putrajaya Lake (Tasik Putrajaya), which makes up about 12% of Putrajaya. It functions as both a recreational area and scenic element, while serving as an environmental filter and cooling system.

If there is one thing you cannot miss during your Putrajaya getaway, it is taking a ride on the scenic Cruise Tasik Putrajaya. Truly, this is our top favourite thing to do in Putrajaya! We love taking river cruises whenever we go travelling because it gives us the best way to experience the city from a different perspective. We have had the pleasure of cruising in Johor Bahru, Melaka, Paris, London, Kashmir, Istanbul, New York, Amsterdam, Brugges, Geneva and Prague, just to name a few. So cruising in Putrajaya is simply a natural choice for us, no doubt about it.

Cruise Tasik Putrajaya is the only cruise operator in the whole of Putrajaya and they have been in business since 2003 – that’s 12 years of hospitality experience! We had the pleasure of meeting Captain Ramli Yunus who has years of ship navigation experience, his service in the Royal Navy included. Guests are definitely kept safe in the hands of an expert!

Upon looking at Cruise Tasik Putrajaya’s website, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that there are many options available for us to choose from. Let’s see what options are available and which one suits us best, shall we?

Generally, Cruise Tasik Putrajaya offers three types of vessels for us to select: the traditional Perahu Dondang Sayang; the Lepa-Lepa, a traditional boat used by the Bajaus of Semporna; and the modern air-conditioned cruise boat.

Also read: 8 Ways to Play Tourist in Putrajaya

Perahu Dondang Sayang is a handcrafted genuine replica of the local Malay traditional perahu or wooden gondola-like vessels. This boat was intricately handcrafted and made in the state of Terengganu. This vessel, which is able to seat up to seven people, is definitely suitable for those who seek intimate and nostalgic experience, especially romantic couples.

Another unique traditional vessel option would be the Lepa-Lepa, the traditional single-mast sailing boats of the Bajau Laut people, sea gypsies who live off the east coast of Semporna, Sabah. Travellers do not have to go to all the way to Semporna to experience sailing on board Lepa- Lepa. Readers might be able to recall that Gaya Travellers had the pleasure of visiting Semporna and Mabul island and meeting the Bajau Laut people in the previous issue of Gaya Travel Magazine. We can tell you that the original Lepa-Lepa in Semporna is not readily available for visitors to board. So you should grab this unique opportunity to experience boarding Cruise Tasik Putrajaya’s Lepa-Lepa since the boat is especially designed so that it can accommodate up to 10 people at one time.

However, for travellers who couldn’t stand the heat, perhaps the modern air-conditioned cruise boat would be a better choice, which comes in two types: single or double deck. These boats are specifically designed and custom built with wraparound windows arching from armrest level to the ceiling, allowing passengers clear and unobstructed view of both sides of Putrajaya Lake in luxurious comfort. The best part is that travellers get the best of both worlds: they can simply hop over to the outdoor decks and feel the wind brush against their faces, then come back inside for the cool air-conditioned comfort.

Apart from the scheduled cruise, these boats are also available for private charter. There are also cruises with dining options!

The Dining Cruise offered by Cruise Tasik Putrajaya is ideal for entertaining guests or clients, with its range of menu that sounds too mouth-watering to pass. Fantastic traditional dishes like Beef Rendang and Stuffed Squid are some dishes that are available on rotation basis. We have seen on TV some private functions being held on board the cruise, which is really cool! We enquired about the rates for this private function chartered cruise, and we found that their charges are reasonable.

Cruise Tasik Putrajaya is definitely a must do when you are visiting Putrajaya!

Marina Putrajaya

Not too far from Pullman Hotel is Marina Putrajaya. Located just beside the Putrajaya Lake, Marina Putrajaya is more than just a marina. Besides the usual marina services like boat and equipment storage, berthing, slipwat and jetty, this place offers many facilities for family leisure activity at reasonable rates. At first glance, Marina Putrajaya seems like an exclusive members-only club. But upon closer inspection, we found out that it is open to the public and everyone is welcome. Do find out at the reception area for rates and more information.

There is something for everyone here, as we have come to discover. Apart from their function rooms of various sizes, Marina Putrajaya houses a well equipped gymnasium, sauna, swimming pool, squash court, snooker and pool centre, family karaoke rooms and a restaurant.

Marina Putrajaya also offers water sports such as waterskiing, wakeboarding, flyboarding, jet skis, canoeing, kayaking, dragon boat racing and sailing! Lessons are available and what an excellent place to take up water sports, since the Putrajaya Lake has become the venue for various international water sports events. We are starting to feel envious of Putrajaya people!

The Musical Fountain

A musical fountain is actually an interplay of synchronised music and lights, both coordinated using the fountain’s various pressure control adjustments and flow of water to create a magnificent composition of patterns and lights that rise and fall to the beat of the songs. This reminds us of the water fountain show we saw in Dubai, at the foot of the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa.

The Musical Fountain at Marina Putrajaya comes alive at 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on weekdays. Extra shows are available during weekends at 6:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and finally at 10:30 p.m.