A guide to Johor Bahru’s Medini suburb beyond Legoland: Things to do and places to eat, shop, stay

Now here’s a novel idea: You could spend an entire activity-packed week in Johor Bahru without once getting stuck in gridlock.

An impossibility, most locals would say. They probably don’t know the life hack that is Medini, far from the better-known JB (aka “Jam Besar”) areas.

Welcome to this sparse suburb with Legoland at its heart and bordered by the hotspots of Eco Botanic, Puteri Harbour and Kota Iskandar (Johor’s equivalent of Canberra with a plethora of state government offices and the state mosque Masjid Kota Iskandar). 

Up until last year, it was an “empty place with empty condominiums” built for foreigners, as one r/Malaysia Redditor put it in 2021. Rideshare drivers would hightail it out of Medini after drop-offs, baffled and sometimes freaked out that there wasn’t (and still isn’t) a single down-to-earth kopitiam in sight.

As is the Malaysian way, neighbourhoods typically sprout up in mere months and then lepak (Malay for “loiter”) over the following decade waiting for residents and shops to trickle in.

The good news for holiday-makers is that Greater Medini is approaching its peak right now with Medini (and Puteri Harbour) having matured sufficiently since Legoland Malaysia Resort’s September 2012 opening, while the Eco Botanic township has taken just five years since its first cafes and shops opened to become one of JB’s hottest hotspots with a Holland Village vibe.

It helps that right next door to Eco Botanic is EduCity, which hosts the universities of Newcastle, Reading and Southampton, as well as a Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) campus.

Most importantly, Medini’s wide avenues are still free of congestion. Absolutely fabulous.

Plan your family getaway right and avoid going further east than the city of Iskandar Puteri (which extends from Medini to Bukit Indah) and into the evening/weekend nightmarish jams around Paradigm Mall, downtown JB and Mount Austin – consider yourself warned.

WHAT TO DO

Legoland

The Legoland Malaysia Resort in the heart of Medini is, without a doubt, JB’s only world-class attraction – and it’s priced accordingly. There are separate charges for entry to its three main areas, with discounts for passes combining two or all three areas.

• Theme Park: With a rotating observation tower and rollercoasters, its 50-plus attractions are enough to fill an entire day on its own. Ideal for large families including grandparents who will appreciate the large dioramas of selected countries and cities (including Singapore), all built with Lego.

• Water Park: The world’s largest Legoland Water Park features slides and rides catering to everyone from toddlers to teens. Spread out on the side of a little hillock, the water park’s upper reaches offer a good view of the entire resort. A leisurely full weekday is ideal.

• Sea Life: The aquarium is a shorter experience good for a couple of hours, particularly if it’s raining cats and dogs. It features 25 display tanks recreating 11 marine habitat zones.

The small Mall of Medini next door to Legoland Hotel has a sizeable “atas” supermarket, Ben’s Independent Grocer (aka BIG), a Starbucks and a few fast-food joints catering to families.

Legoland Malaysia Resort opens from 10am to 6pm on Monday to Wednesday, and at 8pm Thursday to Sunday, with the water park closing an hour earlier on all days.

Sunway X Park Iskandar Puteri

X Park Iskandar Puteri, right behind the Sunway Big Box retail park, features a compact but pleasingly windy go-kart track, all completely covered, a rope course up in the rafters, rock climbing, paintball and archery.

There’s a driving range, too, which is popular with the expat Korean community here, glamping chalets and an airy cafe overlooking a lake.

If you’re serious about go-karting, do Rud down the road instead. Families have had to wait over three hours for a go-kart ride as X Park struggles to cope with weekend crowds.

X Park Sunway Iskandar opens from 2pm to midnight Monday to Thursday, 10am to midnight from Friday to Sunday.

Rud Karting Medini

Just 1km down the road from X Park is Rud Karting’s open-air track that’s more geared for serious enthusiasts. Rud sees a steady stream of Singaporean youngsters, especially during polytechnic breaks, and they offer packages which include transfer to and from Singapore.

Rud staff, however, don’t seem to be as enthusiastic about families with young children who wander in – square parents and pre-adolescents don’t have strong Instagram game, after all.

Rud Karting opens from 11am to 2am daily.

WHAT TO EAT

It’s hard to go wrong with Eco Botanic’s well-curated eateries, which include a branch of the popular downtown bakery and restaurant Seven Oaks. Meanwhile the Eco Galleria complex finally filled up this year to add several interesting dining options, such as a Mexican restaurant, Mamasita. Other notable outlets here are Anmour Cafe, The Lunch, The Five and Corgi's Talk, where you can coo over their resident corgis.

The area’s expat presence can be felt with a half dozen Korean-run eateries (most of which are located near Sunway Big Box), a couple of French restaurants (including Les Bouchons in Puteri Harbour) and an authentic Italian trattoria.

Manzanita Eco Botanica

Our Eco Botanic go-to has long been Manzanita Patisserie & Boulangerie for its consistently good food and desserts. Its soothing ambience is a respite from the heat and traffic of JB, while its western fare may be a welcome change of pace from all the great local food.

Manzanita Eco Botanica opens from 10am to 10pm daily.

Da Zio Francesco

Opened just this year, this small trattoria run by a mother-and-son team offers authentic Tuscan fare and has been filling up lately, thanks to word-of-mouth reviews.

Da Zio Francesco opens noon to 3pm and 6pm to 10.30pm from Wednesday to Friday, noon to 10.30pm from Friday to Sunday, and is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Starkers

This cafe/shop has great food and is driven by a worthy mission. All goods, mainly household items but with clothes and toys too, are made with recycled material, while you’ll have to bring your own containers for staples like rice and detergent or dishwashing liquid. It’s run by Singaporean Sharina who’s run bakeries in this area for years now.

Starkers opens 10am to 7pm daily, and is closed on Mondays.

WHERE TO SHOP

Sunway Big Box

Go visit Aeon Bukit Indah to get your Lavender pastries, if you must. But there aren’t many reasons to leave Medini with Sunway Big Box Retail Park checking most boxes for shoppers.

Resembling more a spread-out strip mall than a massive building like Paradigm Mall, Big Box tenants include a massive BooksXcess, Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC), supermarket NSK, Ace Hardware and Sports Direct, while there’s a drive-through Starbucks just next to the mall. There are also two indoor playgrounds with the activity centre Energ X Park boasting a rope course and ziplines.

WHERE TO STAY

Legoland Hotel is, obviously, the most convenient accommodation for families planning on spending a few days exploring the entire resort. There are numerous condos nearby offering cheaper options, but it can be tricky to determine a suitable AirBnB.

The best alternative is Somerset Medini service apartments, a short walk to Legoland and just 100m from the Starbucks at Mall of Medini. The Ramada and Pangsapuri Meridian are more affordable alternatives just 1km on foot from Legoland, but with unreliable street lights which seemingly work every third night, the walk won’t do with kids in tow.

Rates are better at the cheaper D’Pristine condo facing the Mall of Medini but be advised that it sits atop a huge podium block that’s virtually abandoned. The condo entrance is at the back of the building which means having to walk around or through the incomplete building that’s creepy at night.

A little further south, Sunway Hotel Big Box is much more welcoming with its chandelier-adorned lobby, located right in the middle of the Big Box mall.

Eco Botanic has only one hotel at the moment: The boutique Rose Cottage Hotel.