Where to Stay for a Month in Johor Bahru — Forest City vs Puteri Harbour (Fraser Place & Dao by Dorsett)
When families plan a month-long stay in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, the two places they deliberate over longest are Forest City and Puteri Harbour. The short answer: the first thing to decide is which MEC campus you are enrolling at. Both areas can commute to either campus, but the daily round trip is very different.
- Forest City — a resort-style township with a beach promenade. Accommodation (Carnelian Tower), bus terminal, shops and beach are all in one block
- Puteri Harbour — a marina quayside district. Two residences are here: Fraser Place and Dao by Dorsett
Prices and opening hours are as of August 2026 and may change.
Location and distances
Forest City is a reclaimed island at the south-western tip of Johor Bahru, close to the Singapore border (Second Link CIQ) and with its own bus terminal. Puteri Harbour is the marina district of Iskandar Puteri, roughly 10 minutes by car from LEGOLAND, Gleneagles Hospital and the EduCity campus.
- Commute to the EduCity campus: Puteri Harbour 5–10 min by car / Forest City about 20 min by car (free school shuttle)
- Gleneagles Hospital (24-hour emergency): Puteri Harbour 5–8 min by car / Forest City 15–20 min by car
- AEON Mall Bukit Indah: 17.8 km from Forest City
Family comparison table
| Criteria | Forest City | Puteri Harbour |
|---|---|---|
| School commute | The Forest City campus is a 3–4 min walk from the accommodation (Carnelian Tower). For the EduCity campus a free school shuttle runs (about 20 min by car) | EduCity campus 5–10 min by car. Families booking through MEC get a free school shuttle to both campuses, so either one works |
| Kitchen & laundry (30-night basis) — Puteri Harbour ahead | Carnelian Tower (serviced apartment) has a kitchen and an in-unit washer (wash and spin), plus weekly cleaning and one box of bottled water per week | Fraser: every room type has a kitchen and breakfast is included. Dao: washer-dryer is standard in 1BR and 2BR only; studios can add one for RM350 (once per stay) |
| Breakfast | Not included; all meals at your own cost | Fraser: included in the rate (set number of guests per room type). Dao: not included — RM45 per adult and RM22.50 per child per day |
| Size of the shops inside the township — Forest City ahead | Large mixed-use retail: the Fisherman's Wharf shops, two duty-free stores, the terminal shops | Small-to-medium marina retail: restaurants, cafés and a mid-size supermarket around the quayside |
| Food & drink on foot — about even | Tom n Danny café and a cluster of restaurants at Fisherman's Wharf (Chinese, Malay, Thai, fast food, pubs); a free resort shuttle reaches the Korean and Japanese restaurants at the golf hotel | Yacht-view restaurants, brunch cafés, a British-style pub (Britz), Hard Rock Cafe and more |
| Dinner (meal kits) | Families booking through MEC get partner meal kits at a discount with free delivery, Korean dishes included | Same: partner meal kits at a discount with free delivery, Korean dishes included |
| Getting around after dark — Puteri Harbour ahead | No public transport leaving the township after 7 pm (getting back in by Grab is usually fine) | Grab is relatively easy to hail, so moving in both directions is freer |
| Public transport & shuttles — Forest City ahead in the daytime | Own bus terminal. Direct buses to Singapore (Second Link) run all day (RM4); shuttles to the main malls 4 times a day (RM2–4); a free shuttle to the golf resort every 15 min | No dedicated terminal. Trips to malls are mostly by Grab, rental car or your own car |
| Groceries & shopping | Grocery store, greengrocer, convenience stores and two duty-free shops inside the township; big supermarkets by shuttle | Convenience store and a mid-size grocery in the retail block; big supermarkets (Jaya Grocer and others) 5–10 min by car |
| Promenade & outdoors — Forest City ahead | Long sandy beach promenade, beach bars, a hedge maze garden, e-scooter and family bike rentals | Marina yacht promenade (well kept but compact) |
| Repeatable things for kids (4-week basis) | Water park, beach, cycling and playgrounds can fill four weeks | The township's offerings are compact and run out within about two weeks; weekends need outings elsewhere |
| Medical care & nearby facilities | Klinik 1 Hope inside the township (7 days, 08:00–22:00); general hospital 15–20 min by car | Gleneagles Hospital and paediatric clinics 5–8 min by car |
Other points that differ: leisure inside the township (Forest City: outdoor water park, residents' pool, playgrounds / Puteri Harbour: condo pool and gym, easy access to LEGOLAND), daytime for parents (Forest City: limited café choice but excellent golf access / Puteri Harbour: yacht-view cafés, brunch spots and pubs win) and evening atmosphere (Forest City: some families find a month there quiet / Puteri Harbour: residents and visitors keep the area lively at night).
Fraser Place vs Dao by Dorsett — the two Puteri Harbour residences
Even within Puteri Harbour, the two residences come with different terms.
- Fraser Place Puteri Harbour — every room type has a kitchen, and breakfast is included in the rate (set number of guests per room type). That noticeably reduces a month's food budget.
- Dao by Dorsett — a washer-dryer is standard in 1BR and 2BR units; studios can add one for RM350 (once per stay). Breakfast is not included: RM45 per adult and RM22.50 per child per day if you take it.
Pros and cons at a glance
Forest City
Pros
- One-stop living on foot — the retail area is big enough that most meals and shopping happen inside the township
- Its own bus terminal — cheap trips to the Singapore border (Second Link) and Johor Bahru's major malls without a car
- Resort-style infrastructure built for outdoor time with children: a long beach promenade, hedge maze garden, water park and cycling paths
- If you enrol at the Forest City campus, school is a 3–4 minute walk — the simplest commute of all
Cons
- No transport out of the township after 7 pm, so evening outings need a car booked in advance (getting home by Grab is usually possible)
- Gleneagles Hospital, LEGOLAND and the Medini hub are 15–20 minutes away by car
Puteri Harbour
Pros
- About 10 minutes by car to the EduCity campus — the lightest commute
- Fraser Place includes breakfast, which cuts a month's food costs substantially
- Excellent car access to the essentials: LEGOLAND, Gleneagles Hospital, Sunway Big Box (Jaya Grocer)
- Grab is relatively easy to hail, so evening travel is freer
- The marina's distinctive, Western-style dining and café scene
Cons
- Little public transport of its own, so trips into town or to malls depend on a rental car or Grab
- Compact walking and leisure space compared with Forest City — kids run out of things to do from about week three
Which family is each one for?
- Forest City — families enrolling at the Forest City campus who want to walk to school, families who prefer to go without a car, and families who want the beach, water park and cycling with their kids every day
- Puteri Harbour (Fraser / Dao) — families enrolling at the EduCity campus, families who want breakfast included and a kitchen, and families who go out often in the evening or value being close to a hospital
Families who book accommodation through MEC can use partner Korean meal kits at a discount with free delivery in both areas, so dinner can be handled at home on days when eating out is hard. This goes a long way towards offsetting Forest City's evening transport limits (benefit details may change).
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Q. Fraser Place or Dao by Dorsett — which is better? Choose Fraser Place if you want breakfast included and a kitchen in every room type. Choose Dao by Dorsett if the room layout (1BR or 2BR) suits you better, bearing in mind the studio washer-dryer option (RM350, once per stay) and the cost of breakfast. Both are 5–10 minutes by car from the EduCity campus, so the commute is similar.
Q. Can we commute from Forest City to the EduCity campus? Yes. It is about 20 minutes by car, and a free school shuttle runs. If you enrol at the Forest City campus, school is a 3–4 minute walk from the accommodation, so no shuttle is needed.
Q. What if we need a hospital at night? Gleneagles Hospital Medini runs a 24-hour emergency department (gleneagles.com.my, emergency +607 560 1111). It is 5–8 minutes by car from Puteri Harbour and 15–20 minutes from Forest City.
Booking and rates
MEC Academy arranges and books family monthly-stay accommodation in both areas directly. Check rates by room type and availability below.
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