Shangri-la Hotel, Bandaran Kota Kinabalu

When you tell the taxi driver that you wanna go Shangri-la Hotel in Kota Kinabalu, please be specific. There are 2 Shangri-las in KK. Shangri-la Tanjung Aru is the 'original' Shangri-la Hotel chain which is located near the sea side while Shangri-la Hotel Bandaran is located at the heart of Kota Kinabalu town.

As one of the Sabah’s first full service hotels, Hotel Shangri-la is renowned locally for its cosiness, comfort and convenience 3 star city hotel with 121 rooms. The latest upgrading work was completed March 2006. The rooms and corridors have been given a fresh look and so too the Lobby and the Bar. Behind the hotel, there’s a route to the hilltop where u can take a panoramic view of KK city and the nearby islands which is the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.

It is a good solid hotel within easy walking distance of the main town, night markets and the recently developed waterfront region. The hotel itself is what you would expect from a mid-range hotel but importantly it was quiet, very clean and the breakfast was good. If there was a down side then it would probably be that the hotel is set back from a busy main road and bus stop. Although the noise can't be heard in the hotel it was a little precarious crossing the main road.

Guest on business trip can access internet with their free wifi in the room. I have no problem with the connection at all.

The nicely packed amenities kit

Verdict? definitely one of my favourite hotel in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

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Sawasdee Khrap, Sawasdee Kha...

KLIA - Boarding Thai Airways to Bangkok on Boeing 777

My souvenir from Thai Airways

The journey from Survanabumi Airport to the city center takes between 30 and 45 minutes. However, I took 2 hours to reach my hotel which is located at the downtown of Bangkok - The Amari Watergate Hotel because of rush hour.

Sawasdee Khrap...Sawasdee Kha

In Thailand, people in general greet one another with the word Sawasdee and a gesture of pressing the palm together called Wai. The word Sawasdee can be used all times of the day. A male would add the word Khrap and a female the word Kha after Sawasdee to show politeness. The Wai has much more social significance than a western handshake and in general, the younger person or the person with junior ranking wais first to an elder or senior, who returns the gesture.

I was told that there are three institutions that the Thai people regard highly and must therefore pay proper respect. The Nation, represent by the Nation Flag and the National Anthem. The Religion, represented by the Triple Gems: Buddha, Dharma and Sangkha (the monks). The Monarchy, represented by the King and members of the Royal family.

Long Live The King

Here's a quick review of the hotel I stayed...

The Amari Watergate Hotel, Bangkok

View of Amari Watergate Hotel from CentreWorld

The Amari Watergate Hotel is located in the very heart of the city in Pratunam, one of Bangkok’s main commercial and shopping district.

I was not dissappointed with the Amari. Good location, close to shops, restaurants, public transportation...in the heart of the city and brilliant all round package. I stayed in a deluxe room for 3 nights; which was modern and very clean, with LCD TV and DVD player. One night here cost me 5,438 Baht which is equivalent to RM550.

Deluxe Room with 42' LCD

Bathroom with duckling duck to play with

The difference between a Superior and a Deluxe is the floor level and room decoration; Deluxe rooms have been refurbished in a more modern/business style, but the bathrooms are still the same in all rooms - twin hand basins, a separate show cubicle and a large bath tub. Each room has a spectacular view of the city.

Staff were very polite, they try to make your stay really pleasant and will help out any way they can. The 8th floor gym and pool area are also great. The breakfast buffet is quite good and runs until 10:30am, which is also great if you're not an early bird!

Swimming Pool @ Amari Watergate

There is no air condition in the corridor - where the elevators are, and also in the elevators themselves - so it's pretty hot there... The only thing that I found a bit of the nuisance was that no free internet in the room. However, there was free wi-fi in the lobby, which I only found out when I checked out!

Right in front of the hotel, there is a new wholesale mall with not less than 1500 shops, and clothes are extremely cheap! But I am not a shopaholic, so I bought nothing at all...was tempted to buy the pirated version of croc shoe @ 159 Baht; but end up didn't buy...

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Puteri Resort, Ayer Keroh

Puteri Resort Ayer Keroh, nice name but not-so-nice hotel.

I had high expectation on this hotel….basically because of the nice big swimming pool and also the landscape was nice. However, it was a big disappointment. First the room was big but dirty. The balcony was not accessible because of birds stools everywhere. The side tables were not clean and sticky. The sink was blocked with water. The shower was not working. The hanger for the towels was out of place. The air conditional was too cold and I couldn't control it at my room. TV was malfunction. As I arrived past midnight, I was just too tired to complain.

Swimming Pool View

Breakfast served can be considered of junk grade. For a price of RM168++ a night, it is definitely a NO-NO for me to come again. I rather stay at Rumah Tumpangan (Hostel) and save the balance for some nice nyonya food in Melaka.

My final verdict ? this hotel can be given a 2 star rating instead of 4.

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Le Meridian Kuala Lumpur

Everything about Le Meridien is as you would expect from a five star hotel. It is a beautiful hotel and one certainly couldn't fault the quality of the fixtures and fittings.It is located directly across the road from KL Sentral and has a taxi rank outside.

Lobby

My room at 31st floor

The Lounge at lobby

I stayed in an executive room which was quite small when compared with other five star hotels. Having said that, the room had everything else required for a comfortable stay.The highlight of the room for me was the bath which was set beside the bathroom window and offered the most incredible view across Kuala Lumpur. The scented candles and the drink from the minibar provided the final touches to a hugely relaxing bath treat.The pool/spa is located on the 8th floor and the facilities are shared with the identical Hilton hotel next door. Slippers and bathrobes are provided with the room the pool has a towel service.

Breakfast was ok, but only limited choices of main course available. this is maybe due to the renovation being done on the restaurant which will be completed by end of month.

Le Meridien, despite its proximity to the Sentral Station, is not centrally located- if you like to take a walk before or after dinner - do some extra sightseeing or shopping in the area around your hotel - you can forget this place. You're isolated...still, this is one of the best hotel I ever stayed.

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Hotel Seri Malaysia - Melaka

I just came back from a 2 days 1 night stay at the Hotel Seri Malaysia, Melaka.

It is a 3-star hotel but definitely good value for money, considering the good room condition, the service I got from the hotel as well as its quiet location far away from town centre.

The hotel is located right after the Ayer Keroh toll. Room rate was RM130 nett for a standard room with two single beds.

Wi-Fi internet access available but payable at RM10 for every 3 hours.

Here, I stayed in a Standard Room, which was considerably spacious and very clean. The bathroom is also nice and clean. Bath towels provided are in good condition so no need to bring your own. However, I couldn't sleep well because the air-con was sooooo noisy.

I like the overall ambiance of the hotel because of its quiet location. Definitely good for families. It has the facility of swimming pool, table tennis, pool table (which I never get to enjoy). Great place for family vacation.

The room rate of RM130 nett comes with a breakfast for two. However, if you want breakfast go somewhere else. The food was terrible. For example: Orange juice is just like plain water in orange colour.

My preferred choice of hotel will be around town centre, but still...

I will come back here if i have no other choice...

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Berjaya Times Square Hotel

I had the opportunity to stay at Berjaya Times Square Hotel for the past 5 days 4 nights.

The hotel offers spacious suites and a huge swimming pool.

Most of the rest is not on par with what you get at similarly priced hotels in KL.

For example, the selection of TV channels included only a limited number of English language channels and neither CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC or other leading news channels.

No Astro, only blurry local channels such as RTM1,RTM2, TV3, NTV7 and 8TV….plus Vision Four channels…(old old movies)

The rooms are large and competitively priced. It is a suite, but the bathroom is really huge! I really don’t understand who designed it….perhaps they should provide bigger bed instead of a big bathroom.

The views over KL are nice. The food in the restaurant and room service varies from tasteless to OK.

pool view from my room

View of Pudu Jail from 14th Floor High

The gym is small and very basic while the pool is huge. It is a pity the pool closes already at 8 pm.

Overall, it was a nice experience staying over there.

Liked: nice room, nice view, great location...

Disliked: The elevators can really make your head spin...

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