Tag Archives: 3 star hotel

Kuching : Lime Tree Hotel

Posted in Everyday Life, Food and Drinks, Leisure & Travel by

lime shower, banana fritters and laksa!!

I chose to highlight The LimeTree Hotel strengths through its breakfast selection and their special in-house lime shower gel. For this trip to Kuching, Sarawak I made 2 separate bookings using 2 websites. One is Agoda.Com and the other with AirAsiaGo.Com.

The LimeTree Hotel

Lot 317 Abell Road,
Kuching, Malaysia

 

I used Agoda.Com for my own booking as my flight tickets were already available. I only needed to sort out my accommodation. Through the Insider’s Deal feature on top of an Early Bird (non refundable) discount I managed to book the Deluxe King with City View room at a total cost of RM807.55 (including tax and fees). Its roughly RM143 per night as opposed to its usual RM190 . I planned to stay for 6D5N , so every penny counts. I paid with my credit card and within minutes I was booked. I only had to print the voucher to be presented to the reception later during check in.

Then, I needed to book my mother’s flight + hotel. she also had the same length for stay. so I turned to our very own local NO 1 Best Low cost airline Air Asia. Searching for one person was a tad costly compared to if you were to book for two people. Naturally the less popular flight hours were cheapest, and finally I got to make a booking for her (flight + hotel) at a cost of RM967.26 (including tax and fees). I then tweaked her flight itinerary a bit and ordered inflight meals at a reasonable cost (range Rm9 – Rm15 per meal). We were good to go.

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CHECKING IN

Standard procedure was to have an ID card of the main client at hand. What wasn’t standard was to also register the 2nd adult guest staying in the same room on the system. This was for extra security measures. I had to remind my mother that she can only bring in one of her sisters to accompany her in her room and not bring all the sisters for a slumber party. She cheekily obliged.

Guests were given only one room key and could only access the floors they are staying on. This also meant that my mother (at level 3) cannot freely stop on our floor (level 2) for a chat in the morning on her way down to the G floor for the breakfast buffet.

My mother had her reservation paid in full online – she had to leave an RM50 deposit during check in.

ROOMS

Impeccably clean with that lovely citrus scent. No complaints. The wardrobe was very tiny though but we made do. If only they had an extra drawer at the dressing table. I guess they were going for a minimalist concept. Ha ha. The showers had strong pressure and it was refreshing to use their in-house lime shower/shampoo gels. My son looked forward to his baths every time.

Each room has access to FREE WIFI. They also have their GREEN WAYS in running the hotel which I totally heart!

Daily complimentary beverages and bottled water was very nice. And they also have an inbuilt universal socket adapter which was very very thoughtful.

BREAKFAST

They have a varied selection to choose from  – asian, western etc.. but they may not necessarily differ on a daily basis. Meaning you will see laksa everyday. Chicken slices everyday. Banana fritters everyday. So guests must refrain themselves from having everything on that one day. Instead, reserve your appetite for a western breakfast every other day or so. Even so, I chose to enjoy the Laksa Sarawak and Banana Fritters every freaking day!! Whoever you have cooking in the kitchen is a keeper!!

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LOCATION

This cute hotel is situated in the city with nearby attractions – what more can I say.

Mr Husband and my mother enjoyed the stay very much.The staff were very helpful. The fact that they want to stay in this hotel again says a lot about its services and facilities. My mother, a very direct 59 year old lady who still loves wearing her leggings even went up to one of the hotel staff (ntah2 owner) and praised the hotel for its very nyaman goreng pisang!

Well Done LimeTree Hotel. keep it up!

Hotel Tanjong Vista, Terengganu .. a 3 star hotel. Really?

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

Work and leisure can come hand in hand. Especially when the husband is the one doing the work stuff like going to a conference whilst the wifey gets to explore her surroundings. teeeheee.. we did just that last month as we make an 8 hour drive to Terengganu.

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Mr Husband chose Tanjong Vista Hotel because it promised a lot of good things. Their selling points included a pool for the kids, a breakfast buffet to ease the early morning hunger pangs, free parking for in house guest and a strategic location to most of the places you need to go.

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I have to admit. They delivered these wonderful things without fail.

I too loved that they have an ironing board in each room. And a fresh smelling sejadah (praying mat) because most public prayer mat macam kusam and kepam rite? Most importantly they have a mini fridge which is like awesome for a 3 star hotel. And can we please give them a round of applause for complimentary drinks in the lobby and daily newspaper!!

The location is just great as it is nearby tourist attractions like Pasar Payang and the beach with loads of stalls and eateries. Finding local delicacies is not a problem. there was not a single stall in Terengganu where the food taste awful .Like wow.. kitak urang tok keturunan chef istana dolok marek ka apa? he he.. 

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Even the hotel breakfast buffet was commendable. Such delish nasi dagang for breakfast. And a whole lot more variety befit of a 3 star hotel.

Of course there were minor glitches. For instance;

  1. free but limited parking space. So if you happen to be staying there during a conference or something – be prepared to leave your vehicle outside the hotel premises. You can still see your car from the hotel room window but if something happens – you can only manage an ‘oh nooo’ from your room
  2. customer service information may vary from one personnel to another – to make it simple, be nice and just talk to the most senior person in charge. They have no malicious intent on charging you extra. They just don’t get that you need separate receipts for each room.
  3. Housekeeping may arrive at your room a bit late. Even if you’ve been out for almost the whole day. They were nice to apologize for not being able to make your room on time especially when you have soiled diapers that need to be disposed off. We make do by just allowing the team to get rid of the rubbish and replenish the supplies which include shower gels and bottled water.

Despite the above, it was still a good stay. it was a 3 star hotel on the high side. LOlz..

Weekend in Kuala Lumpur at Izumi Hotel, Bukit Bintang

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

Apart from being my fathers part time personal assistant (PA), I have also been kept busy with my proper job as a medical officer. I have been selected to attend a weekend conference. Yah.. bila mana ko tak oncall dia suro gi kursus – Thank god, the conference was beneficial and interesting. buatnye dia suro aku attend rashes in pediatric patients.. or asthma in pediatrics – aku akan mengamok sebulan.

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So I happily booked a hotel near the venue of the conference. I was not willing to splurge that much money at JW Marriot itself, so I booked Izumi Hotel. Somehow rasa tertipu dengan Agoda.Com because the rate offline was cheaper than online. Tapi takpe.. rezeki hotel.

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Both Mr Husband and I are not really familiar with Kuala Lumpur. So we were technically tourist in our own country. WAZE was hopeless in directions – hence turned to Google Map for help. The entry to the hotel was into a very small Jalan Berangan just under the fly-over near the Arab Restaurant (middle pic). Go slow, you might miss the turn. Turned out, the hotel had a GREAT location.

Like wow.. dalam map nampak jauh sikit tapi the shopping places were like so near!! Everything is within walking distance. The husband and child should not by any means get bored okay?!!! Pavillion, LOT 1o, Fahrenheit Shopping Mall, Sungei Wang plaza was practically sepelaung away. There were lots of options of restaurants to have a meal. Arab? Malay? Western? Chinese? A bar? You name it!  For a while, Bukit Bintang seemed like a foreign place because of the flock of international tourists everywhere! So meriah!!!

We did not even have to use our car which was kept in the ‘lift carpark’ of IZUMI hotel which was co-shared with Fortuna Hotel. I was so impressed.

The ladies at the hotel reception were ever so helpful. We had complimentary newspaper (The Star), free WIFI in every room, complimentary drinking bottles of water and coffee in the room. On top of that, there was an ironing area and water dispenser on our floor (level 8) for both hot and icy cold drinks.

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My boy loved the shower. Interestingly, there was a small glass window separating the bathroom and the bed, so I can watch over my boy while he so called independently showers himself. Ha ha.

We paid about MYR 130/night. There were breakfast options at its very own IZUMI Bistro but we didn’t take it. I would definitely choose this hotel again in the future.

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Revisiting Langkawi 2015 : Tok Senik Resort

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

We stayed here for 4D3N. Despite an eerie atmosphere (initially), the rustic soothing village surrounding soon warmed up to us and it felt less creepy. In fact, it was so relaxing and to a certain extent luxurious. OK. I am too kind. Ha ha ha.

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Kampung Tok Senik Resort, one of the most outstanding hotels in Malaysia, lets you experience the splendour of true Malay heritage. Basking in the abundance of nature, our resort in Langkawi is an exclusive haven reminiscent of a ‘kampung,’ the country’s traditional village.

Our rustic rooms and suites offer a pleasant invitation for you to enjoy a simple and laid-back atmosphere. Here you’ll feel relaxed and completely at ease. More importantly, our hospitable staff will provide you with their expert service as you take in the awe-inspiring beauty of the island.

At Kampung Tok Senik Resort Langkawi, you’ll love the amazing tranquillity inspired by our cultural legacy and pristine nature.

Source : Website

Our ‘house’ named Rumah Sahak has 3 interconnecting rooms. Each room has its own bathroom of course and a small living room. We have no idea if this is a deluxe or a suite because we booked it as a package online through the AirAsiaGo website. All rooms are air conditioned – the middle room however has access to a small balcony overlooking the paddy fields and other houses in the village.

Shared facilities of the resort include a public pool located beside an abandoned bistro. They boast of good food at Warung Tok Mat – an in house restaurant located near the reception. We tried the breakfast package. It was not served as a buffet but as an ala carte meal. Thumbs up for the Fried Bihun. The American breakfast however was disappointing – a bit bland I must say.

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Good points include;

  1. functioning hot & cold shower, in room mini fridge and kettle – the latter a tremendous joy for mothers with toddlers who still drinks powdered milk.
  2. kid friendly swimming pools – not crowded at all. If only the benches were maintained properly and kept in order. the pool itself is clean though.
  3. in room complimentary drinking water and beverages
  4. could hear the Athan ( a call to prayer) from far – pretty interesting for visitors outside Malaysia to experience the ‘sound’

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Weak points include;

  1. inconsistent housekeeping – sometimes we’d get fresh towels but rubbish bins not emptied. Or toiletries not replenished because hey, we need that shower foam.
  2. the walls are not soundproof – I could hear my father in law snore in the room next door but because he is family, I don’t mind. Imagine if the ‘disturbances’ comes from other visitors. We did have cats running around on the roof at night.
  3. some visitors complaint of mosquitos but we did not experience any bites during the stay

Would I choose to stay at this resort again? For the pool, yes. I would have breakfast elsewhere. There’s so much more food to experience. Yummy..