Tag Archives: agoda

Grand Margherita Hotel, Kuching

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GMH could certainly improve their kitchen services. It was odious.

I booked the hotel at least a few months in advance through Agoda.com. It was a 4D3N stay and cost me a total of RM862.72 including tax and fee. My superior Room came with WIFI and breakfast. There was a bathtub, a mini fridge, an in-room iron and board, a TV and most importantly a great view. There’s also a swimming pool in the lobby but I did not check it out. If you plan to enjoy the city, this hotel is definitely in a good location.

It is near to great places to eat. My favourites are Bing and Topspot. Now I have a new one, IG Ais Kacang. Other places worth mentioning are Ayam Penyet RJ, SCR and Chicken Hartz. There are also little pubs nearby and non-halal options that visitors might enjoy. In fact, GMH is very near to Meritin Hotel, another place I have stayed at before.

I had a nice walk at night from my hotel to the Darul Hana Bridge as The Waterfront is so beautiful with the lights. I noticed no more food vendors there since the last time I came to Kuching with the family. I am pretty sure I put in at least 12K steps for the day.

Back to my disappointment with the kitchen services.

I had free breakfast with the package. While it is understandable that sometimes the buffet is crowded in the morning, the least that the floor manager could do is assess and assist accordingly. That means not only getting the number of pax per room at the front door but also checking inside whether there are seats available. There were so many guests walking around the already small cafe not only to find a table but also to fight over the last piece of waffle and such. It got a little too unpleasant during our 2nd breakfast morning as we realised that now, instead of having course participants as the crowd, families with children were also checking in. I honestly do not have a problem with that because I know when you have children, breakfast takes longer. So, I asked one of the servicemen if it was OK to bring our breakfast outside, and he said it was OK. However, there was no effort on his side to help us set up our table. My brother and I ended up making ourselves comfortable by arranging our table and cutleries with the last 4 forks available. We also switched on our own portable air conditioner.

Not only that but their Laksa Sarawak and Kolok Mee stations also had a system where you need to place your order first. I mean it is fine if the chef remembers who ordered what. The thing is he didn’t. He was relying strictly on the fact that the guest would lose hope in waiting and he’d just pass the bowl to someone he thinks ordered the dish. Thankfully on my first breakfast morning, I was sitting just beside this station and I got to check with the chef if my Kolok Mee had been attended to or otherwise. My verdict of the Kolok Mee? Neh.. find something better outside.

I also ordered room service. I requested for my rib-eye to be a medium rare. Unfortunately, when it came, it was well done. I could still accept that but what irritated me was that it was as tough as rubber and I had difficulty chewing. I felt my RM70++ was not justified and of such poor quality service for a hotel of high ratings. Something is definitely wrong with their kitchen.

Apart from that particular downside, everything else was great.

Staycation at Everly Hotel, Putrajaya

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel by

It’s been a while. Previously, before the pandemic, I try to visit my parents once a month. Once Covid19 came, the routine was disrupted. I couldn’t even spend Eid with the family. The next thing I knew, Mom caught the virus and subsequently died from it’s after effects. Who knew, kan?

When the Prime Minister announced that we could cross state borders – I immediately made a booking at Everly Hotel in Putrajaya. Since the kids have grown, I chose the Executive Suite. The room has a bath tub and a small living area where the kids could play and give us adults, some space as we attend to work and study related matters. Yes, it sucks being a doctor. It’s very difficult to shut off. I have it easier compared to my husband. His work is endless. Baru JKN, belum KKM. Eh.

I paid for the room through Agoda.Com as always. The room included breakfast for 2 pax. I paid extra for my son’s breakfast which is RM15/child. Total cost for the stay was RM827.82 including tax and fee of RM62.14. In return, I receive Agoda cash of Rm20.59. The Agoda cash is useful at times.

Some people find it weird that I would stay at a hotel instead of my dad’s house. Thing is, the house is quite small and I don’t really want to burden my dad in having to prepare the room for us. I guess this is the way it will be for future visits.

The birthday spree will start in November, all through December and into the new year. Memang diet ke laut lagi.. huhu..

On a different note, BTS In The Soop Season 2 has officially started. I purchased the series on Weverse, so I could watch it on my phone whenever I like. Episode 1 was splendid and I am looking forward to more clips of Chef Suga cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Apart from that, it’s also a good series to pick up mind-opening ideas and life quotes like this gem down here. Can’t wait for next episodes.

BTS's Jin points out the significance of rest | allkpop
Credit : https://www.allkpop.com/article/2021/10/btss-jin-points-out-the-significance-of-rest

Staycation at Imperio Residence Melaka

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I needed a short break after submitting my final assignment for psychology – the subject was Introduction to communication. Browsing through agoda – it was a choice between that blue santorini like hotel or Imperio. I decided to go for Imperio because it was walking distance to a lot of places and activities. Of course, knowing us, we’d probably be cooped up in our room enjoying food and Netflix.

This spot makes a very conducive environment to study both during daytime and night time

The studio was listed as Seaview Japanese Themed Studio JJ Home@Imperio. I made a booking for 3D2N and paid a total of RM440 – including taxes and fees. This was my first time booking an Agoda Home. The host was incredibly enthusiastic and accommodating. I received via whatsapp a pdf document explaining how to check in and out of the place. Perhaps the only thing that caught me off guard was the parking space fee of RM3 – Rm5 per entry. I am alright with paying but when I am not prepared with the sudden fee collection – I reacted quite unpleasant to the guy manning the parking area. So maybe that needs to be included in the ‘check in guide’.

Such a welcoming entrance
A studio is great for vacation but not as something that we live in. Don’t think I’d enjoy being in the same space with the kids for a very very long time. Ha ha ha.

The place looked exactly like in the pictures. Imperio Residences is basically an apartment with 2 towers. The vision was that it is built on top of a mall which has yet to open. The common facilities were at the 13th floor – sauna, swimming pool, gym, playground etc. Anyhow, the view was just amazing from our studio unit. Even the view from the bath tub was majestic. Love it! and can I just give a shout out to the scent of the towel and bedsheets! They smell so homey and wonderful, I wonder what detergent or softener the host uses.

There was a King bed with extra futons and pillows for the kids to sprawl on the floor. My daughter loved the bath tub of course. I myself did not have a chance to soak in it. The mini kitchen had all the utensils that we need including a microwave, a fridge and a water dispenser. Mothers love these conveniences. I love that they have an iron with the board too. The Kiblat signage was well placed. There was even a sejadah for muslim travellers. We had our meals from the nearby mamak and restaurants. All were within walking distance. It would have been awesome if Element Mall was opened but only MBO was in operation.

Apart from the water dispenser, the host also stocked up the fridge and pantry. The listed price was affordable and not steep but since we have bought our own supplies – we finished ours first.

Although this was a staycation, I couldn’t completely shut off from my studies. Hence, I managed to catch up with my e-lectures on Cognitive Psychology with the FREE WIFI provided in this studio. Yeay. It could have been a relaxing staycation but we were rushing to our other commitments as well – a photoshoot for Eid and my niece’s akikah. Of all weekends, it had to happen last weekend. Perhaps later, when things get more relaxed.. we will book another stay here. InsyaAllah.

The Lace Boutique Hotel

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The long weekend is here. PKPP is extended till the end of the year. Malaysians are saying bye bye to their passports already. I have decided that we will not go back to Kuching this year for our annual trip. Instead, we will just go for short trips in Semenanjung Malaysia. And that was what we did.

It was a 3D2N stay in Johor Bahru. Mr Husband booked our staycation abode at the Lace Boutique Hotel he stumbled upon Agoda at a very good price. On the first night, he chose a one bedroom suite priced at RM130/night and on the second night a 2 bedroom suite for RM 150/night. Both without breakfast options. It was a huge price drop having seen it’s original price at the website. Perhaps the CEO was being benevolent and wanted more Malaysians to travel interstate and stay at the hotel. Stimulating the economy, they say.

Lace Boutique Hotel is owned by a YB Datuk Paduka Hjh Rokiah Hj Omar. From what I gather online, she is an entrepreneur with an impressive portfolio. Such as in the motoring business, hotel and saloon. All branded under the name Lace.

Lace Hotel is covered in gold-ish decorations. It gave me the Las Vegas & Empire Classic vibe. I was honestly surprised that both rooms that we booked has a bathtub.

The boutique hotel has a terrific location. You will never go hungry as there are loads of eateries at the area of Kpg Melayu Majidee and is of walking distance. The hotel is also in the heart of the city near the main road making trips easy for anybody outside of Johor.

The rooms were clean. The amenities they provided were plenty and enough. There was a microwave, kettle, plates, cutleries and even a complete set of teapot to make our own coffee and tea. The rooms were spacious and the bed was comfy. The air conditioning was wow!.

This location is also FOOD PANDA and GRABFOOD friendly!!! I know cause that was one the things I checked first. The riders can deliver your food to the hotel as it is so accessible. Of course you can always go out in your car and get food or take a walk.

The swimming pool was at the rooftop and the kids loved it. I was not sure where the cafe was as we did not have breakfast there. It was generally a wonderful stay despite a few small bumps. By that, I mean:

  • On the first night, the WIFI was not working at our floor. The TV was also not getting a good reception as they were using some sort of internet TV. The shows keep on buffering.
  • The bathroom could use an additional ‘ambience’ light. I know moms or ladies would appreciate soaking in the tub at night while watching the night sky through the big window with that sort of light in place.
  • Enough shower/bath gel. As opposed to 2 bottles of shampoo and conditioner without the shower gels. Texture dia rasa lain. Oh well, maybe for my future trips I should consider bringing my own travel-sized bath gels. Although I really love the hotel ones especially if they have nice bottles.

That should be it. Very minor problems.

For this trip, we were very relaxed. We did not even go to Legoland. Instead, we spent most of the time in the room (since husband has things to sort out about work), goofing around & sleeping. We only went out twice to go to the Johor Zoo and Ikea Tebrau.

Ended our Johor trip at Tanjung Piai. Took a few photos as momento.

If I was a Johorean, this would definitely be high up on my list for a mini weekend getaway with the girls or something. It does look high-end exclusive yet a bit abandoned from far. Probably because the glass windows have not been regularly cleansed for some time. Or maybe it has but it still looks stained with mold. Otherwise, the interiors are truly Instagram-mable and worth checking out.

Staycation at The Shore Hotel & Residences, Melaka

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

Our residential area has been affected by the recent water rationing measure due to the low water level in our dams. We have been on an alternate day roster since early February. Our water supply is dependent on the little tank on days without water. Hence it is a mandi burung, berak perpada kind of affair. On days where water is supplied, we get to do the laundry, do some exercise (hence able to wash hair) and other cleaning chores. I have never took cleaning so seriously until this happened. Rajin plak tetiba nak menge-mop.

Interestingly, last weekend Mr Husband booked a hotel room at The Shores Hotel & Residences, Melaka for a 3D2N stay there. He was surprised to see price plunges and placed a booking for a Studio Suite Room since hotels are not affected by the water rationing schedule. The Shore is not to be mistaken with Swiss Garden Hotel despite towering beside each other.

Our room was facing a beautiful skyline at night. We have a mini fridge, the usual amenities with complimentary beverages (upon checking in only) and spacious single beds. The bathroom was not kid friendly because of the near transparent glass windows and so I preferred to shower at night. Good for me though as I get to shower longer and scrub down my dirt. The shower gels had a lovely scent to it.

I brought my laptop with me and did some studying on my uni portal. The FREE WIFI speed was awesome. We did not choose the breakfast option in our stay as Mr Husband preferred to buy roti canai at the nearby 24 hours mamak just underneath the hotel. You will never starve in Melaka. InsyaAllah. The 24 hours convenience store is also of walking distance.

We played tourist and had lunch at Dataran Pahlawan. We ate at Johnny’s. I really loved the sauce they serve with the meal and of course the tomyam. I am salivating (again) as I blog of this.

The kids enjoyed the swimming pool on Level 23. There is a gym aesthetically placed over the pool with a connecting bridge. It is so Instagrammable but I did not bring my shoe. There was a tragedy though in the pool less than a year ago where a young boy drowned. It made headlines in the local paper for a few days. I hope the family is coping well.

You could get to the SkyDeck if you want at the 43rd floor but we didn’t do that. We were lucky that during our stay, there were not many visitors. Maybe because of Covid-19. Cause I couldn’t imagine how 4 lifts are going to serve the whole tower. It would be a very very long wait on each floor.

It was a short and memorable staycation. Although I was a bit pissed at first for the abrupt getaway (cause I love a planned vacay), I was glad that we went ahead with the rush anyway. Sometimes you just gotta let the wind take you to where it wants to blow. I felt rejuvenated. I was able to bathe without a time restriction and water quota. I get to apply a facial mask while studying in an air conditioned environment for hours without having to think of skyrocketing bills. I get to see the moon and stars in the night by just stepping out into the balcony. And I get to have my husband with me over the weekend with the kids in one room at most times. LOL.

Thank you Mr Husband

The little princess. NINIE