Tag Archives: hotels in Kuching

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.

The Meritin Hotel, Kuching

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I caught a glimpse of this hotel when I stayed at Lime Tree Hotel last year. I was surprised to see another quaint yet modern-looking hotel in the same area and thought of giving it a go for my current wedding staycation.

I booked the hotel through Agoda.com and chose a Studio room. I wasn’t paying attention to the size of the room, only to find that the size was quite small ( 15m2) even though it was just me occupying the room. It was a 3D2N stay at the hotel and I paid RM348.40 for it including tax. This time, I did not include breakfast in the room because I initially thought I would have time to find breakfast outside. Turns out, I was pressed for time. Anyway, there’s free bottled water, beverages and WIFI in the room. There is also a mini fridge and an iron – only the plug is weird.

I liked that it is near to at least a great coffee shop and I suppose the nightlife is also colourful and awesome as it is walking distance to lots of nice places to eat and The Waterfront. Since I had assignments to complete, I decided to stay cooped up in my room instead of enjoying the lights and pretty views. Plus, I was too full after my dinner at The Reef.

Parking is limited but I didn’t rent a car, so it’s fine. Plus, MAXIM cars are so easily booked here in Kuching. Overall, it was a great and cosy stay. I felt safe amidst the bustling mini Chinatown. Definitely a place I would come back to in the future.

Kuching 2022: The Lime Tree Hotel

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I wrote about our stay here in 2016. I guess we came back hoping that the delicious Laksa Sarawak and Banana Fritters is still around at the breakfast buffet. Indeed, it is still there and boy, the place still looks brand new with added facilities. Having a water dispenser in the lobby was a good additional touch.

I made several bookings through Agoda and also through their own website. Upon checking in, there will be an RM50 deposit which will be returned upon checkout.

For myself, I chose the Family Room option from their own website. It can fit four adults so it was spacious for us. There was a King size bed and 2 single beds, a bathtub (my daughter loves it), a microwave and a mini fridge. My booking for this room was for 5D4N at RM 275.50/night. I got 5% off as I was staying for more than 3 nights.

I booked for my sister 1 Executive Suit King + 1 Standard room. This one was done through Agoda. To be honest, I should have just done the booking through the hotel’s website but I did my sister’s booking first. Hence, Agoda. The Executive Suite has 1 King size bed, a mini sofa and a mini fridge. That sets them apart from the standard room. The total for her for both rooms during the 5D4N stay amounted to RM 1080 (exec) + RM603.50 (std).

My dad had a longer stay in Kuching, about 7 days. Hence, his Standard Room total was RM 1106.

We had FREE WIFI, free breakfast, and the parking lot at the site (but very limited). They had this very aromatic in-house lime soap too. The air conditioning was very cool and the housekeeping was superb. This hotel is within walking distance of Padungan Chinatown, Main Bazaar, The Hills shopping complex, and the waterfront (to me, it is possible to walk there) with so many eatery outlets to choose from. Kuching has Grabfood and Food Panda too which is great.

the laksa station – they even have the ‘how to’ on the wall

The breakfast selection was adequate. The layout is such that we felt like we are going to someone’s house to eat. It was very homey. It is not disappointing and most importantly their kitchen is certified as HALAL. I noticed that most visitors to this hotel are overseas tourists from Europe of all ages. There seemed to be a tour package service there but I did not explore any further. I fully recommend staying at this hotel again and again for its wonderful hospitality.