Still the Same? The Marriott Putrajaya

In September, I had posted my comments on this establishment. Over the past weekend, I stayed there again for a department "away day." Got another room, on a different floor, but unfortunately, nothing spectacular about the room and it's still the same. 

Room was definitely clean, but bed was still lumpy - one or two of my colleagues apparently got a better deal and they said that their beds were "heavenly." Either the Marriott is working on changing out some of the old beds in stages and hadn't reached my room yet or they knew I was coming and wanted me to suffer. I don't know. All I know is, I didn't get two nights of good sleep because I could really feel the springs underneath. 

Oh, this time around, the room had ants. Not nice. 

Lunch and breakfast spread at the Zest was not too bad. Food quality improved. We had lunch once at the Tuscany Restaurant and the chicken main course as well as the cheese cake dessert was really nice. 

Nett nett though, my previous post on the Marriott still applies. But this time around, well done to the Front Desk guys. The hotel had two huge events going on but based on my experience checking in & out; and observation while waiting in queue, it was quick and pleasant. 

28 Days and Counting

Ahhh... can't wait for this trip. It's t-minus 28 days left to berlin and then an EasyJet to Paris, yo! It was a tough one this time around selecting a suitable place as our temporary home in Berlin. In my previous post, I had mentioned that our preference is always to stay in self-owned apartments so that we will be able to experience the "real" city lifestyle. Browsing through some of the sites though, I figured we'll just go for a hotel and be done with it. Initially, a hotel was the choice because I didn't want to think too much. As my husband had expected, I had second thoughts and started looking for apartments instead. However, at the rate things are going at work, browsing for nice apartments took too much effort! So, in Berlin, after much research I could muster, and advise from previous holiday-makers, it's this...

The structure looks mighty interesting to me and I hope against hope that we won't be disappointed with the rooms. Reasons for choosing this over others - a darned good deal, of course. Based on travellers' reviews, the rooms are not too shabby though on the smaller side unless one goes for the suite - maybe not since I'm not about to splurge more than I already have! Another reason for opting this spanky lookin' accommodation is that it's right smack in the middle of town and either way, walking to any of the sites is almost equal distance. At least, that's what it looks like on the map. Eeeep! Oh, and lastly, other hotels in the reviews didn't bode really well with the majority. Nett nett, I hope they make good breakfast!

Anyway, a whole week, and then it's off to Paris. Where we will stay at...

Tadaaaaaaa!!!! Woot!!

During our previous trip to Paris, we stayed near the Notre Dame and this time around, I thought why not try the other swanky end of town. Madame Chanel, we'll be on our merry way soon, y'all.


Picture taken from travelfranceonline.com

Eight full days plying this street. I shall NOT complain. Okay, so reason we choose the apartment particularly on this street apart from the obvious is again based on reviews via airbnb, the way it's decorated (pictures will come later when I review the apartment) and the fact that the price commensurates with the space and facilities. Surprisingly fair, I must say, considering that it's not the 'burbs! It's also fairly quieter - another factor that we looked for particularly on this trip. It's been a really tiring year and frankly, all I want to do is spend time in an area where there's less noise (that's why we didn't opt for Marais!) and we don't have to bump into so many tourists. I mean really, compared to the other popular sites in Paris, I honestly doubt if there'd be hoards of people on the sidewalk where everything is way too expensive, right? We'll see, I guess. So the plan seems to be going well. Daytime, hustle with the people. Evening, come back to a nice, quiet place...

So that's that. Time to pull out all the jumpers, sweaters, coats and jackets! Can't wait. 

I Love My Job When I'm On Vacation - Part Deux

(pix taken from huffingtonpost)

I just read on the Huffington Post that there are quite a number of "happy" things that can still stress us. Including going on a vacation. 

In reference to Expedia's survey, 53% of working Americans don't come back feeling refreshed and energized. Firstly, thank goodness I'm not an American. Haha. Secondly, there could be some truth to it but it's not something that one cannot "manage" so that one can be on vacation guilt-free. Thirdly, I think that if we know what it takes to take a holiday sans guilt, then there shouldn't be any problem!

Frankly, I LOVE going on vacation and I do not have any problems letting go of the office the moment I pack my bags. But it did take me a while to get to this point of holiday "nirvana." There was indeed a time when I would actually pack my lappie, iPad, iPhone and God knows what else so that I stayed connected to the team. I was on-call most of the time when I was away and I thought it great because I was not abandoning my team and I still get to be halfway across the globe in some place I haven't been and seemingly enjoying the trip. I almost always came back feeling dissatisfied and even more tired than when I started the journey, physically and emotionally. But this kept on going... until I met my dear husband. 

Boy, on our first vacation together, he went nuts and at one point, pissed beyond belief at the fact that I attended to text messages and emails from the office. I got an earful from him thereafter and was forced to dump every single connection I had to the office into the hotel safe. Grudgingly, I did. But the reward was the result of my dumping everything into that safe. We enjoyed our trip together. Nowadays, you'd still see me with my gadgets but they're only to upload awesome travel pictures on IG or Twitter or to browse for more places to see when on vacation... and I only blog about my trips after we return home. 

So here's what I learnt - in order to manage our obligation to the office, there are some no-brainer things that you'd have to do. These are stuff that I do all the time so that I'd be able to put on my sunnies and deservingly drape myself on the deck chair under the big brolly knowing there are people still doing work back at the office and not feel bad about it :-

Know that it takes an average of 2-3 days for the brain and the body to wind down. So I normally plan my leaves for longer than 4 days to ensure I take full advantage of my "me" time. Trust me, when I started doing this, I do come back feeling much better. 

Draw up a reasonable checklist of things I will need to do prior to my trip to ensure that my team can continue doing what they need to do. Obviously, I complete the checklist. It could be various types of resources, approvals, and a series of meetings to get things in good order. 

Remind everyone - the team, the boss, and whoever else I am in constant contact with at the office - that I will be going on vacation. I will normally ask if there is any additional work that needs to be attended to and make some agreements upfront. 

Assign a co-pilot. Okay, so this may not work if you're a one-man-show but for me, it works because I have managers and executives reporting to me and I can reassign my duties to a #2 to carry through the deliverable. This includes declaring that this lucky person also has the liberty to run the department with full authorization in my absence. 

Lastly, TRUST in my team. They are, after all, responsible adults. If they're not, they know enough of the consequences. Fair's fair. 

Oh, and one more thing. My friends keep reminding me this - at the end of the day, if I die, the company will not go bankrupt. (Dang, and I thought I was special!) and worse, they can easily replace me. SO, give 100% when I'm at work, but balance it with my 100% when I'm on vacation too!

So there. Toldja it's a no brainer. But it works for me. So I join the other 43% who do return from awesome vacations excited, ready to take on the world and wow people! Can't wait for December!!

I Love My Job Only When I'm on Vacation

Hmm, it looks like I have not much to post as I have not been staying in a hotel for quite sometime nor have I been visiting other places at the current moment. Travel bug is biting big time at the mo' and I'm already itching to just be anywhere but here.  

So I guess, to while the time away, here are some places that will be coming up in the next few months, Godwilling, which are both work and leisure related. 

My annual European trip is coming up and this time around it will be Berlin and Paris (yeah, Paris again. It's always a good idea! and besides, I couldn't justify to my husband why we need to go back to Italy, my ultimate favorite vacay spot!). Berlin will be very interesting. I've been to Germany but never to the larger cities. However, after looking at places to go in Germany, we decided on Berlin as it's one of the places offering history that is more "current" (you know, the Wall and all that). We'll be staying at a hotel there as this will be an "I don't want to have to think about waking up to make breakfast" leg of the two-week European trip. So a definite posting on our hotel of choice in due time. 

Paris, on the other hand, will be a tad different. We decided to stay at an apartment that is rented directly from the owner. It looks promising based on the owner's description, the guest reviews, so I'm banking on an affordable stay without compromising on comfort and amenities. My husband and I love staying at apartments as we get to experience how other people live and since I'm interested in interior design, particularly apartment lifestyle, it gives me an insight as to how other people put together a home. I sometimes get inspired by the decor and sometimes I share the ideas with my friends who often seek my opinion on design and decor. (I wonder if I should start charging them? Hmmm). 

"Why Paris again?" Said my husband. Well, the last time we were there, it was during a time when the weather was not at its best. Our trip to Paris was cut significantly short due to logistical delays which began with our transit in Doha. 

Oh man, that was SO not funny. It was the only time we decided to fly Qatar Air and it had to be the time we got stuck in a country we didn't plan to stay for two days! Only because we were told that Heathrow was snowed in and no aircrafts were allowed to take-off nor land. 

I wished then it had been Dubai. At least I'm okay with Dubai. It's like eye-candy for me and that is just the airport! Anyhow, we were solid packed for winter save for a couple of t-shirts for our flight to and from Europe and they were all in our suitcases which we couldn't retrieve since it was still in the aircraft. After 10 hours of waiting, the airline put us up at a hotel without releasing their cargo and we had to obviously purchase light clothing. I was hell bent on NOT using the same clothes for two days unlike some passengers plus I had my knee high boots on and that's not a good idea in a super hot country. Luckily we had packed other "necessities" plus toiletries in our hand luggage. After that was sorted, rather than kicking-up a fuss about having all our pre-paid bookings screwed over by all these delays and we couldn't do anything about it anyway, we thought, we'd make the most of this prolonged transit. We took advantage of the temporary visas issued and went out to have a look at what Doha had to offer and even had time to meet with my husband's friends who were working in oil and gas there for lunch. 

The overall take away though - it's a reeeeeaaaaaally dryyyyyy country. 

The upside of all this hoopla was that we sorta became famous for a bit - after we landed in London. While standing in snow with our suitcases in a 1.5mile long queue to get into the St Pancras station for the Eurostar to Paris, the media came by to interview some of us and we were featured. (yeah, I did the "Hi Mom" bit too!).   

(we only got inside the building after 2.5hours and we saw this line!)

Anyway, after the ice was cleared from the pipes, electrical lines and tracks, we reached Paris, three days later than planned, and that meant having to forfeit some of the other key sights. To make it worse, with the unusual weather pattern, Paris was frozen! It made it difficult for us to walk about for too long. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE winter. But it's supposed to be Paris winter, not Antartica. So there you go. I want to go to Paris again. I need to go to Paris again. Haha. 

In addition, there will be a couple of company events before we leave for our vacation at the end of the year and the team will be staying in a couple of hotels for this purpose. Hopefully they'll pick one that I've not tried before so I can give a fresh review of my experience rather than updating them.  

Meantime, am toying with the idea of just spending a night or two in Penang or Langkawi or another island over this weekend just to satisfy the bug. The next post will tell us if it'd happen.  

Cliffside Trek - The Grand Centara Villas Phuket

We just came back from a 4D 3N stay at the Centara Villas with a group of friends. This review is a combination of good and can be improved experiences. 

Reception - we were greeted warmly but because our group of 4 couples and several other incoming guests came in all at once, we were asked to wait at the adjoining Cliff view restaurant while the reception team sorted us out. Fresh coconut drinks were provided upon arrival which was nice. However, our rooms were not ready until 2 hours later than our arrival (mind you, we arrived on time for the check-in at 2pm). Since we were not in a rush, that was fine by us but it would've been even better if we were kept informed of our situation rather than having us check with the reception every now and then. 

Since the villas are located on the cliffs, buggies (or minicars as they call it) were provided. Trust me, the trek up and down does challenge even those who are fit. The braver ones were seen huffing and puffing away. I was lazy so i made full use of the minicar service which was a load of fun because the pathways were also challenging and steep. The rooms were standard in terms of decor and facilities, but was kept very clean. Small signs of ageing which we hope management will look into soon to maintain the hotel's standards. Bathrooms were also clean and shower was strong. Nice touch was a skylight above the shower so that you can save some energy. Commendable were the housekeeping team who were very quick in turning the rooms around everyday. 

 

We manage to pamper ourselves at the spa a couple of times and each time was a great experience. The therapists were attentive to our needs and as a group, we enjoyed our "downtime" tremendously. This spa is a MUST visit. 

 

(pix taken from spacenvaree.com)

Staff overall were friendly but perhaps a little more english language training for them will be great so that our requests wouldn't need some repeating. It's really not a problem but it's good for their own development, I think and will give them a boost of confidence! Staff handling our requests to get to either Karon or Patong towns were quite efficient and ensured that we enjoyed their new vans to shuttle us where we wanted to go. 

Breakfast spread was ample enough to cater to several tastes - both local and continental. We had a couple of lunches at the hotel during our stay too which wasn't too bad at all. The food served were quite tasty and we had nothing to complain about especially when we had them facing the waves crashing against the rocks below us! Oh yes, there is an access to Karon Beach but you have to be very careful and adhere to the gate closure rules to be safe. Our friends enjoyed their morning walks. 

Pool was not very big so if the hotel's running a full house, it may not leave you with enough room to swim around. Just a good-to-know, I guess. 

Overall, we had a pleasant time there and tremendously enjoyed the view!

Frustrating - The Lanjut Golden Beach and Golf Resort

After learning that our team had to go to Rompin, my colleagues and I decided to check the place out via their website and TripAdvisor. We were NOT comforted. But because there weren't that many choices, we did lower our expectations. But unfortunately, it wasn't low enough. The entire place was not well maintained to begin with. We arrived by our charter bus late in the evening and noticed that the hotel lacked street lights. It seemed too creepy and I wouldn't want to be the one assigned to the security guard post!

There didn't seem to be anyone else save for our group at that point in time. Since it took time for them to sort our rooms out, some of us mosey-ed over to the "giftshop" area at the lobby. The displays and items on sale were a bit dusty - not a good sign either. After 10 minutes, we all received our room keys and were mostly resigned to just accept what will come our way once we enter our rooms. 

Some termite-ridden furniture - checked. Faulty water heater - checked. Faulty faucets - checked. Bedbugs - checked. Stained sheets and overused towels - checked. Noisy and leaky airconditioning - checked. Untrained staff - checked. Stale or overcooked food - checked. Aiyo...

Pool looked nice and they had probably just cleaned it but it didn't seem as if the waterpump was turned on though. We didn't stay at the chalets since we were in a huge group and found it tougher to draw up a fair room-sharing plan. It was more practical to share two-to-a-room in the main building and be closer to each other - I have to admit, more so because we were in the middle of nowhere and were scared shitless more than anything else. Haha. But gosh, we passed by the chalets and thanked our lucky stars we didn't opt to stay there! They looked dilapidated from outside. 

I heard that they had a management change-out but judging by what we had experienced, the improvements may have been made but it's not gaining us better experience. We found older pictures of the hotel with the newer ones and our sentiments' confirmed. If you don't want to take my word for it, then check out comments on Trip Advisor. Pictures are there too. The actual rooms don't even look like the official pictures posted. 

We couldn't help wonder if the new management really cared to turn this place around as it has a lot of potential. Being the only hotel in the area, they could really make a profit IF only all the abovementioned were sorted accordingly. We Malaysians felt really embarrassed when we saw (during our so-called breakfast) that there were some foreigners staying there too. They didn't seem excited and happy. No two guesses what their comments would be!

Right now, the only thing "golden" was the sunrise!

A Bit of Getting Used To... The Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur

Everyone wants to stay at the Grand Hyatt nowadays. Only because it's posh, and still considered a novelty to many. Interesting to see in years to come if it'll remain one of KL's sought after hotels. The Hyatt caters to the discerning business traveller and it did give us the impression that a huge investment was made toward this end. 

So okay. Another company meeting. Upon being ushered into the main foyer by the well dressed and extremely helpful guest relation officers, one can't help but be awed by the skyhigh ceiling and the grand staircase. For me, it was a bit more daunting than it is welcoming though. The good impression I had of this establishment was somewhat shortlived thereafter. Only because of the hotel logistics. It starts with, you have to go up the elevators immediately to get to the reservation desk. Then you have to switch elevators to go down to the rooms. Breakfast is not at the "usual" ground floor cafe but up in the clouds, a floor below the reception / reservation floor. If you're at one of the meeting rooms, you can access the reception via the pool and back up the elevators... whaaaa'??? It can be loads of fun if you play hide and seek though!

(pix taken from hotelmanagement.net. there's no reception on the ground floor!)

Now, when you're checked in to organize an event at the hotel, it gets a little frustrating with all the "ups and downs" but if you're on holiday, it won't matter much. Being right on the edge of the KLCC Park, the hotel rate commensurate with the address. Rooms are expectedly well appointed but nothing that would really "wow" me for the hefty price we paid. Having said that, the overall decor screamed "new" and modern with beds and pillows that were fluffy for a thoroughly good sleep. Like I said, it's expected of a five star and they delivered. I wish I could say to my friends, "OMG, you have got to stay at the Hyatt!" but hmm... I dunno. I would definitely recommend it but wouldn't be all bright eyed and tail-wagging about it. 

The restaurant at the ground floor (I think it was called the JP Teres?) has a nice outdoor seating and provides a nice ambiance especially at night. Food there is quite good too. Good place to chill with a bunch of friends with a pretty good menu selection. We especially loved the oyster-filled omelette. 

Staff are eager to please unless of course when they're inundated with groups of guests - then they become a tad robotic and sometimes a little flustered. But that's understandable. Can't say much good about the staff at the lounge though. We went there for aperitifs and waited for one of them (there were three!) to approach us with the menu. We waited for a good 10 minutes (fairly long enough, I think, especially when they were just a "backhand smack" away) until one of my colleagues couldn't stand it anymore. It would've been fine if they were tied up with something but the three ladies were just chatting with each other. They did smile to guests who came out of the elevators but that was about it. Maybe we were tired from a long day of meetings to be patient but really? 

On the other hand, I'd like to compliment the maintenance team. We only found out later in the evening that the shower drain in our room was a tad clogged but we didn't have to wait long at all for them to come fix it in a jiffy. They were courteous and mindful of the time taken to rectify the problem (it was already quite late at night).  

The meeting rooms were clustered on a different floor and had a cool concept to it. Apart from the Grand Ballroom, there's the Grand Salon and Grand Residences. We had the Grand Residences cluster. The decor was refreshing and facilities were up to snuff. The refreshment spread was pretty good too. If you're planning for some group "away day" you may want to consider this. 


(pix taken from rakuten.com)

My overall sentiment of the hotel is one that is mixed. It's far from bad but it's not awesome either. It is quite convenient and one can access both the Suria KLCC and the Pavilion via the Convention Center and covered walkways. Since it's currently more expensive than the Mandarin Oriental neighbor, one would've expected the feeling of luxury with higher level of attentiveness than most hotels but not really when compared. All in, we don't mind going back but it's not going to be top on our list - we can't get past the price! 

If you've got a lot of moolah to splurge then, as I've said many times before, go for it. But remember, it takes getting used to - you have to go up, in order to go down. Or you can go down, across and go up again. Or was it the other way around? (Suddenly "Do the Hokey Pokey" and "Get Down On It" comes to mind. hmmm). 

Otherwise, until Mandarin Oriental revise their room rates, you may want to reconsider as MOKL's proximity to the Twin Towers and KLCC is still hard to beat and levels of service and rooms there are maintained so far. 

New Kid on the Block - ALoft, KL Sentral

We were at the Aloft for yet another company event for a couple of days / nights a few months back. We found out that it had just recently opened and decided to try it out. We were not disappointed and generally find it hard to fault anything.

The staff / talents (entrance, lobby reception, housekeeping, and event/banquet) were all cool and friendly. They engaged us in pleasant conversation whenever they could but were also sensitive enough to know their boundaries. These people can carry a conversation. One of the banquet staff (unfortunately not the one in the picture though) approached me to ask if I needed some help on my break. Told him I didn't need one and that I just came out from the meeting for a 15 minute breather. He immediately offered me coffee and gave me a spiel on what's recommended on the refreshment counter and went so far as to get them for me since balancing coffee, my clutch, iPhone and a plate of food on 4 inch heels could mean he might have to do some "carpet clean up!" He kept me company and we talked about the hotel, what's going in KL and the like and politely wished me a good day when I told him it was time to go back inside. Pleasant conversation, I must say. 

 

(pixes courtesy of starwoodssoutheastasia)

The hotel gives a fun vibe and has small details such as awesome music videos in the elevators instead of the boring old-school elevator music and even their staff have a more smart-casual-ish style of uniforms. The overall decor is fresh, fun, young and funky-quirky that appeals to a younger crowd and the young at heart. 

  

The Nook coffee house, though small has a differentiating decor and food there is not too bad for fussy eaters like us. Though it caters for a smaller crowd, the buffet menu tries to impress with sarawak laksa in the list, for instance - not usual for any hotel - which was quite nice. 

The room is standard in size with enough room for two. Good sized shower and well designed dressing area. We really loved the colorful hotel concept that was brought in to the room as well. We found out that there are several clusters of rooms with different headboards - they had funny caricatures depicting typical Malaysian / foreigner's experiences in Malaysia. Quite funny and true! Beds were really nice too.

 

The Ballroom and the Meeting Rooms were also equally well appointed and we loved the decor there as well. We had very minimal hiccups. The lighting and sound system were in good order and the technicians were always on standby to cater to our AV needs. 

All in, Aloft is a good stay and we certainly won't mind staying there again and organizing future events with them. Keep up the good work and hospitality standards, guys! We think you beat some five star big boys in that department and you're certainly more hip!! 

Oh, did we mention that it's easy to get there since it's right smack in Sentral KL where you can access it via cabs, the airport ERL or the city LRT, if not by car? Awesome!