The Hilt is Back - Hilton Sentral Kuala Lumpur

We remembered a time when the Hilton KL was in dire need of rebranding. Well, in my opinion, it has now done a good job in re-introducing the hotel at a new location and we think that it's given other hotels in the area a run for their money.

Be it for business or pleasure, location is not a problem. Public transportation (if you prefer not to drive) in the likes of cabs, the LRT and the ERL can take you to the heart of KL and to KLIA (international airport) easily as it's right smack in front of the Sentral Station.

It's got all the modern facilities and by our standards, one of the best beds we've slept on. Checking in is a breeze with friendly staff. There was a large group ahead of us and it was still not a problem as we were ushered aside and was attended to without having to wait behind them. We explored the hotel for a bit. Nice layout with interesting decor. There are several restaurants that had received some good reviews. Carnivores - Prime may be what you'd appreciate but FYI, it is rather pricey. If you want to impress and have money to spend, sure, go ahead. Steaks are done almost to perfection and you've got presentation to boot. Otherwise, there are a couple of other steakhouses in KL that can be deemed Prime's competition which you may want to try out. 

The Japanese Restaurant (I forget what it's called) is not too bad. Had dinner there and food is definitely fresh. However, I must let you know that when it comes to Japanese, my benchmark is the Kampachi of the Equatorial chain and comparatively, this one only comes a close second to Kampachi. Perhaps bigger portions to commensurate with the price we paid would be great.  

Though we didn't have time to try out the gym, we saw that it's well equipped, coupled with a nice pool. They share this with the adjacent Le Meridien but even then, it's not crowded and seemed to have enough wading or lapping space for all swimmers. 

For those on business, free WIFI access is not a problem anywhere in the hotel though they could consider those who check in to get free access especially in the room. If you're on a corporate package, it's fine but if you're on a personal account, it's roughly RM64 for every 24hrs. Here's what I don't get - Starbucks worldwide offers free WIFI with that one mug of coffee with unlimited usage, but the Hilton doesn't for roughly 20-30 mugs worth? Hmmm....  

Most of the rooms, especially on the higher floors enjoy a superb view of the city and greenery as windows are nice and large. If you're tired of the view, a large flatscreen and a DVD player can keep you occupied. For good measure, we put in a request to the management to also consider offering iPod docks in the near future! Who knows, it might happen.

We had the Hilton King Deluxe Plus room which gave us the extra space we love (roughly 53sqm) over the normal King Deluxe (about 45sqm) and honestly, there is nothing to complain. The beds and pillows are one of the best among all other hotel chains, if you ask me. We had a pleasant stay and will definitely consider it again - even without free WIFI. 

Quite Convenient - The Hilton Paddington, London

We were thankful that we booked the Hilton Paddington upon our arrival (via the Heathrow Express) at the station in London. The hotel was accessible from the Paddington Station without having to go outside and we didn't have to lug our suitcases amidst a large crowd on the pavement. 

Obviously, taking the First Great Western to Wales the next morning was a breeze after going through the Express Check Out. At least we didn't have to rush!

Checking in at the front desk was uneventful and the staff was fairly friendly. The room was pretty standard; nothing much to shout about but both the room and bathrooms are clean and maintained, though a tad dated. Bed was still firm although we feel that it will give way soon. We ordered room service since we were too tired to go out. The service was quick and the food was tasty. Nothing to shout about, but it filled us up quite nicely.

We're of the opinion that the hotel may need to consider refurbishing soon to make it more modern and more competitive with other nice hotels in the area. 

We recommend staying here if you need an easy access and a quick overnight rest before catching your next train elsewhere in the country. You can choose the hotel as a vacation option as it is quite convenient, but you ARE spoilt for other choices of hotels though.

Grand Price - The St Pancras Renaissance London

Forgot to mention in my earlier post that we stayed here for a night to catch a morning Eurostar to Brussels. 

The hotel and its history was impressive. As it was only for a night, we opted for one of the normal (standard King - I believe it's called the Barlow) rooms as it was not worth our splurge just for a night. It was indeed a splurge anyway but since it's highly convenient - it's literally accessible to the station, we didn't mind it, this time around. (Go through the bar that has a door opened to the station and you're already IN the station! Cool).

The room was average in size but tastefully furnished and makes you feel "expensive" and the bathroom is equally modern. Compared to some of the reviewers who've stayed here, we considered ourselves lucky to have a modern room that's still well kept with no wear and tear signs anywhere. So that's a big plus! Since we're quite fussy about bathrooms, this one received a 5* rating from us.

The bed was big. And when you sit on it, the bed would kinda go "poooffff...." and you slowly sink in to luxury with an "ahhh...."  Linen was crisp and obviously wonderful to sleep in and being on the 7th floor, our evening was perfect and quiet. 

Service was prompt even when there were quite a few people waiting in line to check-in. The check-in staff even went so far as to walk us to the wing to ensure that we got in the elevator just fine and we noticed that they do it for everyone (well, at least for those of us who checked in the same time). Nice touch. 

They went so far as to place a large book in our room that was devoted to the restoration project so that you'd be able to better appreciate the work that has been done to the hotel. It does make you want to wander around the hotel more. 

If you don't mind splurging a little, stay here, especially if you need to catch early Eurostars.

Warm and Fuzzy - The DoubleTree Hilton Amsterdam

After Brussels, we minced our way to Amsterdam. 

Location - perfect. Out the Central station, everything is already in front of you and the hotel is to the left. A new modern building with modern amenities. What a complete change from the horrific experience we had staying a night at the Westerdoksdijk Central Apartment (about 500m walk to the right from the back of the station). And to think that matchbox of a place (yes, smaller than a standard european hotel room) with a sharing bathroom and entryway with other strangers fisted us a non-returnable 900 Euros! Worse, it was surprisingly run by the credible Xpatrental.com. Don't go there! 

But back to the Doubletree...the 10 min wait at the reception was worth it because of the friendly serviced rounded off with warm cookies for both of us. Having stayed at the Doubletree Kuala Lumpur, we now know the cookies are it's signature welcome and it tastes the same. 

The room was fitted with modern facilities topped up by free movie DVDs if you ask for them at the reception to be played in the spanking new iMac in the room. iMacs are so cool. The bathroom amenities were by the White Company of London and the strong water pressure in the shower did wonders for us. You're guaranteed of a good night's sleep on their King bed and each day, you're greeted with tightly pulled, crisp sheets for you to ruffle all over again. Woohoo!

Drop by the Sky Lounge if you have time. The view of the city at night was great. Staff there were very accommodating as much as the others we encountered for our different needs.

From the hotel, to get around the city is easy peasy as all the trams and buses were within walking distance located at the front of the station. If you get bored of eating at the nice East Dock Lounge, there are plenty of choices also within walking distance.

What would be really nice is if they could provide coat hangars by the door so that we can free up some space in the wardrobe but that's not a big deal. If you are in Amsterdam, we highly recommend the Doubletree by Hilton Amsterdam Central as your temporary home - especially in the winter when the cold wind blows, the hotel is a much welcomed sight stepping out from the trams!

We hope that they will continue to maintain the standards they have set for themselves. 

Sweet Suite - Suite Home Stephanie Apartment, Belgium

Took a break in Belgium in December. Been there when I was a kid and I vaguely remembered it. So we thought, why not pay another visit. Besides, we also had friends working there whom we wanted to meet up. 

From the moment we reserved the apartment online, right through to checking out, we had nothing but a smooth experience. Laurent, the only manager handling all three different Suite Homes was nothing less than hospitable and is quick to respond to all our queries and needs. 

As far as the apartment goes, I thought we hit a jackpot with this one. We were given the "Maisonette" to stay and we were more than pleased with it. Very large room with an en suite bathroom and a handy washer and dryer. Downstairs, more than enough space for the two of us with an equipped kitchen, dishwasher, oven and yes, the Nespresso machine! Unlike other apartments we stayed throughout Europe, we were pleasantly surprised by the "kitchen fairy" who came daily to help clean up. So it's a full serviced apartment, which was great!

 

The only thing which they would probably need to do is to perhaps consider installing a shower door. The enclosure still wasn't enough to keep the water from spraying out beyond the shower compartment. You kinda have to "behave" and not practice your usual song and dance with the bath soap as a microphone in there!

Suite Home "Stephanie", compared to the other three types of apartments offered, was the best choice for us as it's conveniently located near the shops and boutiques, as well as the tram and bus services. 

Worth mentioning is the easy check in and check out which we had no problems figuring out at all. We just had to make sure that we check the label on the keys and the door code and it's done! The wifi connection, which is a must for travelers, was also already included in the rental cost.

All in, this was one of the best apartments we've stayed in for a week in a European country and we will definitely stay there again if we ever visit Brussels again. We highly recommend it to all types of travelers! And do say hi to Laurent.

Gotta Pronounce it Right, "Shangkelila" - The Pudong Shangri-La

We were on a business trip as a corporate organizer for our government & business delegation so you can imagine that logistics would've been a nightmare. This was during the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi's first official visit as the Prime Minister. 

Since it was the Shang, I needed say much about the rooms as they were consistent with the brand and offerings with well appointed accommodation and facilities. 

True to their brand, upon check-in, the Shangri-La staff were more than experienced to handle a large number of VIPs with all our personal details and requests attended to most efficiently and always with a smile. A last minute request to organize a signing ceremony apart from the big Chinese luncheon and other transportation requirements was entertained and they even offered us a few reliable event managers to help facilitate our set up and programme. 

The rooms were all fantastic with nice views of the river and the Bund. The facilities is as expected of a luxury hotel with a wide range of quality in-house restaurants to choose from. 

The hotel provided us with easy access to the riverside when we wanted to take a breather from our tight and demanding programme - don't forget to stop by for some Haagen Daz among other selection of bistros there!

Now, if you take a cab to come back to the hotel, don't forget to say the hotel name correctly. Cabbies know it as "Shangkelilaaa!" 

A Pleasant Surprise - Mercure Paris Terminus Nord

I think this was sometime in December of 2010. We checked in at the Mercure upon arriving via Eurostar at the Gare du Nord close to midnight. We were prepared to walk a little but the hotel was in fact right smack in front of the train station! What a relief. 

Check-in was uneventful though they could do better with quicker service. There were quite a few of us waiting to be served and our own waiting time was close to 20 minutes due to the long queue. We didn't kick-up a fuss though because we could see that the staff tried their best to accommodate the lot of us who came in with last minute / ad-hoc check-in requests. (it was during the winter period where all outgoing public transportations from the UK and around the European countries were snowed in including flights, the Eurostar, etc thereby disrupting travellers' plans). We were quite lucky that we even got through the Eurostar with our tickets to arrive in Paris a night later and a room near the train station, to boot! Complain we will not. 

What surprised us the most was that the hotel room was modern in contrast to the lobby as well as the surrounding buildings. Indeed a welcoming sight for travellers like us who had to endure more than 10 hours of total waiting time to either get on board our plane or thereafter, the train!! This included tasteful, modern furniture, comfortable bed, flat screen TV, ample space (unlike some of the typical European hotels that're cramped!), and a very clean bathroom with basic amenities (though they could consider revamping the bathroom as well to reflect the overall modern interior - maybe in future?). 

Breakfast spread was good with plentiful choices and you could also sit yourselves by the bay windows so that you can "monitor" the taxis and people rushing into the train station! 

The breakfast staff were more than attentive, efficient, and helpful and the reception team upon check-out was equal to their task. Upon our exit, we noticed that the location offered quite a number of eateries so you won't be hungry if you prefer not to partake in the hotel fare. 

More often than not, our friends would advice us against staying near any of the main train or bus stations in any country simply because of our safety and security but due to its close proximity to the station, and if you are really careful with your belongings, and stride with a purpose toward the station which is only meters away, safety issues can be reduced to a minimum. Furthermore, if one chooses to stay at the Mercure for longer periods to enjoy Paris, taxis are plentiful anyway right at the doorstep and you don't even need any waiting time thereby prolonging your worry if your bags or self will be safe!

We certainly recommend the hotel and their staff and will definitely consider staying there again (if we don't get snowed in again, that is).