Traders Hotel, KL

Before I start telling you about the hotel.. I really should tell you this first. I feel that its my obligation as a good citizen of the world. Yes, I am that naive guilible person who falls for marketing tricks and then acts as a free advertising agent.

But hey, who doesn't enjoy FREE stuff?

Stay accumulated 4 nights.. and get 1 night free credited to your Golden Circle Account! (Shang-rila's loyalty program) - until 31st August 2008 only!

http://www.shangri-la.com/en/corporate/gcsummerpromotion2008registration

Ok ok. I should stop shamelessly promoting my current favourite hotel with perks, and let's get down to business.

Pics first this time.

You'll notice the recurring theme of... the VIEW. At PNB Darby Park, my view was blocked by construction of 'The Troika' - supposedly the most expensive condo being built in KL, and the view of the towers was skewed at a weird angle. At Traders.. I get a full view of the Malaysian twin pride (which was constructed by a Korean and Japanese company.. and designed by an American-Argentinian.. hmm. pride is strange sometimes..)

Traders has a modern chic interior design - quirky pieces of art, comfortable and interesting pieces of furniture.. LCD Tv (it goes auto-mute when the phone rings and you're still on the phone.. cool feature but I think I like watching (and listening) tv while still talking on the phone)...and mirrors all around the room. Excellent for vain people who have nothing better to do than to take un-identifiable pictures of themselves! *ahem*

And the hotel adds a cute touch to its service. They put a Chuppa Chups lollipop on top of clean folded towels by the bathtub.

So here's the Verdict:

Comfort? 7.5/10

Very Comfy - love the chairs, and the air conditioning! I didn't freeze or start sweating away.. which was great. One downside though.. (I didn't take pics of the tub).. the shower is an open space in front of the tub with a sliding door.. so the heat of the shower doesn't really get retained in your shower space. Not too happening. But the study chair and quirky lazy one seater sofa makes up for that.

Facilities? 7/10

Didn't manage to try out the sauna or the pool - but I tried the gym. A bit small.. but it had sections for weight lifting, a yoga/aerobics mini studio, and the usual treadmills/walkers/stationery bikes. What was cool about the gym.. was the headphones and TVs at each exercise machine (treadmills and walkers) so you can watch and listen to your favourite channels - your own personal TV!

Service? 7/10

Friendly hotel staff, very smiley smiley.. but might be a bit overdone here?

Deliciousness of food? 8/10

I love the hotel buffet breakfast here! Very refreshing! they have special juice mixes in the morning to perk you up. And they have REAL COFFEE MUGS. (as opposed to those mini teacup things that fill two mouthfuls of coffee/tea and then its finished). Feels very much like home. They've got an extensive breakfast choice too - japanese, oriental, local, cereals, indian, salads, fruits, breads, etc. Room service is average.

Value for money? 7.5/10

Pretty good for the price paid, its pretty much the same as other 5 star hotels around town - but with a twist of creative design - will explore the facilities more the next time.

Overall? 7.5/10

A creatively decorated and furnished hotel with yummy breakfast. That's Traders to me in one sentence. Oh yea, and the summer promotion of free nights too!

PNB Darby Park - Pics Part II

The apartment comes with a separate 'guest' toilet.. which is in the doorway

And across the toilet.. is the kitchen! It comes equipped with the basics of what you'd need to cook up a meal - a electric stove (which, did I mention, takes FOREVER to heat up?), a bread toaster oven, a full sized fridge (as opposed to mini bars?), a microwave, rice cooker/steamer, electric kettle, pots and pans, cutlery, plates, containers etc. And.. not forgetting.. (perfectly furnished for the mishap in all of us..) a mini fire extinguisher!

Well.. Then you have the living room - pretty standard - sofas aren't too comfy.. but stay there for 3 months.. and it slowly becomes like.. home. almost. (if it came with a machine that made the best kolo mee in the world and churned out Laksa Sarawak.. it'll be pretty close.....? Nah. nothing beats home!) But you'll see lots of my stuff around - kind of home-mified and personalized the space with my elegant touch of.. clutter. =P

Oh.. and the prettiest part of the apartment.. is probably outside the apartment. Don't get me? It's the view - the Petronas Twin Towers.

Overall, PNB Darby Park is not bad. But not quite there yet, I'd say. They need to work on improving their furniture (more comfy, more stylish, more efficient electric stoves!!) and making their breakfast selection fresher!

PNB Darby Park - Pics Part I

Stayed in a one bedroom executive suite on the 17th floor.. here are some pictures (not very clear though!)

The Bedroom:

Closet area.. leading to the master bathroom...

Hotel Review - PNB Darby Park, Kuala Lumpur

Decided to share my fair knowledge on hotels, to kick-off this 'starting to blog' again phase. I'll start with the place I'm currently staying in - PNB Darby Park (Serviced Suites), Kuala Lumpur.

(Pics to follow in next post, when I have better internet connections!)

First and foremost.. to me, PNB Darby Park is all about its location! It's located approximately averagely 7 minutes walk to the KLCC Twin Towers (via the KLCC park route) and about 15 minutes walk to Pavillion in Bukit Bintang.

Darby park a serviced apartment - Bedroom(s) (depending on the no. of bedrooms you choose, studio, one, two, three and four bedrooms available.), kitchen or kitchnette, living room, dining area, balconies.

With the normal hotel facilities with extras- gym (quite a nice one here), swimming pool, two tennis courts (which have been constantly under renovation for the past two months!!), two squash courts, a mini jogging track, self service laundrette, game room, karaoke room (with ridiculous fees!!), restaurants, etc.



Comfort? 4.5 / 10
Overall, I think my apartment (the pictures you see here) as been relatively comfortable to live in. Not 'very' comfortable - I feel that the furniture could be more ergonomic - the study table chairs, the sofa set - I get a sore bum from working at my laptop for too long, sitting on the study chair!! But the bed and pillows are alright - typical of what you'd expect of a hotel.

Facilities? 6 /10
The electric stove... takes... really... long... to... heat... up.... Add in 10-15 minutes to cooking time - to wait for the stove to heat up!!!

I like the gym - 3 treadmills, 3 striders, 2 full sets of weights, 2 rowers, 3 stationery bikes, weight lifting benches, sit up benches - the works. It has a nice view of KLCC and the KLCC park - and best of all - it doesn't ever get crowded. Max no of people in the gym I've met - 5 people.

The self service laundrette - RM4 for laundry and RM4 for dryer - 5kg load. Using ancient RM1 coins exchangable from the convenience store. Some of the dryers are ANNOYINGly impaired - sometimes my clothes are only half dry - even on partial load. You can also opt for hotel service laundry.

Service? 9 /10
Friendly door bells - who do the Malaysian welcome sign (right palm on left chest) and the 'Good _______, maam!' (replace with time of day.. Morning, Afternoon, Evening)... and the receiptionists actually remember your name! (maybe because I lock myself out of the apartment very often?)

Deliciousness of Food? 5 / 10
Restaurant 39 serves fine dining Malay food (but seriously.. SMALL servings. Unless fine dining simply equals beautiful food and portions for a squirrel.. this really isn't good enough.)
Darby Park Cafe serves western and local fare, daily breakfast and the room service. Quite good nasi goreng and i LOVE the cucur badak here! (plus points for the cucur badak!)

Value for Money? 5 / 10
Premium Price, for a somewhat level of mediocrity! But not as premium as OTHER serviced apartments in the near vicinity.. So I'd say its alright, comparing to the other rates.
Overall Score........ 6 by overall rating.. not by averaging the score. Not too bad, but nothing really to shout about. But I think I like staying in a serviced apartment more than a hotel, feels more like home and there's much more space.

Overall, I'd give Darby Park a 6/10. Slightly above average, particularly because of their friendly service, but fairly average on other aspects. This is my first experience in a serviced apartment, hence my rating may not reflect the general idea of a serviced apartment. I'd recommend it if you are going to stay long term (1 month or more) in KL.

--------------
PNB Darby Park Executive Suites
10, Jalan Binjai,
50450 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
http://www.pnbdarbypark.com/

Backlogged posts

hello there!

Mid Q2 resolution - to post my long overdue backlogged travel logs! dated back to May 2007!

Just got back from Perhentian Island (Terengganu, Malaysia) today. First time diving with friends - and it was great! Saw plenty of triggerfishes, giant bumphead parrotfish, blue ringed sting rays, a three-legged turtle (our divemaster suspects the carnivourous work of a large, hungry barracuda.. but i think the shark whodunnit) and my favourites of favourites.. yellow boxfish!

two weeks ago I was diving (alone) in Tioman Island (Pahang, Malaysia) - and I loved the visibility which was almost as good as Sipadan (Sabah, Malaysia) where I was diving with my sister before Christmas 2007.

Ah well.. I shall post more soon.

Muar, Johor - Part I

photographic evidence - I've been in Muar! with a round tummy too! Muar, Johor. 12 May 2007.

I starved myself the previous night, not because I had to go to Muar (and fill my tummy with heap loads of yummy goodies) but because I had to run a (dreadful) long list of health tests for employment. Due to the inefficiencies of the hospital staff, I met up with my dear ex-roomie of K07 119, and tagged along to her lovely and quaint hometown, Muar. (instead of spending the day traumatically having my blood drawn and body willingly placed under scrutiny of a number of doctors)

From the ever useful Wikipedia (Muar) :
Muar district is 2346.12 km², with a population of 328,695 (2000). The name originated from the word Muara or estuary in Malay. The other possible origin is Indian influence which comes from two words; ‘Muna’ and ‘Ar’. ‘Muna’ means three and ‘Ar’ means river, denoting the Muar River, which flows through Muar.

Any person who's ever heard of Muar in Johor (very close to Melaka @ Malacca) would probably tell you one thing - Otak-otak. But otak experts would instead say, "the best otak-otak in Malaysia, the world, possibly the universe". Having the pre-emptive assumption that no other planet nor star nor moon makes, sells or serves otak-otak. According to wikipedia (again), otak-otak is found in Malaysia, Singapore and it (surprisingly) orginated from Vietnam.

My dear, if you're asking "what in the world is otak-otak?", then you're missing out on a slightly spicy, pinkish-yellowish, slightly chewy or slightly creamy (depending on quantity and content of fish), grilled piece of pound fish meat mixed and marinated in spices and in some places, some unidentified vegetables, wrapped and grilled in pandan leaf.

Ahh.. ok. We shall continue exploring the taste and likeness of otak-otak when we come to it in chronological order or what I did, where I went and what I ate in Muar. ;)

So, yes. Muar. It was just a half day trip, we took the bus from Sri Putri in Skudai, I think the bus ticket cost RM12 and the trip took about 2 hours. The first thing we did was drop by Sai Kee Coffee Shop.


Me at Sai Kee


The relatively famous Sai Kee 434 Coffee has its own coffee shop across the road from the Muar bus station. Something like the Old Town Kopitiam, or Kluang Station.. but with a touch of its own I think. The small shop is decorated with glass cabinets filled with antique coffee presses, china, coffee containers, coffee making machines. And pictures of coffee beans being harvested around the world.


Coffee Making Contraption



ek? what's this?


We both had the Sai Kee Iced Coffee.. which was thick strong coffee with condensed milk, and ice - not ice cubes or ice tubes, but broken pieces (?) of those huge ice blocks. A delicious pick me up after a very sleepy bus ride! But sorry, forgot to take pictures of the coffee! We had kaya butter toast too. Here, they serve i think 3 or 4 choices of bread at differing prices - normal sandwich bread, wholemeal and bun. There's also a choice of different spreads as well, butter, kaya, and and.. er.. peanut butter i think. Can't really remember.


we had the normal bread kaya butter toast.. I can't tell whether it was traditionally charcoal toasted though.. hm. how do you tell?


I think Sai Kee makes the same mistake as other coffee outlets do - Old Town coffee, Kaya n Toast (in Kuching) - they use cold butter slices! Kaya butter toasts are supposed to be warm (the type of warmness that fills your mouth, goes down to your tummy and fills your heart with love!!) and slightly crispy on the outside... and when you bite into it.. the 'kaya and melted butter fuse' is supposed to slightly dribble down your (already drooling) mouth..! the butter is not supposed to be solid and unmelted in the middle of kaya! *unsatisfied kaya butter toast enthusiast*

Anyhow, the prices were quite alright. not as sky-rocket-ish as Starbucks or its other coffee globalisation spreading counterparts.... I think it was about RM4 for a glass of iced coffee? good coffee by the way.

After coffee, we took a stroll along the streets of Muar. Muar has many old shophouses.. similar to what you would find in Malacca, Penang, Ipoh.. chinese towns.








Angela what's this building?


Seen red bananas before? Really sweet!


Friendly aunty selling red bananas

Continues in Muar Part II..

sorry!

at my mom's urging.. I shall get busy and start updating! Posts on Muar, Jogoya in KL, Gua Musang, Jungle Train, Tumpat, Kota Bahru, Pulau Perhentian, Sabah.. coming up..

cheers!
mv