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.
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PNB Darby Park Executive Suites
10, Jalan Binjai,
50450 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
http://www.pnbdarbypark.com/
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
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