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THE GREAT thing about Kuala Lumpur in summer, is everything is in romantic soft focus, a bit like a Singapore Airlines TV commercial. Sometimes you can't see a thing. Not even the Petronas Twin Towers. In an annual rite of passage, neighbouring Indonesia spontaneously combusts - as farmers slash and burn the rainforests - creating a dense smoky haze that engulfs much of hapless Malaysia's west coast. Someone please toss a bucket of water on Sumatra and lock up the matches. I peered then at the KL monorail map and blinked. My caboose was headed from KL Sentral Station in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Yangon, Fukuoka, Dublin and Paris. That's quite a ride for just RM2.10 (US$1=RM3.25). The map is a tad misleading though as this track runs only as far as Titiwangsa, the other side of town. Don't panic, there is a proper map as well and if you can't tell which is which, ask someone.
KL is a bopping town with something approaching a sidewalk cafe culture, this despite the heat, the rain and exhaust fumes. At Bukit Bintang "sheesha" hubble-bubble stalls have proliferated offering flavoured puffs, Lebanese tidbits and chill-out music. The heat can be beat with the giant cooling fans that spray a fog of wet mist over diners. Have yourself photographed with a boa constrictor around your neck and marvel at cards handed out that say "For your pleasure, please call Addie..." Addie offered me a card every evening. I never had time to call.
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| Jalan Sultan Ismail: the main drag |
Welcome to Malaysia,
“Truly Asia”, as the catch-all slogan goes. This is
a country in rapid transition that has managed to combine funk and
fervour, class and crass, technology and tradition, religion, romance
and royalty, with the aplomb of a margarita shaker. It is a heady
cocktail, the results often unexpected. More for visitors at the Ministry of Tourism website.
Kuala Lumpur is
a can-do city on the move. Once notorious for its gridlocked traffic,
cars and people move too these days, thanks to some well-planned
elevated motorways and light rail options. The monorail ride from Raja Chulan station (near the Crowne Plaza Mutiara) to KL Sentral is just 15 minutes. Taxis are plentiful, in theory, but are impossible to find when it rains. Cabbies figure the cost of the petrol expended in traffic jams far outweighs the meter fare and prefer, instead, to duck into the nearest coffee shop for a break. It tends to rain early and mid-afternoon. You might wish to hire a taxi by the hour (RM20-25 for a small taxi, and RM40-45 for a comfy premier taxi) to make sure onward transport is available.
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Kuala Lumpur shopping is diverse,
vigorously showcased in the annual Mega
Sales (March, August, December), hotels and hospitality
world class, transport plentiful and food and nightlife teeming
in downtown and newer suburban locations. June features a countrywide
dance and culture extravaganza called Citrawarna, or “Colours
of Malaysia”. What more could you want? Well, a bit less smoke
perhaps…
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| The Twin Tower are visible everywhere |
With a glut of
good hotels and executive apartments you can currently enjoy five-star stays at less-than-three-star
prices though the occasional convention fills up rooms and drives up prices. In which other major capital, barring Mogadishu, can you
stay at a slick international property for just US$100 or less? Forget rack
rates and corporate rates. Just ask for a “promo rate”
and walk into the biggest hotel bargain east of the Suez.
The MAS regional-route
Airbus 330s are surprisingly roomy with decent pitch (which is legroom,
as measured in the space between rows). Ask for bulkhead rows 11
or 29 for a really good stretch. The configuration is 2-4-2 so there
are just two seats on the window side. Check www.malaysiaairlines.com.my
Kuala Lumpur International
Airport (KLIA) is large, glossy, and empty. Immigration
and customs is quick and getting to town is a breeze on the new KLIA Express. The quick and efficient 28-minute run to KL Sentral Station
every 15 minutes costs RM35, about half of what a local cab will charge. Coupon airport taxis (or limousines, as they are called) charge a fixed RM92.40 from KLIA to Jalan Sultan Ismail. A less fussy regular vehicle will be just RM67.40. A separate, dedicated budget airlines terminal is running too.
A few airlines, including MAS, Cathay Pacific and Royal Brunei, have check-in counters at KL Sentral. If you
wish to dawdle at the airport put on your walking shoes to explore
the factory-size MAS Golden Lounge, said to be the largest in the world at 43,284sq ft. That's a whole lot of lounge.
The factory-size MAS Golden Lounge is the largest in the world at 43,284 sq ft. Bring along your gym shoes...
Kuala Lumpur business hotels
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| Hilton Kuala Lumpur spa/ photo: hotel |
Bang next to the KL Sentral station is the chic and contemporary 510-room Hilton Kuala Lumpur. Rooms, starting at a very generous 44sq m, feature 42-inch plasma screen TVs, rain showers, ergonomic seating, Broadband (Rm63 for 24 hours), and small swivelling LCD screens in the bathroom so you can stay tuned in to the Beeb or CNN. Ceiling-high sliding glass doors separate the bath from the bed. Rooms have an iron and ironing board.
In-room you'll find a number of kits like one for kids' entertainment, packing in chess, toy cars, Leggo, Enid Blyton books and more. The Hilton lays claim as well to the country's largest freeform swimming pool. This is a long snaking 600m affair that wraps around one side of the eight-floor podium and is shared - along with the spa - by the adjoining Le Meridien (same owner, different management). There are 10 restaurants and bars - including the popular Zeta Bar - a two-storey fitness centre and a 1,220sq m "pillarless" ballroom. The Hilton lobby is busy, spacious, soaring, light-filled and airy. Streetside cafeteria meets space-age lounge under the watchful gaze of large artistic renditions. The ringing echoes of conversation can be distracting for some but the ensemble creates a convivial, friendly atmosphere.
Joined at the hip, so to speak, is the futuristic, but quieter, 35-storey twin, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur, with panoramic views, fast Broadband access, and extensive conference and meeting facilities. This is a sober version of the Hilton, with Moorish eccentricities, marbled floors with geometric inlays, and spacious rooms with muted colours. There is a Broadband port at the work table and a laptop charging socket in the safe. The Al Nafourah Middle Eastern restaurant is the hotel's prime culinary weapon and it emulates a desert oasis from its archways and silk to the tempting menus. All rooms have Broadband access for a fee.
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| Berjaya Times Square/ photo: hotel |
The centrally-located Crowne Plaza Mutiara has done a Michael Jackson on the grey, cinder block that was the
former Hilton. Unlike Jackson’s nose, the Crowne Plaza's tasteful rooms are likely to endure and entertain
guests – for the right reasons. The sliding windows
that open from the bathroom onto the bedroom create a sense of space
and romance. There’s
a flat-screen TV and a finger-touch sensor control for most appliances and Broadband access in all rooms.
On executive floors enjoy additional benefits like free Broadband, complimentary laundering of two items, breakfast for two and refreshments. The Crowne Plaza took over from the Mutiara and managed a reasonably seamless transition inheriting, among other things, a well-entrenched and labour union that has been a thorn in the side of successive managements.
The centrally positioned Berjaya Times Square Hotel & Convention Center on Jalan Imbi offers over 610 furnished suites with Internet access in several rooms, separate living and dining area, and laptop-size safe. There are seven suite styles ranging from the 51sq m Studio Suite to the 99sq m two-bedroom Brooklyn Suite. With a lavish 29,000sq ft of meeting space, the Berjaya is well positioned to offer a range of conferencing choices with seven function rooms and a pillar-free Manhattan Ballroom that can hold up to 2,000 persons cocktail style.
Jalan Sultan Ismail
is KL’s main drag and the city’s top hostelries are
arrayed along it (or off it) like starving barracudas waiting to
pounce. Prices are extraordinarily flexible. Walk in and you will
be mauled by beaming receptionists all happy to quote their best current promo rate.
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| Shangri-La Horizon Club Deluxe/ photo: hotel |
The mature Shangri-La at one end of Jalan Sultan Ismail has had a lavish makeover, top to bottom. The lobby gleams with
black marble, dramatic uplights and a green cut-glass centrepiece.
It is spacious, completely over the top, and of course, very much
the place to see and be seen. If you care to pay the rack rate, you are may be entitled to complimentary
airport limousine transfers, complimentary laundry and dry-cleaning,
breakfast and free Broadband Internet access. In-room expect flat-screen TVs, while the comfy Horizon Club for business travellers on the go offers personalised check-in, complimentary breakfast, a separate wide-screen television room and, yes, a smoking area. The business centre has five Internet stations with Broadband. To soothe the eyes, the hotel offers lush gardens.
Right across the
road from here is the Concorde Hotel, a staple
four-star that gets its share of saucy nighttime revellers spilling over from the Hard Rock Cafe as well as neighbouring Jalan P Ramlee. Business travellers should opt for the Premier Executive rooms which are functional and comfortable, if minimalist. These retail at around RM300++. This often includes breakfast and free Broadband.
There is a small work table, VCD player, an iron and ironing board, a set of three, three-pin square plugs, near the table, and a sensibly large Ikea clock.
For those less fussy, standard rooms are a steal. At the end of the day, the Relaxa Health
Centre will bring a happy flush to the most hardboiled executive
cheek. The same group also runs the Concorde Inn Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Concorde Hotel Shah Alam. Come evening and the Concorde lobby is rocking with loud music and drinks being bought by the gallon. At No. 316 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (at the intersection with Jln Sultan Ismail) is the ebullient new no-frills hotel Tune Hotels very much an AirAsia clone with much the same focus on high energy and Internet sales. Incredibly, rooms here are starting at just US$3 and up. Tune Hotels plans setting up shop in central locations close to shopping and dining with prices of under RM100 a night. The group is aiming to be a high quality and comfortable no frills option. With its signature blazing red exterior the hotel will be hard to miss, more a Virgin Megastore than a dull hostelry. Indeed, the hotel insists your stay will be anything but dull. And yes, you will have laundry service, Internet stations, and a trendy cafe.
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| Westin Deluxe Room: photo Westin |
The Regent, a popular
and stately, if graciously ageing, property is on Jalan Bukit Bintang
where you’ll find a rash of lively eateries, bars and shopping
malls. Service at The Regent is, as ever, elegant, understated and
quick. The 468-room hotel has special weekend rates. Broadband is available in all rooms and there is wireless access in public areas. Rooms feature muted pastel colours and in in-room safe that, alas, is far too small for a laptop. Splash out at the spa with anything from traditional massage to accupressure, reflexology and aromatherapy. Major top-to-toe rennovation is planned at The Regent which intends to remain functional right throughout.
Just across the road from here are The Ritz-Carlton and the JW Marriott Hotel. Right between the two, the very corporate Westin has muscled in, complete with its trademark "Heavenly Bed" and the popular streetside Qba Latino grill and wine bar. The Westin has 452 rooms and an Executive Residences section as well. Rooms have Broadband, a workstation and inroom safe. After-hours work up some sweat at the Westin Workout fitness centre. The hotel features liberal splashes of white marble and pale pine. The lobby is unusually compact but light and airy with an intimate feel to it.
Ask for a "Recharge and Renew package " with rates from RM385++ single/double for a deluxe city view, with an intriguing breakfast "adventure" offering a large selection of choice morning fare. This is a weekend package for nights of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Get a connecting room at RM275++ per night. Pick up a RM50 food and beverage voucher for use at a number of outlets. Later, devour scrumptious Italian fare at Prego. Should you have typhoon tykes in tow, toss them in at the Westin Kids Club and head of for a spot of romance, or work, undistracted. The package runs until 31 December 2007.
The Ritz-Carlton is a small, boutique affair
with 248 rooms and classic lines. No soaring lobbies, just an intimate
reception area. The rooms have been overhauled with new light pastel
colours. Euro-nuts will enjoy the acres of dark, chiselled wood
and sombre oil paintings with large gilded frames. The speciality
here is the butler-drawn bath, for all rooms. If things get a tad
steamy, remember, the butler did it. The bar is a suitably chaste deep leather seating affair with hushed lighting. At the adjoining The Residences (also from Ritz-Carlton), check out a 1,918sq ft executive suite.
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| Hotel Imperial KL / photo: hotel |
Just opposite is
the 320-room Dorsett Regency Hotel, an unpretentious
but decently equipped place with promo rates that are a bit ambitious. The pricing is a tad aggressive
but negotiate hard. The hotel also runs the Dorsett Regency Service
Apartments a short walk away.
The JW
Marriott Hotel is a bright and breezy Kuala Lumpur businessman hotel choice though it makes an excellent leisure pitstop too, based as it is, cheek-by-jowl with
some of the best shopping in town, including the immensely popular Starhill complex. Swank Dior and Louis Vuitton stores are right next to the hotel's lobby. Floors 27-29 have been converted into luxury
suites (including a two-bedroom category) with soaring double-height
ceilings.
Broadband is free in all 561 rooms. Enjoy the views while they last as a humungous commercial complex is rising up across the road from the Marriott and Westin. Deluxe rooms have satellite TV, extraordinarily comfy beds, a smart work desk with a three-pin (square) plug point (and Broadband cable). There is a large box safe that can accommodate a 15-inch laptop. The toilet is roomy with separate bathtub and rainshower cubicle. Promo rates start at around RM400++ for a deluxe room without breakfast. Or splash out on a junior suite or studio. Also check out the Starhill Spa. Get to the hotel using the e-XKL service (tel: [60-3] 2274-6266, www.eXKL.com) that involves a train ride from the airport to KL Sentral station and a Mercedes-Benz limo transfer to the hotel. This executive transfer to any hotel in KL costs RM100 and second passenger pays RM30.
Close by, the spanking
new Japanese-run Prince Hotel & Residence is
a green reflecting glass twin tower with a shared pool. It is cool,
minimalist and neat. Hotel rooms feature light cherry-wood tones and pastel hues. The
impression is Spartan but the space is functional and comfortable.
A very nice touch are the steam irons and fold-out ironing boards
in all rooms. There are coffee and tea-making facilities and a flat-screen
TV.
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| JW Marriott: landmark |
The inroom safe can store a laptop quite easily. But then, where
will your mother-in-law stay? The hotel’s Deluxe Executive
Rooms feature curving panoramic glass walls with generous views.The second tower houses the apartments.
The evergreen Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur (formerly run by the Australian chain) offers friendly
service and a handy central location. The hotel has been through a major facelift to emerge in pleasing earth tones with many attractive touches. And in the shadows
of the sky-piercing Petronas Twin Towers (when
the sun occasionally emerges from the KL haze) are the humming Mandarin Oriental and the very chic Ascott executive apartments. Both offer easy access to shopping and convention facilities and good standards of service.
The Ascott,
on Jalan Pinang, commands excellent views of the city as well as
of the towers, especially from its 22nd floor Sky Lounge and pool
deck. Hop into the turquoise Jacuzzi and lean dangerously over the
city lights, drink in hand. This is also where the fitness centre
and spa are located. The lobby is small, yet bright, airy and elegant,
offering a real sense of home. The rooms however are enormous, ranging
from 613sq ft for an Executive Studio to 3,143sq ft for the four-bedroom
Royal Penthouse. The promo rate starts at around RM490++ for a two bedroom deluxe with kitchenette including Continental breakfast, complimentary parking for one vehicle and a 15 percent discount on spa services at the Aspara. Cruise wireless broadband at the
pool deck, the Sky Lounge or lobby. Ask also for The Ascott's “Business
in Style” package which, when available, offers a range of
useful extras including dry-cleaning, Broadband and parking. Ascott offers lots and lots of room smack in the heart of town right next to nightlife, bars and shopping.
Close to the Twin
Towers, parks and fountains, and the busy KLCC shopping and restaurant complex is the Mandarin Oriental.
This is a gleaming building with fine rooms and great views and
the Pacifica Grill & Bar is a trendy haunt. This slick Kuala Lumpur business hotel offers
spa facilities, tennis and squash courts and a sunny pool looking
onto lush parklands. Being right next door to some of the best shopping in the city has its pluses. Check for special shopper discounts and specials for inhouse guests.
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| Mandarin Oriental: Shopper discounts |
Pick up discounts of five to ten percent purchasing items through the Mandarin Oriental's "Lifestyle" programme, at places like Aigner, Calvin Klein, Armani Exchange, Max Mara, Bally, Versace, Nautica and more. The top seven floors of the hotel house the Mandarin Oriental Club's 148 spacious rooms with stunning views and thoughtful executive amenities like complimentary dry-cleaning and Wireless Broadband.
The latest addition to the KLCC skyline is the smart 571-room Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur (by Shangri-La hotels). This gleaming mod property is not just smart on looks, it is smart inside, packed with bright splashes of colour, modern art, and mood lighting. Groups check-in on the first floor where a Wireless reception can be set up whenever necessary. This gets the crowds away from the normal check-in area on Level 5. This level also houses the cafe, GOBO Chit-Chat Meet and Eat - quite a mouthful but then, it does serve an extensive buffet. On Level 6 is the cosy lounge with wraparound views of the Twin Towers. Broadband Internet has to be paid for in-room but WiFi is free on Club Floors and in the Club Lounge. The business centre offers Internet access as well as a funky game station complete with steering wheels for avid racers. Bathrooms are well lit with bathtub, shower and a weighing scale. No rubber ducks here, just a lollipop which works well for him and her. Expect chic minimalist and mod rooms in earthy pastels, an interactive LCD TV, a low sink-in chair, iron and ironing board, a laptop-size safe, and a work desk with three easy-to-access plug points (3-pin square). Space is well used and everywhere there are cinematic views across the city, or the park (beyond which, the Twin Towers gleam). The rooftop Health Club & Spa offers breathtaking views and breathless fitness regimens for all sizes and tastes. Up here, by the long alfresco pool, the SkyBar is a chic after hours rendezvous with breezy snuggeries and great views. The downtown KLCC location is a useful asset. This places Traders Hotel right next to the city’s green “lungs” and jogging track, shopping, and offices. Transport options are plentiful.
In the same vicinity, the new Impiana group flagship, the Impiana KLCC Hotel & Spa is a 335-room business hotel with a good location for leisure trippers. The four-star hotel offers all-day dining and a brisk busines centre. In-room expect a hair-drier, high-speed Internet access, an electronic safe, iron and ironing board and satellite TV. Here too is the new Novotel Hydro Majestic Kuala Lumpur, close to the KLCC, with 291 rooms, an executive floor, a fitness centre, spa and pool.
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| New Traders Hotel at KLCC/ photo: hotel |
The Renaissance
Kuala Lumpur Hotel offers good facilities for business travellers and leisure
trippers. The New World wing at the Renaissance offers a different fare structure. The New World wing is cheaper and contemporary with a younger flavour while the Renaissance wing is more conservative, appealing to business travellers. Both wings share an Olympic-size pool with sunning deck and plenty of green. Work up more sweat at the well-stocked gymnasium or on the all-weather tennis courts. A spacious Grand Ballroom - easily accessed from either wing - offers a plush and modern venue for banquets, conferences and conventions. In the basement here is a prime gentleman's distraction - the Club de Macau.
The Hotel Imperial Kuala Lumpur (formerly branded the Sheraton Imperial) has gone through some major top-to-toe upgrades with a gleaming new product. There is a tad less emphasis on after-hours revelry, partly on account of the hotel's excellent location amidst a popular nightlife hub along "Heritage Row", a good enough reason to visit this fine property. The hotel is a crisp businessman's retreat with inroom Broadband. Enjoy the airy four-storey atrium lobby, the sunny swimming pool, or the hushed interiors of the Mandara Spa. This hotel is a good pick for conventioneers. (Hotel Imperial Kuala Lumpur is showcased in our exclusive Top Asian Hotels Collection, featuring the best Asian hotels, resorts and spas in a printable A4 page with stunning visuals.)
The Traders business centre even offers a games station with steering wheels for avid white-knuckle racers...
The centrally-located but ageing Hotel Istana sports black marble, geometric lines and beaded
chandeliers giving the distinct impression of a Middle East locale.
The property would have done well in Dubai circa 1970, but modern KL is a lot more competitive. Still, a raft of upgrades including the Malay-style Sompoton Spa, a broad range of dining outlets, smart accommodation, and extensive meetings facilities have brightened things considerably. Across the road the small Lodge Hotel remains closed - indefinitely - though its poolside 24-hour Coffee Shop has stayed open to do roaring business.
On Jalan Ampang’s “embassy row”
and a short walk from the KLCC is the conventions-driven Crown
Princess Hotel. While billed as a five-star, the place is a mess with poor service standards and not the best of room hygiene. Guests have reported roaches in the bathrooms, not quite your normal five-star fare.
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| Hotel Maya studio room |
Not far away, the former Raddisson, now simply, Hotel Maya, has graduated from a package-tourist haunt to an exceedingly pleasant boutique hotel aimed at individual travellers, corporates and discriminating leisure trippers. Wander in from the main road and you might be excused for thinking you've barged into Lord of the Rings IV. The restaurant ensemble here is all magic waterways, crystal rocks with twinkling lights and a black corkscrew staircase that twirls up to the second floor lobby. Yes, the taxis can go up too. Bamboo screens line an alluring dark tile pool looking onto a bright splash of greenery while hydro jets massage away the day's aches. The Hotel Maya is fully WiFi enabled and it's FREE. In-room Broadband access is free too. Rooms are chic with wooden parquet floors, dark wood, straight lines, and a distinctly contemporary Zen feel with splashes of colour. The large bathroom with a sit-down stool to enjoy the rainforest shower, has a full-height glass wall so you can watch TV while you bathe. (The Hotel Maya Kuala Lumpur features in our exclusive Top Asian Hotels Collection, featuring the best Asian hotels, resorts and spas in a printable A4 page with stunning visuals.)
There's a DVD player. Bring your own discs or borrow some from the library. The funky work desk at Hotel Maya is mounted on rollers so you can slide it back and forth to maximise space. Executive travellers will be pleased to note the inroom safe can easily handle a 15-inch screen laptop and it comes with a recharging electrical socket. Look out for the dedicated inhouse spa. Hotel Maya has a special at RM374 net for room with buffet breakfast single or double, early check-in at 7am, and a raft of extras. In the suites, the minibar is replenished daily - and charged to the house. Drink up. It's free. This reborn property is a great Kuala Lumpur leisure or business hotel choice with panoramic views of KL Tower and the Petronas Twin Towers.
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Carcosa Seri Negara charm/ photo: hotel |
In the heart of the old part of town, the Swiss-Garden Hotel is a reasonably comfortable retreat with a spa. Nearby is the Impiana. Unfortunately, both of these suffer from serious traffic congestion, and not only at peak hours, due to the proximity of a major bus terminus. Other choices include
the Hotel Equatorial on Jalan Sultan Ismail which boasts the stylish Flo bar in the lobby, the pleasant and businesslike Hotel Nikko with a gleaming lobby and some shopping distractions, Federal, Corus Hotel, and the Holiday Villa Subang at the airport. The Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport is a convenient business traveller pit-stop should you not wish to do the one-hour cab ride early morning. It is linked to the airport by an air bridge and offers 403 rooms and 38 suites all with Broadband. Taking the place of the former Pan Pacific near the Putra World Trade Centre is the Seri Pacific Hotel run by Best Western under its Premier label. Another option is the MiCasa All Suite Hotel close by the Twin Towers where rates can start at RM245.
In the suburb of Petaling Jaya at the Phileo Damansara office complex is the very competent and useful Eastin Hotel. You can bag a room here for a little over RM280++ or better. Weekend rates are almost half that with breakfast for two. There's a good dim sum Chinese restaurant. Phileo is a bit out of the way and it's unlikely you'd stay here unless you had business in the vicinity. Eastin is a good suburbia choice.
Of course, if you
really want to pummel the wallet and enjoy a manor-home experience,
there’s just one choice, the Carcosa Seri Negara,
comprising two very elegant Victorian retreats in a lush garden
setting. This estate was originally built in 1904 as the official residence of the then British representative. High teas, coffee in the gardens, strolls, croquet and
generally a very pukka experience. Junior suites start at 76sq m and bathrooms are both stately and spacious. Carcosa is now managed by the Singapore-based General Hotels Management, or GHM. Expect grand service, grand vistas and a grand bill - not that you'll mind. This is a particularly special experience. Also available are a pool, jogging
track, floodlit tennis courts and gym. Rates from a little over RM1,100.
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| Palace of the Golden Horses |
GHM also manages the relaunched The Saujana (formerly the Hyatt Saujana) a 40-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur airport and within striking distance of town. The resort hotel features 386 swish rooms and suites in an elegant lowrise development. Facilities include a spa, jogging track and golf. The rooms have Broadband access. The Saujana is going through a major refurbishment to return in mid-2008 with the addition of The Club at The Saujana.
Another
plush though somewhat out-of-the-way option is the sumptuous Palace
of the Golden Horses which is an interesting convention
or golf location. Both Palace and the neighbouring Mines Beach Resort offers
good value rates on weekends and are right next to the Selangor Turf Club where the races are held. Palace of the Golden Horses is stately and extraordinarily plush - or obscenely ornate in a sort of Chinese Rococco style - depending on your point of view. There is marble with intricate inlay everywhere and imposingly huge bronze sculptures of horses adorn the entrance, lobby, lagoon and cafe. With all its flourishes, Moorish design and copper-green cuppolas - that spring to life when the lights come on after dark - the place offers much ambience and style. Service is friendly. The food needs to be brought up a notch or two. If you're here with the family, it's likely you'll be swinging out on the adjacent championship golf course (if you booked a suite). This is a membership course.
At the other end of the scale, if you must conserve your ringgit, a good hunting ground is the area between the Istana hotel side street and Jalan Alor. Pop into the basic but "boutique-style" Eight with its pastels and simple lines where a room will set you back just over RM95 (double). The rooms are air-conditioned and look out onto the street and there's Internet in the lounge. None of that dark dingy grime that you usually find in budget establishments. The bathrooms have showers using solar-heated water. Or head a notch downscale to Rainforest Bed & Breakfast where RM80 will get you a room . There is aircon, some rooms have TV and the rate includes breakfast. Not all rooms have attached bathrooms.
Kuala Lumpur’s latest five-star offering is the One World Hotel (a member of WORLDHOTELS) in Petaling Jaya. This 438-room hotel sports contemporary décor, satellite TV, WiFi and Broadband and an in-room safe. It is close to the Utama Shopping Centre. For leisure travellers facilities include a fitness centre, four tennis courts, a pool and a spa. The 3,200sq m Grand Ballroom is a useful venue for conferencing.
Nightlife in Kuala Lumpur
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| Bukit Bintang Sheesha Bar |
For a bird’s-eye view of the city, shimmy up to the observation deck of the 421m Menara KL (tel: 2085448, open 9am-10pm) . Tickets for foreign visitors are priced RM15 (adults), and RM9 (children). The Menara also houses a restaurant and the Mega View Banquet Deck that lays claim to being the “highest” banquet facility in KL. Now you know.
A happening place is the basement of the new Starhill mall near the Marriott, crammed with eateries from around the world. Head to Sentidos Tapas (tel: 2145-3385) for interesting nibbles (though the Sangria is doubtful), Shook (tel: 2719-8535) with an open-plan layout and several offerings, or Tarbush Restaurant (tel: 2144-6393) for Lebanese food. These are theme restaurants with decor to match. Also try My Thai (by silk house Jim Thompson), Vansh for Indian, and Koryo-Won for Korean.
Nightlife and dining
options have really taken off. Bangsar continues to dominate the
evening scene with the La Bodega Lounge (tel: 2287-3808)
leading the charge. Upstairs is cosy if a touch smoky. The latest strip in this area is One Bangsar, a side road heading up a low rise and lined with bungalow-restaurants offering everything from Thai (Montient), and Italian (Vincenzo), to Indian (Sagar). Vincenzo (tel: 2287-1686) at the quieter end of the strip is a nice white villa with brick walls and a small garden where a meal for two will cost not much more than RM120.
Another
up and coming area for the younger set is Desa Sri Hartamas, with
the same three-storey shophouse set-up like Bangsar, and numerous watering
holes.
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| Rum Jungle on P Ramlee |
The Hard
Rock (next to Concorde Hotel),Planet Hollywood and Zouk churn out their well-known fare but smaller local establishments
really steal the thunder. Frangipani (tel: 2144-3001)
is an ultra-chic art-deco hideaway on Bukit Bintang with subdued
lighting, square columns, brushed steel walls, maroon drapes, and
an indoor pool with an atrium. Here you can try exotica like “Skinless
leg of organic chicken”… The nosh is terrific and the
menu changes every two months.
Tamarind
Springs (tel: 4256-9300), a bit further out, is spectacular
– enter through a Balinese-style wall and gate down a candle-lit
path to a spread-out thatch-roof bungalow set in lush greenery,
above a golf course, and with its own quick-dip pool. The open-sided
establishment has a wrap-around balcony, ceiling fans, and walls
in a deep salmon hue. The menu is Lao, Cambodian and Vietnamese.
A sister property, Tamarind Hill, is a planter’s
bungalow, closer to town, serving Thai-Vietnamese.
Long-running Rama V does classy Thai and Liquid at
the Central Market (tel: 2026-5039) is a stylish hangout for the
alternative crowd. Lots of biceps here. Jalan P Ramlee is usually
bopping by sundown with sleek bars, sleeker women, and throbbing
danceclubs like The Beach Club (tel: 2161-6666), and Nuovo. On Jalan Ramlee as well is the new Modesto's-managed string of pub-nosheries - Modestos, Bar Uno 1, and Bar Ibiza. The spacious Budaba is a far cry from the Parisian Buddha Bar, and serves up Tex-Mex dining while across the road the fast expanding Thai Club has gained a saucy reputation, not just for its short-time inn that now competes for business with established service apartments in the area. Or try the Argentinian Maredo's Steakhouse (tel: 2162-8268) not far from the new bar and chow entrant Rum Jungle and the relaxed colonial-white mange tout restaurant (tel: 2141-8005).
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| Funky Nero Vivo for Italian |
If you’re
still peckish, roll up your sleeves and stroll across to Jalan
Alor’s hawker stalls or to the 24-hour Estana
Curry House (tel: 2411958) on Jalan Sultan Ismail around
the corner from the Istana Hotel. Estana does terrific tandoori
chicken and a gut-busting meal here will set you back less than
RM10. On a side street nearby Estana also runs the Restoran Nagasari Curry House, a clean banana leaf slop shop with South Indian fare.
Of course, top of the curry league, is the alfresco Raju
Restaurant in Petaling Jaya (Jln Gasing, tel: 7561-361).
You’ll be served on banana leaves. Or try Kayu (tel: 7877-4777) in Petaling Jaya for more of the same. For something more upmarket
and late-at-night walk along Changkat Bukit Bintang for everything from French to Brazilian. Try Yoko's (tel: 2144-3378) for Japanese, the Deutsches Haus, or head farther up to Jalan Ceylon to bungalow establishments like Bon Ton (nice villa but a tad overpriced) and the cosy Nero Vivo (tel: 2070-3120) that serves excellent Italian in eccentric surrounds with large, eye-catching paintings. Try a wood-fired pizza. And if you have an urge for some Hongkong-style Chinese in a large efficient establishment, head to the Imbi Palace Restaurant (tel: 2145-4822) where the clatter and menu won't disappoint.
One of the newer and more interesting nightlife areas is a district of converted shophouses called "Heritage Row". The bars and restaurants run along Jalan Doraisamy next to the Sheraton. Here you'll find The Loft complex with a funky lounge, Japanese, and Italian at Mezza Notte (tel: 2691-5668). Mezza Notte is run by a French chef with an Italian assistant. The food is, well, a fusion of sorts... and the decor is romantically muted and upscale. Find a purple wall and blend in. There's Indian at That Indian Thing, Indo-Chinese at CoChine (tel: 2697-1180) and dark snuggeries and couches at the brooding, statue-ringed Bar Sa Vanh. If there's time to spare try foot reflexology at Old Cottage (tel: 2698-5168).
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| Heritage Row lights up |
For late nights
and large wallets there’s always the twinkling lights
of clubs like Bintang Palace or Kelab de
Vegas. Bintang Palace karaoke rooms start at RM200 or more per night and a crooning companion will set you back around RM60 per hour. Drinks and the mandatory fruit platter are extra and a four-hour minimum levy for your lady friend will add some hefty zeroes to the bill. Expect to pay at least RM700 for a quick in and out. At De Vegas the room is RM300 and your companion is a more modest RM50 per hour. Things at these establishments only get moving after 9.30 or 10pm. I weighed things up, said hello to the mamasan, toured some fake-Versailles rooms and decided to head to the Estana Curry House where I had tandoori chicken, fried mutton, daal, biryani rice, curry and a huge bottle of mineral water for just RM17. Now that's what I call a good deal. Now, if only I could have seen what I was eating. Throw some water on Indonesia will ya?
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