Kuala Lumpur: Sheraton Imperial Hotel

I was here on business travel attending a conference at the hotel - so I got the room at a corporate rate. I stayed on the Starwood Preferred Guest Floor in the Deluxe Twin Room on the 29th floor.

About the Room - The room was very luxurious with a very good view of the city, plush beds and carpeting and nice gold trimmings on the bath tubs. The tub actually had the shower handle on the ledge of the tub, so you can hold it instead of way on top as per usual. I thought that was pretty cool! They provided shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, body gel and also, get this, mouthwash! Although I have to warn that the shampoo is quite drying and left my hair very dry the following day.

The room also had a walk-in closet, a large safe (big enough for my laptop), complete with an ironing board and iron. It saves you the trouble of getting your laundry done or calling for an iron. The selection of tea and coffees was also good - Nescafe, Nescafe Decaf, White Coffee Twinnings brand Chamomile, English Breakfast and Green Tea anyone? The TV had satelite channels as well such as Star World, Star Movies, National Geographic, MTV, and some news channels (BBC/CNN, I think).

I also really liked the gym - it was very high end with individual TVs and sounds for EACH equipment. They also had a machine Ive never seen before - something like a mix between a cross trainer and a skiing machine. They provide towels, drinking water and had large gym balls, free weights and weight machines. It is open 24/7, and you need to use your hotel card to access it. From 10pm to 6am, you need to register at the counter to access the gym. They also provide headphones to plug into each machine if you did not have one at hand.

Food - I will comment on the Essence buffet first - I would say that the selection and food here is better than most hotels in KL. Their satay is always a hit with me and their ice creams and fruit sherberts are also good. I was not a fan of their Chinese restaurant though - Celestial Court. I am most definitely not a foodie, hence you don't see many food reviews here, but the food at Celestial Court fell short of my expectations. Their roast duck was not crispy and tasted the same as any other restaurant out of KL. Breakfast was OK - with the usual selection of asian and western breakfasts. I tried the congee (rice porridge) and muesli and it was ok.

I did not try their pool but their staff has been quite nice, polite and friendly throughout. Im a KL-ite but I appreciate the location of the hotel right next to the LRT and Monorail lines. Overall Im happy with the hotel as the company paid for it but as a traveler myself Im not really into luxury hotels. If you have the money and prefer luxury hotels, this is a great place.

Kuala Lumpur: ATV Adventure Park Kampung Kemensah

As part of my Malaysia Truly Asia campaign (learning explore my own country and city), I rounded up a couple of friends to go for an ATV ride in the forest near Kampung Kemensah. I've tried riding an ATV once in Cambodia near Siem Reap and it was one of the most memorable experiences I can remember. So undoubtedly I was excited to go on this ATV trip - through the jungle and to the waterfall, nonetheless.

I took Package B (details provided in the website below) , which included a 1-1.5 hours ATV ride through the jungle to reach a small waterfall before taking the same route home. It was a good route, started with a 20 minute practice at their very small practice route which included downhill and uphill practice session...then down a very steep slope out of the office/premises and into the jungle. The route was quite interesting - combined uphill climbs, tracks about 5 feet wide and 1 rickety bridge. The waterfall was clean but small, but the highlight was certainly the ride, rather than the destination.



The organisation of the tour was good - they had a mobile number printed on the website. A 50% deposit was required for the booking. They started with a briefing on using the ATV and provided mineral water during the stop at the waterfall..

The machines were functional and reasonably new, in working condition. Sorry I can't provide more pictures for the tour, as they all have my friends faces in it, but we are signing up for Package C soon, and I will be sure to upload more pictures then.

All in all I recommend this ATV trail for those who enjoy ATVs, who likes the jungle. For tourists who are familiar with using an ATV I would suggest a long trail, such as Package C or D described in the website below.

Read my adventure on Package C here, ridden on June 2012.

Directions to the ATV Adventure Park
From MRRII, exist Zoo Neagara. Drive all the way in, approximately 4.8km. DO NOT take any right or left turns. You will pass thru Kampung Kemensah and many small houses along the way. Be careful as some part of the road is narrow. Upon reaching a T-junction (fishing pond on left) , drive straight, up the hill for another 1.2km before reaching the park.

Attraction Website:
http://www.atvadventurepark.com/

Kota Kinabalu: Things To Do

Here are some interesting things to do in the city of Kota Kinabalu, picked up from a hotel brochure. I have only selected only some highlights, and not all activities listed in the brochure. The price listed here is the approximate price at January 2012.

Kinabalu National Park Tour: RM 170 nett per person
0830 Hours depart from hotel to Kinabalu National park. On arrival at Kinabalu National Park, jungle walking with the guide. See the smallest orchid in Borneo and the different vegetations. Lunch at a local restaurant. Visit the Exhibition Hall and Mountain Garden. Afternoon, transfer to hotel in Kota Kinabalu. ETA 1630. (L)

Poring Hot Spring & Kinabalu Park Tour: RM 190 nett Per Person
0730 Hours depart from hotel to Poring Hot spring. Upon arrival, go on a jungle trail via the Canopy Walkway and take a dip in the hot sulphur reservoir. After lunch, proceed to Kinabalu National Park. On arrival at Park, visit the Exhibition Hall and Mountain Garden. Afternoon, transfer to hotel in Kota Kinabalu. ETA 1830. (L)

2D/1N Mt. Kinabalu Climbing Tour: RM 950.00 nett Per Person
Day1: Meet at hotel at 0730 & transfer to Kinabalu Park HQ to register. Later to Timpohan gate to begin trek to a resthouse. Packed lunch provided. Refresh, dinner & overnight at the accomodation. (L&D)

Day 2: Wake up at 0230 hours to climb to the summit. Witness the mystical sunrise at 000 hours. Then return to the resthouse for breakfast & descend to HQ for the certification. After lunch depart to hotel (B&L)

Inclusive of: All tranfers and meals as per itinerary, entrance fees, climbing permit, insurance, certificate, mountain guide and tour guide.

Kiulu White Water River Rafting: RM 170 nett per person
0830 Hours depart from hotel to Kiulu River. On arrival enjoy light refreshment before transferring to the starting point at Pukak or Sukang. After a safety briefing, start rafting down for about 2 hours. The end point is Kiulu Town - an area covering approximately 7-8KM. After changing, enjoy BBQ lunch by the riverside. Then transfer to hotel in KK. ETA 1500 (L)

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (Sapi, Mamutik, Manukan Islands): RM55 nett per person per island. Island hopping : RM190 nett per person.

City Hotel to Jetty Schedule: 0935hours, 1135
Jetty to City Hotel: 1455 Hours, 1655 hours

For Island hopping Tour: 0830 Hours pick up from hotel and transfer to jetty for boat ride to manukan Island. Free at leisure on the Island. In the afternoon, boat transfer to Sapi Island for a BBQ lunch and free at leisure. Late afternoon, transfer back to the mainland and return to hotel. ETA 1500 Hours (L)

Please note that I do not guarantee the quality of the tours listed here or the attractions. By listing this sample itineraries and cost I hope to provide travelers to Kota Kinabalu an idea of what they can do, the timing involved and the cost involved, provided by a local tour provider.

Sabah: Shangri-La Rasa Ria Nature Reserve

During my stay in KK, I made it a point to visit all the top resorts of Kota Kinabalu. Due to unavailability of the hotels during CNY and last minute bookings on my end, I couldn’t stay at any of these resorts, and therefore felt the need to visit them to appraise them via my hotel critique lenses. J I love hotels, resorts, B&B and what not, and even though I don’t get to stay in them, I love visiting them and checking them out for future purposes.

One of my first spots to visit was the Shangri-La Rasa Ria – particularly for their own private Nature Reserve. I was very impressed by their facilities and the nature reserve and will definitely be back one day to visit. I managed to grab one of their fact sheets for public information for anyone interested to visit:

Rasa Ria Nature Reserve Concept Statement

The Rasa Ria Nature Reserve was established by Shangri-Las Rasa Ria Resort in collaboration with the State Wildllife Department of Sabah in June 1996. The main purpose of setting up this protected ecological space was to help facilitate rehabilitation programmes for endangered species of fauna as well as those endemic in Sabah.

· The fauna are given sanctuary, sheltered from human-induced injury as well as from risks of being collected and domesticated by people. If released into the wilderness of the jungle in their current states, the fauna are unlikely to survive or fend for themselves. The Rasa Ria Nature Reserve provides a home until they reach an appropriate stage when they are ready to be rehabilitated into natural habitats.

Highlights of the Nature Reserve Activities

In Search of the Orang Utan

10am and 2pm for 1 hour. Conservation fee: RM 50 per person, non in-house guest: RM 65.00 per person. 72 hours prior booking required.

• Learn about the orang utans, its natural habits and related rehabilitation and conservation efforts.
• Watch our orphaned baby orang utans from a viewing platforms.

Summit Breakfast

Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. 6.30am for 2 hours. Rm65.00 per person. 72 hour prior booking required.

• Witness the sunrise with backdrop of Mt. Kinabalu – South East Asia’s highest mountain
• Enjoy continental breakfast at the 15ft high observation tower located at the highest point of the nature reserve
• Suggested attire: T-shirt, good walking shoes, hat

Noctornal Animal Watch

Nightly. 9.00pm for about 2 hours. Conservation fee RM 20.00/adult/10 child.

• A chance to encounter rare species of Borneo’s nocturnal wildlife like the sambar deer, barking deer, mouse deer, civet cat, slow loris, common porcupine and many more.
• Suggested attire: long trousers, long sleeves and track shoes.

Visit to Canopy Walkway

Every Thursday, Tuesday and Saturday. 3.00m for about 2 hours. Conservation fee: RM40.00per person. 72 hours prior booking required.

• Trek through the rainforest and witness life in the treetops as you walk along the 10m high canopy walkway. You may be able to see birds & butterflies below or a group of long tailed macaque monkey jumping from tree to tree.

Orang Utan viewing & Canopy Walkway visit

10am for about 2 hours. Conservation fee: RM70.00 per person.

• Combination of two activities
• Proper jungle attire with good walking shoes, hat and insect repellent

Kota Kinabalu: Hotel Promenade

I visited Kota Kinabalu for a family event in CNY. I booked this hotelfairly last minute for the CNY holidays - and obviously my first priority was to get the top rated places on TA - Rasa Ria, Tanjung Aru, and all the resorts. However, they were either fully booked, or extremely overpriced - RM1200 a night in Rasa Ria!!!

This hotel was recommended to me as an alternative as it was closer to town - at first I was apprehensive seeking reviews here, but after coming back from a good 5 day stay at the hotel I have nothing but praises as they charged me only RM 300++ for a Double Deluxe SUITE which included breakfasts and high tea. When was the last time you had high tea for 2 included in your suite stay for RM 300++? Well, this is a first for me. Having the kiasu traits of the typical Malaysian, the more features packaged in my deal, the better. You should be able to book the hotel on their website – I strongly suggest the Double Deluxe Suite.

I requested a corner suite with a sea facing view and it was a very good choice. I had a nice living room area, a big bathroom area with bath and shower, 2 TVs (one in bedroom and another in the living room) and a large king sized bed. The room had all amenities - TV, coffee making facilities, fridge, ironing board and iron, bathrobes, etc. For the iron itself, you have to order it from room service and they will send it to you within 10 minutes. The view was fantastic.

I would suggestion to take only the rooms with Promenade Floor Club privileges - which means rooms on 10-12th floor. This way, you are able to guarantee some standards in terms of the rooms.

What impressed me most was that gym was working properly - it was well equipped, the jacuzzi was working and so was the sauna and steam. Typically what you see at hotels is that one or a few of these facilities are not working. It is actually a gym that is open to membership from outside, so it’s well maintained with personal instructions willing to help you and watching over the gym facilities. If I had any complaints it would be that it closed too soon at 6.30am-9pm.

The pool was fine, if a little small. They also had a few restaurants in the building - a bakery, a chinese restaurant, and if you stay on the Promenade Club floors, you have a mini cafe up on the 11th floor as well. The food we had on the 11^th floor was ok. Breakfast was a little dull but the high tea or they call it (sunset cocktail) was really good as they had tea, coffee, wine, spirits and etc on the house as well as the usual high tea fare. In that case it was extremely value for money. They even had a balcony on the 11^th floor café that you can sit at and enjoy the views of the oceanfront.

The hotel is about 15 minutes away from the Air Asia Kota Kinabalu Terminal. They have a taxi service from the hotel to the airport that costs about RM 30 – in a nice luxurious family van.

I have had no issues with the service there - in fact they were overly nice to me! Based on the reviews I’ve read on other websites I was expecting lots of surliness but I received none of that. Everyone was super smiley and helpful.

I traveled with my family this time and it was nice to go into a hotel with lots more domestic travelers and locals. I don't see many foreign tourists here - so if you are from overseas and would like the company of other travelers I doubt this is the place for that - being a frequent traveler myself. If you are here in KK and would like to be in town, and want to get things done, this is the place for you.

Hotel Details:

www.promenade.com.my