Friday, January 4, 2019

Outward Vacay: Mercure Kota Kinabalu City Centre

My annual ‘pilgrimage’ to Kota Kinabalu last year (for my much needed end-of-the-year vacation) has brought me to this relatively new hotel. Barely a year from its opening, the new hotel is located at the far end of KK city, but near to the likes of Suria Sabah mall, the not-yet-opened Jesselton Mall & Residence as well as Jesselton Point, where all ferries to the nearby islands converge.

During check-in, I was initially shocked by their somewhat hefty deposit (apparently they imposed a deposit of RM100 per night – a first for me since the hotels that I’ve been to usually had a fixed rate regardless of the duration of your stay) since I will be staying there for almost a week. But thankfully, the receptionist took pity upon my unprepared & panic state and was considerate enough to lower the amount. In fact, the hotel’s overall staffs were quite friendly and nice so I do feel at ease during my stay. Now I’ve read numerous comments regarding the weird layout of their rooms as well as the size of it being a bit small. But I think it is a matter of personal preferences since I found my room to be spacious enough despite being windowless and the bathroom design to be very unique. My partner even joked that we can finally do our ‘morning businesses’ at the same time now since both the toilet and shower were separated by different glass doors. But light sleepers do beware (such as moi). They do have an extremely thin wall (since I could clearly hear our neighbour’s conversation as if they were right next to me, at 3am no less) and that very noisy piping system (my partner legit thought that it was the sound of airplanes repeatedly passing by overhead).

Also, the hotel does have a small swimming pool on the 25th floor with a tiny portion of it dedicated to kids (and I mean hilariously tiny). And since our booking doesn’t come with a free breakfast, I can’t really comment on their dining facilities but it’s good to note that they have several eateries within its premise – the Fratini’s Pasta & Pizza café on the ground floor, the main restaurant on the 2nd floor and a bar of sorts’ right by the poolside. Overall, a convenient place to stay despite the sound proofing problem.

Next we have…

Type – Superior Room with 1 King Size Bed
Room – 4/5 (I actually loved the unique layout of the room)
Price – 3/5 (I still think they’re reasonable despite the hefty deposit policy)
Service – 5/5 (very courteous and friendly staff – kudos to them)
Décor – 4/5 (very modern and vibrant – definitely a cheerful looking place)
Facilities – 4/5 (they also have several meeting halls if I’m not mistaken)
Location – 4/5 (they’re also on the same row/ street as Tong Hing Supermarket)

*These are the outer look of the hotel & the lobby area...

(Mercure is on the left while the right one is the Jesselton Mall & Residence)



*These are pictures of our room...





*And last but not least, the views of the 25th floor (which includes the pool, gym & a bar/cafe)...




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