Outward Vacay: Semporna Seaview Hotel

Okay so this is my first time staying at an accomodation built from shipping containers (which seems to be the 'it' design at the moment) as I was always curious about them. And what better time to do so especially when my hubby had to do some business in Semporna quite recently right? 

There are actually a couple of other shipping containers based hotels in Semporna but we ultimately decided to stay at this one mainly due to its location (they're situated right by the Seafest area, facing the local marine police station - which also adds  a more secure feel to them). Parking spots are available within the small compound of the hotel and checking in and out were a breeze. To be honest I was already expecting the small sized (but clean and comfortable) room that we'd been assigned to but I was pleasantly surprised to discovered that their bathroom & showers were pretty spacious. I'd also enjoyed the view that I've gotten from the balcony of my room, but the downside of staying at a container hotel was that you could practically hear other patron's footsteps clearly from your room (even if they're at the other end of the corridor). Oh and if you're hoping to relax while watching tv then think again since they only had 2 channels available (and both were very grainy).

Type - Balcony Deluxe Double

Room - 4/5 (might be a bit small in size but very clean in condition)

Price - 4/5 (quite competitive for such accomodation)

Service - 5/5 (their staff were mostly male but they were very polite which was nice)

Decor - 4/5 (mostly has that modern & 'industrial' vibe)

Facilities - 5/5 (this is mainly a no-frills type of hotel so if you wanted somewhere safe to sleep for the night then this place is for you)

Location - 5/5 (I just loved that I can walk to the Seafest & floating restaurant area in about 5-10 minutes) 

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Brown Fox Cafe (KK FoodieVenture #198)

Up next is another cafe (yes, my hubby was 'thrilled' by this) that I've seen being promoted through local social media for several months now. And it was actually the first time for both me and my hubby to even entered the Sutera Avenue area because we never actually had any business there before. The cafe was not immediately visible at the front side of the area but as we parked our vehicle at the basement level and went up using the main escalators, the cafe was right on the left side of the  escalators. And err.. the insides were surprisingly smaller than I thought it would be (I blamed that on some heavy editing by aforementioned social media). Nevertheless I like the overall vibe of the place and proceed to ordered their Chicken Katsu Curry Rice and Tantan Shrimp Ramen. The dishes might not have blown my hubby's mind away like the previous cafe did but he still liked his rice dish a lot.  And I also like the ramen that I had but what I really loved were their pastries. The combination of the Chocolate Brownies and Matcha Cream were just superb while the slight bitterness of the Chocolate Cream Puff cream compliments the sweet choco fillings well. But do be warned that their pricing is definitely within the above average range so do prepare your wallets accordingly.

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Richiamo Coffee Aeropod (KK FoodieVenture #197)

Okay so since this time around me and my husband were in KK for only 1 night, we only managed to try out 2 new eateries and one of them is this Richiamo Coffee outlet at Aeropod Commercial Square. We had just landed via KKIA and decided upon a nearby place to eat since it was already noon at said time. Needless to say, this was probably the best recommendation that I've given to my husband to date. I mean, over the years, my love for cafes has not rubbed onto him and he was mostly tagging along to wherever I wanted (him) to go. So I was surprised when he said that the Nasi Daging Masak Lemak Cili Padi dish that he had was probably one of the best dishes that he had tasted, and he would like to revisit the place in the future. Well... I'm glad that at least I'm doing something right 😉 My Nasi Ayam Masak Hitam dish was delicious as well and I loved that the chicken meat just fell easily from its bones. The Chocolate Chip Muffin and drinks were okay but the stars of the show were definitely the main dishes that we had; definitely a surprise coming from a coffee cafe.

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Outward Vacay: The Loft Residence Imago

I kid you not when I say that in the years that I've been to KK, I have never.. not even once stayed at an apartment. I think it was more because I'm not really into dealing with people directly (shout out to all introverts out there). Apartments were more of my sister's 'thing' so I obviously sorted out her advice before deciding to rent one on top of Imago Shopping Mall (akak The Loft Residence), just to see the difference. We decided upon an apartment within Loft A (sorry but I can't exactly pinpoint where it is for safety reasons) after going through several choices. 

Thankfully my first experience was rather good actually. And it was so good that my hubby was even pushing for another stay at the place for our annual end-of-the-year holiday. First off, I was surprised by the very short & precise dealing with the owner. Everything was sorted out really fast and we even managed to find our intended loft in no time via simple and easy-to-understand WhatsApp chats (by the shout out to Beatrice for everything). We rented a studio apartment and it was just nice for the 2 of us. Decor were simple and tasteful, as well as being reasonably clean throughout. The view from our apartment was pretty good as well and they even provided a washing machine to which I'm grateful for. Also, free parkings were available within the loft (but you do need a keycard to access the parking floors). Swimming pool were also available (conveniently on the same floor as our apartment) for public use but management do insist on everyone wearing actual swim wear while using the facility. 

If there's one thing that they could've improved on is to provide clear signage that leads directly to the mall below from the apartment area, as I've actually found several ways to the mall through trial and error. But this is an issue with the building's management, not the owner. 

Type - Studio Apartment 

Room - 5/5 (very happy with it) 

Price - 5/5 (the price was probably one of the cheapest that I could find within the residence) 

Service - 5/5 (again, thank you Beatrice for a smooth transaction) 

Decor - 4/5 (I really like the whole simple yet modern feel) 

Facilities - 4/5 (if only they provided more lift that leads directly to the parking area, as there's only one lift to the area) 

Location - 5/5 (obviously nothing could beat being directly above Imago shopping mall right?) 

** These are the outer pics of said apartment building.... 

**.. as well as the apartment itself

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