Foodaholic Tawau: bftp

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BFTP: Premier Hotel Sibu

Labels: bftp, hotel

Wow, I’ve just realized that I’ve only posted this BFTP almost once per year. Well, I think I really need to step up my game huh? So this time around my memories had flown us all the way to Sibu, Sarawak.

Premier Hotel Sibu

When – Way back in 2009, because a former college friend of mine has been begging me to come and visit her

Where – I would say that it’s within a very strategic place at the Sarawak House Complex, Jalan Kampung Nyabor. For those of us not from that area, the hotel is within the Pekan Sibu.

Room(s) that I’ve stayed in – Superior Double Room

Reasons for staying – Like I’ve mentioned before, one of my close friends from college has been bugging me to come to her hometown in Sibu for years. And since she’d been to Tawau previously, I think it’s only fair that I returned the favour and finally relented. I would say that it was a pleasant experience, although I got the impression that Sibu is smaller than I initially thought though.

Pros:

~ the hotel is somewhat in the middle of the main town area so you are in close proximity to lots of shops and even their ‘pasar malam’. And if my memory serves me correctly, it is also within walking distance to the main ferry terminal (of course, it is the main form of inter-district transportation in Sarawak).

~ the hotel is also attached to a shopping complex (but looks more like a large supermarket to me) called the Sarawak House Complex so it’s pretty convenient for you to buy your essentials.

~ the room I was given was very comfortable, with that old school charm (can also be translated as ‘dated’) and has a nice view overlooking the town. But they have since refurbished their rooms so it is more modern looking now.

Cons:
~ I went out to grab a bite at the wee hours in the morning (I’ll explain why later) and was surprise to see the lobby area very darkly lit. I mean, two-lights-only darkness with only 1 staff manning the place. I found this very surprising since the hotel can be considered as large (and by the looks of it, one of the pricier ones at that time) so I wasn’t expecting them to be very frugal when it comes to the lobby. But then again, it was a while ago and from the looks of it now (via their current website) they have gone through renovations and are now (hopefully) much better lit than before.

~ unfortunately if you’re interested in visiting other malls in Sibu, then you do need to take a taxi to and fro since the area is quite far away from other malls.

~ at that time, their free wifi services were only limited to the lobby area so I do remember having to carry my laptop downstairs just to send some emails

~ I also remember the bathroom lights were off during my first night there but it has been sorted out by the second night.

Memorable event(s) – I clearly remembered that the first night I checked into the hotel was also the beginning of the fasting month. So imagine me going out trying to find some place to have my first sahur of the year, in an unfamiliar town, ALL ALONE. Yup, thinking back I just realized that I was pretty bold during those days. Thankfully I do not have to walk that far, since there’s a 24 hours KFC nearby for me to grab a (very) early morning snack.

Overall Ratings: * * * (curious as to what the place looked like now)

(P/S: Pictures below are mostly ‘borrowed’ from www.tripadvisor.com so all credit goes to them, otherwise stated differently of course)

(This front pic is taken from bettyandlingshing.blogspot.com. The shopping complex is actually attached to the hotel)

(The room that I got looked very similar to this one - this is way before they'd dolled up the place)

(Yup, this reminds me so much of the room as well way back when)

(Want more prove that this is exactly what the room looks like a few years back? Just check out the retro TV!)

(This last one was taken from www.yanty.my - This is what Pekan Sibu looks like, it is actually smaller than it looks though)

BFTP: Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Labels: bftp, hotel

It’s been (somewhat) ‘ages’ since I’ve done a BFTP special so today I present to you… (God! I really do need a vacation soon!)

Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur

When – In 2011, for a very ‘special reason’ (which you’ll soon see below)

Where – If one of the main reasons for coming to KL is to see the famous Petronas Twin Towers, then this is the place for you as it is ridiculously near to it (right across the street to be exact)

Room(s) that I’ve stayed in – Paradise Cabana

Reasons for staying – Bet you didn’t know that I’m an avid football fan huh? The main reason why I went there that time was because Liverpool was visiting Malaysia & I can’t possibly passed up that opportunity now, could I?

Pros:

~ the room is suitable for honeymooners, what with the bed setting and all (or two adventurous, romantic souls – whichever it is)

~ it’s at the same open air floor as the swimming pool and the garden so you’ll get the sense of being on a private property

~ the room price was pretty reasonable as compared to other hotels within the proximity (I mean really, it’s practically prime land)

~ Avenue K mall is also situated right next to the hotel so it’s pretty convenient for you to use the LRT services (as it is at the underground level of the latter)

~ the bellboys were polite and friendly, what with them asking us about the game right after we came back from it (or just frustrated fans that can’t join us due to work)

Cons:

~ the hotel is huge but really looks a bit dated especially from the outside – will do with a couple of minor renovations

~ receptionists could also do with some smiles though – there’s one particular female receptionist who gave me this annoyed look when I ask for directions to the LRT

~ even though it might be very close to the Twin Towers, I do advice you to book a room on the higher floors though since we can’t really enjoy the view from where we are staying (unless you want to have severe neck pains – like we did)

Memorable event(s) – We were there mainly for the game (to which our home team gloriously lost) so in the spirit of it, we were wearing our jerseys (I’m wearing the Liverpool jersey while my partner decided on the Malaysian team) so we do attracted more than a few stares when we got out of the lift. It’s especially even more so when we converge with a few other in-similar-situation-fans at the lobby as if we’d planned it (which we did not – heck, we didn’t even know them!)

~ but we ended up going to the game as a group (and even got temporarily lost while finding the venue as a group – har har har) so that was a fun experience

Overall Ratings: * * * * (pretty ‘groovy’ in my books)

(P/S: Pictures below are mostly ‘borrowed’ from Tripadvisor.com so all credit goes to them)

It is right next to the famous Twin Towers

The room (or cabana) that we'd stayed in minus the love pillows & rose petals

The pool are surrounded by the 'cabana' rooms

The bathroom view if you're curious

The lobby where we 'converged' with other footie fans

You can't see it, but this mall is actually next to the hotel (and where you'll find the LRT services)

BFTP: Telang Usan Hotel Kuching

Labels: bftp, hotel

I'm back with my second BFTP and this time around I'm going all the way to Kuching, Sarawak. This might be waaayy back when I was a little greener (aka 'younger' - those were the days...) but it still remains as one of my fondest memories to this date.

Telang Usan Hotel Kuching

When - Sometime around 2009, with my early bonus no less
Where - It's located somewhat at the center of the lovely city of Kuching, so you'll have no troubles walking around for some retail therapy.
Room(s) that I've stayed in - Deluxe Room
Reason for staying - Now I have never done this (because I'm a somewhat control freak) and I absolutely hated going anywhere without any prior planning but weirdly enough when a good friend goes all 'lets go to Kuching' on a whim, I jumped on board. Our first hotel (it was during the school holidays so it's near impossible to find good, reasonably priced hotels) was a total dump (yes, we stupidly decided to just walk-in to a random hotel - in a city both of us are no familiar with) but thankfully a staff of the former hotel help us to find a better hotel so we're good from then on.
Pros:
* The room was big in size and the price was just right. In fact, I've notice that most of the hotels in Kuching were way cheaper (yes, including the big league hotels) than that in KK. Go figure!
* The Orang Ulu decor in and out of the hotel was just fascinating. You'll feel as if you're visiting somebody's home rather than staying at a hotel, which was pretty awesome.
* There's a garden for the guests to lounge in as well, a good attempt at introducing nature to the otherwise metropolitan area
Cons:
* I admit that the hotel might need to do some upgrade since the hotel (despite the very original Orang Ulu decor) looked very dated. It gives out the vibe of staying at a 1990s establishment.
* I do remember that the breakfast (albeit free) was the same throughout my one week stay. I'm hoping that they've improved this matter now
Memorable Event(s) - I still remember that when we were there, there's actually a construction going on within the proximity of the hotel. So eventhough the hotel was suppose to be very near to the main city attractions and mall areas, me and my friend had to walk around 25 minutes to get there (because we had to circled the construction site to get to the city area, and it's a huge construction site mind you). It was raining at times but I personally like the hotel so much that I kinda let the distance matter go. And I do appreciate the staff lending their personal umbrella to us so it's all good in the end.
Overall rating: * * * 1/2 (you'll definitely get the sense of Sarawak when you're there)

(P/S: Pictures below are mostly 'borrowed' from Tripadvisor.com and Sarawakhotelbooking.com so all credit goes to them)

Yup, they also provide free on-site parkings

There's actually a pretty awesome sitting area in between the main door of the hotel to their actual entrance a few metres from it. Pretty interesting concept.

Absolutely love the very traditional Sarawak decor

Where else can you get a cosy garden within a hotel area, in the city no less?

Similar room that we've stayed in. It's really big in size and comfortable to boot

BFTP: Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu

Labels: bftp, hotel

I came up with this special segment called BFTP = Blast From The Past (which will popped up from time to time) to feature some of the hotels/ eateries that I've previously been to (especially outside of Tawau but not strictly to that), that I also haven't done any reviews on (particularly because most of them were during my pre-blogging days, and I probably won't be going back any time soon). And no, I'm not doing this to show off (puh-lease!). It's more or less my way of going down my own memory lane since I had lots of fond memories on such places. And it will be a shame not to share some of those memories with y'all (wink wink). I'll only highlight some key points so ready or not, here's my first entry...

Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu Hotel

When - I have been to this hotel several times but the most recent one being on Dec 2012
Where - It's located just in front of Kota Kinabalu's popular Filipino Market.
Room(s) that I've stayed in - Classic Room, Deluxe Seaview Room & Club Junior Suite
Reason for staying -Mostly due to the holidays (because the place was very strategic)
Pros:
* Definitely one of those high end hotels in KK, with spacious rooms and even your personal DVD player on every room (which is not common for hotels in Malaysia)
* Do choose or upgrade to the Deluxe Seaview room for a spectacular view of the sea and the Filipino Market especially at night
* Free parking spaces (just bring along the ticket to be stamped at the reception counter)
* Love the fact that their suite also comes with its own (again, very spacious) living area as well as 2 separate bathrooms.
* Superb service at their in-house restaurant Circle, as well as pretty extensive dinner buffet selection
Cons:
* The price has recently been revised and hiked up so do expect a heftier price for your favorite rooms
* The decor might be a bit dated (but still pretty classy in my book)
* Do be extra careful when using the bathroom since the tiles can be pretty slippery (as evident with my personal experience of tripping and spraining my foot during a stay there - but that is entirely my fault)
* Swimming pool was great but there can be some 'fishy' smells coming from the nearby fish market
Memorable Event(s) - People still did not believe me when I tell them about this (but I swear to God that it is true). It was my stay back in 2011 when I was woken up by a banging on my door at around 3am. I peeped through the peephole and lo and behold, there's a naked Caucasian dude banging on my door like there's no tomorrow. Upon close inspection (hey, not that type of inspection okay..) the dude probably had a little too much fun and got himself drunk and locked out of his own room, which apparently was beside ours. A quick call to the front desk quickly solved the problem and I pretty much continued on with my slumber, as if nothing had happen (as if).
Overall rating: * * * * (it's still one of my preferred choice due to its very strategic location)

(P/S: Pictures below are mostly 'borrowed' from Tripadvisor.com so credit goes to them)