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)...
