Sunday, April 03, 2016

Vistana Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Hello peeps!

By this time, you all know that I'm a sucker for hotel stays, right? Well, this post is no exception so bear with me.

This time around, I had a training at Vistana Hotel which is within walking distance from Titiwangsa LRT Station. The room rate is about RM250++ so it wasn't that bad.

The hotel caters mostly to business travellers since many training programs are conducted here. I am happy to say that checking in was a breeze and done under 10 minutes, and then we were on our way to our room.

Th room appears to be dark but cozy. We had to switch on all the lights in the room to make it look brighter. The decor is pretty much standard with rich brown feature wall and the rest of the furniture as expected in a standard hotel room.

We got a queen-sized bed with really comfy pillows

Brown seems to be the dominant color

A plasma TV enclosed in a tv cabinet

Standard choice of instant coffee and tea

There's a mini fridge provided without beverages

The bathroom has been done in modern contemporary style with clean edges. The lighting behind the vanity mirror lends the bathroom a brighter look. Sadly, no bathtub is installed in the bathroom, although a glass partition separates the toilet and the shower area.

The spacious sink area

Shower area comes with hand-held shower and a rain shower

Simple toiletries are provided consisting of a shower cap and toothbrush/toothpaste

Our room comes with buffet breakfast for two. Although the options are not as grand a five-star hotel (or even 4-star for that matter), the choice are pretty decent (with the staple nasi lemak on the menu, pancakes, bread and jam, fried rice, eggs station, and a few other selections).

Overall, it wasn't a bad experience, although hardly worth shouting out for. It meets the expectation without the wow factor, so maybe they ought to think of a way to really stand out from other hotels within its category.

What I like about the hotel is its proximity to an LRT station, and the warm smiles worn by their staff whenever we saw them. Other than that, everything about it falls back and is very much forgettable.

Verdict: 8/10

Update 2023: Vistana Hotel has since been re-branded as AC Hotel which is now part of the Marriott Bonvoy hotels.

Saturday, April 02, 2016

Tune Hotel @ KLIA2

Have you ever had to pay for a full-service hotel yet all you wanted is just a place to nap for a few hours because you are rushing to go somewhere else the next day? Even worse when you are catching an early morning flight but airport hotels are world-famous for being on the steep end when it comes to hotel rates. Take for example, Sama-Sama Hotel in KLIA which charges not less than RM200 per night, yet all you want is just a comfortable place to spend the night without worrying for your and your belonging's safety.

Like us, I'm sure many travellers heaved a sigh of relief when AirAsia Group decided to launch Tune Hotels back in 2009 and have one nearby KLIA / KLIA2. Although recently another alternative, Capsule by Container Hotel breaks into the scene of airport budget accommodation, Tune Hotels is still a relevant choice for travellers traveling with family or in group (a family can't stay together in Capsule by Container Hotel because they separate men and women sleeping bunks, and you have to share bathroom as well).

A couple of months ago, we had the opportunity to sample Tune Hotels at KLIA2 as we were en-route to Bintulu early the next morning. Following the 'no-frills' concept of its sister airline business, Tune Hotels operate limited service where you pay only for the amenities that you want to use.

It's pretty easy to book a room via its website (tunehotels.com) and visitors are given options from basic (room + shower + ceiling fan only) to full service including breakfast. The price is quite affordable too, since we only wanted to sleep for a few hours before we boarded our early morning flight.

We picked the option with full amenities excluding breakfast. Upon checking in, we were given a room key card which we have to slot in the card slot to activate our amenities of choice.

Our room comes with a queen size bed and an en-suite bathroom with shower.

View from the hallway

The room design is clean and follows minimalist concept in red, black and white. It makes the 11sqm room appears a bit more spacious than it really is.

Flat TV hung from the wall across the bed

A power shower allows you to choose hot or cold shower depending on your preference. Simple toiletries (shower gel and shampoo with conditioner) are also provided.

Shower area is adorned with white, rectangular tiles

The bathroom is rather tiny and only one person can squeeze in the bathroom at a time. The hotel cleverly manipulates a vanity mirror in front of the sink to give the bathroom a larger appearance.

Hair dryer is also provided at the sink area

The toilet area

I must say it was worth every ringgit we paid for to stay in a clean, comfortable room with super-comfy bed.

Among the add-ons that Tune Hotels provide is early check-in (11am) which I'm sure many travellers are grateful for since we always hate having to wait until 2pm before we can check in. So, the next time we have to catch an early morning, we definitely will book a room with Tune Hotels KLIA2.

Verdict: 9/10

Monday, March 14, 2016

My Experience of Booking Accommodation using Airbnb

- Note: This is not a paid review -

One of the things that I was worried about when planning our Osaka trip was to find a reasonable place to stay. After all, I can't stress enough that Japan is not a cheap country to travel to, and accommodation does take up a large chunk of our budget for this trip. I would never consider going to Japan if my sister wasn't studying here but lucky we are that she does, and that helped us to save up on accommodation for the first few days while we were in Fukui area. BUT. We still had to fork out our moolah for accommodation when we were in Osaka city.

Enter Airbnb. Offering an alternative to hotel stays, Airbnb has helped me tremendously with my budget since its rate is much cheaper than renting two hotel rooms to fit 3 adults and 2 kids. How does it work? Basically Airbnb helps to connect travellers with local hosts who list their home or property (even igloos and tipis apparently) for short-term rentals. Travellers can choose to rent either rooms or the whole unit depending on their needs.

Source: Airbnb.com

The cool thing about using Airbnb is of course cheaper if you are traveling in a group. For a three-night stay, we paid less than RM2k and got ourselves a spacious apartment with a private bathroom, a kitchenette and living area. Of course you can get that rate or cheaper if you stay in a hotel but you will have to sleep on bunk-beds and share bathroom with other guests, which is inconvenient for a family trip. Also, we get to prepare our own food so more savings on food. The downside is there is no daily cleaning service but considering that we spent most of the time outside, cleanliness wasn't an issue.

We stayed in an apartment not far from Namba area (10mins by train) which is very accessible by train (10 mins walk from Hanshin Line Dekijima).

I love the apartment which was renovated to incorporate Japanese style and design. At first I was rather uncomfortable about its location in a quiet neighborhood because we definitely will have to walk in some dark areas to reach the apartment during nightfall, but my sister reassured me that it is very safe in Japan and there's nothing to worry about.

Below are some of the snapshots of the apartment we stayed in:

Spacious bedroom that can fit four pax. No heater in this room though but the comforters keep us warm as toasts

The hallway

A sofa bed in the living room which is adjacent to the kitchenette (equipped with electric kettle, cooker, mini-fridge and a microwave to heat up our food

A family room complete with tatami where Le Hubby sleeps in - futons are kept in the cupboard behind the room, and this room has heater (lucky hubby!)

Our host thoughtfully provided a small amount of detergent to do our laundry

A spacious bathroom with a bathtub - after spending the whole day sightseeing on foot, the best way to relax and unwind is to soak in a hot bath

Love the idea of a small sink on top of the toilet tank which optimizes water usage - every time we flush, water will come out of the tap and goes into the toilet tank so no wastage.

Another plus point for this apartment is that it comes with a portable wifi that we can bring outside so we can have Internet access on the go. We had to make sure it's fully charged though because it runs out of battery quite fast.

So the next time you are thinking about accommodation, do try out Airbnb.com. The service is fast, easy and hassle-free so you don't have to spend too much time on planning but more time on enjoying your trip!

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Osaka, here we come! - Universal Studios Japan where we FORGOT we are parents!

Day #7: Universal Studios Japan

Ok guys, this is the final post about our trip to Osaka so bear with me, LOL. There's a saying 'leave the best for last' and I couldn't agree more. The highlight of our trip is none other than to visit Universal Studios Japan (USJ)! *lompat2 kegembiraan*

I've been to USS (Universal Studios Singapore) before but I still look forward to USJ simply because they have this:

Harry Potter!

So now you guys know, the main reason I was super excited about going to USJ. I'm a big fan of Hogwarts and being able to experience Hogwarts in life is something that I've always wanted to do.

On that day, we woke up early despite reaching home late last night as we anticipated there will be long queue. Luckily, my sister had bought USJ tickets online so we could skip the ticketing counter line. We stopped at Universal Studios Japan station and immediately saw a huge billboard of Harry Potter in front of Hogwarts Castle. Yup, we've reached USJ :)

To our delight, the queue wasn't so bad. A friend warned us that they had queue up as early as 6am due to the long queue but during our visit, there was just normal queue. Yeay!

In front of Universal Studios landmark - the revolving planet

Just us :)

Universal Studios Japan

Guys, I gotta warn you - USJ is really HUUUGEEE! So if you only have one day (like us) to enjoy the park, then you gotta plan where you want to go and how long you should be there. USJ attractions are arranged in nine areas / theme of the park. Basically we covered only these areas:

Area #1: Hollywood

Entering USJ, the first area you will be in is Hollywood. There's something about the excitement and glamour of Hollywood which is so infectious. The moment we saw people queuing up for Hollywood Ride, we forgot being parents and joined in the fun, LOL! We just dumped our kids with my sister to take advantage of the short queue (by the way, we queued up for 30 mins, but that's short by USJ standard!)The last time I was on a rollercoaster was a month after getting married, so that's how long ago it was!

Each train has four seats and each seat is equipped with headrest stereo sound system to heighten our experience. Riders could choose one song to play during the rollercoaster ride. Not that we could pay attention to the song as we were busy screaming at the top of our lungs! We could pick either going facing forward or facing backward, so I picked facing forward. It was less nerving to anticipate when we would plummet down, than suddenly being jerked back into a free fall! *shudder*

Luckily the ride lasted only 2 minutes or so, but boy, was I woozy after that! That was then I decided that I am too old for rollercoaster, LOL!

Area #2: Universal Wonderland

Khayla enjoyed herself being in Wonderland - it was all she talked about for days after we returned to Malaysia, LOL! Unfortunately for Khadeeja, she was too small to enjoy many of the rides in this area (which explained why 3 years old are not charged entrance fees).

Welcome to a world of Hello Kitty and Sesame Street!

Before we came in, we stopped by to buy popcorn because the girls wanted the Minion case that came with the popcorn. Khadeeja was more interested in her popcorn than on any of the rides in the park, LOL!

I love popcorn! Omnomnomnom!

Hello Kitty's Fashion Avenue

While we were busy pretending to be young again, my sister brought our girls to Hello Kitty's Fashion Avenue where they had fun taking photos :)

So happy about their Hello Kitty stickers on their face

Khayla impersonating a lady in pink

Khadeeja :)

Same or not? LOL!

Sesame Street Fun Zone

First ride was on the Hello Kitty's Cupcake Dream...

The girls had a turn on Hello Kitty's Cupcake Dream

Followed by a ride on Elmo's Merry-Go-Round:

Khadeeja didn't go on the merry-go-round because she was busy enjoying her popcorn LOL!

Then the girls got a turn driving electric toy car on Sesame's Big Drive. Although Khadeeja qualified for the ride, she was too short and couldn't push on the pedal so the staff had to push her car instead, LOL!

Getting ready to 'drive'

Khayla wanted to take a photo with the Cookie Monster but she was really shy. Eventually she managed to overcome her shyness and took a photo with the costume character:

Smiling shyly as she was being hugged by Cookie Monster

Area #3: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Expect a lot of exclamation marks!!!! We are in Hogsmeade Village finally! Woohoo!

The archway going to the magical world of Harry Potter :)

We got to see EVERYTHING! Even the Flying Car in the Magical Forest! (Sorry no photo, we forgot to take it LOL!)

Of course, before we reached Hogswart we were bound to pass by the charming village of Hogsmeade! Cute buildings with cobbled street and snow-covered thatched roof! I wanna live here!

Hogsmeade Village looks like it comes straight out of Christmas card

My sister :)

There was even the Hogwarts Train! And look!

Butterbeer!

Butterbeer! We had to taste the famous butterbeer in order to get the feel of being part of Hogwarts!

Cheers to being in Hogsmeade!

Butterbeer tastes of butterscotch and honey, so yummy!

We had fun browsing the shops which were based on the Harry Potter series:

This shop sells wizarding equipment which are basically souvenirs :)

Gilderoy Lockhart's books with moving pictures!

This is really cute - a poster with moving picture

The signage shows Hogswart is just ahead

And finally we were on Hogwarts ground! So. freaking. EXCITED!

Hogwarts School of Withcraft and Wizardry behind us!

Since we couldn't bring strollers inside due to the large crowd here, hubby volunteered to look after the girls while my sister (who is equally ardent fan of Harry Potter) and I went inside the castle:

Griffin statue awaits us at the end of the hall

We thought they were normal oil paintings, until the subject started to move about :o

In the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom

We decided not to go on the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey because the queue was too long and we wanted to cover other areas in USJ. Plus, I still didn't get over my headache from the rollercoaster ride in Hollywood!

Due to time constraint, we skipped Hagrid's Hut and so with heavy heart, we left the charming Harry Potter's world behind to explore other areas in USJ.

Area #4: Amity Village

If you are from my generation who was raised to fear the man-eating shark, you would remember the highly acclaimed movie 'Jaws'. Yup, Amity Village is featured in USJ and there was even a boat ride where we got attacked by robot sharks! Khayla was really terrified because she thought they were real sharks. Kids can be so funny! Sorry no photos because we were not allowed to snap any photo for our phone's safety, LOL!

The robot shark on display

Area #5: New York

By the time we reached this area, it was already night time and the park was almost closing. Still, we managed to squeeze in one more entertainment in our 'been there, done that' list - The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman!

Basically, it's a motion-based 3D dark ride based on the adventure of Spiderman. We asked Khayla if she wanted to go and she agreed, so hubby accompanied her. I decided to follow suit on single rider, because I was concerned that Khayla might get freaked out by the ride. I was freaked out! Although it was just a 3D ride, it felt too real as we 'fell' straight down from a tall building to the ground!

Too my surprise, Khayla enjoyed herself though! So don't underestimate a 5 years old huh? LOL!

We are in New York, peeps!

So, there it was our adventure in USJ. It was super fun but super tiring as well. I felt sorry that we didn't manage to cover the other 4 areas, but maybe that's an excuse to make our way to Osaka again in the future? *wink wink*

Since we were going back the next day, we stopped by a souvenir shop just outside of USJ to buy mochi, Kitkats and other souvenirs to bring back to Malaysia. Thank goodness for the stroller's roomy underneath compartment that can carry lots of stuffs!

So there you go. Our trip to Osaka in 11 parts :) It was fun, beyond my expectations. I wouldn't mind going to Japan again, that's for sure!