Cititel Penang

by z_l3nG


Georgetown Penang

Windy and sunny




Let me start off by saying:

"Cititel Georgetown in Penang is not a fabulous hotel to stay, but it's definitely value for money."

If you're like me, a Penang food junkie, but not at all crazy about the gorgeous hotels along Batu Ferringhi, take my word - go Cititel.

They always offer better rates and the rooms are not bad.

Yes, you can find cheaper room rates in Georgetown only if you don't mind the condition of the rooms and hotel service.

For instance, I stayed at Hotel Malaysia years ago and if I remember correctly, the room rate was RM100, oh yes, very cheap indeed, but the room was old and dull and the sheets weren't clean.

Also, the room smelt funny and you don't get complimentary bottles of mineral water.

They may have upgraded the rooms now. I don't know, but one thing's for sure - I ain't going back there.

So far, I find that Cititel is one of the more decent and affordable hotels around Georgetown.

What I like about this hotel is its strategic location.

You can get anywhere easily, by bus, cab or three-wheeled vehicle known as trishaws. Who needs free hotel breakfast when you can get food just across the street and right next to the hotel?

If you decide to take a ride on a trishaw, don't accept their first offer. Bargain. You can at least get 20% - 30% discount.

Georgetown now offers free shuttle bus around the city and to major attractions in Georgetown and the good news is, the bus stop is just right across Cititel, which is in front of a parking lot.



OK, let's look at some photos of Cititel's standard room:

This isn't a fancy and modern room, but decent and clean. The bed's quite comfy too.

There's no LCD TV in a standard room, but quite a few channels to choose from though.

The light at the dressing table is dim, so can't get a good look at the make-up. Solution: Open the curtains to get natural light in.

Who says you can't get a seaview room in Georgetown? Ok, who am I kiddin'? But, hey, you can get a glimpse of the sea...not bad, huh?


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Cititel Lobby

Before booking, try finding other websites like marimari.com or hotels.com to compare room rates.

For local hotels, I usually book through marimari.com. For last minute reservation, try latestay.com.

They're reliable and efficient.




Cititel info as follows:

Add: 66, Jalan Penang, 10000 Penang, Malaysia


Tel: 604-370 1188

Reservations: 1800-38-3388

Email: info@cititelpenang.com

Legend Water Chalets, Port Dickson

by z_l3nG


Latest: Now from only RM290++ per room per night!



Legend Water Chalets review

Nestling 3.8km away from the town of Port Dickson are the 5-star Legend Water Chalets and Legend International Homes.


Now, if you travel from Port Dickson town, you just might get lost, thanks to the poor positioning of the Resort's signages.

There's a signage, oh yes, that states "Legend Water Chalets - 600m", but that would be the last signage you'll see.

After that, you're on your own.

So, my advice is, keep your eyes wide open for a very large billboard of "Legend Water Chalets" on your left. That's the turning you have to take.

Another option? Follow the signages of "Glory Beach Resort."

Glory Beach Resort is just next to Legend Water Chalets. You won't get lost.

Since the more acclaimed resort Avillion Port Dickson was full house, we opted to stay in one of the units at Legend Water Chalets, Port Dickson last weekend.

We stayed in Room 099, which faces the sea.

You get the whole view of the sea and the sky all for yourself.

There's a surcharge for sea front units though - RM150 per night.

But, we were lucky to get the upgrade for FREE!

We were taken aback when we first entered our room.

The design is very unique, or I'd say "kinda weird" because the bathroom greets you before your bedroom does. (Frankly, I'm not really fond of the room.)
Once you open the door, you'll see a wash basin right in front and the shower area on the right. 

But put that aside, you get a nice room...

A large bathtub fit for 2, a shower room with a roof skylight, a King-sized bed, a see-through glass panel on the floor and a balcony that allows you to soak in the sun, sky and sea - what more can you ask for?

We spent most of our times in the room and at the balcony, watching sunset.

The sight was stunning...we watched until darkness set in.

As you can see in the photo, there's nothing, absolutely nothing that separates you from the sun, sea and sky of Port Dickson.

I felt one with the nature that weekend. So close.

It's a place fit for meditation.

Now, you might think that this resort is a romantic getaway for couples.

Hey, you're right; Almost right.

When we went exploring around the resort, we discovered that there were so many activities we could do!

We could rent a bicycle, sing our hearts out in a Karaoke room, watch a movie at night, get fit at the gymnasium and go car racing at the mini arcade. Oh, oh....they have pool game too! And, swimming pool, of course.

You can even rent a fishing rod and fish from your room!

                (Pic: It's hard to see it, but if you look closely, there's a fishing rod sticking out from a room)


You decide whether you want it to be a romantic getaway or a fun-filled family time!

A major setback of this resort is that there's no private beach, you share the beach with other occupants from other resorts.

But who cares? The beach is polluted anyways.

Don't expect the water of Port Dickson to be clear and its beach, pristine.

Oil rigs are located nearby.

Unlike Penang, Port Dickson has nothing much to offer in terms of, almost everything - food, activities, clean beach, attractions. Nothing.

So, if you plan to visit Port Dickson, invest on a wonderful resort to stay in.


Normal Rate: RM350++


For more information, visit http://www.legendwaterchalets.com.my/

Address: The Legend Water Chalets Port Dickson


Batu 2, Jalan Seremban,
71000 Port Dickson,
Negeri Sembilan,
Malaysia.

Tel: +606 653 2000
Toll Free: 1 800 88 0017





(All texts and photos are copyright reserved - z)

Prudential Hotel in Hong Kong

HONG KONG

23 - 26 Oct 2010

Temp: 20+ degree celcius, sunny and windy

No, Typhoon Megi didn't hit Hong Kong, it missed



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HOTEL

 
Standing not so impressively tall or stylish on Nathan Road is Prudential Hotel with over 100 boutiques and a railway station below it.

This four-star hotel, conveniently located in Tsim Tsa Tsui, Hong Kong, houses a 6-storey shopping mall and is atop of Jordan Mass Transit Railway Station.
Although the hotel isn't new or impressive on the outside, its services are up to 4-star standard, rest assured.

The bell boy's always ready at the entrance to take your luggages out of your vehicle. They're truly efficient and strong.



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LOBBY

Designed with a touch of simplicity and class, Prudential Hotel's lobby exudes elegance despite not having a very large space.

The dim lighting and well-polished marble floor create a relaxing atmosphere, makes you want to sleep

                                                                                         

       Waiting Hall

Rest and chill out at the lobby's spacious waiting area while waiting for check-in.

Trust me, it's really an area mainly for resting.

 There's no TV to watch, nothing to do, except watching people passing by.

The elevators function very well and get you to your floor fast, but not instantly

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ROOM

I have no complaints about the hotel room as it's rather spacious although you can get a much bigger room in Malaysia with the same room rate. But, this is Hong Kong, so don't expect too  much.

The size of the room (9ft x 3.5ft) is good enough for 2 to 3 occupants.

The only thing decorating the white clean wall in the room is an abstract picture and that's all, nothing fancy.

However, I have to say I loved the bed, pillow and comforter because they were all very comfortable and most importantly, clean and odourless.

There's free broadband internet access if you're an internet junkie.

Extra bed is not required if you have a small kid as there's a couple's couch (sofa bed) for her to sleep in.

If you notice, there's no curtains or blinds to cover the window, but hollow steel frames (I think so, judging by the light weight of those things).

These frames (or so I think they're called) are better in the sense that when closed, there's absolutely no natural lights that can sneak into the room.

So, you're guaranteed a good sleep even when the sun is shining mightily outside.

Hongkies mostly live in flats like these, old and not spacious - view from my room

There's everything you need, hairblower, toothbrush and toothpaste, soap, shampoo and conditioner, bathrobes, safe and even a radio alarm with ipod docking as shown below.

Overall experience: Good. No complaint. Prudential Hotel is strategically located in Tsim Tsa Tsui.
There are some good fashion boutiques inside the building.
For good food, go to Tsui Wah restaurant, which is just nearby.

There's a gym and swimming pool in the hotel.

Note: Leave HKD 20 on the bed as a tip for the cleaners. I think it's a norm in Hong Kong. (optional)

Room Rate: from HKD 850 (around RM400), with a bathtub

HK is a generally safe city to travel.



For more info, visit http://www.prudentialhotel.com/

Add: 222 Nathan Road Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon



Flamingo By The Beach (Penang)

Hotel Review by z_l3nG

                 

State: Penang, Malaysia

From KL - Penang: Around 3.5-4 hours' drive

Weather: Sunny and rainy

The Hotel

    L-R: Paradise Sandy Beach Resort - Flamingo Hotel

Accommodation: Flamingo Hotel, Tanjung Bungah    

Hotel Rating: 4 star   

Rate: RM312.80nett / night (inclusive of breakfast, thru' Booking.com)

Type of room: Seaview

                                        

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The Lobby

Flamingo hotel in Penang incorporates an open concept to its lobby, which allows natural breeze to circulate the lobby area.

It is not equipped with air-conditioner, only ceiling fans and coolers. So, on a really hot day, you might break a sweat.

Based on my observation, the receptionists (and bellboy) are not very efficient, but rather friendly and helpful. 

I guess realising the inefficiency of their staff, Flamingo Hotel decided to furnish the lobby with some nice, comfy sofas for customers to chill out.

The lobby is modest and spacious, but not that impressive.

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The  Room

Welcome to room 1128. 11 means the room's on the 11th floor  and is facing the sea.

This room has a good-sized space, but not enough for an extra bed.

The bed is merely OK; the sheets are spotless and very clean. But the pillows are not comfortable.

The bed is a big king-sized fit for 3 people. Nothing impressive about the decor, but the room's clean and odourless.

The housekeeping service is pretty good. We made a few requests and they responded almost immediately, without any unfriendly tone.

The bathroom has all the basic necessities, including a hair blower, but it's not very nice and doesn't have a bathtub.

The balcony, where you can stand and watch all the activities at the beach, isn't clean and there's no rubber sandals to wear.

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The Beach

Although this hotel is beachfront, the beach is not owned by Flamingo Hotel, Penang.

I'm quite surprised to discover that this part of the beach is cleaner compared to other beaches in Penang though.

The beach is very accessible from the hotel. Just get down the staircase and your feet will be touching the sand.

Banana boat ride, paragliding and horse riding are among the activities you can do here.

If you're not the adventurous type, you can build sand castles, collect common-looking seashells or read a book on one of the many chairs sitting on the beach.

You can also take a dip in the pool at Flamingo hotel.

Overall experience: Satisfactory, but wouldn't rate it 4-star though.

Among the hotels in Tanjung Bungah district, this is a pretty good hotel to stay! The activities found here will keep you busy you don't need to travel anywhere else. The beach is totally accessible and quite clean.

Setback: Hard to get around Penang if you're not driving and nothing much to do.


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Visit http://www.flamingo.com.my/ for more info.

Contact no. +604-8927 111


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More reviews can be found at http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g660694-d1630632-Reviews-Flamingo_by_the_Beach-Pulau_Penang_Penang.html




(All texts and pics are copyright reserved - z)

The Tale of Tenggiri

Sekeping Tenggiri Review


Odd name for a street

Tenggiri is the name of a particular fish in Malay.

It is also the name of one street, one particular street in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

Quite an eccentric name for a street, don't you think?

I've lived in Kuala Lumpur all my life, and I swear, I'd not heard of Tenggiri street.

If you think the name 'Jalan Tenggiri' is amusing, you'd be ticklish to hear this: 'Sekeping Tenggiri' (means one slice of Tenggiri fish or Tenggiri fish fillet).

Trust me, I'm still not over that name yet.



Describing a piece of fish

How do I describe Sekeping Tenggiri?

It's flat, tender and certainly raw!

That is describing the texture and shape of a piece of Tenggiri, but it's definitely not fish-related what I'm talking about here.

                                    (pic: Laying down on the King-sized bed while watching TV in the glass room at Sekeping Tenggiri is pure relaxation.)

Trouble finding Sekeping Tenggiri

I'm talking about a property developed into a one-of-a-kind guesthouse on a street that's so difficult to find even when you have your GPS.

Believe me.

We tried finding the street one day before our check-in day and we rounded in the same area for several times, before we finally found Jalan Tenggiri.

Sekeping Tenggiri hides deep inside the chic Bangsar area, quite near to where News Straits Times is located at.

Information on getting there will be mentioned at the end of this blog.

Tenggiri Rooms

Sekeping Tenggiri not only offers stay in a glass room, but also (loft, skyview, courtyard, garden and poolview) room.

Every room is worth the stay, if you appreciate uniqueness.

(L: This window or door on the front part of the glass room opens door to nature surrounding this guesthouse. The glass room 's on the first floor.)

In the skyview room, there's a ladder that leads you up to an attic-like room with a small skylight. So, when you sleep on the bed, you can watch the sky above you through the small, see-through glass.

It doesn't matter if the light in the room is too dim for you to read a book, for you can count on the sunlight that pierce through the see-through glass to give you a clearer vision.

The rooms may look rusty, but they're clean, rest-assured. They're meant to look rusty and raw.

Just look at the unrefined walls and doors and the wood of the room.

The whole concept of rawness and minimalism just breathes familiarity.

(pic: Surrounded by raw brick walls and one crawly plant, this garden exudes great atmosphere for relaxation - Garden Room)

It reminded me of my late grandmother's old 'kampung' wooden house in Johor, without chickens and cats running around the room. Everything looked rusty, simple and raw, yet so cosy.

This guesthouse does house two very tamed dogs with funny names, adopted from SPCA and they are called, "Pulau" (island) and "Ketam" (crab).

I bet the owner has some sense of humour and is in love with Crab Island (Pulau Ketam).



The Glass room

I'm not sure if you remember the lake house in "Lake House" movie, starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves.

No? The house is completely made of glass and is an amazing architectural work that overlooks a calm lake; utterly amazing and so romantic.

This glass room is something like that. Erm, not that close actually. I guess it's because it's only partially made of glass. As you can see, there's rough, unrefined walls. The glass part only fills the front part.

Yet, I love this room, somehow.

 

    

The air circulating the room smells and tastes like nature. It brought me back to nature; to basic.

Even though I was still in the city, this particular guesthouse kept me away from the hustle and bustle of the city life.

Everything just went slow, allowing me to enjoy and embrace the beautiful surrounding and, life.

In this room, my fiance wasn't the only companion I had. There was a dragonfly resting on a light, a small bee buzzing around the room, trying to escape back to where it belonged and other insects too small to notice.

I didn't get any insect bite, so it's not a must to have an insect repellant.

If you're afraid of boredom and need a form of entertainment, there's a TV and a DVD player.

The Bathroom

I particularly like the bathroom, where the sink is made of cement and taps, of steel? Aluminium? Argh, I don't know...

And the shower area has no roof so you can see the sky perfectly clear.

The toilet bowl or WC sits on top of a wooden platform just next to the entrance. Whether you're doing small or big business, you can always enjoy watching the activities outside and be one with the nature.

But be extra careful when you sit next to the window like I'm sitting in the pic for there's no railing or safety measure to avoid falling off.

If you need to make up, there's a mirror on the wall and also a very bright adjustable light.

Bring your own hairblower if you require one.

The Common Lounge

The Common Lounge is equipped with a fridge and a microwave oven, which means you can buy frozen food from the mall and heat it.

If you're running out of drinking water, you can always get a refill at the common lounge. Hot water's also provided.

Since there's no dining table in the room, you can head to the poolside common lounge to have a bite and a drink while watching Astro (satellite) channels on TV. There's no Astro in the rooms.

If you're not a couch potato, you can grab a book or magazine to read there. There's a variety of books and magazines to choose from, I think. I'm sorry for the uncertainty, but I didn't have the time to explore the lounge, so I can't provide you more info on the reading materials.

There's another option, get connected to the Internet with wifi access.

There's another reason for you to hang out at the dining area. You just have to see the lights that are made of recycable items like food cans. They look exquisite, in a way.

Food Alert!
Be warned, you may have trouble finding food along Jalan Tenggiri, but there's one or two restaurants and cafes just two streets away, I think.

A Must - Transportation

This is a place that requires a mode of transportation (car or motorcycle) to get to and to get out of.

But, if you really don't have much choice, you can always walk from the nearest train station, Abdullah Hukum LRT station for about 5mins (according the Google Map info) or maybe more (my opinion).

Don't expect all taxi drivers to know the way and I'm pretty sure most taxi drivers do not have a clue where Jalan Tenggiri is.

So it's safer to print out the map to Jalan Tenggiri to show it to the taxi driver.

There's a bus stop right after you've reached the main road, which is around 15 mins walk.

Tenggiri Details.

Address: 48, Jalan Tenggiri, Taman Weng Lock, Bangsar, Petaling Jaya

GPS: N 3° 7' 17.8062" E 101° 40' 9.7422"

For further details, visit http://tenggiri.com/

For reservations, do it at http://tenggiri.com/ or call +6017 2075 977

For photography, there's a RM100 surcharge.

To Get There

1. Head west on Lebuhraya Mahameru toward Jalan Sultan Salahhudin 1.1 km

2. Keep right at the fork 950 m

3. Continue onto Jalan Damansara 500 m

4. Take the ramp to Jalan Travers 300 m

5. Keep right at the fork to continue toward Jalan Travers 180 m

6. Keep right at the fork to continue toward Jalan Travers 200 m

7. Keep right at the fork and merge onto Jalan Travers 700 m

8. Continue onto Jalan Bangsar 750 m

9. Keep right at the fork 170 m

10. Slight right to merge onto Jalan Maarof 300 m

11. Turn left at Jalan Tandok 350 m

12. Continue onto Jalan Kurau 500 m

13. Turn left at Jalan Sepat 54 m

14. Turn right at Jalan Tenggiri

Destination will be on the left 160 m

(Google Direction)



(All photos and texts are copyright reserved -z)