Best Western PJ - Section 13

In Finding Dory , Marlin the clownfish said to Dory that blue tang fish , that " we travel so we NEVER have to travel again " .

I laughed so loud because to me that is absolutely not true . After I travel , I sometimes want to relive the moment in a cheaper way that doesn't require sitting till my butt is pointed on the airplane .

Thus we find ourselves at the lobby of Best Western , not knowing if we are making the right choice but if we go by what I experienced on the more than a week long US sojourn , I think our rooms could be better than the rather spartan looking lobby , lounge and dining space .

Temple Tree - rustic old Malaya recreated

Well , not exactly ....of course there are modern day trappings . Otherwise how would they get the star rating accorded to them plus mentions in premier travel magazines ?

Best Western - Palm Court Inn , Modesto

We were occasional patrons of an establishment with the same namesake eons ago in KL so, I never imagined I would actually have the chance to come stay in the city itself one fine day. 

Marriot Courtyard - Newark

By the 8th of May , this nomad  spent one night here .

Marriot Courtyard in Newark , Silicone Valley 

Sheraton Garden Grove - Anaheim

The affable driver who picked me up from the airport was perplexed over this choice of hotel which he considered to be out of the way and inconvenient .

Planet Hollywood - Las Vegas

There used to be a Planet Hollywood cafe right smack in the middle of Bukit Bintang . Went in once or twice and got gobsmacked seeing how it was teeming more with curious sightseers during the day and packed like sardines by those Hard Rock Cafe types at night . Fast forward , the Kuala Lumpur establishment is now no more ,so you can imagine how fantastic it felt to be able to experiencing staying the hotel itself eventually .....and in Vegas , for 2 nights too at that !

Hotel Nikko Narita

On the 5th leg of my journey from JFK to Narita, somehow , somewhere , one of the airport handlers managed to completely ruin my favourite travel bag . After 2 to 3 rounds of negotiating with the airport authorities till my brains were fried , I was forced to change my plan to stay in Tokyo .

Narita seemed like a less crazy path to take . Was just thinking about spending 1 night before moving into Tokyo , however , I enjoyed the stay here so much , I made my mind up to linger on for a couple more .

Tune Hotel KLIA2

It was my absolute first time staying in any Tune Hotel and the check in staff at their KLIA2 outlet , have left me very impressed with the friendly , helpful service which they willingly extended to me beyond the call of duty .

Breakfast at Warisan Cafe

It was nice to be greeted by this cute as a button young lady 2 mornings in a row.

She's dressed in a Kebaya made from Songket and she looks so retro as if she stepped straight out of a P Ramlee movie , don't you think ? 

Go for a dip before hitting 9 malls

This is just one part of the skylight roof which I was pointing out from the room earlier .

Although I could easily cut across from my room , I'd like to explore a bit indoor before I head outdoor .

Indeed a royal sleep at the Royale Chulan

Let's go up to the room shall we ? 

Done up in typical Royale style ( I have stayed at 2 Royale's so far , both in Mutiara Damansara ) , you will surely gush as you step into the lift. 

Wood carvings and songket motifs lend it a distinctive elegance while retaining the hotel's hallmark touch .

Royale Chulan - a palatial Malay glory

Have always wanted to stay at the Royale Chulan 

As you can see from the picture below , Royale Chulan is a staggering , palatial looking complex , tucked away in the corner of Jalan Conlay .

Mr.Fadzil of King's Club Lounge

When I meet extraordinary people especially those with that extra charisma and ability to make us feel like we are the most appreciated customer in the world , I just want to tell the whole world how precious they are. 

This Pink Diamond Rock here is Mr Fadzil from Hard Rock Hotel Penang. Owner of the most sought after Penang limited edition Gold Dragon pin which other collectors 

would gladly lie in front of a railway track for. 

When he attends to you, you will feel like you are Rock Royalty. Like you just won 5 Grammy's. Like you are somebody , really really somebody. He can put a spring in your step and make you feel so posh. In fact , it is people like him that elevate the hotel industry to levels beyond excellence turning guests into repeat customers .

Love how he greets everyone by mixing a gracious gentle Malay hospitality with that exquisite Court Sultanate aplomb. Caused my jaw to drop on the first encounter. Is this the 7 stars Burj I was in ? No this is just another day at the Hard Rock Penang. Wasn't expecting that. Totally wasn't expecting that. Omg. Someone pinch me.

Have a good day ahead Mr Fadzil and I hope others have as great a fortune as I did to get to meet you .

You definitely rock !

How you can meet him : book a stay with King's Club executive floor privileges at the  Hard Rock Hotel Penang 

A Hard Rock Valentine

This is Valentine's Day at the Hard Rock Penang. Pulsating and throbbing with sooooo many couples per square metre oozing with so much love , it was the bedrock to get down to the business of sheer luuurving

Caklempong by the Wakaf

Aaand we finally close the door on my stay at the Avillion. Phewwww ! 

Birds of a feather feed together at Avillion

You know the saying right ? 

However after seeing the cock flying kick the hens and rabbits over by the petfarm , this fella was decidedly toned down and non territorial.

How about that ? 

Stroll from Riau Beach to Tumasek Beach

Some lovely coral specimens get washed up on Riau beach . He found it and that just amazed me but nope , not going down and have to endure a weeklong itch courtesy of the sandflies. Could have applied repellant but gosh it's such a sticky hassle so you go ok ? and thanks for the lovely er , gift of love.

The Petfarm at Avillion is a huge hit

Ah , something big happens here on a daily basis and the animals are waiting , waiting as if Ikea were having a sale

Avillion's 3 swimming pools

Either times flies fast or I am veeery slow in posting. One Sunday ago , you would find us by the .....

1. Village Pool 

The main pool.

Water is not too cold. Nice and tepid. There are 4 jacuzzi areas here alone with 3 where the chairs are.

Buffet breakfast at Village Court - weekday vs weekend

Saturday morning, and the crowd of weekend holidaymakers, convention and teambuilding participants had still not descended and wrecked havoc onto this small dining space . Thus we were still able to enjoy breakfast at a most leisurely pace.

By Sunday, however, given the proximity of the resort to Kuala Lumpur, it was near madness. People were stuffing themselves silly, there simply wasn't enough table space nor cutleries,  till one had to proceed towards the second level.Even the coffee machines went haywire for a short bit, but by  10 a.m. , all was calm once again.