Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur : The best view in the city

The Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur definitely enjoys the best possible location from where to enjoy the sights and shopping that the city has to offer. By best location I mean it’s right next door to the Petronas Towers and Suria KLCC Mall. Easy access in Kuala Lumpur doesn’t get better than this.

Pulling up to the lobby, we wondered what a business hotel in the city centre would be like at Christmas time. Decked up. From the dressed-up-for-a-wedding silver Mercedes parked at the entrance to sparkly decor. From the pop up Christmas goodies store in the reception to guests carrying oversized shopping bags from every international designer possible, the MO looked festive.

After check in, we were ushered up to the 24th floor, with a room right next to the Club Lounge. We’d been upgraded with some excellent inclusions. Free WiFi (there’s no way we could live without that, right?), buffet breakfast, all day- deli, afternoon tea and evening cocktails at the Club Lounge, some great discounts at the Spa, and a really late check out seeing as our flight out was at night.

The room was a regular size, but the windows overlooking the KL skyline definitely made it seem larger. I sank into the bed right after taking this photograph, because it looked oh so inviting. Charles pulled himself away from the window, only to settle down at the writing desk, which was definitely one of the more tasteful ones we’ve seen. However, it was lunch time and we had to get going (we’ve made the mistake of being too late to lunch in countries where restaurants shut strictly on time, so we couldn’t afford to go hungry).

2 minutes! I squealed. Yes! It had taken precisely 2 minutes from the time we left our room, to the point we found ourselves standing outside the Hackett store in Suria KLCC. Charles stared at me oddly, wondering who was this shopaholic that had replaced his otherwise normal wife. (KL can do that to you, however, it can also leave you all shopped out, I don’t think I can look at another mall for a long long time).

Back in the room, we loved the fact that we didn’t have to trudge a long way, or take trains or cabs at the end of the day. After a long hot soak in the tub, a quick drink from the minibar, we slept like babies, mini-snores escaping our mouth the instant head made contact with goose down pillow.

The next morning was another cause for glee. Charles had woken up well before me, so I stirred to unmistakable aroma of coffee brewing in the Illy machine. Breakfast was at the Club Lounge, with a wonderful personal view of the Petronas towers reflecting the morning sun. I tried some of the local curries with rice, while Charles dug into his hotel usual – eggs and sausages.

After a long, eventful and tiring day taking a walk through Chinatown we got back to our room, exhausted. That night, we ordered in. Picture this, here I was in my bathrobe and slippers, enjoying Michelin star cuisine at the edge of the bed. Lai Po Heen, is a very popular restaurant, well worth its stars, as I discovered digging into my noodles with fried wantons.

Our short stay was over before we knew it, and it was time to say goodbye to the Mandarin Oriental. It had definitely lived up to the exemplary service we had experienced at the erstwhile Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Since it was such a short stay, we didn’t really get to experience the pool, gymnasium, indoor golf or spa, but it definitely did look inviting.