Fashionista's Hotel Review: Memoire Hornbill Hotel

Holla!

My internet connection has gone a bit bonkers the past few weeks (I had limited internet connectivity but wasn't able to upload photos due to the line disconnecting every 10 minutes or so), so am only able to complete and upload this blog now that I've settled things with my internet provider. My humble apologies on the late posting of this blogpost.

Anyway, a few weeks ago we had the opportunity to tour around one of Kuching's boutique hotels, the Memoire Hornbill Hotel located at Jalan Keretapi (3rd Mile, next to McDonalds), and here's a photoblog of the visit:

Hotel lobby. We were warmly received by Mr Chanthy and Mr Rock.

Rattan swings and lounges at the lobby. Such a relaxing ambience. I could hang out here all day!

One of the bedroom suites at the hotel. Each room depicts the warm Cambodian hospitality, with earth and natural hues decorating its interior.

Facilities and basic amenities available in the bedroom. 

Twin-sharing room. Plush comfortable pillows and snuggly blankets, what more could a traveler ask for?

Another bedroom suite, this time decorated in blue and yellow. I am sure kids (and adults too) would love the rattan swing =).

They have two bedrooms which can accommodate those with special needs. The room and bathroom is comfortable enough to fit a wheelchair. 

Bedroom suite. 

Food stalls in front of the hotel. 

Various choices await (they even have ice-cream!). 

Big screen, perfect for football matches and other sporting events. 

So what do I think about Memoire Hornbill Hotel?

For one thing, I love the fact that it's so convenient to get food. The availability of various food stalls within a few steps of the front door of the hotel. There's also a large screen tv within the compound which is perfect for football matches, the world cup or even the Olympic games. If you came to Kuching in a car, or if you have a rented car with you, there's plenty of parking spaces within the hotel's vicinity. What I found to be impressive about the hotel is the availability of rooms for those with special needs. There are not many hotels who are able to cater to their needs and provide specially designed bathrooms so that a wheelchair can comfortably navigate in and out of the bathroom. This makes it very, very convenient for those with special needs to attend to their needs. Other than the lobby, there's also waiting areas on different floors complete with rattan chairs for guests to hang out and chill.

Alexa trying out the swing. Don't worry dear, I don't think you're that heavy =P.

The hotel has other facilities such as a function room which is perfect for small and intimate functions, weddings and gatherings so do give them a call at 082-413551 if you want to check their other facilities.

One for the photo album! Thank you Tressa for inviting me, I absolutely loved the hotel and how it caters not only for the usual travellers, but also to those with special needs as well. 

Would I recommend the hotel? Obviously! A comfortable boutique hotel, with a huge selection of food (and McDonalds if you love the fast-food chain), charming and attentive staff and a very economical price, you can be sure that you're trip to Kuching will be a great one. Do check out the hotel's website [here] and Facebook page [here] for more info.


Happy holidays!



xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Hotel Review: The Town House 50

For those who know me, you'd know that I have always had a penchant for boutique hotels (and backpacker hostels too) and in all my travels, I've always tried (if possible) to stay at one. Someone once commented to me, why go for these, why not go for a 5 star hotel (where you'll be pampered to your hearts content)? The thing is, to me, these places (be it boutique hotels or a backpacker hostel) have a distinctive charm and since we've first stayed at our first backpacker about five years ago in Beijing (to read all about the trip you can click [here]) we've never looked back. We love the atmosphere, the staff are most of the time very friendly and accommodating of our needs, you always meet other like minded travellers and sharing (and comparing travel experiences with them are always fun and exciting) and last September (2014), our trip to Ho Chi Minh is no different, we chose The Townhouse 50 due to the same reasons why we'd pick a hotel to any place that we'd travel, a fun, quirky place to stay and meet new people =). 

So here's a photoblog review of The Townhouse 50:

The entrance is located somewhat in an alley (about maybe 10 - 15 meters from the main road) which is not very convenient for travellers, because the taxi would drop you off at the main road and you'd have to walk through the alley to get to the hotel (and sometimes it might rain so you'd likely to get wet). Otherwise, we didn't really mind the alley.

The reception counter. I love, love, love their deco =).

House rules. 

The lobby and breakfast area. Breakfast is provided every morning from 7 am - 10 am consisting of fruits, spring rolls (which we call popiah here in Malaysia), breakfast set meal (usually with toast/ french bread, peanut butter/ butter etc), coffee and tea. I must say I absolutely love the breakfast provided by this hotel, it's an absolutely healthy breakfast with endless supply of fruits (bananas, passion fruit, dragon fruit, and watermelon), the bread is delivered fresh everyday and the coffee (Vietnamese coffee) is absolutely delish!

However, one word of caution, it's a non-halal hotel, therefore bacon is also served thus (if you're a Muslim) you might want to skip their meat and fried food. 

One of the best highlights of this hotel is, whenever we'd come back in the afternoon (after a full day exploring and being tourists in Ho Chi Minh) the staff (usually we'd be meeting Johnny who's an absolutely cool guy and the most helpful staff we've ever met) would give us a few slices of fresh fruits and a cool drink (or two).

Need internet connection? WiFi is provided for free and the access speed is superb!

Rows and rows of fresh fruits. I absolutely adore their passionfruit. Yummeh!

The staff busy preparing breakfast. We're usually the first one there and the last one to leave =). 

Our room. 

We absolutely love our room. It's huge, with plenty of space for Alexa to explore and enjoy herself. The bed is comfortable and is big enough to fit our tiny family (including Alexa because we're still co-sleeping with her). On our third day, we encountered a plumbing problem in the shower, there was a blockage which caused the water to spill from the shower to the bedroom. The staff were extremely efficient and they managed to resolve the problem (and mop the floors) in less than 10 minutes. 

We were extremely impressed!

Tea and coffee making facilities are available in the room. 

Another view of the room. 

Changing area.

The toilet/ shower room. 

Alexa, who's busy planning our itinerary for the day =).

So what can we say about The Townhouse 50? We absolutely recommend the hotel due to its excellent service, warm and incredibly wonderful staff ( Johnny and Tracy who were on duty are absolutely friendly and extremely hardworking), we love the breakfast spread, fast internet connection and the room that we stayed in was fabulous. However, please take note that this hotel is a bit far from Ben Thanh market (about 20 minutes walk) and there's no elevator so you might have to walk up the stairs a bit to get to your room. But besides that, we enjoyed our stay in Ho Chi Minh and wouldn't mind staying here again =).


xoxo Mrs Fashionisa

Fashionista's Hotel Review: Hotel 1915 Kuala Lumpur

I had another overnight trip to Kuala Lumpur last weekend and this time I booked a room at Hotel 1915, not far from Masjid Jamek LRT station. This time I chose a hotel right smack in the middle of town (since my past few selections involved me traveling quite a bit to where I wanted to go). Initially I was not keen to stay at a hotel in the middle of the hustle and bustle of KL simply because I was unsure of the amount of noise that I'd be subjected to (especially at night when sleep is critical) and of course I was afraid that the environment of the hotel wouldn't be conducive for me to complete my tasks when I'm in KL.

 

 

Hotel 1915 is located about 1 minute walk away from the Masjid Jamek LRT station which is definitely very, very convenient.

 

It markets itself as a boutique hotel, and as boutique hotels go, I definitely love the cool design of the interior.

 

Lobby.

 

Corridor leading up to my room.

 

I opted for the deluxe queen room. Compared to all the hotels I've ever stayed in, this is among the smallest room I've ever seen. Luckily I'm not claustrophobic. If it wasn't for the room (and the lack of space) I would definitely repeat my stay at Hotel 1915.

 

TV console at the foot of the bed. You can actually see how small the room is from here. There's probably only about one feet of available space between the bed and the wall. There's a couple of sachets of tea and coffee and they've actually provided drinking water stations (for hot and cold water) at every level near the elevator. Jar and glass are provided in the room underneath the TV console.

 

The toilet/ shower.

 

Toilet.

 

And shower.

My review of Hotel 1915 (terribly sorry for the grainy photos in this review, this trip was rather packed so I didn't have the luxury of time to take proper photos):

To be frank, I absolutely love the location of the hotel. It's conveniently located next to a subway station which is definitely a plus point. There's plenty of stalls next to the station for you to do some shopping if you like and food is definitely easy to find when you're in this part of the city. I also liked the fact that despite the hotel's high occupancy rate, the hotel itself is very quiet, there's hardly any noise that I can hear from my room (even though we're so near to the station) and this is definitely another plus point. I like hotels for their location, cleanliness and privacy which I find this hotel fits all the criteria that I look for in a hotel. Unfortunately, the room is super small. It's okay for one person, but for two, it would be terribly cramped. So, if there's more of you, I suggest looking for a bigger room at another hotel. Other than the size issue, this hotel is absolutely perfect!

If you'd like to know more on the hotel, click [here] to visit their website.


xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Hotel Review: O'Boutique Suites

As mentioned in my previous post, my current commitments has given me the opportunity to travel more to the capital of Malaysia (that's Kuala Lumpur for those who are unfamiliar with Malaysia) and in that regard, I have taken this opportunity to try and review as many boutique hotels as my budget can afford or at least until I find one that suites me the best.

This time I have booked myself at O-Boutique Suites which is located in a building called Casa Utama at Bandar Utama. Other than O-Boutique Suites, Casa Utama also houses 39 townhouses and an organic cafe called Organic Recipe (which is currently undergoing renovation). 

The location of this boutique hotel is rather discrete, as it is not visible from the main road. You have to turn into a small road called Lorong Lebuh Bandar Utama and the hotel is located about less than a minute's drive from the turning. 

The hotel lobby. The hotel itself is located at Level B2 which is one floor below the parking lot.  

There's a few areas for guests to lounge and chit chat. As I've mentioned before, I absolutely adore boutique hotels and this one is no different. I find the atmosphere that welcomed me when I checked in to be very informal, warm and inviting.

Sitting area next to the lobby.

Corridor. 

The hotel in itself is quite a small hotel as it only occupies one floor, the whole of B2. Since my booking was only a couple of days before I checking in to the hotel, I only had the option of a windowless room =(. However, being a frequent traveller, window or no window is no biggie. 

The room. Unlike the hotel lobby and lounge, the design of the room is quite sparse. The room size is quite small but as a solo traveller, it suit my needs nicely: comfortable bed, some space for me to perform my prayers and free wifi.

The room.

The toilet/ shower.

The room came with complimentary breakfast so I headed down to B3 for breakfast. Unfortunately several parts of this level is currently under renovation therefore I didn't take any photos of the corridor leading to the breakfast area. There is a small area fit for maybe around 30 people having breakfast at one time. I liked the fact that the design is an open concept which provided us with a nice view of the surrounding area of the hotel.

The breakfast is quite simple, consisting of a basic fare of fried noodles, butter, jam and toast, steamed pau, coffee, tea and plain water.

After staying there for a night I would have to say that I absolutely love this boutique hotel! Okay, my plus points are:
1) Privacy. Which is an absolute must when you're a frequent traveler. It helps that the hotel is located in a discrete corner within Bandar Utama, therefore this translates to quiet nights and peace of mind. However, I must say that noise in the corridor reverberates into the room, therefore I'd know whenever there's someone out and about in the corridor.
2) Cleanliness and Comfort. I love how comfortable the bed is and the whole room and toilet is definitely presentable when I checked in.
3) Fast and efficient check-in and check-out service. Which is another must for frequent travellers. It does help that this hotel is only able to cater to a small amount of clientele at any single time, so check-in and check-out is definitely a breeze.
4) Safety. The way in which the building is designed certainly ensured that no intruders can easily slip by unnoticed into the building.

Cons:
1) Lack of nearby attractions. One Utama is really close but to get anywhere you must get a cab. So, there's absolutely no walking-distance attractions to speak off.
2) Because of how discrete the location of this hotel is, therefore cafes/ restaurants are not in the immediate vicinity either. There is a restaurant called Organic Recipe located at B3 but it was still undergoing renovation when I was there.

So the question is, would I go back to O-Boutique Suites? Yup! Definitely! I love how small their operations are, to me small operators kinda makes the whole service go to a personal level (which I love). The girl at the counter even helped me to book a cab (thank you!). I do like the fact that the hotel is very private and discrete as this enables me to concentrate and do my work in peace. I also talked to the security guy on my way in, I liked the fact that he takes his job very seriously and the best part is, he's very proud in what he does (in making sure that everything and everyone is safe). The only downside is the lack of nearby (walking-distance) attractions/ cafes.

Those who are interested to know more of the hotel can visit their Facebook page [here] or website [here].


xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Hotel Review: Ibis Styles Kuala Lumpur Fraser Business Park Hotel

Of late I've been traveling and flying to Kuala Lumpur frequently due to certain commitments and I am definitely glad for this opportunity as it enables me to test out and blog the hotels in Kuala Lumpur. And this year being Visit Malaysia Year 2014, I am sure there are plenty of tourists out there who are planning their visits here to Malaysia and good ol' Kuala Lumpur. 

Last week I booked a room at Ibis Styles Kuala Lumpur Fraser Business Park for two reasons, first is because I've stayed at Ibis Styles Yogyakarta before and I absolutely love the hotel (click here for my review of the hotel) so I am definitely sure that the service I'll get at this hotel would be similar to my stay in Yogyakarta and secondly, it's located near Pudu where I assumed that it would be near Pudu Sentral (okay, you might as well know now that this is so not true *sigh*). Anyway, this is my review of the hotel =).

The hotel lobby. I have always adored Ibis Styles decor and interior and this is no different. Although I would have to say that this is it for the hotel lobby, unlike Ibis Styles Yogyakarta which had better decor, an open and bright concept and its cafe on the same floor. For this hotel, the cafe is located on the 4th floor. The lobby is connected to Fraser Business Park (which is the name of the building in which the hotel is located). Despite being located in the same building as a shopping centre (Metro Mall), unfortunately there is not much shopping to be done as the building (Fraser Business Park) appears to be quite empty with minimal shops doing business. It's adjacent to HELP University, but you won't even know that there's a university nearby because the university is at the other end of the building.

My room was located at the 10th floor and this charming 'kek lapis' carpet (labeled by my friend who commented on the bright stripes on the carpet), bamboo art wall deco and sofa greeted me. The view from the hotel is definitely nice =).

My room. I had booked for a queen bed but unfortunately the rooms are full and they gave me a twin-bed bedroom. Love the batik inspired wall-deco. 

As you can see, the room is definitely small (I had to make do with the small space in front of the bed for me to lay my prayer mat and pray *sigh*) but I do love the bright colours and cheery atmosphere of the room. Despite the TV right smack opposite of the bed, there's not much channels to enjoy though. There's about less than 20 channels available and only one movie channel from what I've experienced.

The twin-beds.

Bright green shower stall.

Toilet and sink.

I was surprised that they have a charging dock for iPhone (compatible with iPhone 4 and below). I would have loved this but unfortunately my iPhone is not compatible with this dock.

I actually love the breakfast spread. Unfortunately there was a huge crowd at breakfast so I was unable to get a clear shot of what was being served but the breakfast consisted of assorted cereal, assorted bread, several choices of juice, hot tea and coffee, regular malay breakfast fan fare (i.e. nasi lemak with condiments and porridge also with condiments), fresh fruits and quite a good selection for its western breakfast. Yum!

Unfortunately, the coffee was horrible so I am definitely not recommending the coffee provided at this hotel.

Ibis Styles is part of Accor Hotels, they also have various hotels under their brand Novotel, Mercure, Pullman, Ibis, Ibis Budget etc. Looking at the various hotel brands managed by Accor Hotels, I'm sure that I can look forward to a high standard of service by Ibis Styles. Unfortunately, if given the choice, I would not stay in this hotel again in the future simply because of its location (no it's not located in Pudu despite it's address) and also because of the lack of shops at Fraser Business Park. I guess if Fraser Business Park is a bustling mall, I would be tempted to change my mind on staying at the hotel in the future. But I have absolutely no complaints on Ibis Styles itself. If you don't mind staying a wee bit further that other central locations in KL like Bukit Bintang, KLCC etc, then this hotel is absolutely recommended. In terms of transportation, this hotel is located adjacent to the LRT station Chan Sow Lin which gives you easy access to the city.

Cheers!


xoxo Mrs Fashionista