Reporting from Malaysia, on a trip that initially had
me in four different countries in one day. Starting from Perth, transiting in
Hong Kong then travelling from Singapore into nearby Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
Scan forward a couple of weeks and then to Kuala Lumpur and back again to Johor
Bahru.
They say Malaysia is “Truly Asia”. But getting around
Malaysia is no easy feat and the Tourism people in connection with Airlines
have many areas that need to be addressed to take travel within the country to
the next and a (better) level. In my case I was travelling from the southern
city of Johor Bahru to KL. Why is it that Malaysian Airlines domestic aircraft
are plain old and worn? From seat belts designed for slim fitted travellers to
odd window shades that close up, as in you push them up to close them. The
colour scheme straight out of the 70’s, as I suspect the plane may have been.
But this flight was heavenly compared to the return flight that followed, more
on that later.
Landing in KL at the KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International
Airport) it’s plain to see that this not so old airport could have done with a
better design and certainly to the uninitiated it can be a confusing place to
navigate. The Express train to the city, is a wonky, bumpy
noisy experience with seats that could be more well placed, certainly when
comparing it to the likes of Hong Kong’s Airport express, it pales in
comparison.
Hilton Kuala Lumpur.
The Hotel is
located across from the Central station, end point for the KLIA Express, so
getting to the Hotel is easy enough. Summed up my stay at the Hilton KL was a
rough start with better finish. From the moment I arrived at the Hotel to the
first hour spent in my room, the faults just flowed. Now having previously been
a Hilton Honors Gold member and having heard good things about the KL Hilton, I
was keen to try this hotel on my next visit to KL. I had this opportunity over
the weekend of the 19th May. The fact that this hotel was connected
to the central station added to the attraction and made my choice
even more convenient than ever. Perhaps I was just unlucky, but from a fault
side, I was unaware the Hotel was in the final stages of a partial renovation.
So I arrived to find the Hotel in part, shrouded in the lobby and lounge, one
area of the Hotel I was so looking forward to relaxing in on my first visit. That
aside I went to my room and it was all downhill from there. The TV remote did
not work properly, the peddle bin in the bathroom was broken and the Wifi, (chargeable)
was unreliable and intermittent. So I went to the 5th floor bar/pub
Zeta, only to find the while the place was half empty, it seemed hotel guests
were not welcome. Various tables were marked “Reserved” and not for hotel
guests. My needs were simple, some live entertainment, some food and something
to drink. It was not to be, with nowhere decent to sit, that was the last
straw. Now if these tables are reserved why just leave them empty for the first
few hours of operation? Why not let in house guests use these for some of the
time they are available? So I gathered my things and went to check out in
search of a better Hotel. At the reception desk I politely made my
disappointment clear, fortunately a very caring and attentive front desk clerk,
placated me and after some convincing I accepted an upgrade to a suite. Yes,
the room was better, everything worked, including the internet. I ordered room
service and while there was some slight misunderstanding, this duly arrived and
was adequate. The bedroom area and the bed itself was very comfy and
come morning time all earlier issues were put aside and the next day managed to have a
great lunch in the Japanese restaurant, although we had to wait an hour for one
of the dishes which came at the end. Apart from that an enjoyable meal and overall
the Hotel did the right thing to address concerns and retain my business. One
thing that did not go unnoticed is the lack of soul in the place. The renovated
restaurants, while interesting to look at, take on a modern minimalist look. A
tad too plain, lacking interesting detail. I am not old fashioned by any means,
however, the lack of placemats for example in any of the restaurants is cause
for concern. Without them any table looks like it belongs more in a canteen or
food hall than a five star hotel. More than that, placemats add décor and dare
I say, colour and style. Something that is a miss, in the Hilton’s new all day
dinning venue, Vasco, the same can be said for their Japanese, Iketeru and the
new Graze. (western food)
Getting back to travel within Malaysia, again, it’s a
great country, with lovely people and some beautiful places to see, but I am baffled
about some things. Such as the Subung Airport in KL. Is there are purpose to
the place? It’s stark, seemingly underused and frankly a bit of a joke. Sure, a
couple of low cost carriers use the place, but for so few flights. Wouldn’t it
be more cost effective to make better use of the larger KLIA, as it also handles domestic
traffic? At this point I am not sure of which is the lesser of the two evils. Speaking
of which, I was recently reintroduced to the joys of flying on a twin turbo
plane. Malaysian Airways have an offshoot, low cost carrier, called Firefly.
Actually compared to the plane I took, I think I have seen larger genuine
firefly’s in the wild. The plane is mainly decked out in a fluro orange, as are the
flight attendants’ uniforms. Not to dwell on waist size again, but I how does
Firefly manage to find so many flight attendants’ with a 20 inch waist? Anyway
back to the flight, while I was initially gripped with complete and utter
terror at the thought of taking a twin turbo prop plane. In the end it was a
pleasant, if not noisy flight, the slightly lower altitude used by prop planes
means one can get a better view, I enjoyed that, almost as much as I enjoyed
landing, on firm ground and in one piece.
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