Monday, May 02, 2016

Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Of particular late, work has been quite demanding and it was time for me to rejuvenate my mind and body away from the normal routine. What better way for me to do so than to whisk myself and my two little ones to a 5-star hotel in the middle of a metropolitan city?

This month, the hotel of choice is Seri Pacific Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. Although Seri Pacific is more associated to a business hotel, its location which is very close to an up and coming shopping mall (Putra Mall) combined with a very affordable rate makes it very attractive to me.

To get to the hotel is very easy via public transport. The girls were in the mood to travel by train all the way from KLIA2 and it was just a one interchange at Masjid Jamek Putra LRT before we reached PWTC STAR LRT station. Then it was just a few minutes walk and we made it to the hotel in good shape.

For below RM300, I managed to secure Club Double Room for a one-night stay via Booking.com, truly a good bargain for a prestigious hotel. The room comes with access to the exclusive Club Lounge and other privileges such as free WiFi, late check-out, welcoming fruits, free flow of coffee/tea/soft drinks and snacks, free ironing service and breakfast at Club Lounge.

Service at the check-in counter was rather lukewarm. The staff merely handed me the access card with no explanations on the services available for guests booking a Club room and did not even share the information on the whereabouts of the Club Lounge. The service I received here paled in comparison to the service at Shangri-La, where I also stayed at their Club room and was attended to with utmost care and thoughtful gesture by the staff there. It was such a shame because Seri Pacific is a lovely hotel, and the amenities are no less.

Still, I refused to let that small flaw dampen my holiday mood. After settling the payment, we made our way to our room on the 26th floor.

I was greeted by an elegantly decorated 32 square metres space done in white, beige and grey colors with a touch of red from the carpet. Polished wooden floor lends a grandeur to the room, combined with the right amount of use of clear glass partition, separating the room and the bathroom. Natural lighting from the floor to ceiling window makes the room appear spacious and warm. 

Hello, holiday. Love the warm and cosy ambience in this room.

The room is appointed with double beds, a chic reading chair, a working table with ergonomic swivel chair for the business travellers who wish to work from the comfort of their room, a 42-inch TV hung from the wall alongside other modern day comforts such as a rain shower, a bathtub, coffee-making facilities and so on. I fell into instant liking on the room decor for its successful incorporation of modern yet elegant design.

The double bed is spacious but a bit firm to my liking

Worthy to highlight is its ingenious use of space to 'hide' certain amenities that do not fit the overall decor of the room. You can find the minibar and coffee making facilities cleverly stowed in the wall cabinet behind the work area, and the iron and ironing board across the bed nearest to the window. A discreet label that could easily be mistaken with a panel on the wall allows you to locate the minibar and the ironing station, but not without first wondering whether the hotel forgot to make these amenities available!

Great attention to details to the room aesthetic

View of the hallway

A marble working table fit for business executive

The bathtub and the shower areas are in separate cubicle so two guests can get ready at the same time

The toiletries are something that you can find in any ordinary hotel

The bathtub is spacious and equipped with hot and cold water. A hand-held shower is also provided

Amenities in the cupboard

The minibar is stocked with soft drinks and beer and some selection of snacks are available for sale

As it was raining in the afternoon, we were not in a rush to head over to the shopping mall just across the street. Rather, we headed to the Club Lounge to spend a quiet time enjoying the sights of KL from the height of 30 floors above the street. Unlike the description of free flow of drinks and snacks available at Club Lounge, we arrived to find afternoon tea almost finished (yet there was hardly anybody around). We were around for some time before the staff greeted and served us drinks. In the end, we left feeling unimpressed by the Club Lounge.

The Club Lounge overlooking KL city centre

When it comes to breakfast, Seri Pacific Hotel did not disappoint. The hotel offers a decent selection of Continental and local breakfast dishes such as the popular egg station and pastries station, to the normal Malaysian breakfast of nasi lemak, rice porridge with condiments and mee rebus. My little ones enjoyed their breakfast of cereal and pancakes with maple syrup, while I started with porridge and ended with omelette, sausage, baked beans and grilled tomato.

Still, despite a few hiccups in its service, Seri Pacific Hotel is certainly worth the money spent if you are looking for a stay-cation in a city. There is no doubt that if ever I felt like staying in a 5-star hotel while paying for a 4-star rate, I will repeat this experience again. Perhaps to sample its spa service, who knows?

Verdict: 8/10