Asia, May-June 2007

Traders Hotel

Hotel

A newly built hotel. The rooms are excellent, the bathrooms are modern and roomy, the bed and pillows are wonderful. TV is a bit small.
Main cafe is OK, very little selection for a vegetarian, but chef is willing to accommodate. Location is convenient for the KLCC mall, eight-minute walk, but not within walking distance of Bukit Bintang. No taxis are waiting outside the hotel, so the only option you have is the hotel's minivans at double the price.
In-room internet is pricey, as is the case in all Asian hotels. Free wireless internet in the lobby is useless, as it disconnects every 15 minutes. No matter how many times you ask them, you will not get the correct newspaper, you will have to go to the front desk every morning to get the correct newspaper. Pool has only one lounge with sun exposure.

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by ahazan on June 3, 2007

Westin Kuala Lumpur

Hotel

A four-year-old hotel. I had a very nice room, great bathrrom, with separate shower. The restaurants are good but the pool has no sun exposure. The location is good, on Bukit Bintang, next door to JW Mariott which has the Starhill mall. Free Wireless internet in lobby.

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by ahazan on June 3, 2007

Westin Kuala Lumpur
199 JALAN BUKIT BINTANG Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 55100
60327318333

Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok

Hotel | "The Shangri La Hotel Bangkok"

One of the greatest hotels I have ever stayed in. A beautiful lobby and great rooms with view of the Chao Praya. Ask for an executive room with renovated bathroom, and stand-alone shower. Great bed/pillows. Restaurants are excellent, with the exception of the main cafe (Next2) which has nothing vegetarian. Thai restaurant, Salathip is on the river, very enjoyable. Edogin Japanese is excellent. Angellini Italian restaurant is also very good though they no longer have the live singer Lilibeth that used to be there. Buffet breakfast is absurdly priced at $22. At least eight different tailor shops are on the same road. There are taxis and tuk-tuks outside the hotel at all hours.

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by ahazan on June 3, 2007

Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok
89 Soi Wat Suan Plu Bangkok, Thailand 10500
+66 (2) 236 7777

Mandarin Oriental Manila

Hotel

I stayed at the Makati Shangri-la the past eight trips to Manila, but they raised the price considerably this time so I decided to try another Makati hotel, the Mandarin. Check-in was very quick. The room leaves much to be desired. It looks like it hasn't been renovated since the early 80s. There is a musty smell in the hall and the windows are very thin. I had to change rooms after the first night due to being woken up from honking on the street. The bathroom has a bathtub/shower which I hate. The restaurant was a bit pricey, $32 for buffet dinner, the food was OK. Strangely, for the Philippines, two of the three days I was there, there was no mango at breakfast. All that being said, I must say that the service was a 10; one of the best experiences I've had service-wise in the East. The location is OK compared to Manila Peninsula, and especially Shangri-La which is next-door to Glorietta mall and Greenbelt.

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by ahazan on June 3, 2007

Raffles Hotel Le Royal

Hotel

A 100-year-old hotel, tastefully restored with a large wooden staircase. The rooms have very high ceilings and the bathroom has a stand-alone shower and old-style bathtub. For internet, you have to sit in the lobby, and it's expensive. The cafe has very little selection for vegetarians. I don't know if the location is good, because there's not much nightlife/activities in Phnom Penh. The service was exemplary. Cambodian people happen to be the nicest people I have ever encountered.

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by ahazan on June 3, 2007

Le Meridien Angkor

Hotel

Le Meridien is a nice hotel, close to the Angkor Wat but not in the town of Siem Reap, like Hotel De La Paix, or others. You can't just walk out of the hotel and walk at a restaurant or pharmacy. That said, there is always a bunch of tuk-tuks waiting outside the hotel to take you somewhere.

The room's bathroom has a nice stand-alone shower, bathtub, the bed is ok, the pillows feel like they're filled with sand. Beware the Italian restaurant. I ordered Sea Bass, and got scallops (which I'm mildly allergic to, so I spent the next two days in the room). Service is excellent, staff are very friendly and eager to help, as is the case in most hotels in Cambodia.