Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel | Where Did We Stay? - Hotel in Johor Blog

Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel | Where Did We Stay?
8 Days Boutique Hotel in Taman Impian Emas, Johor Bahru |joHoR
DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru opens its doors - Flights | hotels ...

Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel | Where Did We Stay?

Posted: 18 Aug 2014 11:26 PM PDT

Renaissance is a brand of unique hotels by Marriott. A 5-star hotel, Renaissance Johor Bahru is one of the best hotels in Johor Bahru.

The hotel is outside JB city centre and a taxi ride between CIQ and Renaissance cost us less than 30RM. When our taxi arrived at the hotel, the bellboy opened the door for us. It was slightly after 12 noon.

Opened about a year ago, the lobby looks new, grand and modern. The ceiling was of a good height and the centre piece and mirrors dramatised the grandeur.

Hotel lobby

I particularly loved this chair in the lobby.

We walked towards the reception area where there were two staff talking to each other. When they see us walking towards them, they greeted us with a smile. The lady left to get us a welcome drink each, while Taufik attended to us.

Apple juice

I really loved service given to us by Taufik. He tried to converse with us, without being too intrusive. He first asked if we have stayed with them before and when we said no, he welcomed us warmly. When he knew we were Singaporeans (through our passports), he asked if we drove and if there was a jam. After filling in my particulars on the form, he saw that I live in Bedok. He started telling us that his mum also lives in Bedok and is working for SATS. We were pleased to hear that and started to ask him a little more about his mum. We found out that he visits his mum on his off days. I particularly liked how he stepped away from the reception desk to be beside us when he showed us a brochure of all the places around the hotel. He did the same when he passed us the room keys. All the time he addressed me as Ms Choo. Before we went up to our room, he told us his name – Taufik – and that if we needed help at anytime, we can approach him. He told us he was working till 7pm that day.

Taufik really made us feel important and we really appreciated that he added his own personal touch. His service was a pleasant start to the stay.

Lift lobby

Lift lobby

And… our room!

The bathroom also has a two-sliding door concept.

Basically, if you sit on the bed, you will be directly looking at the W.C.. Which is to say that, if there's another person sitting on the W.C., well, both of you will be staring at each other. That's not just awkward, it is so wrong! Yarh, that's why that sliding door is closed at all times.

Sofa with ottoman and coffee table

Work desk with a rocking chair

Bathroom

Bathroom amenities

Bathrobes and slippers

Ice bucket, expensive water and kettle

Coffee and tea

Mini bar items

Bedside clock/radio. Yups, we were listening to 92.4 (Singapore radio channel)… And the clock is 12 hours behind. Or ahead.

View from our room

See that black building with the microphone? We tabao (takeaway) some horfun for dinner from that coffee shop because we thought there was nothing much at night in this area. We were so wrong! More about it later…

We tested out the pillows. They were down pillows. Andy likes down pillows but I always find them too soft. So I was complaining about the pillows and Andy asked me to call and ask for the pillow menu. But I was lazy and thought we can ask Taufik when we are going out for lunch.

Just as we were exiting the lift, we met this extremely charming Caucasian hotel staff. He greeted us and asked if we were going out. We said we were. He asked if we needed a taxi. We told him there is no need to because we were just going to walk around to check out the area. He asked if we have an umbrella. Andy replied that he has a small one. He was about to leave to get us an umbrella when I asked him about the pillows. He didn't seem to know too much as to what type of pillows they have, just hard or soft. I said I want a hard one and Andy copied me to ask for one too, even though I thought he likes soft pillows.

Did I mention the Caucasian guy was extremely charming?

Oh yes, I did.

The way he walks, he can just melt any girl…

Ok, but I didn't. Almost.

I couldn't really make out his accent though. He didn't sound American or English or Australian.

Anyway, he came back with an umbrella, asked for our room number and we left.

First place we went to was Grandpa Kopitiam just behind the hotel.

We had the usual breakfast set, though it didn't come in a set and we had to combine the items. The price is similar to Singapore coffee shop price, so it wasn't cheap.

Next, we went to this duck rice shop near Grandpa's. It is really delicious! Highly recommend!

Andy's roasted pork

My roasted duck

We wanted to eat some more, because there were so many food shops around the area. But we were very full. So we walked to the Aeon nearby.

Looking at the sky, we thought we were going to get caught in a heavy rain. But it never did. Lucky!

Ok, back to the story about the hor fun. We didn't think that there was going to be food around the hotel at night. So we packed the hor fun. As night falls, we could see from our room that tables and chairs start to be set up outside the shops. More and more cars came. There were many people at the tables. There was also a large screen near the tables.

At first we were thinking that it could be some event. But as more cars leave and come, we were starting to think it might be a big food place. So I was eating my hor fun, which was pretty nice, and thinking about all the other food that I could be eating. Such a glutton right? So I told Andy that we really need to check that place out, even though I had already showered and my hair was smelling so nice.

Indeed, it was an equivalent of Singapore's hawker centre, but with some tables in the outdoors. (Think Bedok 85 at night.) There were so many stalls that we didn't really know which to choose. End up we walked around to see what other people ordered and copied them. Haha. Typical Singaporeans ah?

So, we figured that the oyster omelette and salt grilled tilapia were the most popular. So we got them too! Hee!

Oyster omelette

Salt grilled tilapia

Our verdict? Going with the crowd will never be wrong! They were so yummy we regretted eating the hor fun, which was already considered pretty good. We especially liked the tilapia, firstly because we have never eaten anything salt grilled before and secondly because it was very fresh and didn't have the freshwater taste.

And that was how we overeat. Again. We always overeat.

In the middle of the night, Andy woke up sweating. Because he was buried in the pile of pillows!!

Let's do some math.

The bed originally had 4 pillows. Andy took an extra pillow out from the cupboard. And we had 5. The hotel staff delivered 2 more aromatherapy foam pillows. Then we had 7. All on the bed. And I was sleeping with just one, which was under my head.

No prizes for guessing where the other pillows were. I should really have taken a photo of Andy hugging numerous pillows at once while he was sleeping. Absolutely greedy!

The next morning, we were so excited about the breakfast because we read awesome reviews about it. It is like a Marche-style buffet.

Smoothie and juice

Cheese and ham

Porridge with condiments

Dim Sum

Noodle station

Nasi lemak station

Omelette station

Indian food station

Watch the prata man in action!

Bakery

Bread

Bread and muffins

Pastries

Cereal

Yoghurt

Fruits

One walk round the stations and we were very sure we couldn't and wouldn't try everything. The variety is just too much!

Here's some of the food that we ate:

Juice

Porridge

Nasi lemak with sambal prawns

Omelette

Pancakes and french toast

Once again, we overate.

Dining area

What can I say? The ambience was soothing, the quality of the food was good and the staff was attentive. There wasn't anything we ate that wasn't nice.

After breakfast, we checked out the pool.

View of the pool from the top

Rooms with pool access

View of the rooms from the pool

And we have come to the end of the stay. Sob sob.

In conclusion, we felt that the price was really good for a 5* hotel, especially when breakfast is included in the rate. Taufik remembered my name and addressed me as Ms Choo throughout the stay. There was once I thought he called me Ms Chang, but Andy says it is ok because at least he got the "CH" part correct. When we were checking out, he also checked if we had a good stay and said his goodbyes. It really felt very intimate, as if we were staying at his house!

This is definitely one of our most memorable stays!

Next up… we have booked Traders Hotel Puteri Harbour, Johor Bahru. So watch this space!

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8 Days Boutique Hotel in Taman Impian Emas, Johor Bahru |joHoR

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 11:31 PM PDT

Last weekend, we had an awesome staycation at the new Doubletree by Hilton Hotel at Jalan Ngee Heng, Johor Bahru. The hotel building was previously Landmark if you are familiar. We were one of the folks who were invited to stay there for 2 nights, for their 'test run'. Could this be the best hotel in Johor Bahru?

YES!

Here's why:

The Service:
It is impeccable. The staff is attentive, friendly, polite, helpful and efficient. I must say they are very well-trained for the hotel and tourism industry. We need more people like them!

The Reception. I love the flock of birds wall art.

The Design:
Oh where do I even start!! I LOVE EVERYTHING IN THAT HOTEL! It's modern yet organic. I would love to meet the designer and the one who sourced for the cool awesome stuff in it, seriously. To give you a bit of the style, if you love MUJI, you'll love staying here. And I noticed the unique lamps and light fixtures.

Wooden block chandelier...

...above this dining table at Makan Kitchen.

The Lobby:

Love this long big table. Other hotels may not have the luxury of space for this but they don't know how useful it is! And for me, I am so tempted to cut fabric on it!

The Room:

The corridor leading to our room.

Bathrobes and extra pillow.

What I love about this door is that the bottom is lined with squeegee, so it sweeps away any excess water on the floor outside the shower cubicle.

Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries.

Enlarge mirror. And see that 'up down' switches?

They are for opening and closing this shade. Some people just want to watch TV when they shower huh...tsk tsk tsk.

The phone.

The other stuff worth mentioning is that all the switches are labelled so you don't have a hard time finding which switches are for which lights. This is one of the little things that make a hotel room rock.

The Makan Kitchen:
Serves local cuisine buffet.

Keropok station

My favourite station. Ulam, cucumber, local salad, and the belacan dips!

Indian Cuisine.

Rojak.

Satay.

The noodle station.

There are local kuehs too on the other side.

LOVE the chairs.

The jacuzzi and steam room:

The ladies changing room.

The jacuzzi, overlooking JB townscape.

Steam room.

And *DRUMROLL*... THE POOL!
I'm not boasting or anything (OH YES I AM!) but I think it is the most awesome pool I have seen and swam in. Because it is built by the husband! I have to tell you though, this area is very breezy, and is shaded from 3 pm onwards, so the water is quite cold! If you want the sun, go before 3pm.

Panoramic view.

Shower area.

Kids just love to walk along this shallow path.

Poolside chillax area. This place comes alive at night! It is a very cool place to hang out for drinks after dinner.

The gym: You get the perfect poolview when you're running on the treadmill.

The signature cookie:

How cute is that a hotel has a signature cookie. It is not too sweet, has lots of chocolate chips and nuts in it. Just awesome.

It was such an honour to be one of the very first guest to experience Doubletree's immaculate standard.

The location:

Update: I would like to add that this hotel is located very near to my favourite area in Johor Bahru, the old JB town! If you come out of the hotel lobby and turn right, you will see this:

Walk straight and you'll reach (in sequence): The bus and taxi terminal to Singapore, Pan Pacific Hotel (and the Persada Convention), the famous Jalan Trus old temple and Kotaraya Galleria. After Kotaraya, the area is filled with old coffeshops (Hwa Mui and Kin Hwa), Hiap Joo Bakery (the famous bakery using the 100 year old oven that looks like a kiln!). At night this area becomes festive with the JB Bazaar.

DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru opens its doors - Flights | hotels ...

Posted: 07 Jul 2014 07:40 PM PDT

The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Johor Bahru opens its doors as the second DoubleTree property in Malaysia.

Located in the heart of Johor Bahru's CBD and less than five kilometres from the Johor-Singapore immigration checkpoint, travellers can enjoy a signature warm chocolate chip cookie on arrival.

For frequent flyers, the hotel is just 25 kilometres from Senai International Airport, and is within driving distance of Singapore's Changi Airport, in addition to shopping outlets, cultural and historical sights and Asia's first Legoland theme park.

Packed with 283 standard guest rooms and 52 suites, each room comes equipped with wireless Internet access, a work space, a 40' LCD TV and a walk-in rain shower.

Executive rooms and suites come with access to the hotel's Executive Lounge, where guests can find complimentary breakfast, evening drinks and canapés waiting for them.

Larger one- and two-bedroom apartment-style suites also feature a living room, a dining area, a kitchenette and laundry facilities.

There's a business centre and 10 function rooms spanning more than 2,140 square metres, including two divisible ballrooms.

Hungry travellers will find four dining and entertainment options, starting with Makan Kitchen: an all-day restaurant with an eclectic mix of popular local cuisine served up from four show kitchens.

There's also Tosca – opening on August 1 – an Italian trattoria and bar offering stunning views of the Straits of Johor; The Food Store, a gourmet takeaway suitable for casual meetings; and Axis Lounge, with an extensive beverage menu.

After a long day, business travellers can relax in an outdoor pool, the poolside lounge and 24-hour fitness centre, complete with steam rooms and Jacuzzis.

Members of the Hilton HHonors program can earn and redeem HHonors points and airline miles for stays at the DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru.

To celebrate the hotel's opening, HHonors guests can pocket an extra 1,000 HHonors points per night – up to a maximum of 5,000 points per stay – until December 31 2014.

As a Category 1 hotel, just 5,000 HHonors points can be swapped for a free night, trumping the DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur's asking rate of 10,000 points.

Gold and Diamond HHonors guest enjoy their usual privileges such as complimentary Internet access, free room upgrades and free breakfast.

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