Kontemporary Kuala Lumpur (Part 1) Hilton KL

 

I have heard many a friend mention that women can be very fickle. If that is the case then the weather that greeted us in Kuala Lumpur was most certainly a woman. It is early November and monsoon season is at hand. What that means in practical terms is that it can rain at any time of day and last for as long as it wants to. Much like a woman's temper tantrum...ooooops, did I say woman?...I meant child...(I apologize, I like to joke at times)

 

Vinaa, our driver and guide who promptly picked us up at the arrival hall of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 10:30 pm (by the skin of his teeth, I later found out...weeeeeell, our flight arrived early) told us that it had rained all afternoon and  had just stopped its heavenly lacrimation just then.

 

It takes an hour to drive from the airport into the city and passing through the rain soaked highways gave us our initial impression of an organized, disciplined and very modern metropolis. As we wandered into the luxurious lobby of the Hilton KL, the warm greeting that we received more than made up for news of the weather. Jo Ann at the counter efficiently took care of our room assignments. I also briefly said in passing that I would like to meet someone from the PR department if possible and that this trip was a present for my parents who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year. Noting the late hour (it was almost midnight) I didn't think it had sunk in, but by the next afternoon, upon returning to their room, my parents found this surprise... 

and after dinner, they were equally surprised to see their bathtub filled with soapy suds and red rose petals...

Nice touch! It certainly made for a great story back home.

Thanks too to Jo Ann's efficiency, Mr. Nigel Gan, PR & Events Manager, soon called to say that he was free for a chat. Unfortunately we had an appointment to see the city (more about this in the next piece) in a few minutes and had to reschedule for after breakfast the next day (more on the breakfast in a bit).

One of the amazing things about this hotel is the attention to detail and technology. The desk in the room had a side panel that included connections for hooking up a lap top to the TV, an RCA composite from a camera to the TV and a DSL cable, two convenience outlets and the light dimmer.

There was also a swivelling mirror in the bathroom that had a small LCD TV. Considering that this hotel has already been in operation for eight years makes the high-tech details all the more impressive. 

 

I also liked the way the room was laid out and designed. It was very well thought out and had a real homey feel to it. For one thing, the bathroom had a night light to help you get your bearings, should a  need to navigate your way to tinkle town arise. Another feature is you could conveniently gain access to your clothes in the closet from the bathroom or the hallway. Also, one side of the bathroom had two panels that could be pushed into a wall recess to create a more open feel.

 

Since KL is still a city with a lot of open and green spaces, it never gets tiring to look out of one's hotel window. This is the view outside...

 

and below our room. That is the "Space Age" look of the roof of the train station.

 

Our whole group was looking forward to our first (of five) buffet breakfasts in the hotel coffee shop. We were greeted by such wonderful smiles each morning from Nadzirah (left) and Peggy and this set the tone for a relaxed and comfortable first meal of the day. Kudos too to Ramlah whose kind attention to our needs was impeccable and warm.

 

This beautiful stained glass ceiling hung over the atrium just past the entrance.

 

 



 

The food available was very varied and of great quality. Each morning I eagerly chose a muffin that was served still hot and in the pan it was baked in. Among the choices available were blueberry, chocolate chip and oatmeal. I can still smell the buttery sweet aroma.

 

Muffins aside, they also have an assortment of the usual breads, cereals, pastries and sandwiches; Malay, Chinese, Indian, Japanese and American dishes; a noodle bar, an omelette station and a fresh juice bar! You can have your fill of the endless vegetable and fruit combinations. 

 

As the young like to exclaim nowadays: "Breakfast was insane and they got good fast WiFi too!"

One outlet you have to try when you get the chance to stay at the Hilton is Chynna, which serves glorious Chinese food.

Once seated, a special tea blend called the 8 Treasure Tea is served by a master tea craftsman who is also part acrobat. Coming from Chengdu in Xichuan Province, he has been with the hotel for 5 years and has never spilled a single drop from the long spouted pot. He does this with Kung-Fu like moves and is considered the only one doing this in KL. 

 

The interior of this restaurant is a modern take of Shanghai in the 1920s and is casual yet elegant.

 

 

Like I mentioned in the past, I don't usually talk about food in detail (who am I kidding) but the Garlic Beef dish served with dried shredded chicken  meat and the Fluffy Beancurd with assorted seafood is highly recommended.

 

After finally meeting Mr. Nigel Gan, I realized how busy he usually gets at his job and meeting with me was a real courtesy. Despite his attention being needed all over the hotel he graciously stayed and chatted for almost an hour. I learned that he had been with The Hilton KL for less than a year and was very excited about his work. He was organizing the final details to a bridal fair that afternoon called "Fantabulous!" and invited me to have a look. "Fantabulous" was such a great name and a wedding should be nothing but...

 

 

This 28 year old PR & Events Manager  seemed particularly proud of the modern room design and told me it was very business centric with an open space concept. When asked where he would go when he needed quite time he quickly decided on the pool area. Located on a terrace on the 8th floor and with a waterfall and garden, this was truly a relaxing place to catch one's breath. (If its thrills you're after, check out the pool slide that twists and turns before you hit the water!)

 

 

 

Nigel considers Chynna to be their most impressive in house restaurant although the Iketeru, which serves Japanese food once hosted the Ambassador from Japan who was quite impressed with the special menu and authentic tasting recipes  the chef created for him. Maybe one day that menu will be made available to us "common folk".

Another place to chill out in is the Vintage Bank Bar at the lobby which has relaxing music by way of an acoustic jazz band that can ease the days troubles away.

 

As an aside before he took his leave, he mentioned that the Hilton is a good place to get star struck as they have hosted the likes of Katy Perry, Justin Beiber and a host of other Asian celebrities.

 

As promised I did drop by the bridal fair that afternoon and was taken with the simple sophistication of the event. It was a pity that I couldn't watch the pageant showcasing several designer bridal gowns as I had to leave and watch some eagles get fed in a river out of town (Video of this in the next KL article). 

 

I leave you with a few photos from that occasion. The next part  will detail sights one can see in the city and an out of town excursion.