Overnight at Equatorial

Located right at the top of Bukit Jambul, I heard of the hotel before, but never actually stayed there. Looked like one of those classic 80s hotels, it was much classier than I thought. And a lot bigger.

The hotel had a unique design. It was four wings spreading from a central roofed hollow area creating an atrium feel, nine story high. My room was at the end of one of the winged corridor, a nice little suite which I shared with my Mum. My Dad was planned to come along but decided against traveling at the last minute since he had a cold. I ordered an extra bed, sleeping at the living area.

The inner layout of the hotel was pretty unit, with a central hollow design.Looking down onto the main lobbyI could see the second bridge from the room's balconyAll we did there was sleep and had shower, plus the breakfast the next morning. I did not have the chance to sample any of the facilities, or room services.

The room was nice and comfortable. It felt new, which I was sure due to a recent upgrade. It had a balcony, which was not cleaned. It had no seating - which I thought could have been made into a feature. It came with free broadband - which I did not bother to sample as the LTE signal was pretty good in the room.

The room with my extra bed at the living area

It had all the sports and movie channels, plus 24 hour room service should you need some food. The gym and pool was located on the ground floor, and the hotel had a total of seven restaurant, including the famous Kampachi Japanese restaurant.

The breakfast the next morning was not included for standard room, which was part of the reason that I went for the suite. It was a pretty standard fare. Could have been better.

Would definitely call in again should I need a room near the airport area. Otherwise, Eastern and Oriental would still be our favourite ....

All Good Things ...

After four nights, it was finally time to - reluctantly - say goodbye to Penang and this genuinely superb hotel. The boys were already making noise about extending for another day, but unfortunately I have clinic tomorrow.

The helped with the packing this morning, after we had breakfast. It was enough time still for me for a brief walk after Subuh. While walking around Love Lane - about 10 minutes away - I stumbled across a camera crew shooting a scene. We had to stay quiet for a couple of moments before allowed to cross. When I did, I noticed that one of the lady behind the camera was an old acquaintance.

Breakfast before setting off ...Can't really argue when they carry all three sports channelsA brief chat then, she had to go back to work. While I had to walk to the hotel to join Anita and the boys for breakfast. The weather was certainly very nice this morning, as if not letting us go .....

Goodbye Penang. Goodbye Eastern & Oriental ...

An Evening Stroll

After a long day at Gurney Plaza, the boys were hungry by the time we touched down. We decided against ordering in since the menu was pretty limited. We went for dinner buffet at Sarkies instead.

The boys were charged at half price and on the whole considering the quality of the food on the spread, it was well worth it.

It had the usual Malaysian food, plus roast, salad, seafood including oyster - which I was not into, sashimi - my favourite, and some local delicacies including some flaming char kuey teow, which was the bomb!

The previous evening, there was roast lamb on the skewer, but not tonight. They had satay instead and it was really nice as well. The hidden gem was the chicken curry. Almost as good as the nasi kandar outlet to be honest. They really knew how to cook here, that was for certain!

Since both Anita and I overindulged, we had to take a walk. In the sea breeze towards the room, it was a really nice walk. The air was fresh. Shame that Irfan couldn't wait to get into the room. We could have done with another hour or so at the sofa by the lobby .....

First Impression

When it comes to hotels, first impression could mean everything. It could be the maker or the breaker. So, we were expecting great things from Eastern & Oriental when we landed there yesterday, and we were not disappointed. In fact, for Puan Anita, she was impressed the moment she first set foot. As for me, I needed some warming up. The reception lady looked at me with a certain look when I arrived, and I got the distinct feeling that she was sizing me up. Especially when I booked for four nights ....

We booked at the Heritage Wing, the older and more exclusive site. Not exactly the most expensive room, but all the rooms at that particular wing didn't come cheap. They were all suites, and the key word when I opened the room door - no, I did not open the door, the butler did - was opulence.

Where we sat at whil being checked into our roomThe grand old staircaseAnita exploring the room of course. Before things get messy!Everything screamed antiques and quality. The butler took time to explain the workings of the rooms and the services provided.

We then went for a late lunch at one of the cafe - named after the Armenian brothers who built the hotel - Sarkies. Idlan went straight for the sirloin and scones. My God, it was gorgeous. Me? I had some laksa .... Old school ....

Time for a late lunch at SarkiesIdlan in his elements after ordering his steakSnap courtesy of IrfanThen came the photography session. I had to compete with a couple of Chinese couples doing their wedding photography there. There was a small patch of grass where my boys duly ran on. We went combed through the hotel looking at all the decorations and and services.

There were a couple wings at the hotel, the traditional one which we stayed at - called The Heritage Wing - and a more recently built Victory Wing, six floors with a car park.

Time to explore the rest of the hotelMaking our way across the compoundAlong the marbled corridorAt our wing, we had our private pool on the ground floor. I sampled it yesterday evening while waiting for dinner - it was room service. Nice relaxing laps while enjoying the sea breeze and the sound of crashing waves.

We left the windows opened during sunset to listen to the waves. Unfortunately the hotel faces the north part of the island. One had to venture outside to see the sunset. But we did face the sunrise this morning. So, GoPro to the ready tomorrow morning .....

Cosy Little Hotel

I wouldn't call it little, but it certainly was a cosy place. Only had the chance to stay there overnight and the location being right next tot he airport and about 20 minutes away from the centre of Kuching City certainly made it more of a business hotel rather than a holiday one.

Four Points was the name and it was part of the Sheraton/Starwood chain.

Time for room serviceSun shining into the lobby floorThe room I stayed in was a simple one, but it had everything including Internet. Few basic movie channels. Nothing fancy.

I got to order room service when I arrived, and the service was prompt plus the food was actually quite nice. The steak could've been better cooked, but it was ok.

Internet was not the fastest and since there was only a single sports channel - and also a single movie channel - I had to resort to RTM1 to catch the football matches.

Time for breakfast

The breakfast spread was fine. Again the service was prompt and the food was well-prepared. Didn't get to sample the gym nor the swimming pool. The pool being right next to the main cafe where breakfast was served was really a put off.

The lobby however was nice and roomy. It had a few cafe and a bar by the main reception if you wanted to catch the World Cup matches on the big screens.

The hall where we had our talks were spacious. I was able to use my Mac connected to the presentation projector, which was a big plus.

I wouldn't recommend the hotel if you were coming with your family for a visit though due to its location. Hotels in town - Pullman and Hilton - would've been a better choice. It would be nearer to the city attractions and most importantly food. This hotel was mainly for business meetings and conferences.