Li Hua Hotel @ Bintulu Bus Terminal

I never ever stayed in any of Li Hua Hotel branches in my entire life and recently I have the opportunity to stay in one of their Bintulu branch. Bintulu has 2 Li Hua Hotels and the one I staying will be the one at the Bintulu Bus Terminal.

The hotel is conveniently located at the bus terminal and the lobby is virtually just beside the departure hall of the bus terminal. This is very convenient for the bus commuter who happened to arrive late at night.

The Deluxe Room (RM 98) is clean, quite spacious and well maintained. The 2 pillows are a bit too high and hard to my liking. Wifi connection is satisfactory and the surrounding area is not too noisy for a comfortable sleep at night.

The hotel coffee house is situated on the 1st floor. It has a long dining hall and is connected on this floor to the shopping mall. The complimentary breakfast serve here is pretty basic and nothing to shout about.

The building which houses the hotel also functions as bus terminal and a shopping mall on the first floor. The departure hall for the bus terminal is air conditioned. There is nothing much to see at the adjoining shopping mall with Mr DIY as the main tenant.

Overall, this is an excellent hotel for bus traveler although there are many more choices of hotels nearby the area. I would probably stay here again if I travelling here again by bus.

The Stay, Kapit

On 15th May 2023, a new accommodation has opened up in Kapit. It is situated at a new commercial area, just a stone throw away from the old town.

It is located at Jalan Selirik and directly opposite the Kapit police station. Parking spaces are plenty and will not an issue as compare to the old Kapit town.

The entrance door to this 22 rooms accommodation at the shop houses is kind of small to be noticed and is located beside the My Spec shop. I happened to be one of the earliest guest here on its soft opening day.

The room rate here is reasonable, ranging from RM100-140 depending the numbers of bed in a room. A single queen sized bed is as basic as it gets with room rate starting at RM100. The room is clean and furnished with new furniture.  The room is quite small and fitted with an oversized air conditioner unit. It is not too noisy as compare to staying at the old town as the surrounding shops here don't open as early as 5.30am

The toilet is even more compact without much clearance between the toilet bowl and the shower space.

Water dispensers are readily available at all corners of this place. Supermarket and coffee shops are all within walking distance which made this place an ideal place to stay.

New Rejang Inn

From words of mouth, New Rejang Inn is one of the best place to stay while in Kapit. Located opposite Public bank and a stone throw away from the Kapit River Express Wharf, the hotel location is quite ideal.

The hotel lobby is one of the biggest I came across thus far in Kapit. It is well decorated with traditional craft as well as some old photos hanging on the wall.

The hotel room (RM 108) is quite spacious, only second to Greenland Inn. The room is generally clean and quite comfortable. My only complain is the air cond placement which is directly opposite the bed.

The room is also equipped with a mini refrigerator and a mini flat TV. The TV antenna is fitted weirdly on the refrigerator.

Room view with a glimpse of the Rejang River. As most business premises here open early in the morning, one can expect to hear noise from the outside as early as 5am.

Merchant Hotel Kuching

Merchant Hotel (formely known as Kemena View Hotel) is located strategically at Jalan Song Thian Cheok. The hotel looks modern and new from its facade.

The hotel basically located at the city centre with the Song Kheng Hai Recreation Ground at the door step of the hotel.

The lobby is kind of narrow with some seating arrangements at the entrance door. Check in was without issue as I made my booking earlier.

The Deluxe Room (RM 143) is quite spacious with its laminating floor.  The room used to have a centralized air conditioner but now the room is now cooled with a split unit type air conditioner. Due to its location, it is relatively quiet there to have a good night rest.

However, the room could use a bit of maintenance based on the painting and the scales built up at the bathroom. I hope they do something about it if they expect me to return back to stay here again.

Food and drinks are easy to come by as Ezlive Cafe is open late at night and serve 1602 beer with Woon Lam Cafe opened early in the morning for a quick breakfast.

Loft Pals Urbanstay Lodge

There are many budget hotels sprawling around Kapit town and one will have a hard time guessing how those hotel rooms fare unless one stay in it. One of budget hotels here is Loft Pals Urbanstay Lodge where one need to check in and get the room key from its office just opposite the Petronas station.

After checked in, one will have to walk a few meters away from the check in office to where the rooms are located. The rooms are located next to PMG clinic/self service laundry. There are 2 access, back and front of the building. Just look at the room number to determine which access door to use.

The stairways to the rooms is surprisingly well decorated. There is even an ironing board here.

The room is not spacious but its amenities and furniture are quite new. Nevertheless, the room is clean.

Most of the rules and regulations are posted on the wall of the room. The room is alright for Kapit standard. However, it is quite cumbersome to check in/out at their office and walk to another building block to reach the room. 

Hilton Garden Inn Puchong

It must had been more than a decade since I stayed in any Hilton hotel until recently I had a meeting at Hilton Garden Inn Puchong. The hotel location is a bit odd and surrounded by housing area and a small commercial area just a stone's throw away.

The lobby is located on the 6th floor which is spacious and have a wide window view of Puchong. 

The room here is one of the most comfortable room I ever stayed in my many years of travelling in Malaysia. The air condition temperature can be effectively controlled. The bed and pillow firmness are just right for me. Complimentary wifi speed is not as good as expected.

Access to room floor is by scanning room card at the elevator reader. Since there are only 3 elevators at the hotel, the wait can be annoying during peak hour or when 1 unit of the elevator breaks down.

Bedroom view is either the lake or Puchong township view. Not much of a stunning view but still a good view of Puchong.

There is only one restaurant here on the 6th floor and the breakfast choices here are one of the best I ever had in recent years.

As I was having meeting here for 3 days, the chef had prepared special menu for both lunch and dinner for us with different theme everyday.

The hotel is also equipped with gym and swimming pool on the 6th floor. They ain't big or fantastic but they are well maintained.

Function rooms are located on the 7th floor with modern amenities and equipment. 

The hotel is connected with a shopping mall, M-Square which is pretty much shuttered down right now due to the effect of the pandemic. With some short walk, there is an LRT station (Puchong Perdana) which can provide affordable public transportation access to KL and its surrounding area.