Westin Kuala Lumpur
I was staying in Kuala Lumpur a few days before heading off to Borneo. I was looking around for hotels, and the Westin showed up. I have heard people raving about the hotel for years, so I did my due diligence for everyone who reads this blog (up to 7 people now I think), experiencing this luxury rated hotel. Yes, the sacrifices I make.Arrival
As I typically do when arriving at Kuala Lumpur, I took the KLIAXpress train to KL Sentral station. Several hotels are directly here, but Bukit Bintang area is a subway ride away. So I did the whole thing of going up to the skyway level, then down multiple escalators to the subway entrance, then down a couple levels in the station to the train to where I wanted to go.Then, when I arrived at Bukit Bintang, I took the elevator up for the south side of the street and started down the sidewalk. The JW isn't too bad and the Ritz you can cut through the Mall to enter, but the Westin was farther down and the sidewalks didn't hold up that long, so it was a bit of a chore for the last bit in hot ass Malaysian sun.
The Room
3D interactive room tour, use your mouse or fingers to move around and see other rooms.
Crazy huge residential suite, with an office, the first time I have had a room with such a thing.
Dining and Drinking
Somewhat a variating list of dining over time, Change seems to be a fairly constant situation. The main massive dining area is The Living Room, which is a multi-station endless food creation machine. The bar is 443, and quite elegant, plus has a to go area by the lobby for bagged and prepared food. Splash, which is the poolside and recreation area snack bar (main thing, bar). There is also Ferria that I was able to see from the outside and Sushi Mew that I never got to. There was also a nightclub along the side and back that is now a furniture storage area.Amenities
Westins are the health club branded luxury hotels, and this one has a lot of that experience. The pool is pretty good, definite better than most hotels. Almost resort level size. The gym is very well appointed. The game room area at Splash is pretty cool but there's heavy child usage (and 58 year old children, because hey, video games!).The Club Lounge
Westins internationally have an executive lounge, in the United States this is very sparse and limited. But in Kuala Lumpur, the lounge is quite extravagant with multiple food service offerings during the day, drinks in the evening, private concierge and hotel agent assistance, plus private conference rooms.Various Exterior Shots
Big hotel, and quite imposing structure, so it seems I took a lot of decent pics outside, plus maybe some other shots around the hotel.
Dangit, not the biggest room
White tea, which smells so good
Yes, all the suite things one needs
The raised seating by the entrance
This is the area they usually put the families
And here we start, the endless buffet
Excellent sweets
So much tea specialty
Pretty big area they have setup for this
And a side room also with more food
Mmmm, ice cream, love this in Asia
The noodle station, which can be an excellent mild breakfast
Not sure what this was, but I do know I didn't try it
"About every Malaysian dish there is
Rendang! Not as good as Sumatran, but pretty good
Those noodles I mentioned
The bar, well the inside entrance area which I never saw anyone at
Now the way in
This is actually the bar
443 cocktails menu
Cozy corner and outside entrance
Long bar I had to myself for a short time
The name is there, it was just too hot for me to dine here
Pool drinking and snacking
"And you can sit inside and relax while your kids drown outside, but drinks make that go easier
As it is a Westin, the gym is an important part
A huge gym with things I am not even sure what they are for
Well, here we go, the place for those hot days (that is all of the days here)
If one needs to talk to Allah, here is the spot
Foosball, which seems more popular where soccer is
Gaming like at home
Entrance from the elevator
The guardian of the club
Quite a large club, spanning the entire floor
Concierge and Hotel Agent assistance
Library and conference rooms
The bar, a very important feature
Wine, the elixir of life
And well look, the club also has a breakfast buffet
Decidedly more western in items than downstairs at the Living Room
But of course we must have the noodles
And then, dinner buffet service
A much lighter selection than breakfast, intended to be a snack
Looks like chicken wings are universal
Noodles cooked in soy, they were good
Out in the... fresh city air. Mostly used for smoking"
English traditions remain long after independence
The lobby floor
Across from the mall, the nose of a Ferrari peaking behind the bush
Summary
Quite surprisingly awesome hotel. On the main drag, very well positioned by the mall and super close to excellent nightlife. Inside, a world away. I am very impressed, and this justifies what I have been hearing about the quality.Yes, of course, Rob is going to say "Get Lounge Access". Always get it in Asia. Living Room buffet or Lounge buffet for your choice, free drinks, lots of free food. A very good hotel.