Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur Reviews and Photos (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

A Joyful Stay!

London, United Kingdom

May 21, 2012

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Best of IgoUgo Mandarin Oriental is known the world over as an upmarket hotel chain offering high-end accommodation in most major cities. The one in Kuala Lumpur is a grand and imposing building although perhaps feels a little tired and dated once inside. We ...Read more Mandarin Oriental is known the world over as an upmarket hotel chain offering high-end accommodation in most major cities. The one in Kuala Lumpur is a grand and imposing building although perhaps feels a little tired and dated once inside. We booked there for a few nights on our honeymoon as we acclimatised to time zone changes arriving from the UK into Kuala Lumpur and the hotel certainly did the required job… so much so that we booked a night again on our return leg.

First thing I'll say about Kuala Lumpur’s Mandarin Oriental is that compared to many of it's other hotels in other cities, it was very good value considering it is a 5 star hotel. I think we spent around £120 per night which given Paris or London fetch £300-£400 per night is very reasonable.

Convenience is one of the main things this hotel has going for it. It’s a short cab ride from the international airport and is situated directly next to the Petronas Towers offering great views from many of the rooms. The ground floor of one of the towers also offers a vast shopping center so you also have this on your doorstep. They cater for luxury brands (Anya Hindmarch, Gucci, etc…) as well as high street staples (Top Shop, Gap, etc..)... Including an M&S food! If I were to be cynical about Kuala Lumpur as a city, I’d say you don’t even need to leave the vicinity of the hotel to get everything you need… but that’s another review!

The hotel lobby is plush and grand. Countless doormen smartly attired are on hand on hand to help you with your every need and before you've even made it to the check in desk you will have been greeted at least 3 times. Politeness and courtesy are obviously very important to this hotel as it continues further as you reach the check-in desk. Sometimes to levels we in the UK are not used to… I was bowled over by the opening question from the concierge - 'how shall I address you?' I looked blankly for a while to try to figure out a response until I was given some helpful prompts.

Upon check in we were offered a refreshing juice drink while we waited and a flower was given to my wife. We had mentioned that we were on honeymoon and although not expressed, I think they may have also upgraded our room, as it was far nicer than the standard room we had booked and had an incredible view of the towers.

The rooms themselves were excellent and surprisingly not too sterile given the vastness of the hotel itself. The bed king sized and pocket sprung, perhaps with an added memory foam bonus. Tasteful pictures adorned the walls and a small desk and chair inhabited the corner. Very helpfully they also provide small racks to put your luggage on so you can access them at an easy height. The television in the room was 42" and flat screen and showed numerous different channels in different languages, including to my delight BBC News 24. Wi-fi was also available complimentary in all rooms.

The bathroom was opulent and glistened with wall to ceiling marble and gold trim. It had both bath and shower the latter being of an ample size although perhaps a little bit small given the grandeur of the rest of the room. The water pressure and temperature control were excellent though. Complimentary toiletries were Mandarin Oriental branded and wonderful, as were the slippers, towels and hand towels.

The room we were in was very quiet but that could have been due to the height of our room, which was on around the 20th floor. I think the insulation must have been good, or the hotel was empty, because while the room we couldn’t hear any other guests either in neighbouring rooms or the corridors.

The hotel has a number of restaurants within the building itself ranging from a very expensive seafood restaurant to a decent Chinese that although not cheap, was affordable. The latter is where we chose to dine and the quality of the food and service were very good. The menu was huge and the food tasty and unlike the Chinese food we experience often in the UK, it wasn’t shiny!

Probably one of the main selling points of this hotel is its outdoor infinity pool overlooking the city skyline. This has complimentary use for guests and has it's own outdoor bar and restaurant. The pool is small and more for relaxing than serious swimming. There were a good amount of sun loungers available so we never struggled to get a space. It tends to be busy at most times of the day with the occasional splashing child but is always clean and the views are exceptional.

My only grumble about this hotel is that the general communal areas could do with a bit of an overhaul. It’s so vast I’m assuming its upkeep must be expensive. In some of the interior lobbies there is a feeling that the spaces are tired and largely unused. Many large rooms looked empty and there is a general feeling of alot of dead space and a need for upgrading in some areas that felt dated. That aside, the rest of the experience was great and I could highly recommend a stay in this hotel if you need somewhere to bed down and relax in the city.
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One of the best places to stay in Kuala Lumpur

A traveler

Travelocity.com

February 3, 2011

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Conveniently located in the center The staff is at the airport (which i really far-away, and is very helpful Hotel is maintained well, lobby staff is well available for what you need Room are well decorated, clean

Absolutely Out of this World

by koshkha

Northampton, United Kingdom

September 26, 2009

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Best of IgoUgo Kuala Lumpur is a city of fantastic hotels with exceptional service at great value prices. I've been three times and always come away completely amazed by how good the service ethic is in the hotel sector. However, even my high expectations were ...Read more Kuala Lumpur is a city of fantastic hotels with exceptional service at great value prices. I've been three times and always come away completely amazed by how good the service ethic is in the hotel sector. However, even my high expectations were exceeded on my most recent visit when I stayed at the Mandarin Oriental.

I was in the city for a trade fair and very glad that the colleague who'd organised the trip had decided that we'd not perform well at the fair if we had to stay in a nasty cheap hotel. So she had booked us all into executive club rooms way up on the higher floors. I'm not sure how much of the service we had was due to the status of the rooms and how much was standard so keep in mind that not everything might be on offer if you book a more basic room.

We'd flown in overnight and were picked up by a driver at the airport. It's quite a long trek into town these days so by the time we arrived we were glad to see the hotel and shocked at just how close it was to the famous Petronas Towers. It really is literally next door. We were greeted at the car by a hostess who took our details and then we were taken through the marble lobby, directly to the lifts and straight up to our rooms. Check in was carried out in the room without any need to queue or wait. Everything was very courteous and pleasant.

My room was very nice. Sadly I didn't have a view of the Petronas Towers but I could look out over the lake, the KLCC conference centre and the aquarium through the floor to ceiling windows. The bed was large and very comfortable with luxurious linens. There was a seating area with table and chairs and a bowl of fruit which was topped up daily. I could make coffee if I wanted to, there was a fridge, a good sized work desk and chair and free wi-fi (always a bonus). The bathroom was glorious lots of marble and twinkly lighting with a separate shower and bath and some very nice toiletries. One of the benefits of our executive room plan was a dry cleaning or laundry allowance. This is not unusual in KL hotels and since it's such a hot and sweaty city, you do tend to get through a lot more clothes than normal. I took full advantage of my allowance each day, even hunting out things in the bottom of my suitcase just to get them pressed or freshened.

We kicked off the visit with a briefing for all the trade fair attendees in one of the hotel's meeting rooms and followed it with a Chinese banquet in a nearby room. As a non-meat eater I had plenty of choice but found some of the food a bit over the top. It's hard to say no when you're given soup and don't realise that it's sharks fin and you'd really rather the shark had kept his fin for himself.

We had access to the Executive Club which was beautiful and had fantastic views of the towers. The club was large, filled with comfy armchairs and sofas and offered plenty of free snacks and drinks in the late afternoon and evening as well as breakfast in the mornings. We tried out several of the hotel's many restaurants and considering the five-star status of the hotel, didn't think that the food prices were outrageous. One of my rather traditional 'meat and two veg' colleagues struggled a bit with the sophistication of the menu but I really enjoyed the international options on offer. We didn't always get the restaurant we wanted because the place was so busy that even as a resident you couldn't guarantee a table.

The hotel has a gym, spa and pool but I'm ashamed to say that sipping cold white wine in the club lounge was all I was fit for most evenings after a day at the trade fair. We had a bit of free time and took advantage of the really nice shopping centre that's just next to the hotel as well as dropping into the Aquarium which has some beautiful displays. I also dragged my colleague off to the Orchid Gardens which are my favourite place in the city.
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From journal Malaysian Memories

excellent

A traveler

Travelocity.com

October 19, 2008

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Excellent Hotel. One of the finest that I have visited in my 40+ years of traveling.

excellent

A traveler

Travelocity.com

July 6, 2008

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Excellent Hotel. One of the finest that I have visited in my 40+ years of traveling.

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Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur

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A Joyful Stay!

One of the best places to stay in Kuala Lumpur

Absolutely Out of this World

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A Joyful Stay!

One of the best places to stay in Kuala Lumpur

Absolutely Out of this World

excellent

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