Spurred by a life changing event (well, kind of), I decided to run away for a short trip. Perhaps the most life changing part of the trip was that I paid $300 for a ticket from Singapore.

THREE HUNRED. FOR A 1-HR FLIGHT.

To make things worse, the price had increased by $40 overnight since I last checked the night prior but decided I know better and told myself that prices won’t go up when I was asleep. I’m still convincing myself that some higher powers up there wanted me to max out the Amex offer of 3 bonus miles per $1 spent, up to $300. Hello miles, goodbye money.

It was also my first solo trip by choice (business trips don’t count) and I was worried about feeling lonely. However, consumed by the urge to elope with myself, I decided to take the most low risk option I had – the closest city and the shortest duration.

Sometimes, doing difficult things in life may turn out to be not so difficult after all 🙂

The game plan for my first lonely trip was to minimize cabbing / grabbing while there to be safe(r), be close to shopping & massage. And also look as unglam as possible to avoid unwanted attention.

I managed the last part the best.

Address – 2 Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, Kuala Lumpur 50470. Website.

Contact – +60 3-2263 7888. Sorry no email address as Marriot Bonvoy brilliantly decided to remove the property’s email addresses from ALL their properties’ sites.

Getting There – Super easy via the KLIA Ekspres booked via Klook. It’s the Airport Express Train equivalent and gets you from KLIA / KLIA2 to KL Sentral in 40mins, costing total SGD31.59 for a return trip. You’ll get your tickets in your email and just scan the QR code for entry and exit at the gantry – skip the queue!

Once you exit the KL Sentral station, you’ll see clearly marked signage pointing to Meridien (and Hilton which shares some facilities). It’s a 5mins sheltered walk from the station.

If stacked with Shopback, it snaggs you a 3% cashback, which equates a grand total of $0.96. Okay fine, not exactly a retirement fund but hey, better than nohting. Small stuff adds up okay.

• Referral: Sign up for a Shopback account HERE – a $5 cashback upon signing up, then $5 for me when you spend a minimum of $25 + your cashback is ‘confirmed’.
• Referral: Sign up for a Klook account HERE – $5 credit upon signing up or a new account, then $5 for me after your first paid activity.

Price – MYR384++ (MYR446.32) for a Club King room = SGD152.12 under the Member Rate Advanced Purchase. A great deal for 1pax but do take note that the price difference is about MYR100 if you are 2pax in a room.

Location – Connected to KL Sentral, it enjoys a prime location right smack in the centre of the bustling transport hub. It also provides a sheltered access to NU Sentral, a mall which offers shopping, massage, and F&B options located 5mins away (tip: ask the concierge and they’ll give you a printed map). An excellent choice if you dont want to grab / cab from airport.

Check In – Arriving at 1130am on a Saturday, I was checked in at the front desk instead of the lounge (sigh). I had placed a strong request for the room to be on the same floor as the Lounge on 33rd floor, and was told they had managed to do that although the room is not yet ready. I thought oh well, that happens. I was then offered to wait at the lounge for my room to be ready – so I did. It was until I asked the Lounge staff about the ETA of my room that I was told that my room would only be ready at 5pm!

(because the guest is only leaving at 4pm and they would need another hour to get the room ready).

Now, I have no issues if they had proactively explained to me about the 5-hour wait and offered options like a better room on another floor) but I wonder if the front desk thought it was okay to not tell a guest upfront about the waiting time especially if only staying 1 night. And imagine if I didn’t ask and just waited. Quite a dent on impression here.

In the end, I took up the offer of having a Premier Room on a corner located on a lower floor which they could get ready in an hour. The Lounge staff also made sure my luggage was parked with them while I went out to get stuff done and placed in the room upon my return, which I definitely appreciated.

(so I got my one of my Hilton mattress run done in that one hour. Talk about efficiency)

Room – My Premier Room (36SqM) – Room 2671 – was super nice! The corner gave it alot more space than it seemed on paper and it looked exactly like in pictures. Huge kin bed, a sofa, big TV, and a Meridien in-room menu containin all you need to know. No issues with cleanliness for sure, and the bathroom was huge, spanking new (marble tiles all over) and comes complete with a bathtub which I didn’t use. The Marlin+Goetz toiletries were divine too. They also give a small bottle of mouthwash which not many hotels provide.

Executive Club Lounge – My favourite place during my short stay! Located on the 33rd floor, the Lounge is divided into 2 big sections offering opposite sites of equally sweeping views of the city below. Newly refurbished in 2017 I believe and the space looks amazing with high ceilings and elegantly colored furnishing. There’s also a charging station for your dried up devices if you really have to.

Window seats are forever occupied so tough luck. No afternoon tea here but they did accede to my requests for cookies when I went up there for coffee one morning. Very strong coffee served too.

The Lounge has one of the longer evening cocktails hours from 6:00pm- 8:30pm. I had read on Shutterwhale about the quality and quantity of food and had high expectations but it still blew my mind. Great food, excellent spread, and a theme every evening – Indian cuisine was what I experienced. 2 live stations (noodle soup and tandoori wrap) is a rare sight at Lounges and they completely nailed the experience for me. Champagne, liqours, cocktails, wines, and 2 kinds of beer on tap – free flow all round. I washed my brains there from 6pm – 10pm. Attentive service was evident throughout.

Breakfast – Waking up starving at 730am, I found myself at Latest Recipes on level 5 bright and early. Good to beat the crowd. Huge spread with probably too much food on offer but I’m not complaining. I’ll offer pics as proof.

Facilities – They share a pool, gym, and spa with Hilton on level 8 but didn’t look crowded at all when I visited. I also tried Gastro Sentral on the lobby level which serves rather nice gastropub food but portions are on the small side and price on the high – haphazard service though. But you do get Bonvoy points when you sign to your room.

Service – Apart from the check in issue, the rest of what I experienced was more than fine. My proper Meridien experience and I am sold.

Check Out – Painlessly done at the front desk and settled the room bills without any fuss. My luggage was also taken care of while I completed the paperwork.

In summary – this would be my top choice when I do come back again. Already missing the Lounge!