Tag: hotels

  • Flamingo by the Lake Hotel

    Flamingo by the Lake Hotel
    Flamingo by the Lake Hotel

    The Flamingo Hotel was one of the earliest suburb hotels. Since then, there are now other neighbourhood hotels such as Maluri Hotel in Taman Maluri and Sri Petaling Hotel in Taman Sri Petaling. Flamingo hotel is now correctly branded as Flamingo by the Lake. If you get a room with a balcony facing the lake, it is quite nice. Seems like a quiet hidden getaway and a suitable honeymoon suite with the romantic and picturesque surroundings.

    I can’t remember if they had flamingos on the lake but in the early days, there were probably a few pathetic swans, I think. If you want to see flamingos, drive to the zoo nearby.

    They say 2 star hotels and a pair of tight jeans for men have something in common. There is no ballroom. The hotel is more than 2 stars and it has a grand ballroom that can accommodate 1500 pax.

    I remember attending Malaysiakini’s 5th anniversary dinner here in 2004 where it was joked that should the ceiling collapse that night in the ballroom, the government would have unwittingly gotten rid of all opposition members, critics, dissidents, anti government cartoonists, bloggers, candlelight vigil types and NGO members in one fell swoop. Haha.

    I have also stayed there after all night drinking sessions to avoid getting into trouble with roadblocks. It is never a good idea because when you get up with a massive hangover, it is already check out time. This was why Japan came out with cheaper capsule or pod hotels to cater to drinking executives. People just want a simple roof when they missed the last train. But this a story for another day.

    We KLites may scoff at the congested Ampang Jaya junction location but for the out-of-towner, it may be a quick drive to the National Zoo or an easy drive to or from the city by the Ampang Elevated Highway or by DUKE. The nearest similar or higher class hotels are De Palma Hotel Ampang and the new Elements @ Ampang Hotel (behind Gleneagles).

    Book Flamingo By The Lake here.

    Address: 5  Tasik Ampang, Jalan Hulu Kelang, 68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan

    Map:

  • Aman Sari Hotel Desaru

    Sun painting shadows on windy Desaru beach
    Sun painting shadows on windy Desaru beach
     My JB friend Sharon Teo pursuing macro photography on Desaru beach.
    My JB friend Sharon Teo pursuing macro photography on Desaru beach.

    My Kokomo.

    Someone booked the Amansari Hotel in Bandar Penawar Desaru recently. I don’t know who it was. Normally, friends who booked will tell me in private but is non-obligatory.

    Desaru is pronounxwd as Day Sar Roo.

    Coincidentally, I wrote about my liking of the beach recently too. Desaru went through a ‘renaissance’ after the opening of the highway from JB. Unlike Bali, the 22 km of beach here has no rowdy drunk Aussie tourists, as told to me by Rian Maelzer, who visited Kuta after Ubud.

    There are no beach bars or peddlers with an ice box here, fortunately. Still unspoiled like how it was when it captivated a handful of Singaporeans in the 80s. The tranquility may be shattered soon.. I hope not. A massive refinery and petrochemical complex is being developed in Pengerang town at the southern Johor tip facing Singapore. Singaporean cycling friends reported seeing heavy heavy vehicle traffic on the old truck road.

    There are a dozen other Desaru hotels listed at MyCen Hotels.

    Kokomo is a fictional place as sung in the hit song Kokmo by the Beach Boys. It supposedly is in the Caribbean or off the Florida Keys

    Map:

    #desaru #johor #amansari #kotatinggi #kokomo

  • Bebek Tepi Sawah, Ubud, Bali

     Bebek Tepi Sawah Restaurant & Villas.and Ubud
    Bebek Tepi Sawah Restaurant & Villas.and Ubud

    Bebek Tepi Sawah Restaurant & Villas.

    My friend, Rian Maelzer, booked a couple of hotel rooms in Ubud and Sanur, Bali through me, recently. I was happy not only for the bookings but I also know that as a seasoned international journalist with a great eye, he will return with beautiful pictures of Ubud. Ubud is a center for traditional crafts and dance. The surrounding rainforest and terraced rice fields are dotted with Hindu temples and shrines. Ubud is one of Bali’s most famous landscapes.

    Bebek Tepi Sawah Restaurant & Villas (meaning duck by the paddy fields) is the hotel he chose and it has Balinese style rooms with marble floors and thatched roof gazebos.True to its name, the hotel is in the middle of a paddy or rice field. The sounds you will hear are that from the cackling of the village geese and hypnotic gamelan percussion.

    Rian is a very experienced, savvy and demanding traveler and his regular bookings are a testimony of the reliability and competitive rates at MyCen Hotels. Thank you for your support and for allowing me to share the pics, Rian.

    Chcck rates, availability and book here.

    #ubud #bali #indonesia #holiday #vacation #travel

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