A stopover packed with memories. After a late evening arrival, which our bodies felt was well into the night, getting to the hotel luckily was as simple as we planned it. The airport to city express train was as easy to use as the airport claimed. At the central railway station there was a counter for taxi companies and we prepaid the fare requested.
The first surprise was a hotel porter apparently operating without a hotel. We had to get a lift to the lobby on the 9th floor for reception and the other trappings of hoteldom.
And what a hotel. Squads of uniformed flunkies. Had we come to the right place? I am famously economical when booking accommodation. Did I miss a zero or two in the tariff. Indeed not. It must have been low season. The bounties of the hotel were heaped even higher when we were informed we had an upgrade to a "Crest" room.
We were too tired to really take it in at the time. In the morning we took stock: an enormous room with a bathroom on the same scale, including his and hers matching basins; complimentary wi-fi; and Chinese style porcelain teapot with dinky cups to match. The latter was spoiled a little by a miserly supply of indifferent quality tea to brew in it.
The hotel's claim to 5 stars was supported by a breakfast I have never seen surpassed:- tropical fruits and juices, breads, cereals, a noodle bar, a vegetarian counter that ranged from intriguing Asian dishes to a chef delivering cook-to-order omelettes, and more hot dishes than we could believe. Our favourite was nasi lemak; coconut rice with cucumber, hard boiled egg, roasted peanuts and tiny pieces of salty fish. Trust me, the combination works. And throughout the dining room waiters and waitresses dispensed tea and coffee and pounced on any used dish, all with a style the Ritz would be happy to call its own.
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