Vertilex Hotel - Johor Bahru

the review that i owe you 😂

the first time we were here they were fully booked, so we had to stay at a different hotel. once we checked in, we find that this was the most convenient. after 2 nights here, the staff said that they are fully booked but when we wanted to check out the next day, they informed us that there was a cancellation. and it has been like that until almost a whole week we were there. 

they have a lounge where you can actually watch tv. we have a tv in the room also just that the channels are most of the time disturbed by a weak signal. 

they also have a pantry where you can heat up food, or boil hot water - but we did not use the facility. 

as for the rooms, most of the days we got the room with window and for 1 night we got the one with no window. the one without window somehow seemed a bit bigger space. just that the bathroom had leakage and it was a bit noisy at night. luckily we got another room after that.

• date of visit: 19 - 24 Oct 2022
• location: Vertilex Hotel, Johore Bahru
• room: Superior Room
• decor: simple, acceptable & neat
• cleanliness of the room: 8 out of 10.
• hotel service: the staffs at the reception were helpful and friendly
• cafe service: N/A
• food: N/A
• pool: N/A
• lift: NO lift - stairs up
• parking: by the roadside or the opposite open parking

i think the next time we are in JB, we will take the same hotel. 😁

this was our room for most of the nights

bathroom is clean

the lounge - photo from booking.com

the pantry - photo from booking.com

the ramp, makes it easier to pull our luggage - photo from booking.com

Tebrau CT Johor Bahru - My Personal Review

on the 2nd night in JB we booked another hotel, and we looked for something cheaper than the 1st hotel. it looks cheapo on the outside. the guy who manned the reception was nice and friendly, funny guy too. i asked him "ada breakfast sekali tak?" and he answered "ada, tu..." and pointed to the counter opposite the reception.. a jar of biscuits and instant coffee 😂😂 padan muka aku.. "hotel sudah murah kakak, mana mau kasi breakfast lagi, belakang ada restoran melayu makan sedap" hehhe ok lah..

• date of visit: 18 - 19 Oct 2022
• location: Tebrau CT, Johore Bahru
• room: Superior Room
• decor: simple, acceptable & love the space (luas lah)
• cleanliness of the room: 8 out of 10.
• hotel service: the guy at the reception was friendly and funny. 
• cafe service: N/A
• food: N/A
• pool: N/A
• lift: small but it is okay for a 3 star hotel.
• parking: by the roadside or the opposite open parking

photo from the internet

the room we took was similar like that but no carpet.

all the photos that you see in booking.com are old photos. but we both like the space in room, the most spacious compared to the budget hotels that we stayed in. we paid RM112 i think per night... ingat dah murah dah.... rupanya ada lagi tempat lain yang murah. 

will i stay here again? yeah why not. 

The Ardens Hotel - Austin Johore Bahru - My Personal Review

We arrived at around 2.00am and the area was pretty spooky at night. Found a parking spot in front of the hotel. The person who manned the reception is also the same person who does housekeeping. The photos looked really attractive in booking.com but well that is how the marketing works, right? 😆

• date of visit: 17 - 18 Oct 2022
• location: The Ardens Hotel - Austin, Johore Bahru
• room: Superior Room
• decor: simple, acceptable
• cleanliness of the room: 8 out of 10.
• hotel service: we arrived at 2am, the guy who attended to us was ok.
• cafe service: NO food - cafe closed down
• food: N/A
• pool: N/A
• lift: small but it is okay for a 3 star hotel.

We paid RM150 per night and at first we thought it was cheap already but when we got into our room, we did not feel it was worth it. these two are the only photos that i took with my phone and i will attach other photos from the internet. in my opinion, it is not worth paying RM150/night for the room and service that they offer.

the bathroom dari jauh macam menarik kan? 

perasan tak katil tu sebenarnya senget... belah kepala menurun 😁😁

photo from the internet

so if you ask me, i will not come here again.

Budget Hotels in Johor Baharu

this year i think is the first time in my life, staying at a budget hotel. my mil got another stroke few weeks ago and her condition was not so good when we first got the news. so TH rushed back to KL and once i fetched him at the airport we drove to JB straight away. the doctor informed TH's brother that all children should gather before the doctor decides to take off her intubation. 

the 1st night we arrived, well, it was already 2am and we thought that was cheap already for a budget hotel 😂 but we were wrong. it looks nice on the website but when we got in, it was ok-lah. small and for us just to sleep - bersyukur dah. 

i think for this posting, i will just share the name of the hotels and will write a review in my postings later [when i am in the mood that is 😋] as it is now - my mind is so screwed up with issues in life - which i strongly believe it will go off soon!

so, what is budget hotel? i think hotels that are 3⭐ and below? and in my thinking anything below RM200 is budget hotel - when, actually you can get to stay a night for less than RM100 per night!

here goes, i arranged based on the dates ok - and please do not get excited with how they look like based on the photos via booking.com or agoda.

The Ardens Hotel - Austin RM150/night
17th Oct - 18th Oct 2022

Tebrau CT RM112/night
18th Oct - 19th Oct 2022

Vertilex Hotel - RM72/night
19th Oct - 24 Oct 2022 

and i guess from this 1st introduction posting, you know which one we favor 😁😁 one thing to remember when you are staying in a budget hotel - lower down your expectation. my criteria would be free and strong wifi and TH is very particular about the bathroom before we decide which hotel to get. 

the funny part is when my mom asked where is our hotel, and when i said we checked in into budget hotel, she said "ok, nanti beli towel sendiri ye" 😂

save it for the review later ok - gotta sleep now. 

Samsuria Beach Resort - Review

we arrived on 25 Sept, 2022 and our 1st apartment was B-1-2. why did i say 1st apartment? we moved to another apartment the next day. when we arrived i was thinking, "why so quiet? and no other guests at the lobby?" dah rasa macam jeng jeng jeng... gitu... suspense juga. and no one around that i can actually ask. then i saw 1 guy whom i thought was wearing some kind of uniform and ask him around.

1st impression, the place looks a bit old, but spacious. it was all okaylah except the lamp at the dining area was faulty. and the tv service was not working. internet was bad but after a while they sent wifi box and also, there was a blackout that my mom had to use the stairs to get back to our apartment, luckily it was only 1 level up. the host's staffs came the next day to change the bulb but it was still not working. host offered to change to another apartment which we agreed. 

we were happy at first at the 2nd apartment, i chose B-1-9, same floor better view which was the pool. somehow the tv service was still our of order, so i requested to borrow their hdmi cable so that at least i can connect my laptop and watch netflix. and when i wanted to cook (already bought some cooking oil etc) the stove was not working. the pinggan mangkuk were limited that we can use to heat up in the microwave. ohh.. and the aircond remote in our room was also not working - so the host requested for us to use the battery from the previous unit. so what i did was, i also took a few bowls that can be used in the microwave. 

on the 2nd day there we received complimentary breakfast from the host - i think since there were a few issues. 😁 we were thankful by the way. i had to handle my dad's complaints through out the 'holiday' because of the tv. 

• date of visit: 25 - 30 Sept, 2022
• location: Samsuria Beach Resort, Kuantan, Pahang
• room: 2 bedroom apartment
• decor: cosy and nice. spacious layout and practical
• cleanliness of the room: 9 out of 10
• hotel service: our contact person was Mr Mikel, helpful and accommodative
• cafe service: no cafe since it was more like a homestay
• food: self cook food or buy ready to eat. 
• pool: nice
• lift: small and sometimes it is too slow

Improvements needed:

• ensure that all cooking appliances are working well.
• ensure the lightings and air-conds remotes work.
• ensure the tv works
• the chair in the 2nd room of unit B-1-2 needs to be changed

Expectations:

• for guests, do have low expectations. you can do the booking via booking.com, that's where my husband booked. you may get different hosts. it is more like a homestay than a hotel/resort. so, do not expect a cleaner to clean your apartment unless you are okay to pay extra for the service. 
• different units have different cooking appliances and also plates, mugs etc.
• there won't be any cafe at the place itself. you can order grab food but it takes more than 40 minutes since the place is quite far. so order early and don't wait until you are too hungry 😅
• there is no lifeguard at the pool and you will need to bring your own towels.

the host, mr mikel was friendly and helpful when we encounter all those issues. would i recommend the place? yeah sure if you are okay with a secluded area - it was quiet and relaxing actually.

the above was our 1st apartment - B-1-2

this is the other one, B-1-9 better view

sorry won't be able to give any link since there are a few units by different hosts/owners. you can check out via booking.com or agoda.com. and the rate is different also.

these photos i downloaded from the internet that looks similar like the one we stayed in. 

this is the 2nd room

view from the beach

LA Hotel, Tawau - My Personal Review

this was the 4th hotel that we went to and check out the room before we decided to take it for a night. the staff at the counter was proud of the hotel and i was told the hotel was never closed even during MCO. i was brought to the superior room and so i agreed to take it for us. but i was not told that the superior room will not have a fridge! uurgghh.. and the air-condition was not cold at night. but i was telling myself, for 1 night i will bear with it. 

• date of visit: 29 - 30 Apr 2021
• location: LA Hotel, Tawau, Sabah
• room: Superior Room
• decor: simple, acceptable
• cleanliness of the room: 8 out of 10.
• hotel service: the lady at the reception was proud of the hotel. 😁 the cleaner was helpful.
• cafe service: food was so so, only took 1 meal for sahur. 
• food: 5 out of 10
• pool: NA maybe i was not paying attention.
• lift: small but it is okay for a 3 star hotel.

i wouldn't say i would recommend but perhaps i might go there and take a better room and see if it is worth it. 

we like the photoshoot spot though

source: hotel website

source: hotel website
the real one looks a bit run down

Royale Borneo Hotel, Tawau - My Personal Review

source from hotel website

 

this is was my 1st trip to Tawau. TH booked the hotel that he feels i would be comfortable to stay in. he was nervous i guess to book the hotel. but for me, since i have lowered down my expectation, i am ok with it. notice that we had sort of 2 different dates? well, we wanted to be adventurous so i told TH to book only for first 2 nights, and the rest of the 4 nights, we can try other hotels. errmmm... we didn't like other hotels. 

so, gais, if you are travelling to Tawau, this is the best that i can recommend. 

on the 2nd session there only i realized that it has a shopping center just next to the hotel. don't expect it to be huge lah kan, but ok lah to get some clothes, toys, mr diy, phones stuff. it is so convenient. and i managed to go to the hair saloon before my flight back to KL on the last day. the next time i am going to be in Tawau, i will definitely come back to this hotel. 

• date of visit: 27 Apr - 29 Apr & 30 Apr - 3 May 2021
• location: Borneo Royale Hotel, Tawau, Sabah
• room: Deluxe Room
• decor: cosy, simple, clean
• cleanliness of the room: 9 out of 10.
• hotel service: staff were friendly and helpful. However, need to improve on a few things i.e. no teaspoon, only 1 dustbin in the room
• cafe service: food was acceptable although not so much choice due to MCO and fasting month.
• food: 8 out of 10. Teh tarik was superb although pricey!
• pool: NA maybe i was not paying attention.
• lift: small but it is okay for a 3 star hotel.

Note: we tried the SPA, errmmm we would give 5 out of 10. i was not happy because the masseuse who was massaging my husband was wearing a very short denim skirt. nasib baik i took couple room. it is so unappropriate! 

the hotel lobby

our ageloc and non ageloc supplements -
don't leave home without them

nice sunrise view from our room

YOTELAIR Singapore Changi Airport Review

continued from previous posting.

... So we went straight to Yotelair. honestly, mula2 rasa mahal. and plan asal, nak pergi Singapore bertiga sekali dengan Joey. but since tak de plan nak jalan2 sangat kat Singapore tu, Joey decided not to go. jadi lah mom daughter trip sahaja. 

• date of visit: 28 Aug - 29 Aug 2019
• location: Yotelair Changi, Singapore
• room: 1 room (cabin for two)
• decor: impressive - futuristic and we got so excited coz it makes us feel like we are in outaspace!
• cleanliness of the room: 10 out of 10. 
• hotel service: the staff at the reception was friendly and we get to check in earlier, otherwise the check in is supposed to be at 6pm. 
• cafe service: there was a small are for coffee, tea and snacks provided.
• food: N/A
• pool: N/A
• rate: SGD 167.72
• lift: ok.

this bed when you bring the head side down, it will be spread till the end of the room.

comel giler... sampai ala2 tersepit nak solat

sand & sandals, desaru beach - my personal review

view from our room

in front of one of the function room

steps up to my parents space in the Couple Suite

Family Suite Hall/Space for kids

who knows that i will be visiting this part of malaysia again after my last trip many2 years back. which i don't remember which year. but i think i remembered it was with LS and her family. and i felt like we have been driving for so many long hours but did not reach the destination. 

but this time round, it was really beautiful - a beautiful trip as a whole. you can read my postings on desaru here i come to know my story and adventure coz this posting is only about my personal review on the resort itself.

i will share about the Couple Suite coz thats where we stayed in. they had a nice bar/ala casino counter at the living room with naughty games ideas. 😁 i find it cute. hahahah 😂 the ambiance was really nice and relaxing for honeymooners. the beach, the bar at the pool, the people who works there are friendly and helpful. perhaps if they have live band it would be nicer. or is it because we were there not on the day that they have live band? 

• date of visit: 4 Nov - 6 Nov 2018
• location: Sand & Sandals Beach & Spa Resort, Desaru Beach, Johor, Malaysia
• room: we booked 2 different suites, Couple Suite & Family Suite
• decor: cosy and romantic for the Couple Suite & fun and creative for the Family Suite. we stayed at the Couple Suite. 
• cleanliness of the room: 9 out of 10. 
• hotel service: It was okay at the reception and up to the room. but the technical service needs to be improved. had the bathroom sink sort of blocked and the repair was not to my satisfaction. and when i called again, the technical guy did not turn up. informed the reception but no response although at the reception, he said they will get someone to check. 
• cafe service: food was so so for me, but my other family members like it. (main cafe)
• food: 6 out of 10.
• pool: nice but not enough chairs by the poolside. 
• lift: needs to be taken care of. it was slow, and the door sensitivity needs to be checked and upgraded. 

saufiville boutique resort, janda baik - personal review

it was like a dream come true. when we first visited this place, it was in 2011. and i had always thought i won't get a chance to stay here because of the price. but i guess, it was our rezeki. alhamdulillah. when chris and his friend michael arrived on wednesday we didn't have a plan yet for the weekend. so, i asked kaiser what he would like to do. somehow kaiser already mentioned to me about the place. just that he doesn't know the rate and which i think if he knows, i don't think he would agree.. hehehe :D scorpions, biasa lah.. kedeks sket :p anyway, it was my treat for everyone. can i take it as my treat for our 5th anniversary coz i didn't get to give kaiser anything for our anniversary. 

being at the resort made us want to have our own bungalow like that in janda baik. except that, water would be an issue - or/and garbage coz i do not think alam flora goes up there. the house was cosy and i like the decoration. almost like the old style with mixed modern a bit. hehehe :D the downside was mosquitoes, and there was a cockroach on chris' bed ...aarrgghhh... our room was really nice, except i think there was pepijat on our bed lah.. coz our legs were itchy...

the house has its own gardener/cleaner, and few ladies at the kitchen. and all we need to do was to order what we want to eat for dinner, and breakfast for the next day. for rm500/night per room is quite reasonable which inclusive of breakfast for two. enjoy the photos :)

• date of visit: 9th Aug - 10th Aug 2014
• location: Saufiville Boutique Resort, Janda Baik, Pahang.
• room: we booked 3 different rooms, 2 with attached bathroom and 1 with sharing bathroom at the hallway.
• decor: beautiful.
• cleanliness of the room: 9 out of 10. 
• hotel service: it was cosy and homy. we were greeted by En Amin as we reached the resort and we were lucky to be staying in the resort all by ourselves.
• cafe service: feels like home. :)
• food: 9 out of 10.
• pool: it was okay except that since the water was from the hills, i predicted it to be bbbrrr cold.
• lift: doesn't need any :)

 

 

 

 more pictures on my fb page - if you are in my friends list :P hehhe :D

TAd Marine Resort, Pulau Tinggi, Johor - my personal review

wow, the last review i did was in 2012?? that is terrible ein! :p ok, let's roll. just that, because i lost my camera during my trip, all the resort's picture in there are gone. :'( so, you will have to check their website for more pictures ok. 

i was here for the weekend due to work. we had our Coral Rehab activity at the nearby island called Pulau Mentinggi. I will write more of that experience and activity in my other post. when? errmm.. i don't know yet. soon i hope :p hehehe

• date of visit: 20 - 23 June, 2013
• location: TAd Marine Resort, Pulau Tinggi, Johor
• room: Sea View Room - Teratai
• decor: nice, like it :) 
• cleanliness of the room: 10 out of 10. 
• hotel service: efficient, the crew took our luggage immediately and brought them to the front office. 
• cafe service: they have a strict chef cum captain :) during our trip, they had many practical students, and i would say, they did a good job. need more improvement but they worked hard :)
• food: excellent!! food was marvelous.... i could put on weight if i stay here longer!!
• pool: just nice... and i was enjoying the jacuzzi.
• hotel crew: excellent service! they are always smiling and you feel welcomed all the time. from the guard, to the bell boys, reception, officers and the general manager :)

my other comment would be the function room (club haven), that needs to be better maintained. it was comfy enough but perhaps need to be cleaned more often.

the karaoke room was fabulous. for a resort, they have many selections of songs! :) 

i must say our heartfelt thank you to ms audrey and her team, namely, ms may, mr adha, mr nizam and his kitchen crew, mr daniel, mr tan, mr chew, the security guards, porters and all crew of TAd Marine Resort!

the pool view at night

malindo cafe

our room looks like this - teratai sea view

 

you will feel at home :) with beautiful bathroom like this.

photos are taken from the website.
 

Berjaya Penang Hotel, my personal review

somehow, we are getting used to this junior suite thingy :p next... gosh there has been so many travelling and my health is not that excellent lately.. for one, i think all of us are allergic to air conditioned bedroom. we'll start to get flu and the worst was for me.. i started to have fever..hmmm okay, not gonna talk about that now.. coz, it has been told.. :p okay this one is fully sponsored by the company i worked for... so... urmm...

• date of visit: 7th - 9th June 2012
• location: Berjaya Penang Hotel, Penang.
• room: Junior Suite, 1 king size bed and 1 additional single bed + a small living room.
• decor: nice, like it :) 
• cleanliness of the room: 9 out of 10. 
• hotel service: efficient, the bell boy took our luggage immediately and brought them to the front office. 
• cafe service: not that much choice. 
• food: 6 out of 10, but pricey. :(
• pool: too small that joey decided not to swim! LOL :D
• lift: was too slow and not enough to cater on high traffic 

top: the living room
bottom: the entrance of the room

Regency Tanjung Tuan Beach Resort, Port Dickson, my personal review

okay, when we checked out from Corus, we checked in at Regency Tanjung Tuan Beach Resort, Port Dickson :p by the way, did i mentioned that my mom was on a wheelchair on the 1st day we arrived? yeup... she was... somehow her right leg where she fractured about more than 15 years ago hurt... anyway...N1 also got pretty excited when we wanted to change hotel :p hehehe :D so, she booked a penthouse with 5 bedrooms.. LOL :D and all of us bunked into 1 huge apartment... luckily kaiser did not join or he'll get a headache... hahaha :D just not his kind of holiday.. 

• date of visit: 3rd - 4th June 2012
• location: Regency Tanjung Tuan Beach Resort, Port Dickson
• room: Penthouse with 5 bedrooms with attach bathroom except for 1 bedroom downstairs. 
• decor: It has been renovated, looked really nice except the bathroom needs more work.  
• cleanliness of the room: 9 out of 10. 
• hotel service: ermmm have you heard of a resort/hotel with no bellboy? :p LOL :D seriously! my dad had to push the trolley with full of bags!
• cafe service: not that much choice, but ok lah... still disturbed by flies but not as much as Corus!
• food: 6 out of 10
• pool: it was small but okay lah... 
• beach: beautiful white beach :) better...  

my room with joelis was at the top floor on the left
bottom: my parents' room - 1st floor of the apartment

the view from our balcony - 10th floor

Corus Paradise Resort, Port Dickson, my personal review

check it out people! first thing first okay.... i have a few hotels to review... so, it's gonna be straight to the point :p

• date of visit: 2nd - 3rd June 2012
• location: Corus Paradise Resort, Port Dickson.
• room: Junior Suite which has 1 king size bed, and a living room. I chose the one that can walk out to the beach.
• decor: Old but okay, acceptable. 
• cleanliness of the room: 7 out of 10. 
• cleanliness of the area: there were too many flies around... in the room, in the cafe... everywhere! and apparently the staff said that it is the season? huh?
• hotel service: staffs were not so knowledgeable. I think they need more training to know about the hotel's services and even room types. I asked the type of room to one of the house keeping staff, they don't know the room type? 
• cafe service: not that much choice, but ok lah... disturbed by the flies!
• food: 6 out of 10
• pool: the water doesn't look clean, especially when there are high usage. 
• activities: kids enjoyed the paintball (although tembak dinding jer) and also the archery.

when we arrived, they gave us the wrong room. and made us change the room, twice.. the first time, the room was not ready.. somehow i was puzzled because i booked 2 junior suites, and the other room was different. then, when we were already in the room, they said, they have given the wrong room to us. when they changed our room, the phone was not working. hmmmm... then someone from the reception called us and inform us that we got 2 rooms on the other side of the building (different wing, i guess) but when we are prepared to move and pass the keys, they said the rooms were already sold to other customer! huh??? her (an indian staff/lady at the front office) comment when i asked was, "already sold to other customer!" without even looking at me.. and i find it rude. but anyway.. i just brush it off. 

somehow, i kinda like the live karaoke outside of our room, but to my younger sister who had her 2 year old daughter wasn't too happy with the loud sound :p

see the crowd? :o

and because we were unhappy with the service we decided to check out and left 1 day earlier... before that, i asked at the front office if they have charged my credit card, and she said no.. so, that was when i said, ok, we are checking out because we are unhappy with the service.. and guess what, when we wanted to return the keys, the staff said we cannot cancel 1 night because we booked through an agent. i was like...duhhhhh... and apa lagi... i called N3 and she argued... and we managed to check out with 1 night payment only. *phew* penat whoaa.. go holiday macam ni...

front view of our room

accompanying my dad fishing :)

the pool area taken from below