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TRIP REPORT: Into Malaysia and the Holiday Inn Express, KLCC – Growing Old In Style

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Into Malaysia and off to the Holiday Inn Express KLCC
Growing Old In Style

Growing old in Style - Singapore and Kuala Lumpar Header Image - Economy Class and Beyond

Welcome back to Malaysia. It’s time to get into the country and continue this trip as I hit the second hotel of this trip, the Holiday Inn Express KLCC. And what a beauty of a hotel it is. 

In this mammoth trip report (note, headings subject to change)

Into Malaysia

Getting off the aircraft, it was pretty obvious there was a hike ahead. The question – how far? Time to get my hiking boots on, as the passenger traffic was directed onto the upper level of the terminal and onwards.

a group of people walking down a walkway

a sign in a building

At least the walk involved a trip across a SkyBridge – enough for some aircraft to pass underneath.

a escalator in a building

a large window with a plane in the background

After crossing the skybridge, it was time to clear Malaysian Immigration. And to be honest, I was expecting a long wait. Turned out, it was a two-minute wait.

a man walking in a large white building

an escalator and a sign in a building

 

My MDAa Digital Arrival Card) was checked, and my intent was asked. Once the agent was happy, the passport was stamped, with them notifying me I could use the eGates next time.

With the state of my passport, that is questionable. At least I still have my passport with me. Exiting the Immigration area, I proceeded through the luggage belts. Again, with no luggage, I sped through this area and towards the exit.

However, there is something to slow anyone down – and that is customs require all bags to be x-rayed before a person can enter the country.

With that formality done, I entered the landside area of the KLIA Terminal 2.

From here, it was a case of following the signs to the KLIA Express train. I could have done a Grab, but honestly, I was in the mood for some fun.

people walking in a building
But first. To the Chicken and Cheap water haven. Well, mainly water. 

After getting a bottle of water from Family Mart, it was time to pay up for the KLIA Express, which was close to £10 for a ride. At least it is a 38-minute ride, so at least I was getting my money’s worth.

With a barcode spat out as a receipt, I was able to clear the ticket barriers.

Heading down to the platform, there was an air-conditioned section I spent time in until the Express Train arrived. I could have saved a few pennies by taking the KLIA Transit (55-ringgit vs 35 ringgit). No matter.

a train with people standing in a station

With the train arriving, I boarded the train and obtained a pair of seats for the ride to KL Sentral.

With a single stop at KLIA Terminal 1, it was a quick run into the city – to put it mildly. Certainly, the trackwork felt a little rough in places. However, that driver drove like the wind to KL Sentral, keeping time. For me, I sat back and watched the urban sprawl and countryside. And the mix between them.

train tracks and a building with a plane in the background

train tracks next to a building

train tracks with trees and a river in the background

a field with grass and buildings in the background

a train tracks next to a city

Exiting at KILA Sentral, I took a few minutes to orientate myself after exiting the fare control zone. I then remembered that I needed to head upstairs to go to the MonoRel line.

I was also keeping an eye out for cash machines on the way – so far, all I had encountered were Euronet cash machines, and those are ones you want to avoid when travelling.

a person standing in front of a row of machines
Please. Avoid these ATMs. 

Why? Honest Guide has been documenting some of their games. It is… not good. Just don’t dip your card in one of these ATM’s unless it’s the last ATM you can find.

If possible, use bank cash machines when travelling – the fees can be lower, and you will not feel like you are being conned. I found a bank cash machine the next day, but it was… a challenge. Put it like this, if you are going to a KK’s, 7/11, Family Mart or a Train Station, you will find they are all EuroNet cash machines.

people walking in a mall
To the Monorel! 

Rapid KL have got a little more serious about the Monorail line, with the two-car units long gone, and four-car units installed on the line. a train station with a train and a woman standing in front of it a train with doors open 

And yes – with the platform screen doors installed and industrial air conditioning on the units, it could swallow the passengers who were using it, as opposed to the standing misery the old two-car sets could cause.

Alas, it was getting dark again, so I left and watched, played some Pokémon Go until the train arrived at Raja Chulan. From here it’s a short walk to my second hotel of the trip, the Holiday Inn Express KLCC.

a small red building with a sign on the front
The Snow King’s revenge will be at hand.

a sign on a sidewalk a christmas tree and flowers outside of a building

Holiday Inn Express KLCC

Price Paid: £40/Night (IHG Rate)

a tall building with a traffic light

I headed up to the first floor to check in. And there was a little bit of a wait, whilst people queued. There was a self-check-in option, but I skipped it – my energy levels to deal with a self-check-in were non-existent.

a hallway with lights and a marble floor

a room with a stand and computer screens
Self Check-in for those who don’t want to wait.

a room with a white counter and a white wall with a white and red decoration
Check-in desk

people sitting in a room with a television
General Lounge area

a vending machine in a restaurant
Vending machine 

I was eventually seen to and welcomed. I was given a welcome amenity of 500 IHG Points as well as an upgrade. That was nice to see. In addition, an extended check-out was added automatically, without asking (even though I would not need it). I thanked the agent, nonetheless.

Two room keys were offered – and IHG have gone down the line of room keys made of wood, but with embedded RFID chips in them.

I was given an information sheet and reminded of the key times for things, including breakfast.

With that, I headed up to the 10th floor.

The upgraded room was near the lift, which is always a nice thing for me. And the room was large.

a room with a bed and a bookcase

a bed in a room with a window and a view of a city

Certainly, toward the 26 m² square size.

On the left-hand side was the bathroom – again, this is a shower, with a sink area and a toilet, with branded towels.

a bathroom with a sink and toilet
Small room 

a shower head and shower head in a bathroom
Shower

a couple of white bottles of soap
Dove Ameinties everywhere

a bathroom sink with a few packets of contraceptives
Basic, but useful – toothbrush and personal care kit

Gotta love the branding.

As we go into the room itself, there is a drinks station and a fridge in the room, with bottled water supplied.

a shelf with a guitar sculpture on it

That is a warning unto itself. Whilst the water source itself is clean and safe to drink, the pipework in the city… is less so. Thus, you could either buy more bottles of water at a reasonable 1 ringgit a piece or start boiling water and get bigger bottles en route.

Why am I being more careful than usual? Let us just say that on one trip, I managed to get food poisoning. It might have been on the chicken butt; I suspect I had just drunk straight out of the water supply at one point and paid the price.

If in doubt – boil and chill the water.

Thankfully, there was a fridge in the room to chill the water I had boiled. A helpful thing.

a bed with white sheets and pillows

Heading to the bed, it was a Queen Bed. It was more than comfortable, with a nice firmness to it. The view wasn’t much – just high-rises. Nothing too important to look at in the world.

Internet connectivity was… sigh… not the best here. It was bursting fast enough to watch videos, do web tasks, but good luck running HD content on your devices. If you’re roaming or using a Travel eSIM, consider some extra bandwidth for accessing content.

It was also where the TV was… and it was looping a promo video. Thankfully, Nickelodeon was somewhere, so I had looping SpongeBob SquarePants on for the stay. The bed itself was firm but comfortable with clean sheets.

a tv mounted on a wall

Considering how much the weather will affect the next few days, it would be important.

a desk with a lamp and a phone on it
Table with outlets and a sofa

Again, the hotel had the wonderful “world” style outlets – and honestly, it’s something Asia does very well, not just offering a local power outlet, but an outlet you can do without reaching for a power block adaptor.

a phone and alarm clock on a table
Bedside amenities 

Now, this hotel is packed with amenities for a budget hotel, but the best thing is the breakfast at this place. What do I mean by that? See for yourself.

The biggest trick with this hotel buffet is to arrive early.

a table and chairs in a room with windows
a room with a long table and chairs
Random seating. 

It had a mixture of Western, cold items, Chinese, Indian, as well as local favourites such as fishball soup and Nasi Lemak.

food on a table
DIY Porriage

 

a buffet with food in containers
Chinese options 

a pot of soup on a stove
Curry at Breakfast? Why not? 

a group of baskets of pastries
Pasties 

a food in a container
Scrambled Eggs

a food in a container
Potatoes 

a plate of food on a metal tray
Chicken Sausages 

a plate of food on a table

a buffet with many plates of food |
Salad

a food on a table
Fish 

a buffet table with food on it
Build your own Nasi Lemak with fish.

a table with bowls of food
Build your own fishball sou.p

a table with bowls of food  a table with different types of cereals and cups
Drinks station 

a group of liquid dispensers on a table
Cold drinks too 

When I say you could fill up for a long day with this… You could easily. Whilst it will not challenge high-end hotels, this makes a serious case against some hotels I have been in for a “free” breakfast.

As I said, I saw this place pack out quickly, so if you are an early riser and want some peace and quiet during breakfast, best to come earlier in the breakfast session.

Check-out was a simple affair. My room number and key card were collected, and I was allowed to go my way.

Overall:

For a “Budget” hotel, this is impressive. It’s a great location near to Bukit Bintang as well as the Jalan Alor food street, and a Family Mart next door if you’re feeling anti-social.

That would be without any IHG Benefits, which allowed for a larger room (and compared to the room I had in Singapore in an Ibis Budget, there was room to install a bowling alley down), along with the extended checkout too.

The only downside of this property is the internet speeds, which are passable for basic browsing, but beyond that, you’ll be struggling.

Other than that, a highly recommended property.

Next:

To the Batu Caves. Because enough of the rampant consumerism for at least one post.

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