Hilton Hotel Petaling Jaya - A Review

Hilton Petaling Jaya
No 2 Jalan Barat, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia 46200

What I like about it: Two things I enjoyed about this hotel - Breakfast and Swimming Pool! Morning breakfasts are great with a wide range of food and beverages at Paya Serai Restaurant (Ground Floor). The lights and food presentation add appeal to the place. The swimming pool was also fabulous.

What needs to be improved: My check-in experience wasn't that good. The front desk lady was giving me a room that I'll share with another business traveler. I specifically mentioned that I have a reservation and I don't need to share a room with a total stranger. She doesn't speak English well although she's trying to be as courteous as she can.

Also, the room quality is fairly average. The bed is just okay. The marble bathroom simple (no bathtub). The television is small and old, no DVD and there are limited international channels (mostly local). Although the lobby and restaurants are elegant, I was expecting a newer and more extravagant hotel.


My ratings for this hotel are:
3 of 5 = Check in / front desk
4 of 5 = Quality of Service
4 of 5 = Value for Price
4 of 5 = Rooms (Bathroom, Kitchen, etc.)
4 of 5 = Cleanliness

Residence Inn Jacksonville - A Review

Residence Inn by Marriott
Deerwood Park Blvd, Jacksonville, Florida

After a horribly long trip and motion sickness, my stay at this hotel restored me back to life. I had the pleasure to stay in this hotel with some colleagues for a business trip and believe me, I have never slept so well after traveling.

What I like about it: Although the hotel is right off of the highway, we were never disturbed by street noise. The rooms are way much larger than a typical hotel and actually, it was more like a small house to me. It has two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, small dining area and complete with appliances - full size refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, kitchen sink, dishes, fireplace and television. I felt pampered with the comfortable bed and huge bath tub. They also serve a nice, simple American breakfast buffet in the mornings with waffles, pancakes, breads, eggs, sausages and fruits.

laundry time

view from my room

cooking dinner

What needs to be improved: They could provide more breakfast variety for their guests. The food is great on the first two days but to eat the same food for three or more days in a row is a different thing.

My ratings for this hotel are:
5 of 5 = Check in / front desk
5 of 5 = Quality of Service
5 of 5 = Value for Price
5 of 5 = Rooms (Bathroom, Kitchen, etc.)
4 of 5 = Cleanliness

Edsa Shangri-la Hotel - A Review

What I like about it: This is one of the best hotels in Manila, that's for sure! Just before you enter the lobby, there are K9 groups that will check your car and luggage that make you feel safe. The location is a major plus for tourists. It's just a stone throw away from Mega Mall, Shangri-la Mall and my favorite thrift mall, St Francis Square.

here's a view from my room

my room

I stayed there for three days and I get a nice bowl of fresh fruit every day.


The bed was comfortable, pillows are huge and fluffy.


And my favorite part, the bathroom! It's complete with a fresh flowers, lovely bath tub, telephone extension, and pipe-in television sounds.


I must say the breakfast at Heat is also superb. It's an open kitchen with varied choices of Chinese, American, Japanese and delicious local buffet. I was utterly confused on what food to eat first because there were like 50 dishes or more.

What needs to be improved: The front desk personnel were polite but I can't understand why checking-in should be a long wait. They stare at the monitors forever, not sure if they need upgraded computers or time management training. No problem for me because I wasn't in a hurry that time but I noticed several guests who are starting to be impatient with the waiting. Overall, I enjoyed my stay!

My ratings for this hotel are:
4 of 5 = Check in / front desk
5 of 5 = Quality of Service
5 of 5 = Value for Price
5 of 5 = Rooms (Bathroom, Kitchen, etc.)
5 of 5 = Cleanliness

Read more about Edsa Shangri-la Hotel.

Oberoi Bangalore - A Review

I fled to Bangalore, India to attend a business training in November 2004. It was my very first time to travel internationally and I was so thankful to have such wonderful experience in Oberoi.


What I like about it: The hotel's location is great for tourists since it is near the market, church and shopping districts. My room was very spacious and I had a balcony with a nice view of the lush gardens.

Because the hotel is in the heart of shopping district and the doors to each room are external, it can be a little noisy. It's not that bad in my opinion though because each room has a hall door between the main door & the bedroom space that could block the street noise.

The best part is the hotel's top class dining. I always look forward to the sumptuous continental breakfast at Le Jardin. My colleagues and I usually eat lunch at the trainng center so when we reach the hotel at night, we feast on authentic Chinese Szechwan style in Szechwan Court. We also tried the fabulous alfresco dining at the hotel's Thai restaurant.

The overall ambiance of the hotel is amazing - lots of greens, streams and ponds. At the end of each day, I soak in the tub for thirty minutes or so and enjoy the relaxing moment.


What needs to be improved: Just a very minor incident upon check-in - The front desk officer is persistent in having my personal credit card. I had to convince her it was a business trip before she finally gave me my room number. She was very polite but she could have just checked our company's reservation details beforehand. When I told my boss about the incident, he was totally surprised because he called the front desk a few minutes before I arrived to confirm my airport arrival.

My ratings for this hotel are:
4 of 5 = Check in / front desk
5 of 5 = Quality of Service
5 of 5 = Value for Price
5 of 5 = Rooms (Bathroom, Kitchen, etc.)
5 of 5 = Cleanliness

Hotel Vida - A Review

August 8, 2008 was detox time from our busy lives as we took a day off and spent an overnight stay at Hotel Vida. This hotel is a true gem! It is located in Clark Special Economic Zone, Angeles City and it is nearby all that you would want to do in and around Clark.


What I like about it: It took me only about 15 minutes to make a phone reservation. We were then entertained promptly when we arrived. Our junior suite room was decorated exquisitely. We even have fresh fruits as welcome tokens for our stay.

The kitchen was very cozy with its modern style furniture.

Gilbert enjoyed the spacious living room and the comfy trundle bed.

The pool side view from our soft bed is also marvelous and the ambiance is very relaxing. All hotel staff were courteous and accommodating.

Salt Cafe/Restaurant was also excellent for fine dining. Waiters and chefs served us with a smile. Well worth the money!

What needs to be improved: First, they could have used bigger bathtubs in the hotel rooms. Don't get me wrong. The tub is clean and comfortable to soak in but my 5'11 hubby just couldn't fit in. I also realize that the tub is really small because water is rolling off the bath tub side and sliding off the edge when we shower. Second, when I made our reservation, I was guaranteed that Wi-Fi connection is free of charge. When we got our total bill, I was surprised to see an additional Php500 charge for Internet. Well, I was totally in-love with the place so I didn't protest about the misunderstanding anymore. We were very satisfied overall. We highly recommend it to our friends and relatives.

My ratings for this hotel are:
4 of 5 = Check in / front desk
5 of 5 = Quality of Service
5 of 5 = Value for Price
4 of 5 = Rooms (Bathroom, Kitchen, etc.)
5 of 5 = Cleanliness

You can view more about Hotel Vida by visiting their site: http://www.hotelvidaclark.com/