The Protagonist

In the final chapter of our southeast Asia journey, our middle aged couple lands in Singapore to spend a final few days before heading back home. They sought out a great hotel located in the heart of the city for a couple of more adventures and the JW Marriott Singapore South Beach was the perfect choice.

The Antagonist

The nemesis in this story was cost. We stayed primarily at Marriott properties during our stay in SE Asia and this was by far the most expensive hotel. Incidentally, I made a note that the best experience we had was in the country with the lowest cost of labor. Inversely, the least amount of options in a hotel were in the most expensive country. The cost of this hotel was about 500 Singapore ($380 USD) per night.

Singapore is one of the highest cost of living countries in the world. Our hotel in Kuala Lumpur was 1/3 of what this hotel cost.

The Hero

Our hero in our South Beach Marriott story was the staff. The friendly and attentive staff took care of our every needs. We did arrive an hour early before check in and our room wasn’t ready but we were taken to the Executive Lounge to have a few snacks while we wait. The only miss here is our Executive Lounge host never told us our room was ready. Once we were past 3 p.m. I had to go and ask if our room was ready and it was but they seemingly forgot to tell us.

Anti-Hero

The main anti-here during our stay was size. While our corner suite was huge, everything else outside our room seemed small in comparison to our experiences in Kuala Lumpur, Phuket, and Bangkok. The Executive Lounge had great food but a limited selection. The pool on 18 was fairly small and too cold since it’s in shade most (or all?) of the time. There is nowhere on 18 as far as we could see to lounge on a chair and sun bath. The restaurant attached to the hotel is fairly small in comparison to other hotels we stayed in SE Asia.

We also were told that breakfast would only be available for platinum members in the Executive Lounge and not the restaurant as in other hotels. We assume it was like this because the hotel restaurant was too small to accommodate all the guest in the hotel but found it strange since this wasn’t the issue in other Marriotts.

Supporting Characters

Pool

Amazing view but comes at a cost of cold water temperature so beware or bring a wet suit!

Gym – We didn’t use so can’t comment but is available.

Room – Upgraded Suite

Image below – toilet on left, tub and shower on right. Dual and separate sinks.

Executive Lounge

The Denouement (& Recommendation?)

Our story has a happy ending, while we got became spoiled on larger buffets, larger pools and broader dining options, the hotel was perfect for our stay. It was situated close to the train station, large shopping areas, restaurants, and entertainment that we would definitely recommend this hotel with the caveats that Platinum member perks will be different/smaller than other hotels in SE Asia.

The hotel is about 20 minutes via car from Changi airport but heavy traffic may extend that time frame.

Categories: Singapore
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We spent most of the day with nature at the Singapore Botanical Gardens. This is a MUST stop Unesco World Hertitage site to visit if you visit Singapore.

The Orchid Gardens are a must see but be aware there is a fee $15 for this area whereas the main gardens are free.

But they are well worth the price.

After the gardens we had to have some Pho and luckily there was a Vietnamese restaurant in our hotel complex.

After lunch we hit the pool area. The pool is a bit small in comparison to other Marriots in Southeast Asia but it does have an amazing view. Oh and the water is cold!

We plan on having pizza for dinner then plan on packing up.

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We arrived early to Singapore and our upgraded suite wasnt ready so they staff took us to the Executive Lounge where we had some delectable fresh baked scones and mushroom quiche.

Jasmine Tea, yes we had two pots to drink!

The art decoration here are pretty cool.

and plenty of food variety

Our hotel suite is really nice but you can read more about that in the review.

Our first stop after checking in was the famous Haji Lane where we stopped at our new favorite place, Good Luck, to have a couple of local beers. We could have walked here but the sky was overcast and dark and we did not want to get soaked so we Grab’d it.

As the name implies, our beer was indeed happy, crisp and dry.

We only stopped for beer but the cool owner insisted we try the all beef dog.

So we split one and it was good.

Back at the hotel, we cant help but admire the artwork.

We discovered a nice little welcome gift on our way back.

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Our hotel in KL was the JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur. We chose this hotel because of its proximity to key activities we were planning to do. The hotel is across the street from one of the largest shopping malls here named the Pavilion. The mall has dozens of restaurants and endless shopping and was a 1 minute walk from our hotel.

The staff and service at the hotel was good although a few times at breakfast it seemed to take a while to get coffee. We’re not sure why coffee has to be ordered through the staff during breakfast in Southeast Asia especially since the buffets are all self-service. It would seem to make sense to make coffee self-service as well but that’s a mystery to solve another day.

Like the other Marriott hotels we’ve stayed at throughout SE Asia, the food buffets here offer an endless variety of food. There are more Malaysian options at these buffets than the other hotels we’ve stayed at in southeast Asia. You walk through this cool green tunnel from the hotel to get to the restaurant.

The soup station was my favorite breakfast bar. I loaded up with veggies and then plopped some protein from one of the other bar areas since they only offered seafood here (image below).

My last breakfast meal below in Kuala Lumpur.

Pool area – pretty nice but could use some updating/refresh.

Recommend?

If we return to Kuala Lumpur, we’ll likely stay at the JW Marriott again so we’d recommend it if it fits your itinerary but you should be aware of a few things:

1. We were shocked to learn that this JW Marriott did NOT have a business center. We are doing calls while we are here in Malaysia and they often need to be done late at night. At other Marriott hotels in SE Asia we used the business center and had an office or room to make those calls, we were provided access to the Executive Lounge and used an area in there to take calls late however this area closes at 11:45 p.m. so be aware if you need a late night spot to make phone calls late at night.
2. The Executive Lounge had lackluster food options during afternoon time. We had egg and salmon tiny sandwiches which weren’t bad but the menu didn’t change from day to day. The desert and cereal snack options also never changed day to day while we were there. They weren’t bad just repetitive.
3. The breakfast buffet, while huge and loaded with great food, didn’t seem to have enough staff to service the volume of people coming into the restaurant in the morning. On several occasions it took 10+ minutes to get our coffee. The problem was worse early in the morning as opposed to after 8 a.m. On our last day, we found the coffee machine and just served ourselves coffee.

The hotel is located in a great part of Kuala Lumpur and the staff and service was excellent and the only minor issue we had was during breakfast. We didn’t have any issues at the Executive Lounge or anywhere else. The hotel is located close to restaurants, shopping, and other entertainment so it’s a great central location if it’s your first time visiting or you want to be in the heart of the city.

Categories: Kuala Lumpur
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We spent the day with a friend in Mayalsia who introduced us to a great restaurant at the Pavilion Mall and gave us a tour around the city.

But before that we stopped by our Hello Laundry to pick up two loads of laundry. Great service and great prices!

Walk along the Petronas Towers

Great park area!

The Suria KLCC Mall (image below) near the Petronas Towers.

The best local ice cream is at a shop in the Suria Mall.

After ice cream we headed to the KL Tower but it was closed for repair so we opted to go back to our hotel room and hang out in the pool.

For Dinner we decided to head back to the Pavilion mall and eat where we had lunch at Serai because the food was so good. It’s a fusion of Malaysian cuisine with others. The image below is Beef Rendang Penne which is a merger of Malay and Italian cuisine.

Awesome drinks at Serai.

We finished the evening with ice cream from Baskin Robbins in the mall.

Categories: Kuala Lumpur
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While in Phuket, we stayed at Le Meridien Beach Resort (a Marriott Property) and we really enjoyed out stay and the facilities. This is a fairly large sprawling resort nestled in a cove between two jungled mountains.

The landscaping was immaculate during our stay.

As Marriott Bonvoy Platinum members we were upgraded to a nicer suite with a huge patio balcony.

This is a panoramic image from our huge balcony.

We had a view of the ocean to the west and view to the mountains & jungle to the north, east, and south.

This hotel has multiple restaurants and shops within the “campus” and we weren’t able to eat at all the restaurants but we never had a bad meal. Breakfast is free for platinum members so we gorged ourselves on the endless varieties of foods served in the morning.

Like most hotels we’ve stayed at, there are different types of foods to accommodate a wide ranges of tastes and dietary requirements including middle east, Asian, western and vegetarian.

Lots of options, you won’t go hungry here.

Plenty of cook to order foods as well.

Specialty foods. Pots below had Indian or Chinese dishes.

Large semi-private white sand beach with plenty of seating, umbrellas and palm trees. Bar nearby serving up alcoholic drinks and fresh squeezed juices and smoothies. During dinner, there was a live band and a dance show. We’re not sure if they do this every night but we were lucky to arrive just as they were starting and it was fun to watch.

Recommend?

The facilities, staff, food, and entertainment were all great. Having a semi-private somewhat isolated beach was also a big plus so if you’re looking for a quiet semi-private and isolated place, this is a great spot.

If however you intend on socializing with others in bars, clubs, or eating out you should be aware that this hotel is a bit isolated from the main city center areas and you’ll need some type of transportation to get to those spots from this hotel. This hotel also has a policy of NOT allowing outside food (e.g. Grab food delivery) onto their premises so if you like ordering take out, beware.

There are tours and transportation you can reserve with guest services and it may be at a cost, we had a car so we didn’t use any of those services. Also note that this hotel is located about 45 minutes (via car) from the main Phuket airport so plan arrival and departure accordingly.

There is a small mini-market, laundry, restaurant and two massage places right outside the hotel’s boundary within walking distance should you need variation or snacks.

Categories: Phuket
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We started the day with a short walk to drop off laundry then headed to an art class nearby our hotel.

The art piece involves using wax to create a structure on fabric then filling the outlines with paint.

Melted wax and the wax “pen” to draw the wax outline.

The wax is hot and yes, I did burn myself.

The Petronas towers above and my elephant below.

This beautiful artwork may be auctioned off for $100 million someday in the future.

After art class we went shopping at various places along our route back and stopped at the Pavilion Mall again to eat and do some more shopping.

After a long day of walking and hot, humid weather it was time to hit the pool and relax.

Categories: Kuala Lumpur
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We had a fiasco with our flight and got in late to Kuala Lumpur. Early the next day we hit the mall to buy some new water resistant shoes given the rolling monsoon rains here.

The mall is huge and very impressive! I bought some shoes, wallet, and got a haircut at this fabulous mall.

Next stop was the Museum of Illusions for some metaphysical fun.

We then had a four hour street food tour and we got to make some of the food we were tasting.

Amazing variety of fruits (images below).

Me Goren Noodle Dish (image below)

Roti (image below)

Grilled fish

Chicken

Steamed deserts

Our fearless leader and guide Jay! (sitting center back of table)

Achef Food Tour Sambal Street

Here is a complete list of food and beverages we had on the tour:

1. TEH TARIK / LIME JUICE
2. MEE GORENG MAMAK
3. ROTI CANAI
4. SALAK
5. LONGAN
6. MANGOOSTEEN
7. DURIAN
8. CENDOL
9. BAKSO
10. IKAN BAKAR
11. MEE AYAM
12. SATAY AYAM / DAGING
13. NASI LEMAK
14. CHICKEN RENDANG
15. MANGO SMOOTHIE
16. PUTU BAMBOO
17. TAUFU / KEREPEK LEKOR

Categories: Kuala Lumpur
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We started the day looking for a laundry mat and we found one that did two loads of laundry for 160 baht which is the bargain of the century! The laundry mat is Dr. Tiger Laundry if you’re in the Phuket area, they seem to be a chain with some laundry mats in Bangkok too.

Next up, we came across the only parking lot we’ve seen in all of Phuket in a nice shopping center with a Starbucks and grocery store so we stopped by to look at prices and have some coffee.

It seems beef is very expensive everywhere in Thailand as much of it is imported from Australia or elsewhere.

After our coffee we headed to the Elephant Sanctuary. There are NO elephant rides or animal exploitation here. This sanctuary exists to treat and save abused animals or animals that need care.

The tour consists of viewing elephants in their daily routine. It’s possible to pet the elephants and feed them. The image below shows how some of the food is made by mixing and meshing rice, watermelon and banana into a ball.

The elephants also eat watermelon and bananas.

After the elephant visit we were hungry so we chose the closest restaurant on the map and it took us up a mountain to the View Cafe and boy did it have an amazing view. It was good to have rented a car or we would have otherwise missed this place.

Food was great. Pineapple stir fried rice.

Pad Thai

The view

Headed back to the hotel to reflect on our last day here.

Categories: Phuket
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We left Bangkok a couple of days ago and between traveling by car, boat and plane, it’s been hard to catch up on this blog with all our movements.

Upon arriving in Phuket, I checked the Grab app (the “Uber” of SE Asia) and it was going to be about 1200 bhat ($36 USD) to take us from the airport to our hotel. Given that we would need to repeat that same trip, we were already at $72 so I checked with the local car rental and we could have a car for 4 days for $150 so it made more sense to rent a car.

Phuket is a fairly large and our hotel was on the outskirts in an isolated part of the peninsula. We checked in and it’s an amazing hotel (more on that in the review). We got upgraded to a nice suite with a huge balcony overseeing the ocean to the west and the mountain and jungle to the east.

This morning we took our rented car and headed to old Phuket town. Driving there and parking were a nightmare but we checked would a Grab would have cost and it would have been 600 baht ($18 USD) each way so we’ve already paid for most of the car rental.

Our first stop was the Phuket Museum which showcased the history of Phuket from fishing village to Chinese immigrants moving in to mine tin then blending in with the local population and ultimately turning to tourism.

Our second stop was a massage place where we couldn’t help but get an hour long foot massage to sooth our aching feet and legs. An hour long foot massage for two people were a total of $30 USD.

We then stopped and had what we’ve both been longing for since we got here…a really good burger and this place delivered. It was a market street stall and the burgers were cooked fresh to order.

Our third stop was a temple but it was closed and we weren’t dressed properly to enter anyway so we walked down the famous market street and did our own street walking tour.

After that with storm clouds billowing we headed back to the hotel where we hit the pool and beach for a couple of hours.

Categories: Phuket
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