Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu

There's even a sea view (a fair distance away) from my room!

James Luk and I stayed at the Dreamtel Kota Kinabalu for two nights from 1st January 2015. The room is clean with all the basic amenities and most importantly there's free wi-fi! It's located along Jalan Padang where a few other similar class hotels are situated. Right across the hotel is the bus terminal and it's also within walking distance to Gaya Street and most of the major shopping centres. The room is a bit small though but I'm not complaining as James paid for the room! 

Renaissance Hotel Kota Bharu

 They don't serve liquor here

 We had dinner here (Kow Lun Restaurant in Chinatown)

Renaissance Hotel Kota Bharu is one of the better hotels (or best) in Kota Bharu and I stayed there on a whirlwind trip on 10 December 2014. The staff here are very friendly and helpful. I hardly had any time to do any sightseeing or shopping though there is a shopping mall (Kota Seri Mutiara Complex) next to the hotel! I booked through hotelclub.com and the rate was B$145.88 nett per night. Liquor is not served in this hotel.
That night, we had to go to Chinatown (just a row of shophouses) for dinner and some beer. Ironically, Thai music was played here instead of Chinese music and I can feel the Thai influence here due to its proximity to Thailand (Sergei Golok, a Thai border town is 40 minutes away by car).

A & EM Hotel @ Ho Chi Minh City

The Night Market

There are six A&EM Hotels (pronounced A&M Hotels) in District 1 and we're booked at the one at Phan Boi Chau Street from 12-15 November 2014. The rooms are a bit small and there's no space for a luggage rack (my bag was placed on the floor). There's also no windows (except for the rooms in the front and back of the building) as the building was built from a shophouse lot with buildings on both sides of the hotel. The rooms are clean with all the basic amenities, in-room safe and even a personal computer with internet connection. The location of the hotel is fantastic; the Ben Thanh Market is right in front of the hotel just across the street. This market sells anything you would want to bring home as souvenirs, from coffee powder (Luwak & Vietnam coffee is popular here in Vietnam), cashew nuts to clothing and momentos. At night, the Night Market opens right at the door steps of the hotel. T-shirts sold here are very reasonable and there are even stalls serving food and liquor (very popular with Europeans). There's also a money changer next door that offers great rates not to mention the numerous restaurants all around the hotel where prices are very reasonable too! 

Guotai Hotel @ Zhuhai

This is the second time I stayed at Guotai Hotel, the first was on 12 August 2012 (two years ago). We chose this hotel for its location as it is close to departmental stores, the underground shopping centre, Gongbei Port, etc. However, this time, the room is different from the one I stayed during my first stay (room without a window!). The bed is huge (super king size) and can easily accommodate 3 adults (I only used up half the bed). The room rate was RMB438 (B$87) per night inclusive of buffet breakfast. After dinner, we went for a foot massage on the 2nd floor which costs RMB68 for one hour. The massage centre wasn't open the last time I was here! 

Tomorrow morning we'll be taking the 9.30am Zhuhai High Speed Ferry from Jiuzhou Port to HKIA, an hour's ride away, for our flight back to Brunei.

Plink Hotel @ Guangzhou

The modest reception counter

A small lobby

We took the 7.53pm high speed train from Changsha to Guangzhou and arrived 2.5 hours later. Checked into this 105 rooms hotel which doesn't look great on the outside but Plink Hotel's rooms certainly did not disappoint. The rooms are luxurious with vibrant colours not to mention that it's quite spacious as well. I'm actually quite impressed with the rooms! Located at Zhongcun Town, Panyu District, this hotel is definitely value for money at RMB288 (B$57) nett per night. We stayed at this hotel for one night before proceeding to Zhuhai the next day. So don't judge a book by its cover!