Two 'MUST STAY' English-themed hotels in Malaysia

This time I would like to write on two hotels in Malaysia that guarantees to give you the English aesthetic vibes. Something one would not resist with limited options to travel these days, right? Furthermore, my TikTok videos on these two hotels received good responses and questions. These hotels are also known for their diligent service and good food. Well, I am talking about The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur and The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands.

1. The Majestic Hotel: Autograph Collection, Kuala Lumpur

(5 star hotel)

This hotel consists of the old wing, which is a colonial structure listed as a national heritage site and the new wing which consist of accommodation rooms and restaurants. This hotel is part of the Autograph Collection of historic hotels which is an intersection of national heritage and modern luxuries.

Highlights:

• room with entire KL city view- I stayed in room 1405.
• strategic location; 5 min. drive to old town and 10 min. drive to KLCC. 
• affordable and spacious  Deluxe rooms with complete amenities and bath tub.
• White colonial old wing and adjacent to other heritage sites of Kuala Lumpur- KTM.
• picturesque hotel - both interior and exterior.
• beautiful Orchid Conservatory- perfect for evening teatime, advanced booking required.
• two pools, large one at the new wing, smaller one at the old wing which is Insta-worthy.
• breakfast buffet.

Booking:

• Agoda/ Booking.com
• Marriott Bonvoy - https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/kulak-the-majestic-hotel-kuala-lumpur-autograph-collection/

Saving tips/ Budget:

• Book via Marriott Membership
• Choose Deluxe room on a weekday: Around RM300 per night.

Video:

My personal video from my stay:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2HYQ_5Q_vM

Overall Rating (based on location/ price/ room & cleanliness/food/service):

4.5/5

2. The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands

(4 star hotel)

This is a cottage-styled resort located on the hill side of Ringlet. This resort is isolated from the busy town of Cameron Highlands enabling guests to appreciate the fresh air of the tropical rainforest and the cold weather of Cameron. 

Highlights:

• olden English interior of the hotel rooms and common areas.
• cold and quiet in the evenings/ night.
• teatime here is a must- try the freshly baked scones and to feel the breeze.
• picturesque hotel - both interior and exterior, walk up to a small hill on the left for the perfect photo spot. 
• English breakfast.
• nearby to Bharat Tea Plantation.
• complimentary car wash and jungle trekking guide.

Booking:

• Agoda/ Booking.com
• Hotel website: https://lakehouse-cameron.com/

Saving tips/ Budget:

• Book Deluxe room on a weekend: Around RM550 per night.

Video:

My personal video from my stay:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVlNC3IZSTE

Overall Rating (based on location/ price/ room & cleanliness/food/service):

4/5

The information above is adequate to make your way to these beautiful hotels. Please drop a comment below or a message on my social platforms if you have any questions. Thank you so much for reading. 

"Before You Run Out of Time"

Powell Roy Louis @ theroytravels

www.instagram.com/theroytravels

https://www.tiktok.com/@theroytravels?lang=en

https://blog.feedspot.com/solo_male_travel_blogs/

Email: powellroylouis@gmail.com 

How to earn more AirAsia BIG points and fly at cheaper rates?

 

 

1. What is Air Asia BIG?

BIG is Air Asia's Loyalty programme for customers to collect points or air miles and redeem in-flight services, free tickets, discounted air fares or to exchange points with other loyalty programmes. AirAsia Big as renamed their loyalty programme as Big rewards recently (the logo on the right).

2. Why need to save BIG points?

If you want to book AirAsia flight tickets at discounted rates, this is one of the feasible ways. I booked flights to Sydney, Tokyo and many local destinations in Malaysia for almost 50-60% cheaper than the normal rates using my BIG points. Would you believe that I got my return air tickets to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur for MYR 29 only? In this blog post, I would like to explain on several methods to earn more BIG points.

3. How to earn more BIG points?

a) Register as a BIG member

Your first step is to register as a BIG member at no additional cost via www.airasiabig.com or BIG loyalty app. You will automatically earn air miles whenever you book a flight via AirAsia app or when you manually key in your BIG ID while doing your booking on the website. However,  MYR 1 spent is equivalent to 1 or 2 BIG points only. So, I will explain what are the other methods to collect more points. You can apply this to many other air miles of different flights too.

b)  Credit Card Points

Apply for credit cards that offer points collection for every transaction made. Some credit cards offer points conversion to BIG points, depending on the cards' perks. For an example, Citibank Rewards card offers 2000 Citi points to be converted to 500 BIG points. There are also dedicated travel credit cards linked to certain flight companies for extra points collection. As for Air Asia, the latest travel card is offered by Hong Leong Bank (https://www.hlb.com.my/en/personal-banking/credit-cards/travel/airasia-credit-card.html).

If you are a disciplined pay master, try cashless payment for most of your daily transactions to allow more points redemption. Well, it is good to go cashless at this very point of time.

c) Samsung Pay

Be a Samsung Galaxy user and install Samsung Pay (cashless payment app) by linking your preferred credit card to your device. This application is secured by Knox security platform. You may use at any merchants with 'pay wave' facility. For every transaction, not only you earn your credit card points, you will also collect Samsung points depending on your user level. Gold members are entitled for 40 points for every transaction. And you may export your points to Air Asia BIG with a minimum of 1000 Samsung points in your account. 

d) Big Pay Card

Big Pay by Air Asia is a payment feature, or better known in a lay man's term as money card. You card use it like a Mastercard at many merchants like a credit card but the difference is you have to top up the card to enable transactions. This card auto-syncs with your BIG ID and you will earn BIG points for every transaction made via this card. Big Pay offers lower exchange fees for foreign currency exchange and therefore this is a suitable card if you are a frequent traveler and do not prefer to carry a big sum of cash in hand. This card is also recommended to those not confident in using credit cards worrying of debts.

e) Other partnership

Air Asia also allow points conversion from other partners such as Maybank Treats, Petronas Mesra, Agoda PointsMAX, etc. Please check their partner listing in their official webpage.

Air Asia Big offers redemption promotion in their app to selected destinations every now and then. Use your points to book during the promo period to enjoy cheap flights or free flights to your preferred destinations.  Points used to book a flight cannot be refunded in case of flight cancellations but you can opt to change the date and time of the same flight routes. I know it is the pandemic season now, but why not collect as many points as you can and travel once the outbreak settles down. You can direct message to me on Instagram 'theroytravels' or please leave a comment below if you have any questions. Hope this information will prove Air Asia's motto right, "Now Everyone Can Fly".

"Before You Run Out of Time"

Powell Roy Louis @ theroytravels

www.instagram.com/theroytravels

Email: powellroylouis@gmail.com 

https://blog.feedspot.com/solo_male_travel_blogs/

The Shorea, Seremban (Malaysia)

The Shorea Retreats

Did you plan to visit Bali this year? Are you disappointed that  the Covid 19 pandemic has disrupted your plans to stay in a private tropical villa in Bali? Well, don't worry then. There is a resort here in Malaysia that is able to give you similar vibes in terms of the villa stay, if not the entire journey as compared to Bali. It is called The Shorea. But there are few things that you need to know before booking a villa here.

1. Location.

Located in Shorea estate, nearby to Seremban which takes about an hour drive from Kuala Lumpur city. (available in Waze and Google Maps; GPS coordinates: 2.805886, 102.024019).

As you reach the estate, the roads are bumpy and you may not have phone lines. So, when you make a direct booking, please confirm your arrival time with the villa staff, so that they send a staff to guide you to the villa from the main gate at Kampung Pantai (see the picture below).

2. Booking.

You can do direct booking with the villa via Whatsapp (No. +60173005600). It is easier to make pre-arrangements including choosing the suitable villa according to your budget and number of guests.

3. Types of Villa.

There are few types of villas and the price ranges from RM 600 and above. Let them know how many people you want to accommodate and preference of villa/ pool. Mostly are shared pool (as the one I stayed) but you may book a villa with a stand alone pool. The one I stayed is called Villa Kemboja and comes with the shared pool. Some villas seem to be a little old and needs proper maintenance, which I have already highlighted to the respective team. I am sharing this so that you will know what to expect from your stay.

4. The ambience and activity.

I personally liked the tropical feel with the buzzing sounds of the insects all day long and the infinity pool. Otherwise, there is no much activities to do. Recommended for just a peaceful stay in the midst of rain-forest, away from the city. You may rent the BBQ set from the villa if you wish to have a BBQ party with your travel partners. I brought my own mini Bluetooth speakers and laptop to keep me entertained at night as there is no radio or television in the villa. 

5. Food.

There is no restaurant inside the villa and hence you need to pre-book food so that they will prepare in their kitchen for you accordingly. The booking comes with free Asian breakfast and you can rent the floating basket (RM 50) for photography purpose. I wished to have my breakfast at the pool but unfortunately they prohibit guest from doing so. The staffs will set up the floating basket for you with some decorations. For other meals, you have to book in advance and they will send you the menu options prior to your stay. Honestly, I feel the food is quite pricey for a 3 star villa. So, bring a lot of snacks and own food if you want to cut cost. There is a kitchen in every villa with a stove for you to cook (which I didn't know initially). Thankfully, I brought a lot of snacks to munch all day long.  

I hope the information above is precise and helps you to set the right expectation while staying in The Shorea. Sometimes, it's not about going to the perfect place, but extracting the best out if it knowing the pros and cons before deciding on the trip. If you need a rustic stay, then why not give The Shorea a try.

"Before You Run Out of Time"

Powell Roy Louis @ theroytravels

https://blog.feedspot.com/solo_male_travel_blogs/

https://www.instagram.com/theroytravels/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMZ5tPd0tM_4Ukwz7EBPMCQ