Bumble Bee Mum shared her "Staycation at Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour (Johor Bahru)"
post
for my most recent Wanderlust Wednesday Link Up. If you'd like to link
up, be sure to check back every
Wednesday!
________________
________________
[Media Invitation]
About Hotel Jen
If Hotel Jen sounds unfamiliar, perhaps the name ‘Traders Hotel’ may sound more familiar to you? No? Then surely you have heard of Shangri-La group? On 1 April 2015, Traders Hotel Puteri Harbour was rebranded as Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour, under the new Hotel Jen brand by Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd. The new hotel brand promises to cater to the needs of the new “Jeneration” of travellers – whether for business or leisure. And where Shangri-La group is concerned, you know they will deliver what they promise.
About Puteri Harbour
Puteri Harbour is home to a Marina, several restaurants and two theme parks.
Besides Sanrio Hello Kitty Town and Thomas Town, there are also Toys R Us and DC Super Heroes Shop & Cafe that kids LOVE. (If you read about my visit to DC Super Heroes Cafe Singapore, you would know just how much my kids love it. The cafe here is smaller, but offers a similar food selection – and cheaper than in Singapore)
Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour Review
The moment we arrived at Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour, the kids went ‘WAHHH’ when they saw the lobby. Check-in was swift and professional, and we were shown to our room (thank goodness otherwise we wouldn’t have found our way around).
The hotel had 3 blocks that ran parallel to the shopping street below. We were given a quick orientation of the hotel and location of amenities such as the swimming pool and cafe were highlighted to us.
Our Room (Club Harbour View Room)
Our room came with a double bed and a sofa bed. There was a pull-out bed below the sofa bed, so the room could easily accommodate our family of 4. If you require a baby cot, Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour can provide one – complimentary!
We had a harbour view room, which I felt was very rejuvenating compared to the rooms facing the other direction (where I believe you would be looking at other rooms).
We could see yachts, sea and greenery from the large window.
There was quite a lot of cupboard and wardrobe space. And 2 year old made a super LOL remark when he saw the space for putting luggage. He said it was his diaper-chaging table! Well, kid had a point.
There was a mini bar with a complimentary cup of fresh fruits and bottles of mineral water.
The toilet was unfortunately lacking a bath tub.
But we were pleased to find a bench that we could use to boost the kids up to the sink.
And the 2 year old amused himself by checking out his monstrous reflection in the shaving mirror. This boy seriously cracks me up. When he’s not otherwise driving me insane with his terrible 2 tantrums that is.
There were also kids room slippers provided – so cute!
Overall, we were very happy with our room. Neat, clean and spacious with ample sleeping space for a family of 4. My only gripes were with the lack of bath tub and carpeting.
Swimming Pool
The pool at Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour was an infinity pool, no less. It was located at the rooftop of Block 3. Our room was in Block 2 and we had to go through a long corridor to get to the pool.
So here’s a tip: Try requesting for a room in Block 3. Not only do you get quick access to the swimming pool, if you take the lift down to the Ground floor (Level G) using the lift at Block 3, you will immediately find yourself face to face with the entrance of Sanrio Hello Kitty Town and Thomas Town!
Alright, back to the pool. The boys had a great time checking out the scenery from the infinity pool. There was also a jacuzzi pool to get that much-needed massage.
The kids wading pool was surrounded by tables where you could dine while enjoying unobstructed views of the surrounding and keeping an eye on the kids plashing around at the same time.
The Sky Bar was located right next to the pool. So sit back, relax, enjoy the views and a drink.
Cafe Harbour
During our stay, we had buffet breakfast and dinner at Cafe Harbour within the hotel.
Breakfast
The buffet spread was HUGE. Much better than any other hotel breakfast we have had in Johor.
The smile of the prata chef at the live cooking station was such a sight to wake up to! Besides prata, there was also the (imo mandatory) omelette station.
Noodles were also cooked on the spot. There was a variety of noodles, so take your pick and pass it to the chef.
Choose between non-spicy chicken soup or spicy laksa soup. I only took a weeee bit of noodles (because you know, it’s a buffet and I’m saving my stomach space for other food) and the chef drowned my noodles with a generous amount of soup! Lol.. (PS: Prawns are not included during breakfast okay? I took the photo below during dinner).
Bread lovers would be thrilled by the selection of bread and jams available.
While the kids were super happy to find waffles and pancakes.
There was a whole row of cooked food at the end of the buffet line which was largely ignored. Figured by the time people walked there, they were already too full.
For drinks, there were many juices to choose from. And they even served smoothie! Of course, tea and coffee (including cappuccino and latte) were also provided.
Dinner
At dinner time, Cafe Harbour served up an International buffet spread. If you know me, I always head straight for sashimi at international buffets. Other than the usual salmon, tuna and octopus sashimi, they also had white tuna sashimi which I seldom see at buffets.
I was pretty amused by their sushi which had sausages inside?
The kids loved the spaghetti here. And I loved how they served the spaghetti was divided into small heaps so that you can scoop one serving up from the pan easily.
And since it was an international buffet, there was also Hong Kong dim sum (although you don’t expect the dim sum here to taste anything like the ones in Hong Kong because, uhmmm, Cafe Harbour is halal so no pork?).
And Indian food.
Some of the stuff like the noodle section and cooked food section were the same as breakfast, and there was simply just too much food for me to go through it all, so let me just skip skip skip to my favourite – DESSERTS!
There was SO MUCH desserts! The above picture was just a fraction of what they offered and more than what I could eat already. There was a mix of Western desserts and Asian desserts like nonya kueh.
There was a live cooking section serving up freshly made crepes.
And OMG, the fondue.
Other Dining Options
Some may feel that having buffet for both breakfast and dinner is a bit of an overkill. But well, I do that in Japan all the time during my ryokan stays. When traveling with kids, I usually opt for buffet meals when they are available. I mean.. Kids can’t appreciate expensive kaiseki meals?
However if you don’t wish to eat so much (though I really recommend having their buffet breakfast), there are other dining options within the hotel such as a Grab & Go deli counter and the Sky Bar next to the pool.
And like I mentioned earlier, there are more restaurants right downstairs along the shopping arcade. You will NOT go hungry at Puteri Harbour.
If you are driving and prefer to venture out, there is a pretty famous and awesome seafood restaurant at nearby Gelang Patah. The one we frequent is called Tian Lai. Click here for Google Map location or read more about it on Johor Kaki.
Other Amenities & Services
If you want to work out to burn off those calories, Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour has a Fitness Centre (gym).At the ground floor, you can also find vending machines, in case you need a quick midnight snack.
Free (working!) WIFI is available throughout the hotel. And in line with their promise to cater to needs of the new ‘Jeneration’ (aww man, get over the pun), you can even find mobile charging stations at various facilities (the pool, at the cafe, at the lobby etc.). A PressReader app with free access to 2,500 online publications, replacing traditional morning newspaper, is also on offer at Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour.
There is no kids club or play room within Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour, but if you go down to the marina, walk all the way to the end and you will find a small playground on the grass lawn.
If you would like to visit Legoland Malaysia, Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour provides free shuttle service to and fro for hotel guests.
And if you are flying in from abroad via Singapore Changi Airport or Senai International Airport, the hotel can arrange for limousine transfers (fees apply and reservations required.) Click here for details.
Information on Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour
Address: Persiaran Puteri Selatan, Puteri Harbour, 79000 Nusajaya, Johor Darul Takzim, Malaysia
Telephone Number: +60 7 560 8888
No comments :
Post a Comment