City Staycation At Ramada Suites Kuala Lumpur

“How long has it been – five, seven years?”

My wife and me were reminiscing about the last time we hung out at Bukit Bintang. My only fuzzy memory of this party district was us having dinner at the now-defunct Palate Palette just a few doors away from perennial jazz club No Black Tie. Just around the corner from the legendary Jalan Mesui is our staycation for the night – Ramada Suites by Wyndham Kuala Lumpur City Center.

This residence is one of the few Ramada establishments in Malaysia with the others being Ramada Plaza Melaka and the recently launched Ramada Meridin Johor Bahru. Although a relative newcomer, this Ramada Suites has already bagged Malaysia Tourism Council’s “Best 4-Star Hotel In Kuala Lumpur City Center” in 2018 and Asia-Pacific Travel and Tourism Federation’s “Best Business Class Hotel” this year.

True to its accolades, the lobby was sleek while our check-in was quick and within five minutes, we were ascending the elevator to the fifteenth floor. We snared the Studio Executive King and to my surprise, our room suite was huge! At 42 square meters, the suite had enough space to accommodate a king size bed, kitchenette, dining table and desk smartly configured to make the room feel not cramped.

The little one was already having so much fun releasing all his pent up energy climbing the television rack (gasp!), bouncing off the bed (as you do) and scavenging the kitchen cabinet for snacks (there was none).

I like that the kitchenette’s amenities are complete with crockery and cutlery together with a microwave and toaster, if you ever wanted to reheat that Nachos Rendang and Bulgogi Burger you ordered from room service. There was a surprise fruit platter in the fridge with the juiciest of watermelon slices even our kid, who is usually averse to fresh fruits, took a few bites at it!

Tea Watch: Lipton Tea was the in-room beverage instead of a local brand. Not impressed.

One of the great things about this suite is it comes with a balcony. Sure, it might seem trivial but I love to hang out by the balcony with the sliding door closed just to absorb the sound of the city at different times of the day like in the morning when denizens wake up to the clanging of endless construction to the blares and honks of the cars during evening rush hour.

Our room was facing Bukit Nanas and behind the towering condominiums and office blocks is KL Tower, the second most famous tower in KL. On the other side, we were feasted with a view of The Exchange 106, the new kid on the block at the TRX financial district. I have to applaud the designer of this room for having the foresight to install a small window right in front of our comfy bed for the window opens up directly to the tower.

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Everyone got dressed up and down we went to Hugo’s KL, Ramada Suites’ in-house restaurant and bar with a little bit of salsa (set your calendar, it’s on Friday nights!) in between.

Hugo’s KL has this Cuban vibe of rustic red and blue walls graced with portraits of Havana but their offerings are anything but. The kitchen has an international flair so we were served with a bit of everything – an Indian thali, a plate of noodles and a slab of salmon. Considering it was a cool and wet evening, the choices of heart-warming meals were spot on.

The Lamb Madras with rice was cooked perfectly, the meat tender and heat from curry was just nice. A scoop of cucumber raita and a crunch of papadom was enough to douse any flames. The Cantonese Crispy Noodles was a humongous plate of noodles, jumbo shrimps, poached egg and generous amounts of bok choy. The dish were devoid of any spices so I had to bring in the cavalry – chili padi in soy sauce – to perk up my tastebuds.

The Grilled Norwegian Salmon was seasoned well and glazed with a unique Honey Orange Terayaki Sauce. The fish was then put on top of a heap of guess what – more bok choy! After rightly finishing the entree trio, the server brought out desserts in the form of two cakes – Red Velvet and Chocolate Fudge. The former was okay (I am not a fan of Red Velvet) but the latter was decadently good, all three of us were fighting over it.

One of the unwritten rules of staycation is you end the day with food and start the next day with more food!

In the morning, Hugo’s KL is transformed into one long buffet line. The breakfast spread is not as lavish as other hotels in KL but it has everything we wanted. At one end you have the “lighties” of bread, croissant, cereal and yogurt while at the other is the “heavies” of baked beans and hash, nasi lemak, roti canai and congee. The egg station was expertly tended by a cook who knows how to make his eggs to order. Top everything with a cup of strong coffee and we are ready for our swim!

After the hearty breakfast, everyone made their way up to for a morning dip. The ninth floor is where all the action is: the main deck holds a few cabanas of which one is converted into the Yoyoy Kamphora Spa while the open airy space has tables and chairs for those wanting to have a snack as you can order food from Hugo’s KL. Other facilities on this floors includes a plush lounge to read or watch TV, a launderette and an open-glass gym overlooking the apartments and swimming pool.

The infinity pool stretches along the whole deck with a teeny tiny square pool for infants tucked at one corner. The little one and me chose to dive in the big boy’s pool and the chilly waters (it rained last night) did not deter us from having a splash. The pool was only 4 feet deep so we spent most of our time wading and enjoying looking at KL Tower peeking from above. We were rather early birds as there was no one around and things only started to get busy when we were left.

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What makes this Ramada Suites a great place for a family staycation or a launchpad for urban explorers?

The location is central – it is right behind Changkat and only a solid 5 minute walk to Bukit Bintang.

The suite is very spacious for kids to run (or jump) around and complete with all the amenities you want.

The food is tasty and reasonably priced – each of our dish at Hugo’s KL was in the RM20 – 40 price range.

The infinity pool and courtyard is a good place to unwind after a whole day out in the city.

So, if you are looking for an accommodation right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur that caters to all your needs without breaking the bank, have a go at Ramada Suites Kuala Lumpur City Centre!

Travel Tips:
– Entry to visitor parking requires Touch N Go. The card must be validated at the lobby before exiting.
– AirAsia travelers can collect their Big Points by directly booking through Ramada KLCC’s website here.
– Get a room with a view like us by requesting your suite at the very end of the corridor!

Ramada Suites by Wyndham Kuala Lumpur City Centre
No 1, Lorong Ceylon, Bukit Ceylon
50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Website: Ramada KLCC

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My utmost appreciation to Ms Jasmine and the Ramada Suites crew for arranging our stay and dinner. Special mention also goes to RaW of Ramble and Wander. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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