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Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur - Hotel & Spa Review

By Edward Moulton (exclusively for GingerAsia.com)

I recommend this hotel for:
Romantic getaways, weddings and honeymoons, culture-lovers, families, singles, city-lovers, tired business people; especially those wishing to stay in one of Asia’s finest hotels…

UPDATE:  MANDARIN GRILL AND MO BAR MAKE THEIR DEBUT AT MANDARIN ORIENTAL, KUALA LUMPUR

The exclusive and contemporary modern grill restaurant is presided over by Chef de Cuisine, Cedric Darthial, and aims to satisfy both local and international food connoisseurs with a range of classic dishes with a modern twist. The elegant interior complete with inbuilt fireplace and glass wine cellar, exudes comfort and style, while the menu includes dishes such as ‘Black Angus Steak Tartare’, ‘Foie Gras Au Torchon’, and ‘Whole Dover Sole Meuniere’ among others. The wine list carries an extensive selection of champagne and wines from both the old and new world.

“We are delighted to bring this new and exciting dining venue to Kuala Lumpur,” said Pierre Barthes, General Manager. “Mandarin Oriental is becoming increasingly renowned for its culinary expertise, and we look forward to introducing diners to Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur’s latest restaurant debut.”

Opening alongside the Mandarin Grill is MO Bar -- a perfect place for drinks at the end of a long working day. With a classic interior blending oak and dark wood, the cosy atmosphere is enhanced by the remarkable concave ceiling, which has been designed to improve the room’s acoustics.

Guests can relax and enjoy a range of innovative and delicious snacks served complimentary with all drinks. MO Bar also provides one of the best and largest selections of single malt whiskies in Kuala Lumpur, and is the ideal venue to enjoy good conversation and live music.

With a commitment to serve only the best, Mandarin Grill and MO Bar is set to take dining in the city to the next level.  For reservations please call +6(03) 2179 8960.

Gracious Hospitality…

The Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur is a remarkable hotel.  It is spacious, very well appointed, centrally located and above all refined.  It offers gracious living from a time gone by in a state-of-the-art package.  Few hotels can boast this combination of facilities, luxury and personal service – the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur definitely can!

Situated in the centre of the city of Kuala Lumpur, economic and cultural capital of Malaysia, the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur is part of a complex known as KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre) comprising residential, commercial, entertainment and leisure activities. 

The crown jewels in the complex are the Petronas Towers, once the world’s tallest buildings and still today the world’s tallest twin towers. 

The hotel is adjacent to the towers affording remarkable views from many rooms as well as linking directly to a large shopping centre, the main convention centre and the lush KLCC park.
The Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur was conceived as a luxury hotel with every facility and convenience for its guests – it has 643 rooms, 7 restaurants and bars, a superb spa and leisure complex, great business facilities and more…

What it also offers by dint of its superb location is a wealth of other facilities and activities right on its doorstep – world-class shopping, a huge convention centre, a concert hall, an aquarium, open parkland and, of course, the awe-inspiring Petronas Towers to admire and tour.

Stunning Accommodation for Every Budget…
Accommodation at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur comprises 643 rooms of which 41 are luxury suites and 51 are executive apartments.  Rooms range from the 40 sqm City View Rooms right up to the massive 335 sqm Presidential Suite.

There is something for every budget but what all the rooms have, regardless of size and price, is charm and elegance with every conceivable modern luxury.

Club Rooms on the higher floors from floor 24 upwards offer extra amenities and in keeping with the club concept, also have dedicated facilities such as the Club Lounge.  This is open all day and Club guests can take breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails here. 

Many hotels now have a Club Lounge but the sheer scale and quality of this one bowled me over.  The food was extraordinarily good and varied and the service second to none.  I highly recommend the Club packages…
All the rooms are very comfortable with wonderful mattresses, lovely toiletries, good soundproofing and easy, quick access from a bank of swift lifts. 

Often these small things are taken for granted but they can spoil an otherwise great stay if they are not right. I mention this because the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur really gets everything right down to the last detail.  The attention to detail is apparent at every turn as even the chambermaid staff seem to know the guests’ names on arrival.

One Of Asia’s Best Spas…
An experience at The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur was my main purpose for visiting as this is a Luxury Hotel and Spa review and I have to say, it was as close to perfection as everything else in this hotel.

On the same floor as the Mandarin Oriental Vitality Club, the hair and beauty salons and the pool, the Spa comprises 8 treatment rooms, the Heat and Water Oasis, further private consultation rooms and dedicated Spa Cuisine.  It is therefore more a Spa complex than a simple spa.
Treatments are comprehensive as you would expect offering massage in the styles of Malay, Swedish, Chinese and Thai, facial treatments, further beauty treatments and many signature treatments too varied and extensive for me to list. 

I strongly recommend a browse through their list here for further details.

Whatever you choose, the experience will, I am sure, be the same -  professional, warm, relaxing and invigorating in equal measures.  From the initial greeting, through consultation, use of the Heat and Water Oasis to treatment and then farewell, there is a sense of relaxation, care and style.

The Heat and Water Oasis…
I was recommended the Malay massage and I shall describe the experience for you here.  After arriving at The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, I was led for an initial consultation and a greeting of warm towel and herbal drink. 

I was then shown to the Heat and Water Oasis area to use before my treatment.
This is a spacious area combining clanging areas, showers, hot and cold pools with water jets as well as steam and sauna rooms. 

There are two segregated areas for male and female guests and so I assume the female area (I did not see) is even more luxurious than the male area, as is normally the case. 

Saying that, no detail was spared on the male side with all the little luxuries you could imagine as well as great scented steam and warm jet pools to relax in.

This is the perfect way to unwind before a massage treatment and when it was time for my massage I was called to one of the treatment rooms where I was allowed to choose my desired scent for the massage. I then enjoyed a professional and exquisite full body Malay massage which I highly recommend. 

After a goodbye chat, some further recommendations from the therapist and another herbal drink I returned to the Heat and Water Oasis.  One could easily spend the whole afternoon there…

The Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur has a superb range of restaurants and bars. 

Biba’s Café is an all-day hotel café featuring a gourmet coffee bar and buffet; Lai Po Heen is an elegant Cantonese Chinese restaurant created in the style of a turn-of-the-century Chinese trader’s house and specialising in seafood and dim sum delicacies.
Cascade Restaurant and Bar is alfresco poolside dining with a focus on healthy dining options; Wasabi Bistro is a modern take on Japanese fare with intricate sushi, sashimi and more in a modern bistro setting.

Lounge on the Park is a relaxed place for tea, snacks and cocktails with music overlooking the adjacent KLCC park…

Excellent as all the above are, for me the ‘signature’ food and drink experiences at the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur are the Pacifica restaurant and the Sultan Lounge.
 
Pacifica is a uniquely realised concept of fine dining with funky décor.  The spacious area is decorated with spheres and long hanging tassels to afford privacy to each table as the tassels can be draped around the guests to create a diaphanous screen. 

The food is nothing short of exceptional.  Originally conceived as a seafood restaurant, the latest award-winning chef has expanded the menu beyond just seafood and the results are extraordinary. 

I was served a series of beautifully created culinary delights and the service was impeccable also.

Sultan Lounge is a bar, lounge, and club equally cutting edge in design.  Created and designed by the same team responsible for the original Buddha Bar in Paris, Sultan, it is very, very trendy and chic. 

A large space with a long bar, it then offers booths and funky seats while the resident DJ mixes the sounds.  A great concept superbly realised.
Wide Variety of Leisure Activities…
The Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur has a wide range of activities for those looking for something else to occupy them.

You can shed some weight in the world-class Mandarin Oriental Vitality Club, which offers a large array of state-of-the-art equipment with close personal attention from the trained staff.

There is also a lovely outdoor infinity swimming pool with great views over the nearby park and towers and ample space to recline and laze.
A special feature of the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur is the proximity of so many other activities. 

There is shopping at the adjoining Suria shopping complex, which spans several floors and has hundreds of shops and dining outlets. 

Also adjoining is the Dewan Filharmonik concert hall offering world-class music from every era and the Aquaria KLCC, a large aquarium with a huge variety of fish and reptiles.  

Of course, the hotel and all the nearby attractions are set in a large open area set aside to parkland with gardens and fountains to also enjoy.

The City of Twin Towers and Much More…
The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Kuala Lumpur is situated in the middle of one of the most remarkable cities in the world. 

A melting pot of Malay, Indian and Chinese cultures, it offers a unique experience for the traveller.  Sightseeing is a real pleasure in this clean, hospitable and efficient city; shopping is world-class, great value and virtually limitless; dining is famed for its variety and fusion of cultures with so many places to try; and the entertainment seems to never stop as it goes on well into the early hours. 

Don’t forget to visit the original area of rainforest preserved in the centre of KL near the hotel!

Malaysia is increasingly a premier, if not the premier, destination in Asia for many and KL is a superb place to stay and a base to explore the rest of this wonderful country.  Managing a careful balance between tradition and new, it will surely captivate you as will the people with their warmth…   

In Summary…
This is first and foremost a hotel and spa review but of course I have reviewed all the hotel amenities and the surroundings to offer you a complete overview.

My conclusion is that the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur is a truly unique hotel – perhaps the best hotel I have ever experienced for getting everything right. 

It has a superb location in the centre of KL with views to die for, a perfect range of accommodation for every budget with every detail and amenity, an excellent spa complex, dining and drinking options that have to be experienced to be believed and above all a standard of service that is simply remarkable.
 
The General Manager, Mr. Pierre Barthes, commented to me, “Over the past 11 years we have worked tirelessly to position the property as Malaysia’s undisputed luxury hotel and for continuously delighting and satisfying our guests”. 

I would say he has done more than that - I rate the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur as one of the best hotels in the world, no question.  Imagine taking the elevator to your room to find even the chambermaids already know you by name! What more can I say…

Well, I will say that not only is the hotel wonderful, but so is the city of Kuala Lumpur.  Unlike so many other Asian cities, everything works; there is also an abundance of greenery, very friendly local people, great shopping, sightseeing and great nightlife.  I defy anyone to not enjoy a stay at this superb hotel and in this wonderful vibrant city…

This is part of my series, ‘The Ultimate Hotel Spa Guide’.  I am Edward Moulton and I write here exclusively for GingerAsia. 

I hope you enjoy this review and it allows you to make an informed decision before you book one of Asia’s superb hotels.  The series features the top spas and hotels across Asia and my views are impartial and honest. 

If you need to know anything more about the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur or any of the resorts I feature, contact me directly by clicking here. I look forward to hearing from you…

For further information on the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur or to book a stay at the hotel, click here to go directly to their website.  Be sure to mention GingerAsia! 

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