Hotel Perdana

As I mentioned, the last time we stayed at Perdana Hotel in Kota Bharu was back in 2005. We had been back a few times, but the place was closed. We realised even during the last stay that the place was in a great news of a refurbishment. But being closed for at least 3 years was stretching it somewhat. And when it was finally reopened, I was expecting great things from it.

Let me give you the final line up front. "It was a decent hotel with potentials but being run by amateurs". That was that.

The main lobbyThe lobby from the first floor landingThe waiting area were segregated into alcovesThe good point was everything was new. The pool was new, the rooms still smelt freshly painted. Of was opened about a couple of months back. They built a new 11-story wing to compliment the old units. We stayed at this new building, dubbed the "Executive Wing". We spent the three nights at the Perdana Suite.

The room as very nice although it could do with more furniture. Internet was free and at good speed. They have a restaurant up the 11th floor which was yet to be opened. I reckoned that that would be the lounge.

I touched about the pool - which was nice - and the breakfast coffee house - which was a bit of a mixed bag. Food was a problem as the range on the room service was pretty limited and essentially a duplicate of the equally limited coffee house range.

Towards the roomClose-up of one of the alcovesThe main eateryAs an alternative you could have some drinks and snack by the main lounge. Or have some Chinese food as we did on the final night we were there at a restaurant called Jade. On all front, the menu lacked maturity, and judging from the fact that the hotel was closed for such a long time, they should've put more effort on their F&B side. Jade actually offered great food, but by Kelantan standard, they were both expensive and limited in term of range. And don't get me started with the inexperienced staffs .....

Once the place mature up, I could see great potential. They have to strengthen their bread and butter - F&B especially. It would be interesting to see how things develop in the coming years. I would definitely be returning there in the future just to see that.

More stories from the same trip here.

10 and a Half

It finally took us ten and a half hours to reach Gombak from Kota Bharu. And the main reasons were traffic lights at the towns along the way.

The worst one was when we were exiting Bentung. A six km tailback just to pass one stupid traffic light. And 5 minutes after that we were on the Karak Highway. What a waste of time!

Near Kuala Lipis. The traffic started to build up. This time it was due to a minor accident.Near TemerlohWe got onto the Karak Highway well after sundownTraffic on the highway was pretty light as we entered it just after 8 pm. Now at home, I just finished my drinks and dinner.

An overnight rest before settling some business tomorrow. Still on leave but some things at work needed sorting out .....

More stories from the trip here.

In Kuala Lipis

Reached Kuala Lipis and the traffic was still relentless. Only myself and the driver was up. Everybody else were asleep. Irfan was the first to go to sleep. He had been eating all the way since we stopped for KFC.

Not sure what was the stop for this time. The queue had been a couple of kilometers long. Off to the next book.

More entries here.

Arrived at Gua Musang

Just arrives at Gua Musang after almost 5 hours on the road. A couple of long queue for minor accidents and the sheer number of cars contributed to the extended travel time. Weather was nice all the way. The boys playing their games and watching TV, not really playing up.

So, we stopped at the rest area about 5 km out from the old town. Conveniently located on the left side of the road as we were driving in, meaning that we didn't have to cross the road to get to the parking.

A very clean and well organised area, with ample space for prayers and resting. Food was rather limited in the sense that it was all Malay cooking, but it did the trick. We stopped for Zohor, but had to stop again at the old town since Irfan insisted on KFC. No issues.

The tow centre, time for KFCSo, we were bracing ourselves for a few more hours on the road now. Hopefully it wasn't as testing as the last few hours.

Read more about the trip here.

Time to Leave

So, it was time to load up abd head back South to the fair city of KL. The boys were supposed to be back at school today. So, they would definitely be back to class tomorrow. I was still on leave until Friday. Wouldn't mind a day chilling out tomorrow. Maybe catch the movie.

Packing went smoothly, although we departed at 10, later than planned. All filled up courtesy of hotel buffet. The hotel appeared empty, so there were hardly any queue checking out.

All packed upTraffic heavy leaving KB

We might have a pit stop at Gua Musang again. Praying for a smooth journey home.

More thoughts on the trip here.