Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Johor Bahru

Last weekend, we had an awesome staycation at the new Doubletree by Hilton Hotel at Jalan Ngee Heng, Johor Bahru. The hotel building was previously Landmark if you are familiar. We were one of the folks who were invited to stay there for 2 nights, for their 'test run'. Could this be the best hotel in Johor Bahru?

YES! 

Here's why:

The Service:
It is impeccable. The staff is attentive, friendly, polite, helpful and efficient. I must say they are very well-trained for the hotel and tourism industry. We need more people like them!

The Reception. I love the flock of birds wall art.

The Design:
Oh where do I even start!! I LOVE EVERYTHING IN THAT HOTEL! It's modern yet organic. I would love to meet the designer and the one who sourced for the cool awesome stuff in it, seriously. To give you a bit of the style, if you love MUJI, you'll love staying here. And I noticed the unique lamps and light fixtures.

Wooden block chandelier...

 ...above this dining table at Makan Kitchen.

The Lobby:

Love this long big table. Other hotels may not have the luxury of space for this but they don't know how useful it is! And for me, I am so tempted to cut fabric on it!

The Room:

The corridor leading to our room.

Bathrobes and extra pillow. 

What I love about this door is that the bottom is lined with squeegee, so it sweeps away any excess water on the floor outside the shower cubicle. 

Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries.

Enlarge mirror. And see that 'up down' switches?

 They are for opening and closing this shade. Some people just want to watch TV when they shower huh...tsk tsk tsk.

The phone.

The other stuff worth mentioning is that all the switches are labelled so you don't have a hard time finding which switches are for which lights. This is one of the little things that make a hotel room rock.

The Makan Kitchen:
Serves local cuisine buffet.

 Keropok station

My favourite station. Ulam, cucumber, local salad, and the belacan dips!

Indian Cuisine.

Rojak.

Satay.

The noodle station.

There are local kuehs too on the other side.

 LOVE the chairs.

The jacuzzi and steam room:

The ladies changing room.

The jacuzzi, overlooking JB townscape.

Steam room.

And *DRUMROLL*... THE POOL!
I'm not boasting or anything (OH YES I AM!) but I think it is the most awesome pool I have seen and swam in. Because it is built by the husband! I have to tell you though, this area is very breezy, and is shaded from 3 pm onwards, so the water is quite cold! If you want the sun, go before 3pm.

Panoramic view.

Shower area.

Kids just love to walk along this shallow path.

Poolside chillax area. This place comes alive at night! It is a very cool place to hang out for drinks after dinner.

The gym: You get the perfect poolview when you're running on the treadmill.

The signature cookie:

How cute is that a hotel has a signature cookie. It is not too sweet, has lots of chocolate chips and nuts in it. Just awesome.

It was such an honour to be one of the very first guest to experience Doubletree's immaculate standard.

The location: Jalan Ngee Heng

I would like to add that this hotel is located very near to my favourite area in Johor Bahru, the old JB town! If you come out of the hotel lobby and turn right, you will see this:

 Walk straight and you'll reach (in sequence): The old bus and taxi terminal, Pan Pacific Hotel (and the Persada Convention), the famous Jalan Trus old temple and Kotaraya Galleria. After Kotaraya, the area is filled with old coffeshops (Hwa Mui and Kin Hwa), Hiap Joo Bakery (the famous bakery using the 100 year old oven that looks like a kiln!). At night this area becomes festive with the JB Bazaar. This place is a gem!

Update May 2015 : Plenty of hipster shops and cafes now! Do check them out here.