Strategic city location
On a business trip to Johor Baru, Putri Zanina finds the Grand Paragon Hotel a convenient place to stay in the city centre
EXPECT clean, comfy beds, smart little bathrooms, city views, good eats and easy access in and around Johor Baru or simply JB. The Grand Paragon Hotel with nearly 360 rooms looms tall next to the Tebrau Highway, the main route that connects the city with Singapore in the south, as well as the North-South Expressway and Pasir Gudang Highway towards the north.
As I am on a business trip to JB, I find getting around the city is easy from the hotel. It saves time and I can get back to my room in a jiffy to rest. And then I can get out the door again and get in time for more appointments in the city.
With some leisure hours to spend, I walk to the nearby KSL Mall for a shopping spin but the almost back-to-back crowd in this hugely popular mall in JB has me quickly walking back to the hotel for a respite and a cool drink at its coffeehouse, the Para Para. F&B prices here are quite easy on the pocket. For instance, its widespread buffet lunch is RM65 nett.
With longer time to spend over dinner, the hotel’s Kishin-Tei Japanese restaurant makes a good choice. Its Tori Teriyaki Bento set costs me only RM23 nett and I get a sumptuous meal of chicken grilled with teriyaki sauce served with garlic fried rice, miso soup, fruit and iced lemon tea.
Opened nearly a decade ago, the hotel is still one of the leading hotels in JB, attracting mainly the working group and especially leisure travellers from Singapore.
The lobby area is busy most times with guests checking in and out, or milling about. And the coffeehouse is almost always with patrons, many in groups meeting over meals or coffee and snacks, which shows that the hotel is a popular meeting place, too.
Long-term guests prefer the Paragon Service Suites with one or three bedrooms, which also come with basic cooking facilities.
Another alternative are the one- and two-bedroom apartments, which are more suitable for families. The well-heeled guests can check into the hotel’s plush suites, including the Premier, Honeymoon, Presidential and Royal, with velvet armchairs, mirrored walls, designer lightings, Venetian-style sofas and private meeting rooms.
When the sun sinks a little in the evening, I have the pleasure to enjoy a drink by the infinity pool and take in the city sights till the sunlight fades away.