SUNDAY VIBES
and music makers.
Shares Chiam: “Johor Baru has an amazing music scene. There are so many talented buskers and music makers. But a lot of them don’t have the platform to perform. So we want to provide them with one.”
The hotel is looking to launch a programme where the musicians will be hosted just like a rock star for the duration of the weekend. “They can come here, rock out, get their 60 minute of fame, and we’ll arrange the meet and greet sessions for them and their fans. This is a project that we’ll be embarking on and the auditions will start soon,” adds Chiam, excitedly.
As the dinner table starts to heave with dishes prepared by the restaurant’s talented culinary team, Chiam excuses herself to allow me to savour the spread. I choose an interesting-looking burger to kick off my dinner, having recalled that the item is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes. Served in a home-made charcoal bun, the patty is beef and fittingly spicy, ala Mexican. The accompanying nachos and guacamole are wonderfully refreshing for a balmy night. GMT8 is a unique lounge featuring daily live music.
The hotel also has an all-day dining restaurant called Sessions on site. Spacious and contemporary, it serves a great buffet selection of both local and international spread. There’s also GMT+8, a lobby bar where you can sip on signature cocktails and mixes while enjoying some great music. Coffee lovers can make a beeline for Constant Grind, the hotel’s coffee bar, which unfortunately was closed during my visit. But it looks good nonetheless!
In no rush to leave my table, I take long, languid sips of my refreshing mocktail while enjoying the darkening panorama ahead of me. In the distance is a view of Riverside, the heart of Desaru Coast, a 23-acre (93,077 sq m) waterfront landscaped retail and lifestyle village, which I remember Chiam telling me will, when fully completed, offer exciting retail outlets, restaurants, cafes and entertainment.
The blanket of silence, coupled with the occasional splashing sound from the pool, where there are still some energetic souls doing their strokes, is calming. Settling back into my seat, I make a mental note to explore more of the hotel tomorrow.
But then... a sudden burst of music, raucous and rocking, is heard coming from behind the walls. The lobby space, to be more precise. A live band! “Oh well, this is Hard Rock after all,” I tell myself, before making the decision to leave the comfort of my perch to check out what all the “noise” is about! Time to rock it!
can be obtained easily at the hotel.
Set against a backdrop of a Malaysian fishing village, here’s where you’ll find the one of the largest wave pools in the world with some of the world’s biggest manmade waves. Although I’m not a big fan of waterparks in general, it’d be a shame to miss out on this one. “Don’t leave without trying out the Kraken, the first water coaster in the region,” exclaims a hotel staff as I make my way to a private entrance into the Waterpark from the hotel.
The sun is already high up in the sky by the time I find myself looking on in awe at the gigantic ride in front of me. While my head throbs from the searing heat, my tummy is doing its usual watery wobble. I summon every ounce of “bravery” that I possess to make my unsteady walk to the grinning young man manning the entrance to Kraken’s Revenge — a combination of roller coaster and splashing flume ride that takes thrill seekers up 30 metres above the ground in rolling “boats” before swooping and spinning through a full 360-degree horizontal loop.
“The speed can reach up to 70km/h when you plummet down for the finish,” I overheard him share with other enthusiastic riders as they belt themselves up in their respective boats. Great. Making myself comfortable, I muse aloud that I hope I’d make it out intact as I’ve yet to explore the rest of the hotel.
Certainly, the rock star memorabilia tour isn’t to be missed and a visit to the Rock Spa, a full service spa that puts a musical twist with Hard Rock’s signature Rhythm & Motion treatment menu, sounds just like something the doctor might order!
Oh and my room! That funky white electric Fender, which reminds me of my own Fender back in the days when I had the hugest crush on Canadian rocker, Bryan Adams, is waiting to be picked! So much to do and so little time! Okay, bring on the Kraken!
intanm@nst.com.my