Revamped, Rejuvenated
Coddled in the fashionably remodelled The Ritz-carlton, Kuala Lumpur, butlers on hand, Grace Tay did not want to leave...
ebuting its swankier, ultra-chic self on March 31 after a year-long revamp, The Ritz-carlton, Kuala Lumpur in Jalan Imbi is an oasis of calm in the bustling Golden Triangle shopping and nightlife district. Perhaps I say this only because I was staying in a two-bedroom suite. My Maserati ride from the airport—yes, I did a triple take when I realised my hotel limo transfer wasn’t the usual Merc or BMW house car— had pulled up at the tower housing one- and two-bedroom suites, separate from the hotel rooms. I thus bypassed the busy main hotel lobby and was escorted straight to my apartment for in-room check ins by my butler Abigail, who offered to unpack my bags. My pad had an expansive living and dining room with a table that seats six, a study with a comfortable chaise for reading, and two en-suite bedrooms. The master bedroom, with a king-sized bed and chaise, had yet space enough for two to do yoga. I loved my marble bathroom and Asprey bath amenities. My suite was too beautiful and comfortable to leave much, and when I did, I didn’t want to stray much farther than to the spa or in search of food at the hotel’s restaurants. Had I been given to terrible sloth, a call to my butler would have brought up my pick of in-room dining fare from the restaurants, too. But the hotel’s dining options are plentiful, gorgeous and need to be experienced. Li Yen is famed for its beautiful and delectable modern Cantonese fare.