Saturday, September 05, 2009

Novotel Kota Kinabalu 1Borneo - Tried & tested

For travellers who like comfort at an affordable price, Novotel Kota Kinabalu 1Borneo more than delivers.

Some of us aren’t fans of hotel chains, especially when we’re kicking back during vacations. But when I need to get holed up in a hotel to get some work done or when I’m on business travels, I’m all for a reliable hotel.

My four musts for a decent pad: comfortable but not stuffy; functional with no frills; tasteful (yes, nothing’s worse than gaudy, cluttered spaces) but not lavish; and lastly, high-speed Internet access (all the better if it’s free).

On a business meeting in Kota Kinabalu recently, we checked into the Novotel Kota Kinabalu 1Borneo. Part of the Accor Group, Novotel KK threw its doors open last October and has since become popular among tourists flying into Kota Kinabalu (KK), the gateway to Sabah’s holiday destinations.

A mere 20-minute drive from the airport, the hotel sits next to the sprawling 1Borneo Hyper Mall with its mind-boggling 300 shopping, dining and entertainment picks. A retail therapy utopia.

The 263-room hotel has three F&B outlets. Bonjour Café, at the lobby, serves non-alcoholic beverages and light snacks, while the Le Millesime Lounge Bar on the first floor is great for intimate chats over cocktails and snacks. The Square Restaurant on the fifth floor whips up continental and Asian cuisines all day.

The three meeting rooms and one boardroom, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, can fill up to 240 workshop/conference participants. Guests also have free use of the two Mac computers in the lobby.

To my delight, our 59sq m executive suite was more spacious than my studio apartment. It came with standard amenities like a flat panel television with cable channels and a DVD player, tea- and coffee-making facilities, a complimentary fruit basket and a mini-bar stocked with snacks, soft drinks and free mineral water. An arrangement of fresh flowers cosied up the room.

Continue reading (incl. pics) at: Novotel Kota Kinabalu 1Borneo - Tried & tested

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