I was in Kuala Lumpur with my partner for a short weekend vacation. Even though the flight to Kuala Lumpur takes about 45 minutes, KL was never considered as a holiday destination for me until recently. As I needed to accumulate more SPG nights to keep my Gold status, we decided why not head up north and stay at the St Regis Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

From Kuala Lumpur International Airport to the St Regis Kuala Lumpur

It was very easy to get to the St Regis from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The KLIA Ekspres is a non-stop 28-minute airport transfer that brings you from the airport to the KL Sentral, the transportation hub in the Malaysia’s capital. Once you arrived at the KL Sentral, St Regis Kuala Lumpur provides a shuttle service that brings you from KL Sentral right to its doorsteps. There is a shuttle service every 30 minutes and frankly, the hotel is so near that you can even walk there if you don’t have much luggage. What I like about its location is that the hotel is connected to the subway (not sure why the gate connecting the hotel and station was closed when I was there) and it takes you less than 20 minutes to reach the city center via the MRT.

High ceilings greet you when you arrive at the St Regis hotel lobby. The interior design at the St Regis Kuala Lumpur is inspired by the Astor family’s love for the Polo. No expenses were spared to make this hotel a place for the discerning travellers and guests. There are two huge polo paintings at the check-in desks and a horse sculpture by the illustrious Colombian artist, Fernando Botero, in the Drawing Room. The feel of this St Regis reminded me of its sister hotel, the St Regis Singapore. Both are equally opulent but stop short of being ostentatious.

I booked the room through the hotel website. Due to an error in the hotel reservation, the duty manager was kind enough to upgrade my partner and I to the next category of room, which is the Caroline Astor Suite. When the butler brought us to the suite, we were overwhelmed by its elegance but more importantly, the size of this gorgeous suite. And in Carrie Bradshaw’s words, “I’m in real estate heaven.”

Caroline Astor Suite

Good times never seemed so good when you’re checked into the luxurious Caroline Astor Suite at the St Regis Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At 138m², this suite is so spacious that it’s probably too much of an indulgence for just two persons. We were greeted by an amazing view of the Kuala Lumpur skyline when we entered the suite. The posh living and dining room is decorated with plush furniture and comes furnished with a well stocked signature St Regis Mini Bar Trunk. The powder room is just besides the main door and there is a writing desk at the corner of the living room.

But there were more. Once we entered the sensuous bedroom, there is this huge walk-in wardrobe for which most fashionistas would die for. Seriously, I would have displayed all my clothing and used up whatever hangers there were if not because we packed light for this trip. Well, it was only for two nights.

There was another surprise that awaits us as we walked further into the suite. A massage room in the suite! Who needs a massage room in the suite?  Okay, maybe for the discrete celebrity but not for me. Anyway, the only other time which I had a massage room in my suite when i was staying at the Uma COMO in Paro Bhutan. You knew you were in the next lap of luxury when your suite is beautifully decked out.

However, my favourite part of the suite has to be the generously sized and stunning bathroom. I fell in love with it immediately as the bathtub has this floor-to-ceiling-glass-window view that overlooks the lushous Lake Gardens. I could have stayed in the suite for the entire trip if not because of my shopping and gastronomical urges.

Iridium Spa in St. Regis Kuala Lumpur

I didn’t go for any spa treatment this time but I was given a tour of St. Regis Kuala Lumpur’s Iridium Spa by the spa receptionist. My first impression is that the treatment rooms and corridor are huge! I’ve never seen so much space was allocated for the corridor. The width is probably about 3 metres. The treatment rooms are just huge beyond words. And this makes me wonder why didn’t the designer thought of adding some common facilities such as a wet lounge (steam room, sauna and jacuzzis) in the spa? There are so much dead space which I thought could be better utilised to enhance the experience for hotel guests.

Pool

The pool was kind of a letdown especially after I had seen how luxurious the other common facilities are. To be fair, the pool is decently sized and although it’s not ideal for laps, it’s not one of those weirdly shaped pools.  Maybe because I went to the pool on a cloudy evening, the pool didn’t attract me much. Yes, it has a great view of the Lake Gardens but it just isn’t that impressive. Having said that, they serve really good satays and cocktails at the pool.

Astor Bar & Decanter Lounge

I’m aware that that The Drawing Room is known for its lavish afternoon tea. But as I had a different dining agenda, I didn’t have any meals at the St Regis Kuala Lumpur except for two drinks at the Astor Bar & Decanter Lounge. The Astor Bar & Decanter Lounge eudes an old-world charm with its lavish leather seatings and refined furniture. I had one of the most breathtaking cocktails at the Astor Bar & Decanter Lounge. The Rat Pack Rusty Nail is served in a glass container filled with hickory wood smoke. It intrigues nearly all your five senses as one enjoys this exquisite cocktail.

My experience at the St Regis Kuala Lumpur has been memorable and I would definitely return despite the strong urges to try the new W Kuala Lumpur which will be opening soon. And one thing for sure, I’m hoping that by my next visit, they would have a wet lounge in the spa for me to relax after a day of shopping in the city.

The St Regis Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
No 6 Jalan Stesen Sentral 2, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, Kuala Lumpur, 50470, Malaysia
Tel: +603.2727.1111
http://www.stregiskualalumpur.com