I saw it as one of the highlights of the trip and was looking forward to it. This time round, I didn't forget to take photos, and there were plenty.
Almost hedonistic
Stepping inside the hotel, we were immediately greeted by mammoth flower arrangements and huge marble columns, complete with water features and grand staircases flanking two sides of the spacious lobby, which all hinted at the kind of luxurious experience that was to come.
After checking in, a guest relations officer took us to our room, which they had upgraded to the Grand Harbour King room.
The room, which appeared almost twice the size of the one we stayed in at Metropark Hotel, was fitted with full length windows to maximise the spectacular view of the Victoria Harbour. Even our little boy was mesmerised.
Decor wise, the room oozes elegance with its wooden furnishing in soft, natural tones, but step into the roomy bathroom and it screamed opulence with its marble walls and flooring and gold-plated fixtures.
I'll let the pictures do the talking:
The busy harbour
The room offers a close up view of the densely packed commercial buildings and iconic skyscrapers
The little boy was excited upon discovering the view - he kept pointing out to the "boats" and "buses" and beamed his bright smiles at us as he spotted one 'interesting' thing after another
The wardrobe faces the door, with the dressing table right next to it. A hair dryer is kept in the open drawer below and tissue in wooden box sits comfortably at one corner of the table. If I don't remember wrongly, this is the first hotel I stayed in with a dressing table as such.
Pics 1 & 2: The room with the down duvets and Egyptian cotton bedlinen; Pic 3: The minibar, hot water flask, cutlery etc. are on the left side; Pic 4: Work station with wired or wireless broadband, cordless desk phone and even an adapter - thoughtful details for the business travellers; Pic 5: telephones made available on both sides of the bed.
The spacious bathroom: black marble walls and gold fixtures dazzle under the lights screams opulence and lavishness. Our boy had a great time splashing around in the bathtub and us, of course we couldn't do without a good soak to ease away the muscle aches after a full day of walking!
Needless to say, the service was impeccable. The baby cot was already in the room when we arrived - there's no need for reminders. There were complimentary bottled water and they also delivered a bowl of fresh fruits upon our arrival.
The next morning day, we rang the concierge for some shopping information. They said they would get back to us, which they did quite promptly and also told us to pick up some information from the concierge on the way out. We were pleasantly surprised to be handed with a stack of 'notes', some of which were obviously freshly printed from the internet - we were impressed.
It was great stay. Too bad we didn't have time to try out the well-known restaurants found in the hotel or to check out some of their facilities - our trip was just a bit too short. Well, I do hope to return again in future!
