My friend and i, together with my elder sister, made an impromptu self-driving trip to the middle of Johor over the weekend and i really enjoyed it despite the sunny weather at Kluang!
I will need some time to work on the itinerary to be shared with the rest of you but in the meantime, let's start the ball rolling with my review on our one-night stay at Hotel Anika.
Given our age (two nearing 40 and one slightly above 40), convenience is key to our choice of accommodation and aside from being in the heart of the town, Hotel Anika is within walking distance to the famous Kluang Rail Coffee and just a few doors from the popular Star Restaurant!
The facade appeared to be from the 1980s or early 1990s but it didn't seem that old when i stepped into the spacious lobby with classy, marbled tiles.
Our assigned room was on level 10 and even though there were two lifts, their technology must have been stuck in the 80s / 90s; they were slow!
Something strange popped up right after we exited the lift on our floor; an iron and an ironing board that's permanently attached to the wall! Hm.... Guess i shouldn't be surprised to find a half naked man ironing his wrinkled shirt in the middle of the night.
Room 1008 - don't you just love the unique room label that's lit by LED lights that dispersed right at the bottom? Would be more cool if the light was that of a rainbow spectrum.
Welcome to our executive deluxe room that came with a king sized bed and commanded a space that's 40 square meters! We initially opted for a deluxe twin but since the sister was joining, my friend felt that it's more comfortable to secure a bigger room that cost only about S$10 more.
You know what? I love it when the flooring isn't carpeted; carpet tends to trap a lot of dust and dirt and might not be as clean as you thought they are. With parquet / vinyl flooring, it's easier to even pick up a strand of hair using our naked eyes!
Our room looked small from the pictures? Let me show you a panorama of the room; i should actively utilize this nifty function on my iPhone as it gives everyone a better perspective! Anyway, we requested for an extra bed (i think it's RM 50 more) as it might feel weird to have my sister on the same bed with my friend.
The pillar in the middle would have been an eyesore but the designer had cleverly placed the television there to divert our attention; am not complaining as the screen was physically nearer to me when i laid on the bed to the watch the movies.
Desk with bottles of complimentary water, an electric kettle and a bar fridge; latter of which was located in a normal location (versus the one i found in the wardrobe at Bangkok's FX Hotel Metrolink Makkasan).
Separate dressing table on the other end!
Wardrobe was next to the entrance and there was an iron and also a small ironing board! My guess is that the ones near the lift would likely be used by the housekeeping team. Nevertheless, it's weird to have them so openly displayed.
Clean toilet; a hand spray was provided as in the case for many hotels in Malaysia but after my virgin visit to Japan; having an electronic bidet is THE thing to have for any hotel.
Bathtub which was rather useless for me nowadays since i find soaking in it a blatant waste of time! In addition, i prefer to shower in a typical cubicle as it can be slippery to stand in a bathtub and shower.
Typical hotel toiletries; as i only brought along a bag for this trip, i made use of most of the items; like shower gel, shampoo and toothpaste!
Yes, the dryer was provided too.
Oh yes, the view from our hotel room! Devoid of any high rise building, there's nothing interesting about the scenery ahead of us. From this spot, however, you can spot the bus terminal on your right, the Plaza Kluang Parade mall (the one with Parkson department store) and the newest Kluang Mall behind it.
The other spot was better where you can take in the sights of Gunung Lambak, a small 510-meter mountain that's ranked #1 on TripAdvisor on things to do in Kluang!
This angle faced east which means i should have woken up earlier to catch the sunrise! Didn't materialize for sure as weekends are the best time for me to sleep in slightly longer.
I have come to the end of this post as the rate we paid via Agoda.com didn't include breakfast and Hotel Anika doesn't offer any facilities like gym or pool that would have interest me.
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Location
No. 1, 3 & 5, Jalan Dato Haji Rauf,
86000 Kluang, Johor, Malaysia
Map
As above.
Room Rates
I am still checking with my friend on the rate he paid for but in the meantime, you can refer to the walk-in rate that's published at the reception; as shown in the above photo.