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| Facade of Hotel Sentral JB |
I remember this
hotel because the last time I was here, my old car refused to start just as I
was about to leave. Instead of trying to
tinker around with the engine, I called my trusted mechanic over to sort the
problem out. Now I’m back again, driving
my new car and am delighted to see that the hotel is rebranded and refurbished,
geared up to give guests a better stay experience.
Soon I learn
that staying with Hotel Sentral Johor Baru presents guests with the best of
both worlds – the old and the new.
Its
location at Tanjung Puteri, a place of historical significance, is close to the
city’s places of interest and heritage attractions. And as an official hotel partner of Legoland
Malaysia, guests have an early entry advantage for more time to enjoy the park
attractions!
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| Legoland Malaysia Execlusive for Hotel Sentral guests! |
General Manager,
George Lee, who also looks after the group’s hotel in Malacca, tells me that
the Hotel Sentral JB is a popular choice with guests from the Asean region who book
their reservations with the Legoland themepark package. “You only need to book 7 days in advance for
the themepark package,” said Lee who also confirmed that the package is valid
for 3 months, “which is good news for guests who have to cancel their stay for some
unavoidable reason,” he added.
Themepark
Advantage
I don’t like
waiting in queues and can understand the advantage of entering the themepark
half an hour before the 10am opening because it means there will be no crowd
and no queues. And as daily entries are limited
into the Legoland Water Park, official hotel partner guests are assured of
priority entry. I have this distinct
advantage in mind as I request for an early wake-up call from the night
receptionist because next morning, I will be having my own early entry
experience at Legoland Malaysia.
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| A double bed in one bedroom of the 2-bedroom Executive suite |
The wake-up call
gets me up to answer the phone but as I roll back under the covers in my
comfortable bed, I’m tempted to snuggle down for a few more minutes. I know it’s a bad idea because I may just
doze off again so I’m up quickly to dress for breakfast at Terrace View, the
ground floor café. The hotel van, to
ferry guests out to Legoland themepark, will leave by 9am and a quick check on
the time tells me I have enough time to enjoy my breakfast buffet with an order
for freshly-made eggs.
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| Twin super-single beds in the other bedroom of the 2-bedroom Executive suite |
Wearing layers
of sun-block lotion and armed with my hat, I join other guests in the lobby
before boarding the hotel van for a smooth drive to the themepark. When the driver drops us off at the porch of
the Mall of Medini, we agree with him for the return pick-up time from the same
spot and we walk through the mall to the park entrance. We remind each other to produce our room key
card for the park entry and within moments we are in the park, with almost all
the attractions and rides to ourselves because we are the early birds who can
explore and enjoy more before the crowd arrives!
City Walkabout
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| Super-single bed and a double-bed in the 1-bedroom suite |
Besides fun in
the themepark, hotel guests are also encouraged to have a glimpse of Johor
Baru’s heritage sites and city attractions with a walking tour.
Upon request, reception staff will refer
guests to the required tour services or guests can just pick up a walking map
and follow the routes to visit nearby places of interest. I sense that Lee, who is familiar with walking
tours in Malacca, is keen for guests to see a bit of old JB and have a more
worthwhile stay here.
He did not
hesitate to join us, so our city walkabout that afternoon started at Tan Hiok
Nee Heritage Walk with a visit to the Johor Baru Chinese Heritage Museum to
learn more about Johor’s early development and the city’s former name, Tanjung
Puteri. A walk down the street takes us
to Hua Joo, a traditional charcoal oven bakery where third generation Lim
family members continue with the business. Like most visitors, Lee cannot resist buying
some freshly baked banana cake so we stop at a nearby coffeeshop for a drink
and a taste of the delicious cake.
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| The children's pool is next to the swimming pool |
From the
coffeeshop we walk up Jalan Trus, pass the Arulmigu Rajamariamman Devasthanam
Hindu Temple and Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple, to the Gu Miao or Chinese Ancient Temple.
Then we cross Jalan Wong Ah Fook to the section of JB formerly known as
Kampung Wong Ah Fook, to visit the Kwong Siew Heritage Gallery, housed in the
former Cantonese clan house, donated by none other than Wong Ah Fook himself.
After the walking tour, we head back for a
cool dip in the hotel pool and later that evening, we find our way to Jalan
Segget and Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk to browse around in the night market or
JB Bazaar and fill our bags with souvenirs and other knick-knacks.
Hotel
Hotel Sentral
Johor Baru
No. 17 Jalan
Tenteram, Tanjung Puteri
80000 Johor
Baru, Johor
Tel: 607 – 222
7788
Fax: 607 – 223
7788
Email: cres@hotelsentral.com.my
Website: www.hotelsentraljb.com.my
Getting There
Walking distance
from JB Sentral, the train and bus terminal from Singapore and the Northern
States and accessible by a public taxi transport facilities in the city
Rooms
A total of 138
well appointed rooms and suites
Main Attraction
It’s location at
Tanjung Puteri, a place of historical significance, and close to the city’s
heritage sites
First Impression
Cosy and
convenient
Overall Service
Friendly and
attentive
F&B Outlets
All-day dining
at Terrace View cafe and in-room dining
Facilities
Swimming pools,
function rooms, business centre, tour desk services, laundry and dry-cleaning, in-room
safe, convenience store, no-smoking floors and high-speed wireless internet
connection
Places Within Walking
Distance
JB Sentral, JB Bazaar,
Tan Hiok Nee Heritage Walk, Johor Baru Chinese Heritage Museum, Kwong Siew
Heritage Gallery, Gu Miao or Chinese
Ancient Temple, Gurdwara Sahib Sikh
Temple, Arulmigu Rajamariamman Devasthanam Hindu Temple, Masjid India, Johor
Baru City Square and Komtar Johor Baru City Centre
A version of this was published in The New Straits Times, Life & Times on 18 December 2014
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