Hyatt Regency, Kuantan

Kuantan, east of Peninsula Malaysia. It is the capital of Pahang, the largest state in Peninsula Malaysia. Kuantan is known for its beach. I stayed here for two days in January 2007. The pictures on their website look so good you would want to stay there.

On arrival, I took the airport transfer to the hotel. I can't remember exactly how much (maybe about £7). The airport transfer was arranged by the hotel as it was requested by me. ...
...it would be safer to get a hotel private transfer. The airport is 15km away from town and the hotel is another 10 minutes away from town. It took me about 25 minutes to get to the hotel.

Upon arrival, I was quite impressed with the hotel. It looked so grand with so many staff welcoming you with the welcome drinks. Check-in was not too bad even though many air stewards and air stewardess were checking in at the same time. I forgot to ... more

Kuantan, east of Peninsula Malaysia. It is the capital of Pahang, the largest state in Peninsula Malaysia. Kuantan is known for its beach. I stayed here for two days in January 2007. The pictures on their website look so good you would want to stay there.

On arrival, I took the airport transfer to the hotel. I can't remember exactly how much (maybe about £7). The airport transfer was arranged by the hotel as it was requested by me. I arrived very late at night (2230pm) I thought maybe it would be safer to get a hotel private transfer. The airport is 15km away from town and the hotel is another 10 minutes away from town. It took me about 25 minutes to get to the hotel.

Upon arrival, I was quite impressed with the hotel. It looked so grand with so many staff welcoming you with the welcome drinks. Check-in was not too bad even though many air stewards and air stewardess were checking in at the same time. I forgot to mention that there are only 3 flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kuantan airport everyday. The last flight departs at 2150pm from Kuala Lumpur. The flight takes about 30-40 minutes. There is no international direct flight to this airport and also no direct flight from other Malaysia airports. You need to transit at Kuala Lumpur airport no matter where you fly from.

After check-in, I proceeded to hunt for my room. 'Hunt' because the rooms are arranged in such a strange manner. There are many different blocks and the first number of your room indicates the block. The second number indicates the floor level. The lobby is on the third floor.

Even though I booked a single room, I was given a room with twin beds. The setting was nice and comfortable. The shower was good and pressure was strong. However, there was no ventilation in the shower at all which made it a natural sauna for me. As soon as I finished showering, I could feel the heat again and myself sweating.

My room was RM 280 (approx. £40) including single breakfast. This room rate is for a non-sea view room. For a sea view room, you have to pay at least RM320 (approx. £50). Breakfast was served in Kampong Restaurant on the ground floor. As this is a beach resort, everywhere is open air unlike business hotels. There's no air-conditioner and you could feel the sea breeze every moment. Unfortunately in the morning when you have your breakfast, you would find insects accompanying you and this was not very pleasant for me. The food variety was great though.

In the afternoon, I went to the gym and had a look around. The steam bath and sauna are both in the gym and it is separate for males and females. Lockers are free and you are free to take as many towels as you need provided that you give your room details etc. When I went there at 4pm, there was no one in the gym and I had the steam bath to myself for a good 20 minutes.

The pool is in front of the gym.

The spa in this hotel is not a full spa yet. They only have 1-hour full body massage and the spa closes at 8pm. The massage is RM145 (approx. £20) and as I did not try, I couldn't comment on how good/bad it is.

The private beach is a must for hotel guests ! Good security from the hotel makes sure that only hotel guests can enjoy the beach. I sat at the Kampong restaurant for my afternoon tea and the sea breeze was just wonderful ! No insects and no unpleasant feelings compared to breakfast time.

As this hotel is quite far from town, you would require a taxi to visit the town. I did not bother going to town as it's quite relaxing to stay in the hotel all the time.

The negative side of this hotel is the slow service of the staff. I guess because it's a beach resort, the staff are also on holiday mood thus working pace is slow.

This hotel seems to be quite popular. It was fully booked the night I checked in. Reservations can be done through their website.  

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