I love
sunrise. The breaking of dawn is a surreal moment and a dramatic cloud-wreathed
one when viewed from the balcony of our room at Gloria Residences, in the cool climes of Genting
Highlands surely ranks as one of life’s best experiences.
Our
recent staycation at Gloria Residences Ion Delemen Genting Highlands was an
eye-opening albeit enjoyable experience. Managed by Gloria Hotels & Resorts
from China, the two blocks of premium serviced apartments were only opened last
December.
Personally,
I rather like its location — just 9 minutes' drive away from the frenetic hustle-bustle
of First World Plaza and the hoopla surrounding it. Being
away from the madding crowd, the 332-unit Gloria Residences together with its nearby sister
hotels are more tranquil, nestled among green hills some 6,000 feet above sea
level.
The check-in process
was smooth and efficiently handled by the team on duty. Beside the reception
counter is Hot Spot, a convenient coffee bar cum snack counter to cater to
guests who want to grab a drink and food to go.
Our
weekend accommodation was in the 2-bedroom Family Suite. The furnishing is simple, practical, sleek and
linear: shiny tiled floors complemented by blond wood and white trimmed furnishing make the apartment spacious and
bright. The master bedroom has a King bed and en-suite
toilet/shower, whilst the second room is set with a Queen bed and an upper bunk bed. We slept
like logs thanks to the comfy, cushy beds and fluffy duvet. The in-room Wifi speed proved easily accessible once we logged in.
A secondary toilet/shower room is by the entrance door. In addition, there's a kitchenette and
countertop adjoining a living area with sofa seating and a balcony complete the
unit. We adore the little welcome touches like the artistically folded towels and complimentary Asian drinks, bottled water as well as coffee/tea making facilities in the suite.
From the
balcony, the scenic view is breathtaking – ours accorded glimpses of the green
mountainside and some parts of First World Genting. Constantly changing banks
of clouds, the intermittent sun and rising mist add a surreal feel albeit
refreshing cool climate to the dramatic landscape.
Category
of rooms available at Gloria Residences include Deluxe, 1-bedroom Suite, 2-bedroom Suite/Executive Suite with
kitchenette, and 3-bedroom Executive Suite in addition to our 2-bedroom Family
Suite.
EAT AT HOME
Meals are
served at Home Restaurant on Level 1, Tower Jade. The weekend buffet breakfast (7am-11am) offers
a decent selection of local and Asian fare. Nasi lemak, scrambled and fried eggs,
noodles, congee, cereals, bread, fruits, French toast, pan-fried dumplings,
chilled juices and hot beverages are some of the regular items served. On weekdays, guests will partake a semi-buffet with a choice of main for brekkie.
On
Friday
& Saturday evenings, the Hotpot Porridge Buffet (RM28 nett per
adult, RM20 nett per
child) left us replete. You can select your choice of fish balls,
veggies, beancurd and complementing ingredients from the spread laid
out. Supplementary servings of shellfish and sliced meat (RM9/portion)
are also available. The plain rice porridge base easily absorbed all the
appetising flavours from whatever ingredients added to it.
The
chef on duty will cook pot stickers, radish cake and spring onion pancakes
(jian bing) on request. Also on the menu are fried rice, omelette and salted vegetables to accompany the porridge hotpot.
You can also ask for satay and grilled chicken wings
for additional substance. Assorted pickles, fresh fruits and tong sui complete
the selection.
Lunch
(11am-3pm) is a la carte with a compact menu of main meals (think fried rice with vegetable curry & fried chicken and other one-dish fare). Also try the assortment of dim sum made
by a Guangzhou chef such as steamed prawn dumplings, and pan-fried buns with
minced chicken. All
passed the taste test.
Not to
worry, other dining options are available nearby. Connected through the Sky
Garden walkway, you’d find Kembali Kitchen, Tavern in the Sky and Hugo’s among others to tease your tastebuds.
Rest and
recreation activities include a fitness centre and a heated indoor swimming
pool. The children’s pool even has an overhead water feature. A
children’s playground, an enclosed ball pit and arcade games should keep the
young ones occupied.
More
distractions up at First World Plaza are accessible via the property’s shuttle
service scheduled on an hourly basis. Transfers to various points up at Genting
Highlands and nearby areas can also be arranged on request.
For corporate and special events, the spacious Ballroom over at Grand Ion
Delemen Hotel is ample for banquet of 35 tables with a huge screen.
For
reservations, please call Gloria Residences Ion Delemen, tel: +6 03-64333 888
(24 hours) or KL +6 03- 8064 3390 (8.30am-6pm). Address: Jalan Ion Delemen 1, Ion Park, Genting Highlands, Pahang. Official website: https://www.gloriahotels.com/hotel.do?id=104&lg=1
