Monday, December 17, 2018

CITY DISCOVERY WITH COSMO HOTEL KUALA LUMPUR


As a born and bred KLite, I discovered there’s a lot I don’t know about my birth city. Thanks to an invitation to participate in Cosmo Hotel Kuala Lumpur’s City Discovery programme, I had an enriching and educational experience whilst getting re-acquianted with Kuala Lumpur.

Priced at RM288 nett per person per night, The City Discovery Package includes:
§  A night’s stay in a Deluxe room at Cosmo Hotel KL

§  breakfast for two persons at Café Mint

§  one 2-course lunch for two persons at Café Mint

§  one set dinner for two persons at Café Mint

§  access to the Hotel’s new gymnasium and in-room WiFi for endless streaming and seamless connectivity
 Cosmo Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Located steps away from the Masjid Jamek LRT Interchange Station, Cosmo Hotel Kuala Lumpur boasts 347 spaciously designed and furnished guestrooms and suites. Ideal for business and leisure travellers, the Hotel is also within walking distance to some major banking institutions and popular tourist attractions such as the historical Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Merdeka Square, Chinatown and Central Market among others.
The hotel's modern interior is sleek and rather stylish, befitting a boutique hotel of its stature. For drinks and refreshments in comfort and privacy, the club-like Cosmo Lounge furnished with plush armchairs and settees in various cosy nooks and corners is a serene haven to revel in.
Breakfast is a boisterous affair at the spacious Café Mint. Sparkly twine-ball pendant lights at the buffet island counters add a touch of elegance, in sync with the overall contemporary decor scheme. Bright swathes of colour pop up strategically throughout the main dining area, imbuing cheerful vibes to the predominantly neutral palette space.

Comfort food is order of the day here. During our staycation, the set lunch and dinner proffered palate-pleasing options such as chicken chop, fish & chips and steak among others. Portions are hearty whilst dessert consists of freshly cut fruits or jellies. The welcoming, laidback ambience puts guests at ease effortlessly.


Our accommodation is on-point too. From the mood lighting to the in-room safe, all the necessary mod-cons business and leisure travellers ever need are firmly in place. Another plus point is the super-comfy bed that ensured our blissful forty winks.


  City Discovery Highlights

Hankering for lush greenery and natural surroundings? Just a short walk away from Cosmo Hotel KL is the KL Eco Forest or Taman Eko Rimba KL — a refuge brimming with towering trees, canopy walks, chirping birds and mysterious calls of the forest right in the heart of our city’s sprawling concrete jungle.
 
The trek to the canopy walk is doable enough for ordinary folks who hardly exercise. You’d be amazed how peaceful it is to saunter amidst lush foliage and shrubbery along the trek. Aside from beautiful glimpses of the Kuala Lumpur Tower and the tops of some skyscrapers, there is an enclosure where unexpected sighting of raccoons is possible.
 
Besides the wealth of interesting facts about the KL Eco Forest, the ranger who accompanied our group pointed out various tree, herb and botanical species to us. We also came across many unusual roots, vines and insects on our trek.


For now, there’s no entry fees to the green lung. If you like to engage a personal guide, this can be arranged for a nominal fee. Just check with the hotel’s concierge for further information and arrangements. 
The walk to and from the Hotel is equally fascinating as the route covers Lebuh Ampang, a busy bus stop and Little India enclave. Here, mom-and-pop stores selling prayer paraphernalia and sundry goods, moneylenders, Indian textiles and saree merchants, and bustling eateries stand cheek by jowl.

For an optional RM250 nett per person, you can go for a personal 3-hour guided Cultural Walking Tour.
Our knowledgeable guide Jane Rai, took us to the landing site of tin miners and traders located directly opposite of the Hotel, right on the river bank near Masjid Jamek. She related how early pioneers played significant roles in establishing Kuala Lumpur. The city's name is derived from this muddy river estuary — the convergence point of the Klang and Gombak rivers.  
This significant site is directly opposite Cosmo Hotel Kuala Lumpur, behind the HSBC building. Cosmo Hotel Kuala Lumpur actually sits at the old market square; formerly a main trading area in the city. Jane also explained about the numerous trade and development activities that took place between the 1800s to the mid-1900s. 
Now, the entire area was beautified under the government’s River of Life project, a visual transformation of the rivers into a stunning sensory experience complete with a Blue Pool, a Dancing Symphony Fountain, mist (thanks to approximately 1,551 nozzles fitted to create the atmospheric/aesthetic misty effects) and lighting effects. It’s incredibly picturesque here; a haven for selfie and wefie lovers!
 
The leisurely walk wound through streets and lanes where century-old colonial buildings, places of worships, and rows of pre-war shop-houses are sited. A cornucopia of Insta-worthy montage emerges along the very paths we strolled: from food stalls hawking traditional snacks and meals, and old-school tailors and barbers plying their trade to endless rows of shops occupied by Indian-Muslim textile and carpet traders, Indian jewellers, and Punjabi sweetmeat makers. 
An old cinema stands resolutely against the tide of rapid development, in alliance with the Coliseum Café, a retro colonial bar and restaurant popular among British planters. Join the tour on a good, balmy Saturday night and you'd be assailed by the wonderful sights, sounds and smells of KL’s pasar malam or night markets.
 
Stroll around and browse through countless stalls selling everything under the sun, from kitschy T-shirts to local street food. Top draws include a 12 year-old cook deftly dishing up char kway teow (stir-fried flat rice noodles with chilli and cockles), a makcik touting her packets of piping hot Nasi Lemak for merely RM1.50 each!
Typically in Malaysia, no tour is complete without food. As a reward for you expending energy walking around the different routes, three brief refreshment stops are included for visitors to enjoy a break and catch their breath.
We stopped to sample South Indian snacks followed by some Punjabi Northern Indian food. The nostalgic walk down memory lane also saw us soaking in the retro atmosphere of Coliseum Cafe whilst sipping on a Gunner — a refreshing tipple of ginger beer and ginger ale before we headed back to the Cosmo Hotel KL.


 
To find out more about the City Staycation Package at Cosmo Hotel Kuala Lumpur or for room reservations, please call tel: 03-2030 1888 or you can also email:  info@cosmohotelkl.com or reservation@cosmohotelkl.com


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