One two three…

First, there was this one…

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…with the very nice and pleasant Madam Toh at the helm, one of the oldest hotels in town. They have refurbished the place and everything is good and new now. The last time I dropped by, I noticed that they even had new lifts to replace the old ones. I love having buffet parties there as they are very affordable, the food is good and they have a very impressive karaoke system, one of those that make you sound so good even though your voice is not all that great. They do get mixed reviews on Trip Advisor though and once, my friends who stayed there shared the same comment as one in the website – it can get rather noisy at night with all the karaoke pubs and clubs in the vicinity. Otherwise, according to them, it was all good.

As for the room rates, they’re the same as/similar to their sister hotel, their No. 2, at the Sibu Bus Terminal here, ranging from RM65.00 to RM90.00 depending on the type of room you choose…and the rooms are as nice as any 3 or 4-star hotels anywhere, minus the carpet. They have Italian tiles for their floors instead. Friends who have stayed there loved it very much but there are no lifts at No. 2 so you will either have to book early and reserve your room(s) on the first floor or do a bit of exercise throughout the duration of your stay there. Other than that, this one is not in the town centre so it may not be as convenient as No. 1 unless you have your own transport to get around…but of course, there are lots and lots of shops, eating places and bakeries included, all around and one very big supermarket right across the road.

Now, they have their No. 3…

…which, like No. 2, is also not in the town centre. My cousins stayed there that day when they came to town so I took the opportunity to drop by and have a look at the place…

It is very nice, simple but very neat and clean…and there are two lifts, right behind the reception counter…

…with their very friendly staff, ever ready to flash a smile like when we walked past. The rooms are more or less like the ones at their No. 2, near identical, I would say but the tariffs are a bit higher – RM98.00 nett for a room with a queen-size bed or RM108.00 nett for two single beds. If I remember correctly, one with two queen…or was it king-size beds would put you back by RM128.00 per night. The rooms come with a complimentary breakfast…

…though I do not see that as essential considering that you would be spoilt for choice if you spend a night or longer here with all the popular eating places and shops all around that area, just like No.2.

Back to back with the hotel is the Medan Mall…

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…where there is a departmental store and supermarket, hair salons, a renowned foot reflexology centre and other shops and stalls including this outlet of the one with the very nice Sarawak laksa, my favourite in town, and ang tao peng…

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Among the many shops in the vicinity is this one…

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…where you can enjoy western cuisine at very very affordable prices but it only opens at night and be forewarned that it can get very crowded…like the crab and seafood place opposite, also famous for its Philippine pork leg, right beside this cake place…

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….or perhaps you would like to check out this fusion place instead…

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You can also drop by here…

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…for their Foochow fish balls and other dim sum stuff from their array of selections…or if you prefer the simpler local stuff like the kampua noodles, there are lots of coffee shops around here and I enjoyed the one I had here with the “raw meat” soup, something that they say originated from KK, Sabah…

The Korean fried chicken franchise is right around the corner…

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…and there are bakeries too like this one…

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…or those in the mall and you may want to browse around the 100¥ shop a stone’s throw away or perhaps, the ladies would want to check out the clothes shop and boutiques in the mall or those all around the vicinity of this hotel.

Anybody planning to come to town soon?