I took the opportunity of having a short weekend break to stay at Mutiara Hotel Johor Bahru.  This hotel has been around for a long time,  approximately 28 years now. I remember when the hotel was newly built, I was a young man and frequently goes to the Holiday Plaza mall which was beside the hotel to shop and eat.  Holiday Plaza mall at that time was the most popular shopping mall among Singaporeans and Malaysians. Now more than 25 years later, this mall has aged and looks worn out. However, there are still shops that are worth visiting, especially food stuffs, clothes and optical stores. The prices of merchandise and  services such  beauty and hair salons are also cheaper than say City Square mall in Johor Bahru.

Mutiara hotel has renewed itself by renovating its rooms. I booked the Deluxe room and frankly did not know what to expect. Upon arrival at the main lobby, I noticed that it was crowded with people. The lobby does not look impressive and new but it was spacious and neat. I was told that my room would only be ready at 2 pm. So with about 2 hours to spare, I decided to take a walk in Holiday Plaza mall which was beside the hotel and took my lunch at KFC.  Beside this mall, there are also lots of shop houses selling food and provision stuff near Mutiara Hotel, it takes about 10 minutes walk to reach these shop houses. There is a big taxi stand just outside the Holiday Plaza mall, so it makes traveling very convenient.

After I was given my card key to my room, I took the lift to the 9th Floor and walked to my room. I noted that the carpet along the corridor was thick and new. When I opened the door to my room, I was pleasantly surprised that the room was spacious, clean and new. I loved it. There is a large LCD TV and a king size bed in the center of the room. I also liked the long working table and a free newspaper was on the table. There is the usual small fridge  ( mini bar ) filled with can drinks and beer. However, the prices of beer is too expensive. My intention is to buy my own beer at the local store later on and put it in the fridge. Coffee and tea bags are free and even the small kettle looks new and clean.

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For those who want to watch a short video of the deluxe room that I have taken, there are 2 short videos which have been uploaded by me. Part 2 of the video includes the bathroom.  The bathroom is spacious and clean especially the bathtub. I saw 3 large tap knobs –  one is for the shower head, the center is for the temperature control and the one on the right is for the tap. There are 2 complimentary mineral water on the vanity top and the normal toiletries. I saw a small box containing detergent among the toiletries; so they even provide detergent for washing your clothes – nice. The wardrobe which was situated outside the bathroom was spacious and there were enough hangers provided to hang clothes. Inside another closet, there was also a small safe to put our passports and valuables. The air-conditioning was strong and rather cold. There is a small control box at the wall to adjust the speed of the fan and room temperature.

On the whole I was satisfied and happy with the room. It was a comfortable and pleasant stay at this deluxe room. The only pathetic thing is the view from the window – my room view was simply a railway track with old houses. I will try to write about the amenities in this hotel in another blog if I can find the time.