5 Reasons to Stay, at the Majestic Hotel KL

The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur.. a colonial heritage building, was built in 1932 and became one of the great hotels of Kuala Lumpur in its time..

today, has been restored to its old splendor..

During our recent weekend stay at The Majestic, we found 5 great reasons, to stay at this hotel. Here they are :

1. The Architecture & Interior

The old world charm of the Majestic hotel is unmistakable.

Restored to its former glory, the Majestic Hotel is now a place for the young to enjoy each others company over weekend high tea, for the older to mingle over a meal at the lively Contango or the nostalgic Colonial Cafe, or for folks to just drop by for high tea and enjoy the solo pianist in the afternoons or the vocal jazz ensemble that plays in the evenings.

The most astounding part of this hotel is of course, the Majestic Wing, where neo classic details of the original structure have been meticulously restored. The Majestic Hotel is the only hotel in KL to be included in the list of “The Leading Hotels of the World”. This puts the hotel in the same league as The Ritz London, The Pierre in New York City, Hotel le Bristol in Paris, and Villa d’Este in Lake Como, Italy.

If there wasn’t enough colonial feel to this majestic building already, we were bowled over, when we walked into a new section of the old wing, called the Smokers Room.

This two level building stands independently from the hotel, allowing tobacco lovers to enjoy their favourite smokes in the comfort of a spacious bar lounge, equipped with a private card room, private dining room with kitchen, a cigar room, a premium pool table, leather couches and a wide high definition flatscreen.

Premium leather pockets on this pool table

Smokers coats are available for those who seek that classy, suave look while they puff away and swirl their single malt

At the bottom floor, film buffs can sit in a chilly movie theater which randomly plays a large collection Hollywood blockbuster movies, from the silent era, back to back from morning until night. Down a corridor outside, a secluded room hides the services of a bespoke tailor, and a branch of the posh Truefitt & Hill barber shop and shoe shine, the world’s oldest barber shop, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It is definitely a gentleman’s grooming grotto here – pampered from top to toe and you can smoke a cigar and drink your whisky too!

swanky barber leather chairs

Luxury shave brushes made with the finest badger hair

2. The Location

Located just across the road from the old railway station, along Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, The Majestic Hotel has a lot going for it. It is after all, located just a stones throw from the National Museum, National Mosque, Islamic Arts Museum, Lake Gardens, and Bird and Butterfly Parks.

The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur is also conveniently close to Sentral Station with its express rail link to Kuala Lumpur International Airport within 28 minutes and the rapidly growing Kuala Lumpur Sentral precinct. Kuala Lumpur City Centre and the Golden Triangle are just ten minutes away by car.

We set out to the National Mosque, the Islamic Arts Museum and the Bird park on foot with no problems at all. If you don’t like walking in the heat, there is a tram service with loops the greater tourist area for only a measly RM1. It will ferry you past all the tourists sites. Just wait at the designated stops to hop on.

And if you really don’t enjoy breaking even a drop of sweat, there is a free butler service which includes limos that will drop you off where ever you want to go in KL, which brings us to the next point, the service.

The old railway station, still looks splendid with its moorish-style structure.. it was built in 1910.

the electric trains run along these lines – the Majestic hotel is located strategically for transportation

the National Mosque

the Islamic Arts Museum – entry fee RM15 per Adult, RM6 for Students and Seniors, Free for children 6 years and under

the KL bird park – RM25 entry fee for Malaysians, RM45 for tourists

we spotted a huge one.. the mighty hornbill!

the great Indian Hornbill

hop on-off tram that runs through the vicinity – only RM1 per person

no need to tire yourselves out walking!

3. The Service

One of the great things about staying in the Majestic Wing (read our past post on the layout of the hotel and differences between the Tower and Majestic Wing), is the butler service.

For Majestic Wing, check in is done, within the room itself. You do not need to queue at the front desk nor wait at the lobby. You are ushered straight up to your room, where your personalized butler will help you fill in the details. At the Majestic Wing there are 4 types of rooms – the Majestic Suite being the biggest room, followed by the Colonial Suite, then the Governor Suite and finally the Straits Rooms.

We checked into our Governor Suite (priced at RM1220++ per night and inclusive breakfast for two) and we were told that for Majestic Wing, things FOC included pressing services, some mini bar items as well as transportation within KL. We were really impressed with the complimentary MPV transport service because this meant that you could cover almost any location so long as it was in Kuala Lumpur. The MPV is equipped with complimentary mineral water and umbrellas should you require them.

Every evening, our butler would confirm our preferred dining hours with us, and made all the arrangements for us before we got to lunch or dinner. They were organized and systematic. Cumi was saying it almost felt like the hotel had too many staff to a guest, because everyone was so helpful.

prompt butler service and the undivided attention of the staff around the clock

check in, in the comforts of your room

breakfast in your room every morning – they take your order the night before

service with a smile – breakfast comes to you!

freshly baked breads, croissants, patries, muffins, coffee, tea or hot chocolate, freshly squeezed juices, cut fruits and eggs..

eat your eggs.. for a healthy start to the morning!

limo service to anywhere in Kuala Lumpur – pick up and drop off at your convenience

4. The Majestic Spa

The Majestic Spa is one of my favourite place. The art deco style of Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Macintosh’s Willow Tearooms, gives the spa an amazing look. Picture if you will, old England – the Willow Tearooms of Scotland were iconic gathering places for businessmen to meet, read the paper or discuss politics, and an elegant environment for proper ladies to lunch, play cards and socialise. The Majestic Spa recreates this ambiance and reflects a time from that golden era.

There are loads of different spa experiences to choose from. Depending on what preference you might want to opt for a simple facial, an a la carte massage, or go the whole hog with the North Coast Seaweed Sculpt, the Queen Victoria’s Lavender Treatment or the Malaya Golden Chersonese, which is perfect for couples.

Read our complete account here.

5. The F & B Outlets

Another big highlight of staying at the Majestic hotel, is of course, gastronomy. In The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, there are 2 main restaurants and there is the Orchid Conservatory, where one might have high tea. The Colonial Café recreates the atmosphere of the halcyon days of the planters of Malaya and offers authentic classical cuisine from the colonial era such as Chicken Chop, Old Style Faggots, Spotted Dick to name a few. Dining at the Colonial Cafe is mainly ala carte and so prices will go according to the menu.

And then there is Contango, a luxuriously designed contemporary restaurant featuring an open kitchen interactive dining concept. The cuisine, freshly prepared to order, ranges from Asian, Japanese, to Western and Grilled dishes. A 2000 bottle wine cellar includes the Opus One vertical collection of wine created through a collaboration between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi. Dinner at Contango is buffet style and priced at RM88 ++ without wines, add another RM30++ if wines are included.

Afternoon tea which is priced at RM78++ per tea set, is so famous with the young and old alike that the place is packed to the rafters on Saturdays and Sundays. We were lucky we managed to get a seat at the Orchid Room even, because the place was so busy.

Lunch and Dinner at the Colonial Cafe..

the colonial cafe is by far, my favourite restaurant in The Majestic hotel.. it has an old world charm and yet a great menu to boot

Hainanese Chicken rice balls

Executive Chef Mohammad Ali Kunhi , or Mo, as he likes to be called, introducing us to the cuisine and its heritage..

curry chicken and kunyit rice

Well, many of the recipes of the dishes you get at the hotel, especially at the Colonial Cafe, have been around since the old hotel. They’ve carried on the traditional, “hand me down” recipes of the escargot, the curry chicken and kunyit rice, the hainanese chicken chops as well as the hainanese chicken rice balls, to name a few.

stewed Hainanese beef brisket – asian spiced beef broth, radish and somen

The stewed beef brisket is a particularly laborious recipe that has not been tweaked nor changed from the original, as it is perfect just as it is. The chicken rice balls till today, are rolled by hand, by a Hainanese Chef.

at the colonial cafe, the entire wine list is listed on an ipad.. makes for easier browsing..

Johnnie, recommends a French wine, to go with our dinner mains

He selects the Perrin & Fils Chateauneuf-du-Pape Les Sinards, Rhone, France for us

We found the wine, paired well with our food.

It was fresh and soft with refined tannins, with a certain dryness in the finish. It had after notes of pepper and spice which complemented the courses of lamb, faggots and chicken pie that we selected. The wine had an elegant cherry finish.

escargot – these were slathered in garlic butter and served on toasties.. super delicious!

Old style faggots

These brown meaty nuggets, glistening with a rich sauce, are to die for. They are served with a wild mushroom mash, and mace infused sauce. This dish consists mainly of meat off-cuts and offal. We could taste the liver bits in every mouthful .. too good for words!

Hainanese chicken chop – secret age old recipe and sauce.. delicious

the pie of the day – chicken mushroom pie with a thick onion, brown sauce gravy to go with it, and mushy peas on the side – supremely addictive

rosemary lamb chops – pan roasted lamb cutlets, served with creamy garlic mash and mint sauce

spotted dick – rich suet pudding, spices, currants, orange peel and custard .. decadent.. a must try!

swiss roll – feather light butter cake roulade with coconut jam – portions were a little small

goreng pisang a la mode – battered banana fritters, chocolate rice and vanilla ice cream – again the portion was too tiny!

Afternoon Tea, at the Orchid Conservatory…

the orchid conservatory

Tea consists of scones, clotted cream, jam, crab croquettes, sardine rolls, cakes, sandwiches, and a pot of tea with refills for two.. it is all a tres chi-chi experience, having high tea at the Majestic, I must say!

there are limited seats inside the orchid room, so you need to book your tea in advance to avoid disappointment

alternatively the lounge is also a great place for tea – this area is packed to the rafters on the weekends

the drawing room is another cool place to have high tea

Dinner at Contango..

What I like best about Contango, are the live stations!

Plenty of live action going on, be it Chefs BBQ-ing your meats or making pizzas..

Located in the Tower Wing, Contango is a luxuriously designed contemporary restaurant featuring an open kitchen interactive dining concept with a seating capacity for 250 people.

The cuisine, freshly prepared to order, ranges from Asian, Japanese, to Western and Grilled dishes. A 2000 bottle wine cellar includes the Opus One vertical collection of wine created through a collaboration between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Robert Mondavi.

Make your own pizzas – these gourmet pizzas are divine!

Oysters from Ireland.. small, sweet and succulent .. just the way I like them. I am not particularly fond of large oysters as they are less sweet..

At Contango, the Chef gets his fresh delivery of seafood every Tuesdays and Thursdays. He is very particular about getting these items fresh from the source, and not via too many third parties or middle men.

sushi counter

seafood galore

And that wraps up our 5 reasons to stay at the Majestic hotel!