Stunning New City Hotel: Pavilion Hotel by Banyan Tree, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This modern new hotel is in the perfect location to soak up everything on offer in KL.

If the Bukit Bintang area of Kuala Lumpur is the heart of the city’s shopping area, the new Pavilion Hotel managed by Banyan Tree which opened in December last year is the heartbeat.

This 325 room city hotel (rooms and suites) is in a brilliant location to access the best of the city’s food, and most importantly the shopping. There are offerings from every end of the scale, from street food to brand name restaurants and high street fashion brands and the most luxe designer labels.

Kuala Lumpur is a city that is challenging to commute in at the best of times. Staying at The Pavilion averts the need to drive anywhere for food and shopping – a huge bonus.

Bukit Bintang is an area littered with brand name designer shops, and the Pavilion shopping Centre has the most upmarket names from Chanel to Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Miu Miu and more as well as a host of upmarket coffee shops, and one of the largest food courts in the city offering every type of cuisine imaginable.

Owned by Banyan Tree, the Pavilion hotel offers practical luxury. The check-in reception is in the Sky Lobby on the 8th floor, with huge floral centrepiece and check in counters with huge sweeping views across the city. Rooms are then accessed by a separate lift to maximise security.

There’s a VIP check in on the 13th floor for club members with a lounge serving a small breakfast as well as good quality French wines and snacks from 530-730 daily. This is well worth the upgrade, as the lounge is fully staffed 24/7 and an excellent place to work as well as catch up with friends outside your room but in a luxurious sanctum of privacy.

The rooftop infinity pool is absolutely spectacular and one of the hotel’s highlights. The pool stretches 25 metres and hugs the edge of the building with magnificent views across one section of KL.

The gym next door is packed with the newest Technogym equipment – both cardio and weights, and has huge floor to ceiling windows capturing natural light and skyscraper views. Working out here is a pleasure.

Being owned by Banyan Tree, the spa is a major feature and offers luxury treatments from staff who are well trained and offer high end massages, facials and more. 

Rooms and suites are freshly new and neutral in colour tones. In this hotel it is all about the view, so make sure you book a room with a great view.

Bathrooms have a separate bath and shower and are well designed to maximise light and space.

The in-house restaurants and bars are fabulous, including The Courtyard where a buffet breakfast and lunch are served, next to a spacious light filled open-air courtyard.

Ebisu is an intimate Japanese restaurant with 3 different interiors sections serving Japanese fusion which includes plump sushimi, tamogoyaki ( Japanese omelette), light crisp tempura and a host of traditional Japanese dishes cooked to perfection.

I loved Whisky Cove, a sultry, sexy little bar with seemingly secret nooks and crannies everywhere, and some first class modern cocktails that stretch the palette. Great staff with solid alcohol knowledge, another rare find in this town.

The wines by the glass throughout the food venues are excellent and varied and include French, Australia, New Zealand and even South American options – not easy to find in Kuala Lumpur where wine taxes are high and variety  and quality is generally low.

Even the complimentary wines in the club lounge are French and high quality.

There are so many restaurants in the various shopping malls just steps away, as well as other nearby hotels, there is no risk of boredom here. A long stay in the hotel is definitely workable.

And as for families? I took my twins and it worked well, they loved the Japanese restaurant Ebisu, and the club lounge, where they could access a hot chocolate or juice at any time of the day.

One of the many great things about this modern Asian city, is that everything is cheap, especially with UK pounds or even Australian dollars. Click here for more.