We've all had our share of "nightmare hotels" and we here at quarter-life vices are no exception (to our friends who were with us at Hundred Islands, 2006, you know what I mean). So as we continue to travel, we slowly begin to be more discriminating on the hotels/ inns we will be staying in. After a day of walking, hiking, swimming, snorkeling and shopping, it would be good to come to a nice place with no roaches or gross bathroom to welcome you. Before you say that we sound very picky, we say you probably haven't experienced being at the room at the back of the kitchen with no space to walk on and ta-da! with a very gross bathroom (that hotel in Pangasinan, I'm looking at you). It is one thing to be aware and have knowledge that you'll be getting very modest accommodations but it is certainly unacceptable to get startled at the striking contrast of your real room with what's in the promotional photos. Can you say, false advertising? We are all for budget hotels, places where you get value for money for sure but most times it is hard to reconcile your budget with your expectations. Sometimes, though we get lucky and we find a hotel that is almost perfect, we want to cry (or it is probably just that time of the month). That's just what happened to us when we stayed at Hotel Sixty3 in Kota Kinabalu.
Hotel Sixty3 is a new three-star hotel located in the heart of Kota Kinabalu. Usually when you hear someone saying it is "located in the heart" of a certain town or city you know they just want to sound like that place is central to everything (when in reality you have to take a cab to go anywhere worth going). Or, they are just not that good at descriptions and "located at the heart of..." sounds really good (even if it really is not the truth). But Hotel Sixty3 is truly, literally at the heart of the city, as it is situated at Kilometer 0, meaning it is the starting point to measure distances in and around KK. Isn't that neat?
The hotel sits along the famous and historic Jalan Gaya (Gaya Street), and is just a couple of blocks away from the city's financial district. Everything is just a walk away from here, which is of course true for just about every where, the question is how long. I say, everything is just a couple of minutes of walking from here:
Sabah Tourism Board is right across the street,
as well as Fook Yuen and Old Town Coffee if you want to grab breakfast (and lunch and dinner...)
Downstairs is a convenience store and Euro Bakery where they make these adorable, red bean bear buns...
On a Sunday, Gaya Street Market is just a couple of blocks away...
Suria Sabah, for your shopping needs is right around a corner
Atkinson Clock Tower, a bit of a walk at 15-minutes...
Also a bit of a walk, but still bearable... Jesselton Point
The only time we had to take a cab is when we went to the airport for our departing flight and when we went to Signal Hill Observation Tower. But you can even walk to the stairs leading to Signal Hill, just a couple of minutes away from Hotel Sixty3. An incident with a dead rat along the path just sort of prevented us. (Hopefully, when your turn comes to visit, that rat is gone and you can save RM20 of taxi fare).
Aside from the convenience of its prized location, Hotel Sixty3 also is a well-designed boutique hotel with a simple yet modern Asian aesthetic paired with a tech-savvy attitude.
The hotel lobby...
The corridors. With a sun roof at the center of the hallways, natural light is let in so no stuffy, dark hallways here just well-lit and pleasant corridors that you won't be scared to walk along in.
But the most important part of this review is of course, THE ROOM. We booked a Super Standard room at Agoda.com for MYR 125 a night plus MYR50 for an extra bed . We would have booked for just a standard room but it is already sold out. The only difference between a standard and a super standard room is just its floor area with the super standard of course being larger. Other than that (and of course, the price), its basically almost the same.
The bed, with clean-smelling sheets and lovely duvets...
The LCD SMART TV...in which you can watch TV (of course), In-house Movies (for RM25), play the radio, view the weather, book for tours, view your bill, etc.
You can even surf the Internet using it. You can ask the concierge for a wireless keyboard which you can use throughout your stay-- free of charge. And if you brought your gadgets with you, you can still surf the net because all rooms are wi-fi enabled and wi-fi use for guests is free of charge. Connection can be a bit slow though especially during "awake" times since almost everyone at that hotel is more than likely using it. But at early morning, like 5 to 6 AM, it is very fast.
And en suite, a very large bathroom. Yes, it is clean and tastefully designed (except for the sink-- there's something not working in it, aesthetically, for me).In the bathroom are your usual hotel bathroom stuffs like shampoo, conditioner, soap, towels and hair dryer.
Major plus points for the rainmaker overhead shower... (note to self: install one on my own bathroom when I get to have my own house. Amazing stuff.)
They also have complimentary water, coffee and tea which they replace everyday.
Also other things that are surprising for what we paid for like a safe vault to keep your valuables and an iron and ironing board if ever you need to suit up (never used this).
But the hotel will not be that pleasant without a very accommodating and friendly staff. There may be a few of them (the guy in the reception area who checked us in was also the guy who prepared our extra bed) but they are very efficient. The concierge is also very helpful when asked on getting around the city and giving us tips on where to go for shopping, night market, eating out, etc. Whoever cleaned our room is also a very good person because I left my diamond stud earrings above the desk and completely forgot about it. When we returned in the afternoon, it was still on the same spot. Whoever you are, you saved me from worries and also, my mother's fury when she finds out the earrings she gave me were gone.
Probably the only minute downside to our almost perfect hotel experience is that the hotel does not offer free breakfast. But this is just a teeny, tiny glitch which we really did not care for since the moment you step outside Hotel Sixty3 there are lots, and I mean lots, of eating places you can go to-- from the cheap ones to the classy, high-end ones. And honestly, did you ever enjoy the free continental breakfast they serve with hotel packages? Maybe if tasteless OJ is your thing. Otherwise, think of it as getting the chance to breakfast just as the locals do and saving yourself from another bowl of cereal (that you always had back home anyway).
During our vacation at KK, almost everyone were impressed when we tell them we are staying at Hotel Sixty3 and its not hard to see why: it is a good-looking hotel with an amazing location. It also seems you are paying a lot for it which you really are not, especially if you book with agoda.com. For a three-star hotel, Hotel Sixty3 lives up to expectations and its courteous and helpful staff will make your stay there more enjoyable.
Hotel Sixty3
63 Jalan Gaya
88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
website: http://www.hotelsixty3.com
you can also book Hotel Sixty3 at Agoda.com
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