*couple *arrive Friday, 5th May, 7pm; stayed one night.
This hotel is 5-mins walk to Nagoya Hill Shopping Complex.
Taxi from Harbour Bay to Nagoya Hill costs Rp60,000. There will be a queue of taxi when you exit the terminal building. Go for the taxi that is in the queue. I don’t think they are touts. I waited somewhere away to see their behavior. So yes, they are legitimate and it’s good to take the ride. Travel from the terminal to Harmoni Suites takes about 7-10mins, depending on traffic.
LOBBY
Arrived at dusk and it feels like a holiday. The entrance is so inviting it felt like Bali.
There are statues of horses in the middle of the lobby, perhaps a legendary symbol or a long story behind it. Check-in was fast even with guests in front of us. While front desk are busy, the other staff offered their assistance to prepare our check-in. This suite apartment-hotel has got not only a welcome drink, but a table of 2 drinks and other bites too! Help yourself to the mini spread while hanging around.
Funny this hotel only provides one key card per room. So I had an experience where my wife is in the room while I hit the gym. Coming back to the room, I would need the key card for lift level access. Now I have to go down to reception and… they escorted me to the lift...*couple *arrive Friday, 5th May, 7pm; stayed one night.
This hotel is 5-mins walk to Nagoya Hill Shopping Complex.
Taxi from Harbour Bay to Nagoya Hill costs Rp60,000. There will be a queue of taxi when you exit the terminal building. Go for the taxi that is in the queue. I don’t think they are touts. I waited somewhere away to see their behavior. So yes, they are legitimate and it’s good to take the ride. Travel from the terminal to Harmoni Suites takes about 7-10mins, depending on traffic.
LOBBY
Arrived at dusk and it feels like a holiday. The entrance is so inviting it felt like Bali.
There are statues of horses in the middle of the lobby, perhaps a legendary symbol or a long story behind it. Check-in was fast even with guests in front of us. While front desk are busy, the other staff offered their assistance to prepare our check-in. This suite apartment-hotel has got not only a welcome drink, but a table of 2 drinks and other bites too! Help yourself to the mini spread while hanging around.
Funny this hotel only provides one key card per room. So I had an experience where my wife is in the room while I hit the gym. Coming back to the room, I would need the key card for lift level access. Now I have to go down to reception and… they escorted me to the lift to tap their card, instead of issuing a second card. I did not ask but I’m sure they have their reasons.
ROOM
Think of a 4-star hotel room plus wardrobe space, a kitchenette and bathroom with a tub. Not too big and not too small. Everything in this room worked! There is a safe in the wardrobe, a fridge under the microwave, plates & cooking utensils. So yes, you can cook here. Room is spacious and clean. Bathroom good with the right water pressure. Laundry service collects every morning.
Bed, duvet and pillows are good, but I was wondering why the bolster is smaller and not in proportion?
The light switches in the room are gathered on a touch-pad by the bedside. The touch pads are clear visually and without defects. Press once and you get the result. Only the bathroom switch is at the bathroom, of course.
The aircon is good and again, the settings are on the touch pads. Both temperature and fan speed can be adjusted here. I’m so glad the touch pad worked! We had a truly good night sleep.
The kitchenette is exclusive. There are not many establishments with that facility these days, where boutique hotels rule with low prices and designer looks but super tight on space. I like kitchenette as I buy local food and have them in the room later.
This room does not have a dining table but it has a dining corner; small but cozy. You can have your meal here or on the round coffee table.
This hotel provides smoking rooms which we accepted. It’s been some time since we last go for a smoking room and yes we were surprised when we walked in the room. No smell of stale air at all! I was looking around for some kind of ionizer or purifier but none! The windows in the room can be opened. Hence, the neutral air. We opened the window every time we smoked in the room and by 5-7 minutes, there are no more ciggy smells. Presto!
TV & DVD player available in the room. TV channels have good reception. I actually enjoyed a movie on HBO that night “The Forest”, a psycho-thriller about a haunted forest in Japan. Oh and talk about movies, the hotel provides a big collection of DVDs. You can loan them for free and the library is at the lobby (too much titles!!).
Wifi is everywhere and connection is good, really good.
In-room dining menu has got an 8-page food list, 1-page dessert and 7-page drink list. That is more than enough!
GYM, POOL & SPA
The gym, spa and pool share the same level 7 but on different mezzanine floors. Such an amazing location if you’re sitting at the pool. Infinity pool on another level!
Gym has almost everything in place (with a trainer) but thing missing are the people. If there is one thing the gym needs to change… it’s the music. The good vibes must accompany the good setting of the place; definitely not with cheap music.
“Dimension Spa” sits slightly higher than the pool. We made two bookings for the evening and did not wish to go out for other spa. This spa provides many types of massages. Their prices are more or less similar to those outside; which I compared against walking around looking for the perfect spa, or packages. This spa treated us well. I’d like to commend the staff for their professional knowledge and good work ethics.
Good thing after treatment is you take the lift to your floor and you’re in the room. Unlike anywhere outside, there is still a distance to go. Oh and they also provide in-room service. I will come back to this spa.
BREAKFAST
Breakfast is served at Café de Rosa on the mezzanine floor. The café has a 7-storey high ceiling and it feels good to walk around the space checking out the spread. The chef is always checking on the food. The spread is wider than most hotels (with an egg station) and also have a Japanese section. Yes, a Japanese spread for breakfast. Sliced roasted beef is also on the spread. Plenty of drinks available too. As usual, I have three courses for breakfast.
1) Bread, beans & omelet
2) Porridge with colorful garnishing
3) Rice, veggies & sliced beef in BBQ sauce
AROUND THE HOTEL
Lifts at the hotel works well during my stay.
Mick’s Pub is at level 1; bar with live entertainment.
Café de Rosa is a 24-hour full service restaurant also providing in-room dining.
Security at the hotel is good. Entry/exit is well managed with a manual-operated barrier. There is a back exit door where one personnel will manage guests walking out towards Nagoya Mall (5-mins walk). Within hotel, there will be staff around most of the time.
There are many food stalls buzzing around the back of the hotel, which close around 2am. These are shops selling seafood, ikan bakar, sate, grilled honey wings and many more local stuff. Push-carts can also be seen. We had supper just to check out the area & of course, food (11pm New Siang Malam Seafood - let me translate that for you. “New Day Night Seafood”). Succulent cereal prawns, fried kangkong, ayam kalasan, tom yum soup, steamed rice and 2 drinks. Total bill was about $16. Taste as the ones in Singapore, only difference the tom yam soup tastes just like assam pedas. Shocking!
CONCLUSION
We checked out at 10.30am and made our 5-min walk towards Nagoya Hill Shopping Complex.
To conclude, we had a good stay at Harmoni Suites Hotel. Dimension Spa made our stay better and Café de Rosa fed us well. I’m aware of shortcomings as many factors contribute to bad experiences. Pan that against the cost we’re paying ($70/night) and we have an expectation level. I enjoyed most of my stays when I lower my expectations.
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