Establishment Bangsar by Greater Stay Kuala Lumpur

I'm transiting Kuala Lumpur for 25 hours on my way to Vietnam, and I have been looking for the most comfortable yet affordable way to stay in the capital city.

Being near KL Sentral, the train station that provides a direct connection with the airport through their express train system, and the local monorail system, it's a great spot as it is fairly central and has access to the station within minutes.

This building is a serviced apartment, with several apartments being used as hotels, but there is no receptionist to greet you there so you have to make prior arrangements. They do have face to face greet or they can leave the key in the mailbox for you to collect with the padlock number provided to you through text message. There is a MYR$300 payment required before checking in to cover the deposit, cleaning fee and security card, MYR$250 is refundable, and MYR$50 is payable by cash only to the security for the building card access.

Accessing the building is fairly straight forward. I transited from the airport express rail to the local monorail via KL Sentral, costing roughly MYR$1.70 one way, and then from the Bangsar monorail station to the building is connected via a bridge. As Malaysian public facilities are not well maintained, the lift wasn't working and having a big suitcase was an issue to getting up and down the stairs, so if you want to avoid having those troubles, using Grab (the Asian Uber) or a taxi would be advisable.

Upon getting the security building card and the key from the mailbox, I went up to my apartment which is located on the 13th floor. There are about 2 dozens apartments on each floor, and many of them seem to be hotel rentals owned/managed by Greater Stay. Upon entry, the bathroom and wardrobe are located on the left. The build quality was not the best but you have most of the amenities within the apartment. Further into the apartment is the open plan kitchen and living room, then leading out to the balcony where a washing machine and dryer are located, but anyone with fear of heights might not want to look down.

The bed is located on the top of the kitchen, where a steep stairs on the side of the kitchen will lead you there. You won’t be able to stand up without hitting the roof as it has a fairly small gap unless you’re a hobbit. These apartments will not be suitable for people with mobility issues or children as the stairs are very dangerous and steep, as a fairly healthy person such as me had to be very cautiously getting up and down those stairs.

The kitchen has some pots and pans but I didn’t intend to cook for a one night stay, and the kettle was very dirty looking so I didn’t touch it either. The smart TV allows you to connect your devices to Chromecast and play it on the TV, the couch is comfortable and it would be a good way to spend a couple of days or a week as a couple staying in this type of accommodation.

There’s a rooftop pool and jacuzzi, but the Jacuzzi got rebranded to a “kids pool” according to the security person even though the sign says otherwise, and yes I did try and the water is cold and without action so I suppose they are cost saving. There are plenty of sitting throughout the pool area and a gym which I did not visit. The rooftop pool is great and provides an uninterrupted view of the skyline but the pool is fairly darkly lit so you might want to avoid going after dark if you don’t like swimming in dark pools, or stay near the lighted area which will not give you a good view of the skyline.

The apartment is also located near Mid Valley and The Gardens Mall, by car it will take under 10 minutes while the monorail will take 1 stop with about 10 minutes walk connected through a bridge directly linked to the mall. Going into the central city area will take about 20-30 minutes which I would recommend staying there if you’re going to be regularly be visiting sites around the central city rather than the boundary of the central city as the travel time will add up if you’re staying for a few days to a week.

I was having issues getting into the building during my stay and due to the lack of communication, I did not realise there are 2 sets of keycards, one you get from the security and another attached with the key to the apartment, so when swiping to get into the building and the lift you have to use the various cards. Once you know how it works it’s easy but I wish it was better communicated. The path from the monorail to the entrance of the apartment can contain some steps so it is not recommended if you have mobility issues or if you’re carrying heavy luggage. An upscale hotel is also located in the same building but next door called Alila Bangsar if you are not interested to stay in the apartment but find the location convenient.

FOOD

I've just been going to MidValley mall to have my food because it's near the hotel and more convenient for me during my short layover. These are all vegetarian food which I'll provide more information about the restaurant below.

Dinner: Vegelicious Jr (inside Aeon department store food court area)

The food court was very crowded when I was there, seating was an issue so if you do not want to deal with that issue it might not be the best option. They have order to cook or buffet style options, I went for the buffet style option.

Breakfast: Toast Box (outside the mall along the restaurant strip)

While this cafe doesn't do vegetarian food, the rice rolls are customisable so they could do without fillings, but it is fairly expensive and also the rice rolls are ready made (not freshly made). I would not recommend it unless you are out of options.