Main reason why I procrastinated staying at St. Giles Southkey until March 2024 was cost. It's usually priced beyond S$100, almost doubled what I would have paid for at KSL hotel. Thankfully, I finally snapped a good deal for the 575-room hotel via Trip.com. Main hotel lobby which also had an in-house cafe managed by Gigi Coffee, which originated from Malaysia. I am not sure why it was named as such since Gigi means teeth in Malay and coffee is known to stain the teeth. Finally got my sustainable key card that was made of wood. Personally, I am afraid to hold on to such fragile card. As the hotel was pretty new, opening in 2022, it's inevitable that it has a stronger focus on sustainability. More on that later.
Hotel lift lobby.
Lift lobby on the 22nd floor; I always prefer lift lobbies with windows as they bring in plenty of natural illumination that doesn't make the corridor dark and eerie.
Brightly lit corridor.
Our 28 square meters Urban Twin Room, with a mounted TV that had a message dedicated to me! Felt so privileged. Haha
A small study area that came with two cool features; a mirror with inbuilt lights and power sockets with USB ports for ease of charging our devices like mobile phones, portable charges etc.
In between the bed and washroom would be the wardrobe housing bathrobes, in-room safe and cabinets with the customary mini-fridge, electric kettle, sachets of tea and coffee. Wait, there isn't any complimentary water?!
Due to sustainable efforts, a flask was given for each room and you may use it to fill up the water at the water dispensers along the corridor on every room level. Inconvenient but what to do; we all have to play our part for the environment.
Bay window sofa! I have always wanted something like this for my room but a bit hard since the flat I got had an opening for air-condition compressor that must not be blocked at all times!
So relaxing to just sit beside such marvellous view and read a book, or in my case, catch on the final few episodes of a Korean drama! That's what vacation should be all about! Damn, I sound like Alex who always prefers to stay in the hotel when he is overseas!
On a good, clear day, you can even see the central business district of Singapore. I can even see Marina Bay Sands, which is around 25 kilometers away. I didn't realize KSL is pretty near! p.s. can't wait for the new mall to open next door.
Night time was equally mesmerizing! See that two buildings with bluish lights? It's known as The Astaka, with Tower A being the tallest building in the state of Johor at 278.8 meters tall. Both towers have penthouses and they are exclusively owned by the Sultan of Johor!
Now showing you the washroom; there wasn't a bathtub for our Urban Twin Room and I was sad there wasn't a rainfall shower since it's quite the norm nowadays for hotels.
p.s. the hair dryer was so powerful!
Bet the ladies would love it.
Basic toilet amenities! Not everything was included but you can always call the housekeeping to bring them to you; again, another sustainable effort although in this case, it's a practice I feel that all hotels should adopt.
Water dispenser along the corridor on every level. Should you require ice, you can also call the operator but I was informed by the reception that it might take 30-45 minutes. Ice is also not available after 10pm.
Pretty large with plenty of space in the middle. I am getting spoilt as I would look for hotels with gyms nowadays, given that I am exercising a lot more since the pandemic... and I don't really look forward to going back to the stage when I weighed much more than now. p.s. gym is open from 7am till 11pm.
Swimming Pool
Located on the rooftop, I think it would have been stunning as an infinity pool, similar to Holiday Villa. The steel bars, that absolutely have no purpose from what I see, were eyesores.
Only cool thing was the waterfall shower at the kid's pool. As we were staying just one night at St. Giles Southkey, we didn't have the time to swim, preferring to laze in the comfortable bay window sofa instead. Rules and regulations for pool's usage.
The View Bar & Lounge - overlooking the pool with a great city view, I am kicking myself for not ordering a draft beer and chill out until closing.
Business Lounge - for in-house Premier Room and Suite guests; neither of which we fall under. You may read more about it here; seemed more like a club room than a business lounge.
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Service was great with helpful staff at the reception, the bed was comfortable; as you would recall, I really dig the bay window sofa! Would I stay at St. Giles Southkey again?
For sure I would, but only if it costs me less than S$100. Just a note: do be mindful that the roads surrounding the hotel might be heavily jammed at night, especially on weekends.
Address
Mid Valley Southkey, 1, Persiaran Southkey 1,
Kota Southkey, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Map
As above.
Website
Pricing
Urban Twin Room - S$89.83 via Trip.com
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