Travel: Glimpses Of Paradise
Posted by admin on July 18th, 2008
The plush couches around Hotel Mulia’s lobby will make you want to stay.
SU AZIZ surrenders herself to the pleasures of Hotel Mulia, Jakarta and discovers why international stars and even locals luxuriate within its sanctuary.
OFTEN, in extremely busy cities, there are pockets of inviolably private places offering calmness.
These sanctuaries are made possible by people or corporations of unusually keen foresight.
In some cities, it could be a park, a restaurant or a museum. In Jakarta, however, it would be the ideally located and luxurious Hotel Mulia.
Created by the Mulia Group a little over a decade ago, the hotel has won international recognition within the first three years of its existence.
Global stars such as Mariah Carey and Il Divo have chosen to rest their heads on the 1,000-thread count bed linens of the hotel’s suites. If you are wondering why, read on!
ITS LOCATION
Jakarta is plagued with perpetual traffic congestion. Careful planning with German precision is needed to get to point B from point A, on time.
However, when one is on holiday, time holds no importance and discomforts are kept at a minimum. Therefore, Hotel Mulia’s location in Senayan, Jakarta, is ideal. It is in the middle of the sporting hub of Jakarta, close to the Central Business District, within walking distance to Plaza Senayan shopping mall and a 10-minute cab ride to other shopping malls.
On a good day, it is merely a half hour from the city’s National Monument, museum and the behemoth national mosque which is across from a gorgeous and large cathedral. A sign of respectful religious harmony, perhaps? One speculates!
The five-star sanctuary with its 996 rooms overlooks a golf course, a myriad of snaking highways and the sporting complexes. Then again, who goes to a city hotel for its view, right? Here is where it gets interesting.
THE SANCTUARY
The world’s 11th largest city’s inhabitants of over 23 million have cultivated an interesting hobby.
The ones who can afford it, prefer to spend holidays or weekends in five-star dwellings within their own city, with their families. A strange phenomenon but one that is so relatable, given the service and amenities of places such as Hotel Mulia.
As the hotel sales and marketing director Rully Rachman said: “It is such a normal thing to have our hotel filled with families on weekends. Even though they may have housekeepers, cooks and a pool in their own homes, they prefer to check into a nice hotel for a weekend during, say, school holidays.
“They enjoy the service, the generous breakfast buffet and generally being pampered.”
The need to pamper is something that the good people of Mulia understand. Thick walls, double glazed windows and doors with tight shut gaps silence the hustle of the highways below, isolate you from the world outside and your neighbours’ antics. Thick rubber back curtains eliminate signs of light and life from outside, effortlessly.
Furthermore, space is something city folk crave and its suites offer exactly that. Admittedly, Hotel Mulia’s three types of deluxe rooms will satiate one’s pampering need. Ultimately, a 595-square metre Presidential Suite with a study, kitchenette and 12-seater dining table, might just cure any claustrophobes!
Besides, there is something sinfully decadent about electronically controlled toilet amenities that appeal delightfully. The bidet has been redefined and honed to perfection.
EPICUREAN DELIGHTS
How well a sanctuary functions depends on how well it rejuvenates your senses holistically. While Hotel Mulia’s spa is nothing short of a pampering jolt, so are its eight Western or Oriental food and beverage outlets.
There is a sense of gratification with every mouthful, a thankfulness for the sensitivity of a palate able to catch hints of flavours, as one floats on the fragrance of each dish.
To relieve aches and undo knots caused by stress, Hotel Mulia’s masseuse awaits. Its spa is typical of a city spa with views of the highways and golf course below. Bear in mind, that is not what counts.
The only thought bouncing around in one’s head during its Balinese Herbal Massage would be, “I am being kneaded like bread dough under a rolling pin” and welcomingly so.
The masseuse’s ability to seek out those knots and aches is incredible. You know it works when you glance out of the spa’s window to the highways or the city’s skyline below and feel oddly removed from it all.
There is an out of body feeling that prevails after the massage. Apparently, the wise ones call this feeling, being relaxed.
New Straits Times