Thistle Hotel Johor
A recent jaunt around Malaysia inevitably brought me to Johor Bahru to enjoy the bright lights and duty free shopping of the Zon, the sea breeze at Danga Bay and investigate the arts and culture scene of Malaysias' second city.
But where to stay? Most of the tourist spots are spread out across the city, there is no Bukit Bintang or Upper Penang Road type of area complete with everything the average tourist wants to see.
I compromised and stayed outside of the city centre in the Thistle Johor Bahru Hotel located on Jalan Sungai Chat.
Within walking distance there is the famous clock tower Dataran Bandaraya and the Mewar Art Gallery.
The Johor Art Gallery, Royal Abu Bakar Museum, Johor Zoo, Danga Bay and the Istana Besar (Grand Palace) are quite close whereas the city centre shopping malls and Fun Zon are just a short taxi ride away.
The Thistle Johor Bahru is a 5 star hotel with some excellent facilities including the Clark Hatch Fitness Gym, The Life Spa, The Orchid Ballroom, fine dining in 4 restaurants and a great bar called Hive featuring live bands.
I had two nights in Johor Bahru and I found the hotel was very busy on both days, I viewed this as proof the Thistle Johor Bahru Hotel is popular and the bonus is the atmosphere around the place is so much better, I do dislike staying in empty hotels.
The hotel design transforms a compact pool area into a deceptively spacious expanse complete with alfresco dining areas, romantic bridges and comfortable relaxing areas, yet the limited but resourceful use of greenery still manages to disguise the outside concrete jungle to give a feeling of both exclusivity and privacy.
My stay at the Thistle Johor Bahru Hotel was in a very comfortable standard room with 1 king bed and a powerful shower in a clean and bright bathroom.
The Thistle JB is a good business class hotel with high speed broadband available throughout the hotel so there is no need to worry about missing those vital e-mails before any prospective meetings.
This was my first visit to Johor and I did enjoy my stay at the Thistle, the relaxing environment made my sightseeing expeditions all the better for being totally revitalised.
I would definitely consider staying at the Thistle Johor Bahru in the future and would recommend it to friends and colleagues alike.
Thistle At A Glance
The Thistle has 382 rooms and 8 function rooms whilst the excellent facilities of the Clark Hatch fitness centre, the swimming pools, bars and restaurants available ensure you a pleasant and relaxing time during your stay at the Thistle Johor.
