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RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL
No place in the world has better service than Asia – and the Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur proved that the moment I pulled up. I was in awe when I saw four people do what most of the time not one person does in other hotels. One person opened my door, another welcomed me, the third went directly to the trunk for my bags, and the fourth held the front door of the hotel open for me. It didn’t end there either. I started to walk to the front desk, but my chaperone said, "It’s okay, Mr. DiScala" (my real name). "We do the check-in in the room." I was quickly whisked up a fast elevator to the 11th floor (out of 20), where I was shown around my plush room (one of the hotel’s 248). All rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, beautiful furnishings, a marble bathroom, free high-speed internet (not wireless), a flat screen TV (with satellite, so I could catch the sport scores on ESPN), a DVD player, and -- most importantly -- a comfortable bed. Most impressive of all was what I noticed just before I went to sleep: One of the pillowcases had my initials in blue stitching. Talk about personalized service -- and they do this for every guest. Is that unreal?!

RITZ’S BUTLER SERVICE
The service at this luxury boutique hotel did not stop there. As my chaperone promised, my "butler" arrived a few minutes later -- with a glass of fresh juice and a cold towel. She took my credit card information, and asked if there was anything she could do (like get a shirt pressed, shoes shined, make dinner reservations…). The Ritz-Carlton offers Malaysia’s first all-butler service, and it doesn’t cost anything extra. That’s not even the best part. Take a guess how much rooms cost a night. $450? That was my guess – but WRONG! Rooms at the Ritz begin at $104 a night. Is that crazy? That’s another reason why I love Asia: Everything is so much cheaper. Now take a guess how much a stamp costs for a postcard to the U.S.? Try .50 MYR (13 cents). It’s unbelievable, isn’t it?

RITZ-CARLTON RESIDENCES
I know what you’re thinking: At those prices, why not live there? Well, the Ritz-Carlton has an answer to that too. Next door is a 33-story building, with 110 luxury service apartments available for short and/or long term rentals (mostly business travelers). They are designed the same as the hotel rooms, except they come with 2 or 3 bedrooms and are equipped with flat screen TV’s, walk-in closets, maid service and a kitchen. The Ritz – Carlton Hotel, 168 Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; tel.: 011-60-3-2142-8000.

FOOD AT THE RITZ
When I was done emailing all my friends about how affordable this place is, I went down to the dining room for breakfast (it too is included in the daily rate). After some green guava juice, and beef rendang and eggs (there was also a full American breakfast buffet that would put any U.S. hotel to shame), I was off to the gym. It’s open 24 hours, near the pool and spa (more on the spa in a moment). Later that evening I met up with the group I would be touring Malaysia with. We had dinner together at the Li Yen ("Beautiful Garden") in the Ritz’s fine-dining Chinese restaurant. The restaurant is known for its Cantonese specialties, including dim sum and Peking duck. Who knew that fried duck skin would taste so good?

THE SPA VILLAGE
Although the Ritz-Carlton is located in the heart of the city’s business and commercial district along the trendy "Bintang Walk" – a street lined with upscale shops, residences, malls, cafes and pubs -- I did not explore it. I was too busy enjoying the services from the hotel. Can you blame me? None was greater was my trip to the Spa Village, located on the ground floor of the Residences building. The 12,000-square foot spa has 8 indoor/outdoor treatment rooms. Guests are greeted with cold towels, ice water, and hot tea. I set up an array of their specialties. My first appointment was a visit to their new "Sensory Room." This is supposed to provide "a backdrop for the healing vibrations in the sensory experience." I have no idea what that means, but I did this hour-long unique experience with my group just a few hours after landing. I know: That’s not the best time to do something like this. Ideally to combat jet lag, one should be in bright sun – not a dark, relaxing room with twinkling lights listening to a soft-spoken Malay woman trying to resurrect my sensory (I didn’t know I lost it). The first 20 minutes was spent sampling different spices/herbs to get my sense of taste in order. All I remember is that two of the foods were a pinch of salt (for bitter) and a honey cube (for sweet). The last thing I recall is an army of masseuses with incredibly soothing hands giving each of us a head massage. I woke up hearing my group laughing hysterically, because I was snoring like a bear. Sensory Exploration Group Session: per person 150 MYR ($41), private session 225 MYR ($62).

PAPER UNDERWEAR
It did not finish there. Next, I changed out of my clothes and into some paper underwear – yes, that’s right. The masseuse handed me what looked like an inch-thick mini-bar coaster, and asked me to put it on. I’m assuming Malays are very shy. I had never worn underwear for a massage before -- especially these underpants, shaped and baggy like for a granny with a waist too small for Michael Jackson, let alone a 36-size-waist oaf. But it didn’t matter what I wore, because my masseuse had magical hands. During my first hour I got a traditional Malay massage, with long kneading strokes that focused on the muscles (cost: 225 MYR [$62]). Then I had some kind of hair treatment. It felt good, and I didn’t lose any hair. The grand finale was a body scrub that felt so damn good. The hair treatment cost $26 and the hour-long body scrub costs the same as a massage: $62. When it was over I was off to the milk bath out back to soak and relax, while eating lunch and sipping Chinese tea. The finishing touch before the outdoor shower was roasting in the portable steam room for 10 minutes. When it was over, I felt like a new man. In fact, my colleagues said I glowed.

VIDEO
Here’s a 2-minute Johnny Jet Video of my stay at the Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur (and my flight over). It's on YouTube so it only takes a few seconds to load (though the quality is not as crisp). We also have all the JohnnyJet Videos ever made on their servers as well.

NEXT WEEK
Next week we get out of the Ritz and explore the city, then head to the Malaysian coast!

Happy Travels,
Johnny Jet

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