Ms Garden Kuantan

The furniture are not maintain. The bathtub was cracked, the swimming pool tiles were broken. The breakfast does not potray its reputation, roti canai was instant. Only watermelon in the fresh fruit list, no scramble eggs, no fresh juice.

When arrived to the lobby there were already about 15 people demanding for their reserved rooms which the hotel did not have. The receptionist just told us that the hotel was overbooked like it was the customers fault. The incompetent staff had given all the rooms out despite reservations and then went to the back room to hide. Never seen anything like this. They did not come out even when new people arrived to the lobby and rang the bell. Terrible service. This is the lowest quality operation in Kuantan.

I suppose it must be the economic climate as most hotels outside Kuala Lumpur seem to be time-locked in the 90s. Perhaps nostalgia makes them want to preserve the looks when they first opened decades back. The Kuantan GC is no exception. Tight-knit carpet, 3’ beds (twins they call them here) instead of 4’ present day singles, shower in tub with plastic curtains (nope, not glass), and the bedside console (yep! They are still in use). That said, there are rooms that have been refurbished to keep up with the times although they are fairly basic. Here, you still shower in the old tub but apart from shower hose, they have rain shower head and with glass partition. Relative to similar-starred Kuantan hotels, the GC ranks better. The rooms are equipped with mini bar, drinks facilities, iron, hair dryer, even international socket (how thoughtful) near the desk. Old it may be but it does the job if you are in Kuantan for a business. There are underground car park, valet parking and convenience shop. The Swan Chinese Restaurant is decent if you are hosting. Breakfast offering is fairly basic (beware: no butter but only margarine). Frankly if one is willing to take a short drive or walk, there are nearby breakfast outlets that offer better bang for your bucks. If you are not into hotel food, the Sara Thai across the road does decent Thai dinner fare for reasonable prices. There is also an all day dining “mamak” at the back of the hotel. Verdict: GC does the job, especially for the price.