Working can be incredibly tiring, especially when you have done the same thing over and over again for the past few years. This post goes out to all the white collar workers out there, who strives each day to provide not only for their families, but for themselves as well. It is a cruel world out there and working day and night may not be the best solution to all, but it needs to be done. 

Hence the idea of a 'Staycation'. For those that do not know what that means. It is actually a short trip, probably 1 or 2 nights away at somewhere nearby, probably 30-50KM away from where you live. It's not exactly travelling outstation, more of a change of pace. A fresh look for a weekend if you will.

And what better way to spend some time here, at a lovely boutique hotel at Selayang? So here it is, my stay at Hotel Richbaliz for the weekend. 

But before that, a short summary on Hotel Richbaliz. It is the first, if not only, hotel in Malaysia to have an EM Certification from Japan. Apparently, EM stands for 'Effective Microorganisms', consists of a variety and beneficial bacteria that is produced organically and naturally. There is a whole page dedicated to explaining what EM does, and how does it help but I will not go to that detail. For those who are interested, have a read over here http://www.emrojapan.com/page/7-whatisem/.

Anyway, back to the hotel. It's located at the far end of Selayang, but is searchable through Google Maps, so getting here isn't much of a hassle. After all, it's one straight road from LDP all the way pass Kepong. 

It is also a boutique hotel, which means that it's a converted shoplot with a touch of contemporary and rustic architecture. Making not only the place look a whole lot better, but feel as such as well. It's clean, well-maintained and vibrant. 

Upon arrival, you can opt to park at the basement parking located right opposite of Hotel Richbaliz, or pray to have a parking available right at the side. I know I did, and amazingly got it. 

My check-in process was quick and efficient, got the access card within 5 minutes and then proceed to my room.

As for the room, I opted for the Executive Suite (RM205) because why not right? It's a lovely weekend and I intend to spend a quality time here. It is after all, not that expensive as a fancy meal would costs twice as much. So Executive Suite it is!

*There are about 9 types of room available in which I will explain more later at the end. 

A short tour of the room and what it consists.

- King sized bed with two side tables with lighting controls. 

- 32inch flat screen TV with DVD player.

- Mini fridge with canned drinks such as Coke and Heineken. (Not complimentary)

- Snack bar (Not complimentary)

- A small coffee bar with two Aristo Shots, Spritzer Water and tea/sugar/creamer (Complimentary)

- A amazingly huge bathroom, with complimentary seasalt-footbath and a chair. 

- Hair dryer and shower essentials such as shampoo, shower gel, toilet paper, towels and of course, hot shower.

- Really strong air cond. 

- Window with sunblock blinds.

- Safe with passcode.

- Side table for putting bags.

That is basically a run down of what the room has, which is pretty much everything you'll need for a stay-over.

Now, personally, I believe there are 3 elements which makes the top priority in a hotel stay - comfort of bed, hot shower and air conditioning. All of which Hotel Richbaliz has. 

The bed was incredibly soft yet firm, with more pillows than I need along with an aircond that is stronger than two Mercedes. The hot shower too, with it's rain-type-shower-head was more than pleasurable. 

Lighting was a little warm, which made photo-taking really difficult, but the ambiance was more than comfortable. For those who wanna watch movies, it is recommended to bring some DVDs or perhaps an adapter for your laptop, so that you can plug it into the TV and watch. 

With that in place, I went for a short discovery trip where I did not actually realise when I was going up, that there was a water dispenser on the ground floor. Heck, it was bloody Coway, quite a luxurious offering. There was hot, warm and cold settings available, all of which worked perfectly. 

This is what most hotels are missing out - a good water filter/dispenser. How can any of them deprive human of natural resources. Most of the time I had to boil several times a day just to get enough water, not to mention the cooling process. 

Of course, there is a cafe located right next to it, with public toilets and a public lounge. Nothing too unusual but definitely good to have. 

Now back to the room, we spent a whole day watching Youtube and what not, discussing on future travel trips and adventures. Since the internet was pretty fast, we took the opportunity to. After a good full day of watching other Youtubers and travellers, we were hungry. 

And what better way to enrich the experience of a Staycation if it wasn't room service! Yeah! The epitome of laziness for once after all that hardwork in the office. Simply dial to the reception and place your order as the menu is already in the room. 

We opted for the chicken chop and sambal fish with rice, and 2 iced lemon tea. Both of which came out to be huge! Bloody hell, how could anyone possibly finish that? Not to mention that the price too was more than affordable. The delivery time was pretty quick, roughly 20-30 minutes. 

I won't go in too detail on the food, but rest assured that the chicken chop was crispy, tender and packed with flavour. I did not like the sauce as much, but it was okay to say the least. As for the rice, the sambal was hella spicy, but tasted really good. The prawns were fresh but the fish was a little difficult to handle. Overall, still pleasant. 

Followed by a series of watching movies, writing blogpost and well, posting on relevant social media platforms. We spent the whole day laying like pigs in mud - perfect! 

The next morning, we headed down for the included breakfast meal. We went for the Smoked Salmon burger and scrambled eggs set. They aren't the most exclusive, but it was done quite nicely. The breakfast also came with a choice of coffee or tea, where we opted for tea. After all, there is two shots of Aristo Coffee which we've yet to try. (Actually, I have, some place else)

Anyway, back to the hotel before checking out, a shot of coffee in a classic Kopitiam cup. Instructions are fairly simple and if you can't figure it out, there's a menu on the side. Simply add water, turn it on and insert the capsule, wait for 30 seconds for the water to heat up and press the button!

That basically concurs the Staycation of week. It was short but undeniably fun. Perhaps we should do it more often, every few months or so. A short getaway goes a long way in life! 

Address:

Hotel Richbaliz at Selayang
No 13, Selayang Point, Jalan SP 1 Batu Caves, 68100 Selangor, Malaysia
(Opposite Selayang Hospital)

Tel: 603 - 6138 5555
Fax: 603 - 6120 1155

Email: frontoffice@hotelrichbaliz.com.my

Web: http://www.hotelrichbaliz.com.my/

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