Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson – 12th Mile, Jalan Pantai, Pasir Panjang, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, 71250, Malaysia
Date of Stay: March 2016
So we’ve been pretty burnt out at work and I wanted to arrange a surprise 3d2n getaway to celebrate his birthday, but I severely underestimated the cost of a whole trip for 2 (2 x transportation, accommodation… why so ex?!). I spent days searching for a place which was not too far away, a little luxurious yet not too expensive, what a typical Singaporean!
No flights, since they were too damn ex – so I was left with either Indonesia or Malaysia to run to! After comparing prices, and hotels, I decided on Port Dickson.
Port Dickson (Malaysia) is situated about an hour away from Kuala Lumpur, approximately 5 hours by bus from Singapore. Thankfully, they had a direct coach from Singapore straight to the hotel (SGD$70/round trip), so the transportation was pretty straightforward.
Why Port Dickson? Like so many others, I was so taken with the pictures of Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson that I literally decided on the place FOR the hotel.
This is literally a dream come true – villas on the water, looking out into the vast sea, private pool, a true getaway.
So how did it fare?
Location
We set off from Concorde Inn at 9am, and reached the hotel around 2pm, just in time for the check-in. The coach ride was moderately comfortable, and certainly nothing to complain about. 5 hours was pretty tolerable (any longer would be painful!)
Hotel
The hotel was so HUGE, it required you to take a buggy around. Although that sounds like a logistical nightmare, their service was prompt, efficient and very friendly. We had a few issues at the start of the trip (more details later) that were resolved patiently by the staff.
There were many buggies around to ferry the hordes of tourists, and you could even call for a buggy to pick you up from your room!
Food
There are a 2 restaurants at the hotel – Roselle Cafe (western food, nothing much to brag about) and Umi Japanese. I was very impressed with Umi! For about SGD$65 we got
- 3 types sashimi
- Cod fish set meal (with rice, soup, salad)
- Teriyaki salmon set meal
- Dynamite sushi (monster-sized)
The food was really good and well-worth the money!
Room service was not unreasonably expensive, about SGD$10 per main, but food didn’t taste fantastic.
Buffet Breakfast had a wide spread from omelettes, hashbrowns, sausages to asian food like Nasi Lemak and porridge. Thumbs up!
TIP: You can also get a taxi to go outside of the hotel for seafood, which most people do. However we were quoted about SGD15 (one-way) to travel to the seafood place. Since there were only 2 of us, it didn’t make sense to pay SGD$30 just to travel there and eat 1 crab (we weren’t big-eaters) :/ So if you are travelling in a group, do check it out!
ROOMS *The main point of the entire stay here!
Let’s be honest here, at this place, you get what you pay for.
We initially paid for the Premium Pool Villa (SGD$200/night). However, it was only a half-sea view, since we were also facing the nearby villas. That was the thing that bothered me most – I didn’t want to be relaxing in the pool and staring at my neighbours relax in their pools. And I planned to relax in the pool, alot.
Since there were some Premium Pool Villas facing only the sea, we asked if we could move rooms to the ones further right. However they told us we would have to pay extra SGD$59/night (just for a better view).
An upgrade of room category to the bigger Panorama Pool Villas would be SGD$80/night. Since I didn’t feel good in the old room (sink was not working, steam room not working, TV not working…) we decided to upgrade to the Panorama Pool Villa.
The staff were helpful in assisting us to view the Panorama Pool Villa before we made a decision to upgrade (they picked us up from our room, brought us to view, brought us to the counter to do the necessary admin and dropped us in our new rooms).
Total damage: $280/night
Now that all the issues were over, we settled in our new room, and it was LOVELY.
86 square-meter room, huge wide-screen TV, bathtub facing the sea, 2 king-sized beds, private steam room and of course, our private pool facing the vast sea.
It came with daily complimentary snacks, water, coffee/tea and cold soft-drinks – no charge for the minibar, yaas!
We literally spent most of the time lounging in the pool, soaking up some sun and then watching TV. In my opinion, it’s one of the best places to do nothing.
My favourite part? Staring into the sea.
My conclusion? It’s either all or nothing here. If you want to really enjoy these luxuries, upgrade to the Panorama Pool Villas facing the sea (there are even more pricey villas available). Don’t travel all the way here and settle for a villa facing the shore or another villa – this sea view is amazing.
P.S. The bathtub facing the sea? You can soak and enjoy the view outside, but if you are going to stand up and shower/rinse-off, please pull the blinds down haha! From experience, there are some jetskis or boats going by.
Other than that, I had a great experience on my 3d2n getaway to Port Dickson, definitely worth going! If you like this post, share and spread the love!
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