Hotelling it

Now that I’ve completed my 100th world record attempt by circumnavigating Borneo with a special lock in place on my body, I’ve been treated like a king by the locals here in Banjarmasin city, south Kalimantan, Indonesia.

There are so many hotels in this city, and I’m pleased to have had the privilege of sampling many of their services. Overall, the competition’s stiff, but the ranking – to me – is evident. All are pleasant, but some have impressed me more than others. In a nation of epic smoking addiction, a culture of adding the “3 baddies” to almost every dish and almost non-existent volume controls, I still enjoyed my hotelling. Here’s a quick wrap-up.

Aston Banua – Without a doubt, this hotel on the city’s outskirts is the best I’ve encountered here. Staff have the most pleasant approach, things work and the atmosphere simply fits comfortably everywhere on the premises. Dishes weren’t as sugar-, oil- and salt-saturated as in some of the other hotels and the few smokers were discreetly separated from us wise non-smokers. This is the best of the lot, no doubt about it. If you’re looking for a hotel in Banjarmasin, please call Aston Banua first.

G-sign Hotel – This new hotel has aspirations to be super modern. Unfortunately, having not quite got it right yet, I found things frustrating because multiple technologies throughout the hotel just weren’t up to standard. Smokers ruled the place, it seemed, and that was a turn-off. Management is trying, and that’s fair enough, but they’ve got a lot to improve upon, I think.

Mercure – What a colourful and modern hotel this was. It was busy, and was well-equipped with state-of-the-art services which impressed me nicely. The internet wasn’t really working well but the professional staff was swift at trying to accommodate my needs when asked to.

Nasa Hotel – They are trying hard to control the spread of their customers’ stinking cigarette smoke throughout their premises, but unfortunately I was breathing second-hand smoke around much of the place all the time. Their gym is great and their front desk staff handled me well, but I ingested far too much fat, salt and sugar during my stay. They’re overtly security-conscious which I liked, and I enjoyed my stay here too.

Novotel – Walking into this hotel was like déjà vu. I’m told all their hotels are visually the same, and somehow I sensed this as I stepped inside the lobby. It was smart indeed but a little on the side of too formal for me, I must say. The amount of sugar, salt and fat in the food was a tad off-putting, unfortunately.

Rattan Inn – Their reputation proceeded them and when I walked in, I expected the best. Their service, menu and facilities were all good quality, but noise from the in-house night club literally rocked the nearby walls and windows one night because, it seems, management there doesn’t know about tinnitus. It was a smart stay and one I enjoyed.

Swiss-belHotel – This is somewhat of a homely hotel to me. I felt the menu could do with some cheering up and a health buff check-over, and the internet wasn’t crash hot. But facilities were all good and staff was trying to deliver their best. This was another good stay.

Well, those are my impressions of my hotel hopping here in Banjarmasin. I know it can be offensive of people to tell the truth. But wouldn’t you rather be told honestly than have a smiling customer who’s secretly ready to bolt after check-out?

As for me, I’m working on several world record attempts and have done so in all these hotels. A rather sensual one is coming up next, but I’ll leave the details for later.

Keep watching this blog, follow me if you like it, and best of luck for your own activities.