The Fuller Hotel Kulim is definitely a pleasant find.
“Woah, wasn’t expecting this!” my exclamation of delight startles my father who’d hitherto been engrossed on his phone scrolling through all the festive messages that’s flooded his Whatsapp ‘inbox’. Meanwhile, my mother, who’d spent much of the journey from Kedah en route to Tasek Gelugor, Penang slumped in the backseat in a digestive stupor after all the Raya food we’d consumed from the last ‘open house’ sits up with a start.
“Plenty of parking… that’s good!” mumbles dad as I manoeuvre my car into the parking lot, as mum cranes her neck to get a better look at our lodging for the night. We’d initially planned to find something affordable – and nice – nearer to mum’s kampung in Tasek Gelugor as a base from where we’d visit the rest of our relatives around the area.
But a friend had recommended that we check out the recently-opened Fuller Hotel Kulim, Kedah instead, citing in its favour, its proximity to our intended destination and extolling its many virtues, one of which being its ‘newness’. “It’s also affordable and nicer than many of the 3-star accommodations around there,” he’d added. Of course, we were sold!
And so that’s how, on this breezy Thursday evening, my parents and I found ourselves looking up to the sky, our gaze travelling the length of this lone building that towers over everything else in the tranquil neighbourhood of Kota Kenari, contentedly beaming at our stroke of good luck having managed to secure a room for the night during a festive period.
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NO FRILLS
The reception area.
Manage your expectations – that has always been my mantra whenever I choose a hotel during my travels. Having had the fortune of staying in incredibly nice places – for work, mostly – it’s easy to suddenly sprout high ideals.
The five-storey Fuller Hotel Kulim is a 3-star business hotel, I repeatedly tell myself as I amble over to the reception counter to check in. Motioning to the spacious lobby where an eclectic collection of sofas and chairs are located, and contemporary lighting fixtures dangle from the ceiling, I signal for my parents to wait for me there with our luggage.
The hotel lobby area is contemporary and spacious.
“Check in ka, kak?” A soft voice with a discernible northern accent greets me, her smile wide as I nod my head in answer and take my seat in front of her. My details swiftly keyed in, some useful information relayed, and it’s not long before I’m directed to my room. “Kami provide breakfast tapi simple ja kak (we provide a simple breakfast),” her parting words waft through the lift door as it slowly closes and takes me up to the 4th floor.
Let’s see what boxes the hotel will be able to tick, I muse to myself as the lift door opens to reveal a surprisingly spacious corridor leading to the various category rooms, from standard to family.
HOTEL HIGHLIGHTS
Surprisingly spacious room.
WHAT’S HOT:
The rooms: Top marks for the rooms here. Spacious, contemporary and clean, the well-designed rooms (there are 100 in total) are also well equipped with all the basic amenities for a pleasant stay. An added bonus for us urbanites is the fact that the free WiFi is pretty fast, which is something every good business hotel should have!
Proximity to food outlets and Dobi (laundrette): For people who like to eat at all hours of the day, having eateries nearby is a must. The hotel, which is located fairly close to Kulim town, gets a tick in this box too, with a bustling mamak literally just a couple of doors away. There’s also a smattering of modest Chinese restaurants about 500 metres away so really, there’s not a need for you to take out your car should the hunger pangs strike.
Meanwhile, just next door to the mamak is a modern, self-service laundrette where you can unload your dirty laundry accumulated from all that travelling and ensure that you proceed on your onward journey with freshly washed (and dried) clothes.
Parking space: No need to worry about parking space as there’s plenty of that here. And it’s free. It’s ‘al fresco’ parking, yes, but it’s pretty secure as the parking area is located just by the hotel.
Look out to a view of the hills in the distance.
WHAT’S NOT:
Breakfast offerings: One of the things I look forward to on any hotel stay is breakfast. Or more specifically, the buffet breakfast. Unfortunately, the Fuller Hotel Kulim misses the mark here as it doesn’t actually provide this for guests. However, all is not lost as there is an option to head down to the breakfast room and just take the simple pre-packed breakfast (which might be fried rice or fried noodles bought from a nearby shop somewhere) for starters. You could always head next door to the mamak if you’re still hungry!
Communal ironing: If you’re like me and are fussy about going out in creased clothes, you’d understand the pain of not having an iron (and ironing board) in your room. Fortunately, an iron is provided here at the hotel. Unfortunately, it’s outside somewhere in a nook for everyone on the same floor to use. It’s not ideal but hey, at least there IS an iron and board!
