Somerset Medini Iskandar Puteri — Attraction in Iskandar Puteri

firstly, i chose this service apartment because of 3 reasons.. 1st being my previous pleasant experience with Somerset Puteri Harbour (which has changed to another provider), and 2nd being its location just next to Legoland Malaysia.. 3rd being the cost between staying here and staying in Legoland hotel is such a huge difference..||drove in via Tuas and reached the service apartment within 15mins after clearing the Malaysia customs, there is a RM10 parking charges for a 3D2N stay.. and you will need to show the parking receipt every time u enter or exit.. slightly annoyed by that as Somerset Puteri Harbour was free parking but not a show stopper.. but i think more can be done to brighten up the carpark area which was fairly dark.. ||went up to the 2nd floor lobby for the reception and was greeted with a smile by the receptionist, and check in was considered a breeze cos they were anticipating my arrival.. my room was allocated to me and off i went to check out the apartment.. my apartment was located at the end of the floor which was good cos hopefully it isn't too noisy.. ||1st glance, and had good vibes about this stay.. it had the tv, dining table, induction cooker, washing machine+dryer (they even provided the washing powder), fridge and even an oven for some minor heating or cooking which is great.. 2nd room had a king sized bed which is fantastic for my toddler and my helper to get their rest.. the master room also had a king sized bed and a lovely toilet and bath tub to relax at the end of a long day.. did asked for more pillows when i booked thru the Agoda app but sadly it wasn't there.. didn't requested again cos i don't want to go thru the hassle again.. so will be good if the hotel staff could take note of such requests..||i do feel it is time the apartments can do with some slight refurbishing?? there were some parts of the bathrooms that had mould and grouts were peeling off.. the water from the basin and the bathtub does not drain off very well.. and the flooring in the master room was also "moveable".. but generally it is still clean and tidy..||i think the whole apartment is very well thought out, minimum sharp edges on the table, the shoe cabinet, the drawers and such.. which is lovely becos you do not want a toddler to get hurt.. the height of the sofa or the bed is just nice for them to climb up and down.. but i would add a point of maybe having a anti slip mat available in the bathroom.. toddlers being toddlers are hyper active, and my little one unfortunately bumped his head on the floor while showering.. so an anti slip mat will be good to have.. if anything more serious i would head to Gleneagles Hospital which is next door (just cross one street) but thankfully i do not have to..||food wise, breakfast has the usual cereals, beverages, bread station, egg station, some porridge and the usual Asian cuisine like the nasi lemak and curry chicken.. does feel a little lacking as compared to the Somerset Puteri Harbour which has more varieties.. there is a 24hours mini mart on the ground floor, will need to walk about 3 mins to get to it.. has all the basic necessities and even frozen food, best part is they accept cashless payment as well.. but i drive so getting elsewhere for a meal is easy... ||coming to Legoland, it is a breeze (5-7mins) getting there from the apartment.. just need to go down to the ground floor, cross one street and you will arrive at the Mall of Medini.. there is Starbucks, KFC, Burger King and one B.I.G supermarket.. it is so near, i went there twice in 2 days.. cos my toddler loves the water park at Legoland.. and given that there is a washing machine+dryer in the apartment, makes it so easy to go again..||staff wise, i have been greeted with smiles from all the staff that i met during my 3D2N stay.. they were even willing to play and entertain my toddler when he was at the lobby or at the restaurant.. thus making this stay really nice and comfortable.. they were also nice enough to accommodate my late checkout till 3pm as it was naptime between 1230pm to 230pm for my toddler.. ||overall, i am pleased that Somerset has met expectations for my stay, and will definitely choose this place again.. who needs Legoland Hotel when you have...

I've been here a few times and honestly the location is their "winning 5 star" if you're here to go to Legoland (but that is if you're not planning to stay at Legoland Hotel) Anyway, in my previous stay, I mentioned about cleanliness (mind you it was just some minor issue). On the 23rd December 2021 we came back but as I was only able to late check-in (room will only be ready by 10pm onwards to give ample time for their house keeping to do the necessary), I finally got into the room (2004). When I entered a room, normally I will check the whole room's condition. To my surprised, some things were not ready eg; towels, floor mat & the floor was dusty. However this time, the bed sheet looked like it was not changed at all. Since I was tired frm Legoland activities the whole day I decided to rest and was sure that its impossible for Somerset Medini Iskandar Puteri to do such thing. The next morning, I only reallized tht the bed spread had blood stain and it was so crumpled (both bed spread and bed sheet) that you know it was not changed for next guests. Called for house keeping but their receptionist said we don't do any cleaning or change the bed cover since you are here for only 2 days. I mentioned my concerned due to the blood stain found and was worried about the hygenic of the room since this pendamic and was firmed to the receptionist that I need this to be changed immediately! House keeping came soon after and we spoke. They mentioned that this thing do happen frm the night shift and they were sorry. The 2 gentlemen came and did say that the management was not ready for high occupancy since the release of inter state movement. PROBLEM is, you're an establised hotel and remember this is not your first time managing your guests!! There was a saying that everytime you're leaving the hotel, please help the next guest get a clean fresh bed cover by pulling them off and leaving it on the floor. This is true!!!! Please make sure u check the room's condition and make complaints if you see things are not how it's supposed to be.

IS IT VALUE FOR MONEY???? If you're planning to book this hotel, don't bother to include their breakfast. The new "caterer" did not manage their SOP accordingly eg; buffet spread need social distancing and each guest should be given the plastic gloves or someone should assist with the food to avoid multiple hands using the same serving spoon. Their waiters were holding plates and all cutleries bare handed and this is not safe for everyone especially during this pandemic! Overall, this hotel is not ready to serve their guests! We can take action by reporting to the right authorities. Please please ensure that if you have options to look for accommodation when visiting Legoland, there are plenty of other hotel apartments...

Went during peak season (long weekend) - arrived at 5pm, was told room would be ready by 7pm, came back at 8pm only to wait for another two hours - 5 hours of waiting (5-10pm). There's no proper queue system to check in. The allocation of rooms were not exactly transparent as well, with seemingly guests who made more fuss getting their rooms first. The hotel is obviously having manpower crisis with housekeeping staff in dire shortage (not helped by the fact Singapore is just nearby offering better pay). If delay was to be expected, suggest to be honest with the guests on the exact delivery time of room keys (you can very well estimate based on number of housekeeping staff & rooms needed to be cleaned). We can then make an early informed decision whether to cancel our booking and hunt for rooms elsewhere. At nighttime, it's obviously difficult to do so.

Top management staff were nowhere to be seen, pity the reception staff who were bearing the full brunt of guests' wrath. The staff at counter obviously couldn't cope, dealing with issues beyond their paygrade. The general manager of the hotel should come to the ground to see how things were and help the staff. It's a recurring issue and lack of staffing is not an adequate excuse. Many hotels are dealing with the same issues but they fare much better. It's certainly damaging to the Ascott branding. The 24-hour stay notice at the lift door was a slap in the face. I blame the top management for this.

Others: Room: Two-bedroom unit was spacious, well furnished but it's a bit rundown. Cleanliness was acceptable.

Parking: paid at entry to a security guard, in which you need to hold on to the receipt as your entry pass each time you re-enter the parking lot. RM10 for two nights. Spaces were limited (peak season) and parking was dim at many areas.

Breakfast: Not much expectation from a serviced apartment, so it's alright for me. Nasi lemak/noodles/chicken/hotdogs/porridge/salad/fruit/bread/juices. No anchovies for nasi lemak.

Distance to Legoland: This is the saving grace for the hotel. It's easy to walk to Legoland via the shopping mall, 5-10 mins walk from hotel entrance.

If you are planning to come to Legoland NOT during peak season, you can try your luck. That will explain the 5 star rating that they get sometimes.

For me, I won't be coming back again be it low or peak season after such a traumatic experience for me and my family. Good luck...