THE brightly lit hotel lobby is buzzing with guests, despite the fact that it is a weekday.
While most of the guests are smartly dressed business travellers, I can spot a couple of young families too - patiently waiting to be checked in.
Since its opening in 2016, the stunning high-rise Le Meridien Putrajaya which sits in a prime location of IOI Resort City really attracts my attention, every time I drive by the South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE).
However since we live not too far away, the hotel isn't really in our staycation bucket-list.
Fast forward to the post-pandemic era with a one-year old in tow, it seems practical to take a staycation close to home, especially since my daughter doesn't really like travelling long distances.
STAY
The hotel offers eight types of rooms, each is said to be able to cater for every need. My small family of three books the Guest Room with Club Lounge Access as it comes with special benefits like evening bar service and such.
Another plus point is that the 40 sqm room is quite spacious with basic furniture, especially if you opt for a room with a King sized bed.
I absolutely love the simplicity of the whole space. There is just a sofa, a work desk with an ergonomic chair, complete with an electrical outlet.
A darker shade of wood is used on the furniture to make the cream-painted room a little elegant.
But for me, a brightly lit room with plenty of natural light is what makes it more refined.
Following the modern trend, the attached bathroom has a see-through wall looking out to the bedroom which is probably designed to make the room look bigger.
While some might not like the idea, especially guests on working trips, sharing rooms - but for families with young children like us, it is quite convenient to watch your young ones while they bathe in the tub.
EAT
Wanting to have a little bite, we head down to Latitude 02, a coffee house located at the lobby that serves crafted coffee and sweet indulgence in a very chic setting.
For the month of November, the cafe is holding a Coffee Month promo offering a three-tier Afternoon Tea set for two people at such an affordable price.
The set comes with a mix of sweet and savoury desserts such as pies, scones, creme brulee, petite Madeleine and many more.
The Afternoon Tea is served daily from 2.30pm to 6pm, but early reservations are required for the outlet to prepare your dishes on time.
At night, the cafe transforms into a sophisticated bar where classic aperitifs and sparkling wines add modern twists to the social ritual of cocktail hour.
For dinner, we head to Latest Recipe, the hotel's main restaurant serving all-day dining with a vibrant atmosphere.
Since Latest Recipe only serves a daily breakfast buffet and weekend brunch and dinner buffets, we order from the a la-carte menu.
But, everything on the menu looks good. The friendly server highly recommends the Nasi Goreng Istimewa which is one of the signature dishes in the restaurant.
Lo and behold, the fried rice is so good! It has that charred wok taste, with plenty of seafood and chicken cubes. The portion is huge and there's pandan chicken, deep-fried fresh water prawns, sunny side up, crackers, acar Nyonya pickles and sambal on the sides!
We also order the Malay Style Oxtail Soup, which is not too spicy, for my daughter to go with a plate of plain rice. She really enjoys her dinner!
My husband goes for his choice of protein, Australian Black Angus Striploin that is served with roasted herb baby potatoes, sauteed butter garlic cherry tomatoes, vegetables and Australian asparagus. It also comes with a kicking Sarawak black pepper mushroom sauce.
With the year-end holiday season coming soon, the restaurant is cooking a wonderful menu for dinner for Christmas and new year celebrations.
The menu includes Roasted Premium Pineapple Chicken with Bread and Chestnut Stuffing, Roasted Ribeye Beef, Rosemary Crumbed Rack of Lamb and Christmas Baked Salmon with Tapenade, Braised Beef Cheeks with winter vegetables.
Of course there are some yummy desserts to look out for such as Illy Coffee Yule Log, Top Forwards Black Forest Cake and the chef's special cookies!
Craving for Chinese cuisine, we head to Le Mei, a signature restaurant serving Chinese food especially Cantonese dishes. The restaurant is also famous for its dimsum picks!
We go for its Tourmaline Set Lunch which is a combination of some of the chef selections like Shunde style traditional shredded fish soup, braised morel mushrooms with pumpkin and homemade bean-curd, as well as wok fried assorted seafood with rice noodle and superior soy sauce.
For dim sum, we are served with steamed fresh prawn with chives and cuttlefish sauce dumplings, chicken and shrimp dumplings filled with mushroom siew mai, deep fried crispy yam puff with black pepper salmon fish as well as deep fried shrimp rolls with cheese and cereal.
One of my favourite dishes at Le Mei is definitely its herbal jelly served with honey, a very healthy and refreshing pick as it has a distinguished taste and is not too sweet.
DO
The hotel has the standard facilities like a fitness centre with a lush greenery view and outdoor swimming pool.
It's actually a benefit to stay over the weekdays as the pool area is not overly crowded.
GO
The hotel is conveniently connected to the mall which is a plus bonus. There are plenty of great retail outlets and dining options, and some great attractions for families too!
VERDICTS
HIGHS Linked to the IOI City Mall, you can go for retail therapy anytime when you're there and oh my goodness, the variety of restaurants there is outstanding. Recently opening the second phase of its expansion, the mall is now said to be the largest in the country!
LOWS It has that business-like feel, very modern and sleek but the hotel absolutely welcomes family-stays and you wouldn't be disappointed as the mall offers plenty of great attractions like Icescape Ice Rink, District 21, IOI City Farm, Dreamworld Playland and many more.
FAST FACTS
LE MERIDIEN PUTRAJAYA
Lebuh IRC, IOI Resort City, Sepang, 62502 Putrajaya
TEL 03 8689 6888
WEBSITE lemeridienputrajaya.com