The main airport of Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur International Airport or KLIA, is located at about an hour drive from the city center. Travelers with a short stopover have the option to either stay in one of the city center hotels, or at one of the airport hotels. Sama-sama Hotel KLIA – previously known as Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport – is the only 5 star airport hotel nearby KLIA.
From the hotel you can easily travel to Kuala Lumpur City Center. It takes about 5 minutes to walk from the lobby of the hotel to the main KLIA terminal. From there you can take the KLIA Express train that departs every 15 minutes. This train takes less than 30 minutes to take you from KLIA to KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur’s central train station. From this train station you can easily take the metro to KLCC station, right below the famous PETRONAS Twin Towers and also below the popular shopping mall Suria KLCC.
The hotel lobby has a pleasant atmosphere, though we were disappointed that guests are allowed to smoke in this big area. Thought we weren’t really bothered by it, you could still clearly notice the smell of cigarettes. On a more positive side, all rooms and hallways are smoke-free zones. People at the reception were kind and efficient. Opposite of the reception you have a lounge area where you can enjoy a beverage or have light meal. Connected to the main lobby there are a few restaurants and also the buffet breakfast area. There are signs that show the direction of KLIA, it is easy to walk from the lobby to the airport. If you exit the hotel at the side entrance, you can jump on one of the buggies that will take you to the main terminal of KLIA. From here it’s a short escalator ride to the departure terminal.
Rooms looked great overall, but could use a refurbishment. Though there were no clear signs of wear and tear, it was clearly not a top-notch room (anymore). Each room offers all the facilities you could want. There is complementary broadband internet via network cable or WIFI. There is a nice 32” LCD television with many channels, including a few movie channels. There are also two channels that show the arrival and departure times of KLIA. The mini-fridge is locked, to use it you have to call the reception first. Each room has a safe, and there are also small safes at the reception to store important documents and such. Right next to the work table there was a row with power sockets, accessible to every kind of adapter, so you don’t have to bring your own universal travel adapter along.
We had great views over the main runway of KLIA, seeing airplanes take off every few minutes. You can see the planes from a short distance, but you do not hear them at all (great sound proofing).
The hotel has its own spa, Tamara Spa, where you can enjoy numerous treatments including the ‘Jet-Lag Recovery Treatment’; great for those that have traveled a long way and could use some relaxation. The hotel has a very nice pool area, with many flatbeds to lie on. The whole area is beautifully designed; you would think you are relaxing at the pool of some island resort instead of at an airport hotel. Right next to the pool you have a tennis court and a gym.
Breakfast at Sama-sama Hotel KLIA was of pretty high standard. We enjoyed numerous freshly made dishes, and the bread and coffee was very nice too.
We really enjoyed our stay at Sama-sama Hotel KLIA. It is a nice 5 star hotel (or 4+), with all amenities that you’d expect from an airport hotel. We thought the rooms were so-so, and that they could definitely use an upgrade. No reasons to avoid this hotel, as the rooms were still in very good shape. If you are staying in Kuala Lumpur for a few days; we would suggest staying in the city center. If you are only in Malaysia for a short while due to a stopover Sama-sama Hotel KLIA would be a great place to stay. At websites like Agoda.com or Booking.com you can often find great deals for this hotel.
