The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur

The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur

Monica Tindall

The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, offers quiet serenity yet is only steps away from the heart of KL’s bustling dining, entertainment and shopping district. The contrast between the peaceful, sound-proofed luxury property and the buzz of the streets below is dynamic. The 5–star hotel offers an excellent retreat while giving guests access to the vibrant city centre on its doorstep. The tranquillity is an oasis amid the city’s frenzy. 

Location

Located just off the main drag of Bukit Bintang, you couldn’t ask for a better location for visiting Kuala Lumpur, whether as a tourist or a resident looking for a convenient getaway. Some of the city’s most renowned shopping malls, restaurants, bars, boutiques, street stalls, markets, and many public transport options are on this strip. We can’t help but get caught up in the vibe, with street performers, traffic and the buzz of a busy crowd. Yet, within minutes, you can be back inside The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, a sanctuary amongst the excitement.

Rooms

The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, offers a variety of spacious and comfortable guest rooms and suites, all decorated with class and charm. Rooms feature large windows with city or pool views and white marble bathrooms with soaking tubs. A heated bathroom floor adds to the luxurious experience. All rooms are completely closed off, offering privacy and quiet.

Executive suites furnish even more space and privacy. With two bathrooms, a living room, a bedroom, and a dressing room, all separated by heavy wooden doors, these suites are a truly cocooning experience. Blackout curtains and double-glazed windows ensure the room is always silent and dark at night – conducive for light sleepers like me.

We appreciate the refillable glass water bottles, the in-room coffee machine, brownies as part of the turn-down service and the quality of the Asprey bath products. We await the transition to refillable pumps for bath products to reduce single-use plastic waste.

Food & Beverage

We indulge in afternoon tea, a lovely Chinese meal, and a daily buffet breakfast at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur. With the hotel’s proximity to 100s of eateries, deciding whether to dine in or eat out was a tough choice. In the end, we did a bit of both. I’ve included links if you’d like to read more about our experiences. 

Afternoon Tea

The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur offers an elegant Traditional English Afternoon Tea in a quiet setting. For RM160++ for two people, you can enjoy freshly baked scones with clotted cream and jam, warm savouries like chicken pie, spinach quiche, and Scotch eggs, and finger sandwiches with fillings such as coronation chicken, cucumber with cheese, and egg mayo with smoked salmon. Handcrafted desserts include mango cheesecake, raspberry choux, chocolate caramel, citrus orange biscuit, and hummingbird cake. The tea selection includes loose-leaf Ronnefeldt tea served in pretty teapots with a tea candle to keep it warm. The Lobby Lounge, where the tea is served, is a beautifully appointed space with soft furnishings, grand chandeliers, and fresh orchid arrangements. Live harp music enhances the ambience. More photos, timing and pricing can be found here.

Dinner at Li Yen

The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur’s Chinese restaurant, is one of only a few hotel kitchens in the city that serves pork. Recently benefitting from a complete makeover, Li Yen’s culinary excellence and top-notch service are delivered in a beautiful contemporary setting. The restaurant was also mentioned in the 2022 MICHELIN Guide Kuala Lumpur & Penang. Read more about the menu, prices and recommended dishes here.

Breakfast at The Cobalt Room 

Many room rates at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, include a buffet breakfast in The Cobalt Room. We’re happy starting our mornings by detouring from our usual oats with Middle Eastern delicacies like pita, hummus, foul, eggplant, and feta. The spread also includes Western and local hot dishes, an egg station, pancake and waffle station, roti station and noodle station.

If you prefer something lighter, there are also salads, commercial cereals, and yoghurt available. Unlike the boring, sad standard of unripe melon found at too many hotels in the city, The Cobalt Room has an excellent selection of fruits. Expect to find passionfruit, snake fruit, plums, lychees, jackfruit, bananas, and more. We’re also fans of the made-to-order fruit and vegetable juices and appreciate the strength of the coffee.

Further Afield

Guests staying at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, have direct access to The Starhill, a luxury shopping complex with high-end fashion labels, the famous Eslite bookstore and a whole range of dining options. The lower ground floor, The Starhill Dining, encompasses several kitchens, all decorated beautifully and serving diverse cuisines. We try “The Happening Weekend Dinner” at Shook!. It’s generous, comfortable, stylish, has live DJ music and must be one of the best value-for-money buffets in Kuala Lumpur priced at RM125++ per person. Find more details and photos of the buffet here.

The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur Facilities

The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur’s two pools beckon both for those seeking a relaxing weekend with some lounging poolside and those wanting cool refreshment between hot jaunts around the city’s sights. The main pool is for families, but the spa pool is adults-only, and its quiet, intimate setting is precisely what we want on our days off. 

Besides the lovely pool, The Spa Village is one of the best in the city. We don’t have a session on this visit. Still, our past experiences have left us with fond memories of excellent service and quality treatments. However, we use the fitness centre, fit with top-of-the-line Technogym cardio machines, free weights and a couple of strength machines. As always, I’m grateful for 24-hour access and appreciate the chilled wet towels provided on top of the regular water and towel service. 

The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur Review

The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, is a luxurious and well-appointed hotel that offers everything guests need for a quiet, comfortable stay with easy access to the bustling heart of Bukit Bintang. Whether you are travelling for business or pleasure, the hotel is well-equipped to satisfy most needs.

Reasons to stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur: excellent location in the heart of KL’s shopping, dining and entertainment district; at the same time, it’s a quiet and peaceful retreat; we love the adults-only pool located within The Spa Village grounds, and highly recommend signing up for a treatment if you’re a spa fan.

The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur
168, Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur, 55100, Malaysia
+60 18 646 8033 +60 32 782 9033
@ritzcarltonkl

Find more recommendations for hotels in Kuala Lumpur here and stay up-to-date on the latest gourmet and travel happenings around Malaysia here and here.