Tune Hotel Kuala Lumpur International Airport Review

Mrs. Herbivore, as a loyal passanger of Air Asia Flight got a good deal on Tune Hotel KLIA2 via Air Asia's direct marketing. It's a budget hotel for travellers that want to stay close to the airport in destinations served by Air Asia.

We had heard that, previously, one had to pay extra for basics like air conditioning and towels, but we got an all-inclusive rate at around USD45  for the night.  

As we were scheduled to arrive at midnight, and leave at 7 AM, we thought it was worth a go for a few hours rest.

One of the key advantages of Tune Hotel is that it is a very short walk from KLIA2 - maybe a couple of hundred yards.  It's easy to get to from the bottom level of the terminal (although we later discovered a covered walkway from the second level of the terminal).

The foyer of the hotel was bright and welcoming.  The people at reception were friendly, and there's a shop at the bottom where we were able to buy some snacks.

The room itself was basic and pretty average.  There were scuff marks on the walls and doors, but we thought it was okay for a night's rest.

The bathroom was functional, but a bit smelly.

It was late, and we went to bed.  Then the fire alarm went off.  It rang loudly enough to rouse us from our slumber and get our passports so that we could flee the blazing building.  Then it stopped.  

Anxiously, we opened the door and looked out into the corridor. There was no movement.  We looked out the window.  There was no sign of anyone, and certainly no sign of panicked guests evacuating.

So we went back to sleep.

Then the bells rang again.  Again, they rang for only a short time. Long enough to wake us up - but then they stopped.  Bleary-eyed, we opened the door.

This time, we saw a hotel employee cleaning the corridor.  We asked him what was going on.  He started at us blankly as if we were mad.  We told him we heard the fire alarm, and he shrugged and shuffled off along the corridor - and we went back to bed.

Overall?  An average hotel.  Great location if you are travelling via KLIA2, but not so good for a quiet night's sleep.  Our rating: 5/10.

Next Destination : Sri Lanka

Our journey continues.  Our next destination is Sri Lanka. We will spend 12 day travelling around Srilanka. Our plan is to start in Colombo, visit Sigiriya (near Dambulla) and the north Central Province, Kandy and end in Negombo city.

Map courtesy of freemapview.com

We arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) terminal 1 late on a Thursday night.  Our plan was to continue on an Air Asia X Flight to Colombo the following morning.

Because the Air Asia X flight left around 10.00 AM (from KLIA2), we decided to overnight at Tune Hotel KLIA 2.

We had to wait a while for baggage to arrive at the carousel from Lufthansa, then from KLIA, we  needed to take the train to KLIA 2.  This is a short trip (approximately three minutes).  

The trains are clean and efficient, and run every 15-20 minutes. The ticket price is 2 Malaysian Ringgits per person each way. 

(Inconveniently, there are no airside transfers between terminals at KLIA, so if you want to transfer between a full-service airline and Air Asia, you need to clear Immigration and Customs, and then do it all again at the other terminal).

To be Continued :)

Shopping for bags in Chiang Mai

Mrs Herbivore wanted to buy a bag while we were in Chiang Mai.  She was keen to support local products and the local community economy, so we shunned the tourist boutiques and the Night Market and set off to visit the local stalls at the Hmong Market in Chiang Moi, Mueang Chiang Mai.    The Hmong is a local tribe that is known for its colourful fabrics.

The market was a bit difficult to spot.  We crossed the river and had to duck down an alleyway between two stalls visible from the road.  But once inside, we were overwhelmed with choice.

The colours were vibrant and rich.  Everything from pink and green to turquoise and orange.

Most of those shopping at this market appeared to be locals.  There weren't many foreigners evident - but despite this, we found it hard to negotiate.  The stallholders had very much a take it or leave it attitude to pricing.

That said, the Hmong market was certainly much better value than the more touristy Night Market and the high street boutiques.  Mrs Herbivore stocked up on several bags as gifts for friends at home.

The Hmong Market was a family affair.  We hope that supporting these local shops helped the families prosper.

Our rating?  Well, if you want to buy Hmong bags at a reasonable price, it was definitely the place to go: 9/10.

What Wat..?, Wandering Around The Thousand Temples of Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is full of temples - or wats. Many are very old and the most famous is the Wat Chedi Luang on Phrapokklao Road - the construction of which started in the 14th century.  There are in fact several buildings in the complex, some much more recent.

Buddha, of course, was everywhere.

The chedi itself is a magnificent structure.  It's incredible to think that construction began 700 years ago.  We were particularly fond of the large stone elephants that adorn its walls, but sad that tourists aren't permitted to climb it.  

We were keen to soak up the history of the place and think what it must have been like when it was the centre of Chiang Mai.

The more modern structures were well-kept and full of locals, as well as visitors.

As in other parts of Thailand, the authorities put up helpful signs to let the tourists know what you should and shouldn't do in the temples. 

It boils down to treating the wat with respect, as you would any other place of worship - but in the heat of the day, Mr Herbivore was wishing he could have worn shorts.

We didn't meet any overly friendly strangers who offered to show us around town!

At Wat Chedi Luang, each sign of the Chinese Zodiac was represented with a statue.  Mrs Herbivore sign was represented by this cute wee thing.  

These monks were amazing.  They sat so still in the evening at prayer time that they could have been statues.  The chanting made the atmosphere here vibrant but relaxing at the same time.  The cute dog was an added extra!.

Some of the temples are really dog friendly. The Monks take care and allow the dogs to stay inside the temple, two thumbs up for them. 

The wat above was a little off the beaten track.  Close to Wat Chedi Luang, but without the crowds.  It was a good place for a selfie!

At the older sites around Chiang Mai, there was an interesting mix of building materials.  As at Chedi Luang, we liked the elephants here.

We were glad that the Thais let you take photos inside the wats. There were some great shots of Mrs Herbivores and Buddha.

The history of Chiang Mai's many wats continued to amaze us as we toured the city.  We loved the traditional architecture of the wats.

Chiang Mai is an amazing place to visit.  If you visit the wats, your trip to the city can be an intensely spiritual one.  Most wats are free to visit, although donations are sought at some.  As elsewhere in Thailand, the Thais are a very helpful and friendly people (at many of the wats, the Monks even make themselves for Monk Chat on a regular basis!).

Mrs Herbivore has visited many temples in India and Nepal, and found the experience of visiting Chiang Mai's temples to be much easier and friendlier.  We rate the wats 9/10 and strongly urge visitors to Chiang Mai to tour as many as possible.

Chiang Mai, we miss you.

Our search for the Warorot Market, Chiang Mai

Mrs.Herbivore wanted to go shopping, and to see a traditional Thai market in full swing. So, the decision was made, we would get up early the next morning, and walk from our hotel in the old city to the Wararot Market to the Wararot Market, Chiang Mai's traditional-style market for food and other goods. And it was early.  We left about 5am ("come on dear, we need to see the city before it gets busy," cried Mrs H, the Morning Bird).  And so, armed with an imprecise tourist map, and some bleary eyes, we set off in search of Wararot. 5am turned out to be an interesting time to walk around Chiang Mai.  For a start, the Monks are up early, and it's a good time to see them strolling to and from their wats. Our map wasn't helpful.  We didn't know exactly where we were going, except that we were headed for Warorot Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai.  While it was vaguely indicated on our map, we found it hard to match the map to the streets down which we were walking.   This wasn't so much an issue with our navigation skills, as that the map didn't actually show the streets properly! We ended up by the River Ping at sunrise.  An opportunity for a spot of yoga to relax after the headaches of the map, before heading off again. After our diversion at the river, we kept walking.  We asked directions a couple of times, getting contradictory advice from the locals.  It seemed either that nobody knew where Wararot was, or it was a broader description of the area, not just the actual market. We eventually found the market.  We ventured indoors into a kind of food hall. We saw a large array of dried fruits, nuts, spices and herbs.  It was a world of vibrant colour, interesting products, and chillis. Mr Herbivore was getting pretty excited by the potential for cooking exciting dishes, but alas our hotel didn't have cooking facilities, so we limited our purchases to a large bag of cashew nuts to munch on over the next couple of days (they were delicious!) We liked the dried foods section most of all.  There was a lot more to the market area though, including a fresh fruit and vegetable area, and a meat and dish area.  We didn't linger in the latter, which was slightly disturbing for herbivores.  Instead, we much preferred the array of wooden goods and handicrafts on display. We're glad we made the effort to go to Wararot.  It was a great opportunity to see a more traditional Thai market, and to get away from the throngs of tourists at the Night Market.  We recommend an early start to get there before things get busy - and also recommend a decent map!

Fancy a flying carpet ride at the Art in Paradise 3D Art Museum, Chiang Mai

One of the slightly peculiar - but worth visiting - places we stumbled across in Chiang Mai was the Art In Paradise 3D Art Museum, where you can "be part of the exhibit and create your own story".

We walked there from our hotel in the old city - it was a good walk, and quite doable, but when we stopped to ask for directions a couple of times, the locals thought we were mad to be walking. It really wasn't that far, but it seemed to be unusual for tourists to be walking.  If you are staying in the Old City though, and have kids in tow, we'd suggest a tuktuk.

The idea of the Museum is that visitors can immerse themselves into the 3D artwork and use it to tell a creative story.  You can, for example, pat a dolphin, get eaten by a shark, take a flying carpet ride, or transform yourself into a flying angel.

The Museum (more of an interactive gallery really) is located at 199/9 Chang Klan Rd, Chiang Mai.

Anyway, we found the Museum and, not quite knowing what to expect, we paid our entry fee (THB 300)  and went in. It was both kind of odd, and pretty cool.

You need a camera to make the most of it, as you are able to insert yourself into a myriad of 3D scenes that have been created within the gallery. You can ride on a flying carpet, appear as a flying angel, take a romantic gondola ride in Venice, fight a rampaging tiger, or do a spot of deep sea diving.

We enjoyed our trip to the Museum.  We'd rank it a 7/10 on the list of things to do in Chiang Mai.  If we'd had kids with us, it would have been a 10/10.  There are lots of cool pictures for snap-happy children to take.

We finished our trip with an ice cream from a cafe at the Museum.  The ice cream was good after a long afternoon of illusion art - but was pricey at THB 80 each.

Our helpful hint: take a tripod for your camera.