When I was planning to upgrade our Kuala Lumpur guide, it was clear from the start that I wanted to stay in a hotel with a top view of the Petronas Twin Towers.

I love big cities with iconic skyscrapers, so I started looking for a hotel with something special and good value for money.

In the end, the choice fell on Imperial Lexis Kuala Lumpur 5* with a bombastic view from the rooftop pool. And what's more! For a nice price, a room with its own private pool in the room was available. I can do that.

Reservation and price of stay

Imperial Lexis KL is not under any big multinational chain where I would collect points and the price on the hotel's website was the same as Booking.

So I opt for a classic booking through booking.com, which is standard without any problems.

I stayed in the hotel for 5 nights and chose a higher room category Executive Pool Room with a private pool on the balcony.

In total, the stay with breakfast cost me 720 eur.

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Location steps away from KLCC Park

If you prefer to stay in the modern heart of Kuala Lumpur at a decent price, there can be few better hotels.

Imperial Lexis is literally steps, roughly a 3-minute walk, from KLCC Park, Kuala Lumpur's most famous mall.

Arrival and early check-in

I arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 9am and although the journey from Subang airport is prolonged due to traffic, I am at the hotel before noon.

Official check-in is from 3pm, but it's raining and I could do with at least storing my backpack at the reception if nothing else.

The reception is only on the 8th floor, but a porter offers to help me right at the ground floor entrance. I decline with thanks, after all I only have a small backpack.

However, the concierge is very helpful and tries to find a room that will be available now. Finally he finds it on the 31st floor and at no extra charge for early check-in.

It would have been a pleasant start to the stay if I had not been surprised by the payment of a deposit of 1 000 myr, which however was not mentioned during the booking process...

Number and speed of lifts

In similarly sized and especially tall hotels, there is often a problem with the number of elevators, which cannot service such a large number of floors.

The Imperial Lexis KL has two sets of 6 lifts each.

One serves standard hotel rooms with reception, breakfast room and ground floor/exit.

The second set of lifts can also be used to go from the ground floor to the reception, and also serves the residential part of the hotel, the rooftop pool, the bar and the restaurant.

This is a little impractical because if you want to go straight from your room to the pool, bar or restaurant, you first have to go down to the reception, go to the second lift shaft and then go up to the roof of the hotel.

Otherwise though, the elevators are very fast and efficient and I never waited longer than 2 minutes.

Room - fabulous view and balcony with pool

My room is all the way down the hall, which turns out to be a great location. The room is actually a corner room, so I have a great view on two sides.

Access to the room is by chip card as standard. Fortunately, the electricity inside the room doesn't require you to insert the card into energy saver, so I can charge my laptop or GoPro camera while I'm not in the room, for example.

Immediately upon entering the room there is a hallway with wardrobes, iron, safe, kettle and coffee machine.

In the wardrobe there are slippers, flip-flops, large towels suitable for a stay by the pool and also a bag for dirty clothes to be washed by the hotel service.

There is also a small work area between the hallway and the room, but it is very dark and not very cosy.

There is a mini bar opposite it. The minibar amenities are included but are very poor - one can of Coca Cola, one can of Sprite, two juices and dark chocolate.

The drawer under the coffee machine has some pretty good butter biscuits and teas replenished daily.

The main part of the room is very bright with views to the southwest.

The room itself is quite large and includes a large TV and a table with two armchairs in addition to a comfortable king-size bed.

The bathroom is very practical and divided into 3 separate areas - a walk-in shower which is walk-through. You can enter it from the bathroom and from the door leading to the balcony with the pool.

Another part is the sink containing the amenity kit (toothbrush, toothpaste and other toiletries).

The last part includes a toilet separated from the rest of the bathroom by a door. There is a bidet shower and not a full bidet.

Balcony with pool

The highlight of the room is, of course, the balcony with its own pool. And one of the best views I've ever had in a city hotel.

You can actually see the Petronas Twin Tower right from the pool. Famous!

The pool itself is about 4 meters long and about 2 meters wide. The water has a high chlorine content, but otherwise the pool and the entire balcony is very clean and as a morning start to the day or evening refreshment after a day of walking around town, the pool right in your room is absolutely great.

It takes the whole stay to another level and I absolutely do not regret the extra cost of approx 150 eur for 5 days compared to rooms without their own pool.

Wi-fi as the biggest weakness of the room

Even by the reviews, I was already counting on the internet not being great.

Wi-fi is accessible for free, the password is written on a card to open the room door, but its speed varies considerably.

There are times when it works perfectly and there are times when it is impossible to open even email.

Unfortunately, the signal is very poor right in the hotel, so even your own internet data on your mobile phone doesn't help much.

Blackout and air conditioning

In tropical areas, air conditioning and good quality blackout rooms are absolutely and totally essential!

Black-out curtains, operated by a button by the bed or balcony door, take care of the blackout and create real darkness even during the day.

The air conditioning is very powerful and you can adjust the temperature on the digital display by the bathroom. It would definitely be more practical if this display was also by the bed.

A big plus is that the air conditioner does not blow directly on the bed, but into the open space.

Rooftop pool and breathtaking view

One of the main reasons I chose the Imperial Lexis Kuala Lumpur 5* is the rooftop pool, which has the potential to be the best in all of Kuala Lumpur.

At least that's how I assessed it from the photos, although generally the best rooftop pool in KL is considered to be the one at the hotel The Faces Suites.

A first glance at the rooftop terrace suggests that the view is really fantastic and will definitely be one of the best in Kuala Lumpur.

On the other hand, the pool definitely looks a lot bigger in the photos than it actually is.

Even so, it certainly doesn't offend. During the day (especially in the morning and mid-morning) the pool is completely empty, while from sunset until closing time at 10pm the pool is completely crowded.

However, it is worth going to the terrace if only for the viewing platform, which is separate from the pool.

A breakfast that doesn't offend but doesn't delight

After reading some of the reviews, I was a little worried that the breakfast room would be small and crowded for such a large hotel.

The reality, however, is considerably more welcoming. Expect the biggest rush between 8:00 and 10:00, but even at this time you can have a comfortable breakfast.

At the busiest times, the staff will seat you at available tables.

At first glance, the breakfast menu is really extensive, but on closer inspection of the food counters, I find that many things are repeated.

What I have to commend is the consistent replenishment of all the ingredients, and you'll have identical choices at 6:30 when breakfast starts and 10:30 when breakfast ends.

Breakfast is held on the 8th floor, right by the front desk. Therefore, there is no view of the outside.

The buffet is divided into two huge sections:

The cold and sweet buffet includes a lousy selection of Western cuisine (cheese, ham), a poor selection of fruit or vegetable salads, and conversely a very rich selection of sweets and sweet pastries.

The hot buffet impressed me much more.

The dim sum dumplings are absolutely great!

This is followed by the traditional Malaysian dish nasi lemak (rice with chicken or fish wrapped in a banana leaf) and a very wide selection of different meats, rice and noodles prepared Malay or Thai style.

There is also a soup bar.

This is followed by a counter with eggs cooked in various ways and traditional Western cuisine, i.e. bacon, beans and sausages.

The last section is reserved for Indian cuisine.

Beverage bars are located in several places in the breakfast room.

They include quite good fruit juices, excellent freshe and kombucha on tap.

Coffee can be made in the coffee machines or at the bar, and we definitely recommend trying the traditional Malay drink teh tarik - a strong black tea with condensed milk.

Bar and restaurant with a luxurious view

Even higher up, above the rooftop pool, you'll find a luxury bar and Japanese restaurant on the 51st and 52nd floors.

Reservations are required for both establishments, which can easily be made online. All information can be found in your room by scanning the QR code.

I didn't have a chance to visit the Japanese restaurant, but I did go to the bar for two cocktails on my last night.

The environment is almost impossible to fault. The bar is completely open on two sides with no walls or glass, so you can enjoy uninterrupted views of Kuala Lumpur at night.

Expect cocktail prices to be between 70 myr and 90 myr and simple dishes like burgers and quesadillas are available.

Then there's the small CoralzCafé on the ground floor.

Services at the hotel

Imperial Lexis KL also offers basic services for guests.

In general, however, the services are quite limited. You won't find any children's play areas, for example, and the hotel doesn't even have its own shops (which is fine, though, because the huge shopping malls are within a 5-minute walk).

I describe where the biggest shopping malls in the city are in my guide to Kuala Lumpur.

Gym

On the terrace by the rooftop pool you can use a pretty big gym for free with several treadmills, elliptical trainers and weight training equipment.

Luggage storage

You can store your luggage for free at the front desk in case you arrive early in the morning and your room isn't ready, or conversely in case you're not leaving Kuala Lumpur until the evening after check-out.

Laundry Service

Of course, you'll also find the standard service offered by lesser hotels here.

You put your dirty laundry in the bag you find in your room and it will be washed by the next day. You can pay extra for an express wash with same-day delivery.

Conclusion - does Imperial Lexis have the best rooftop pool?

The hotel met my expectations. Sure, the rooftop pool is actually smaller than it appears in the photos, but the views are fantastic and especially the private pool right in your room is something that takes the Imperial Lexis to another level.

I have no doubt that you can find plenty of better hotels in Kuala Lumpur with better service, but the value for money at Imperial Lexis is great and I definitely recommend paying extra just for a room with a private pool on the balcony.

So. There will probably be hotels in Kuala Lumpur with better pools, but I can't imagine the views themselves being much better!

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