Check in

The hotel should be commended for their efficient check-in procedures. The vehicle was waiting for us at the airport – no need to schedule anything in advance – and we were promptly taken to the resort. There are three check-in desks – one clerk per desk – and the keys and paperwork are already printed to make check-in go as quickly as possible for the planeload of guests. Our rooms were ready for our 1 PM arrival.

Lobby:



How bags are transported around the hotel grounds -- in the background is the vehicle that transports guests and their luggage between the hotel and the airport:



Room

The room was comfortable and immaculate, with excellent air conditioning – an absolute must in this hot and humid climate.






The bathroom consisted of a soaking tub and shower, both in the same, separate enclosure. If you’re hoping to take a long, hot shower, you’re out of luck. If you set the temperature to its hottest level (not that you’d want to), you would notice a drop in temperature after about 30 seconds. A shower at a comfortable temperature lasted less than ten minutes.





The TV had 6 channels, 5 of which were English-language. They were: HBO, The Learning Channel, BBC, Fox Sports, and a channel that showed Asian-themed shows in English (e.g. the Asian version of America’s Got Talent).



Some of the mini-bar offerings:



Mini-bar menu:



The free stuff (except for that bottle of wine):



My only concern was the mold on the ceiling above the bathtub. I wasn’t bothered by it, but I imagine it could easily spread in such a humid environment. My friend’s room next door was mold-free.



The hotel’s website makes a distinction between “riverside” and “rainforest” rooms. I don’t see much of a difference, since the riverside rooms don’t feel like they’re next to the river. The dense vegetation almost completely obscures the view of the water.

Fitness Center

The fitness center is heavy on the cardio equipment, but less so on the resistance training. There are three ellipticals (not pictured), three treadmills, and two bikes (one recumbent). Each has its own TV screen.



Free weights range from two to 20 kilograms. The two stability balls were properly inflated, something I find rare in hotel gyms.



This is the only machine available for resistance work. But give me some free weights and a way to do pull-ups, and I’m happy.



Also available were yoga mats.

Spa

They need to clone the receptionist! I wish I could remember her name. She was friendly, spoke excellent English, and was knowledgeable about their products and services. She recently transferred from the Miri Marriott, and the Mulu property is lucky to have her. As soon as I walked in, she greeted me warmly, invited me to have a seat, and brought me tea and samples of their massage oil.

Spa reception:





Spa menu:





I opted for the “Mix & Match.” I selected the Balinese Massage and the Fancy Footwork. The massage therapist tried her best and was concerned about doing a good job, but she wasn’t able to apply enough pressure to my liking. The massage was simply average, but not outrageously priced at less than 70 USD. But the big drawback, and one that would prevent me from going back, was that they played the exact same song, OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN…an endless loop throughout the day. The song you hear when you walk into the reception room will be the same one you hear at the end of your massage in the treatment room.

To prepare for your treatment, you are brought upstairs to a room with a separate changing facility. You change into some (uncomfortable) disposable underwear and wrap yourself in a sheet before presenting yourself for the massage. The room was stuffy at first, but once the air conditioning kicked in, I was fine.

Business Center

Calling this area a business center is a stretch. It’s just a small, narrow room with a computer and a printer off a larger room they call the library. The library is a comfortable place to sit and read or watch TV. Rooms do not have wifi; guests are directed to this business center to get a signal.

The library:




The business center, such as it is:



We actually found the wifi signal to be stronger in the café and in this seating area (pictured here) between the lobby and the River Bar:



Pool

I don’t care much about pools, but I did dip my toe in and found the temperature PERFECT. There is plenty of shade, and the waterfall is a nice feature.




Dining

Dining is where this resort falls woefully short.

The café offers breakfast (buffet only), lunch (not sure since we didn’t try it), and dinner (buffet or a la carte).

The buffet is heavy on protein, and vegetables are almost completely nonexistent. “Hot” dishes are often lukewarm, if not cold. If you get there 45 minutes before closing, you’ll be picking at leftovers. Keeping things anywhere close to replenished and fresh is out of the question.

Service was comical. The first night I ordered a Heineken. The waiter paused, then repeated, “Heineken.” I went to the buffet while the waiter retrieved my drink. I came back to a glass of water.

The following night, I ordered a glass of ice water. (The hotel has its own filtration system, and they cool the water with ice.) The waitress brought the pitcher to my table and began to pour. Steam was coming out of the pitcher. I picked up my glass, and it was hot to the touch! I could barely handle it. “Ma’am, this water is hot.” She smiled and replied, “I know” and then she dashed off. My buddy and I looked at each other, and then we burst out laughing. She was never to be seen again until I flagged her down to sign the bill.

After being in the hot, humid rain forest all day, all I wanted was a cold glass of water. Room-temperature water would have sufficed. But hot? Just outside the café is the gift shop, and so I went there and purchased a cold bottle for 6 ringgits ($1.50). When she brought the bill to sign, she apologized and explained (as best I could discern) that the ice machine was broken. I said that I understood, but would appreciate being told that from the outset and offered some alternatives. Don’t just pour a steaming glass of water and leave! (Tip: you get two free bottles of water a day in your room. You can also swipe some extra bottles from the exercise room. Put them in the mini bar fridge, and then bring them with you to dinner. I wish I figured that out on day 1.)

Coffee refills are hard to come by – don’t be shy about taking your coffee cup to the smoothie counter. It’s sometimes the only way to get their attention. Dirty plates are often left to pile up on your table. Service is friendly, but just utterly inept. I thought this sign summed it up (and no, it was never corrected):



Someone needs to pay better attention to details.

Dining hours are not convenient. Breakfast opens at 7 AM (despite being told 6:30 when I checked in), so if you’re looking to get an early start to exploring the park, your only option is 24-hour room service. On our last day, we had a 7 AM canopy sky walk scheduled at that time, so there was no chance to eat before getting to the park. (We chose not to order room service for a reason noted below, aside from the fact that it wasn’t covered under our bed and breakfast package.) Similarly, dinner opened too late for our 7 PM night walk. Although, the Mulu National Park Café turned out to be a more-than-adequate option. The food there was hot, fresh, promptly served, and reasonably priced. We didn’t try any of the other local “restaurants” (and I use that term loosely), one of which is just on the other side of the river from the resort.

A la carte menu:





Similarly friendly but neglectful service infests the River Bar. They serve overpriced, watery, puny cocktails, assuming you can even get one. (Be prepared to wait eons for drinks, even if there’s no one else in the bar.) We stopped going after the second night of our four-night stay. However, you can do an interesting experiment—put a few drops of a sugary liquid on the table, and time how long it takes the ants to arrive. Ours arrived in two minutes, 16 seconds. This is why we didn’t order room service!


Location

If you’re staying at this Marriott, you’re almost certainly coming to visit the Mulu National Park. The hotel is a three to four minute drive from the entrance. The hotel offers a shuttle that runs every 15 minutes. An early shuttle time outside of normal hours can be easily arranged with the front desk.

Getting onto the shuttle during high-demand times can be an annoying free-for-all. After we checked in at 1 PM, we needed to be at the park for a 2 PM tour of Deer and Lang Caves. We opted for the 1:30 PM shuttle, and even though we were first in line, several aggressive guests cut in front of us as the van arrived. We were thus unable to board, leaving us pressed for time. (You are expected to register at the park and pay in cash for all of your excursions before your first tour. The process, which involves an excessive amount of paper, is not a quick one.) A bellman noticed our displeasure, and arranged for the airport shuttle, which was leaving in a few minutes, to drop us at the park. His proactive service was greatly appreciated. I only wish the Marriott could manage the boarding process better, but absent that, we learned to stand our ground when things got crowded.

To arrange our activities, we examined the park page here:
Mulu Park activities
We then emailed the park (email address available on the Contact page) and listed our chosen activities along with the dates we would be in Mulu. The park staff took it from there and helpfully scheduled everything.

We saw many families with young children in the park. (BTW, the Marriott has what they call an "Activity Center", which appears to be geared toward kids. It's a room with overstuffed bean bag chairs and 2 TVs, both of which are connected to Xbox game consoles.) The level boardwalk and boat rides made the caves easily accessible, although to get to Clearwater Cave, we had to climb 200 steps. I was afraid that visiting six caves would get repetitious, but the features of each one were different enough to keep things interesting.

I’ll conclude by saying that Mulu was the most memorable part of our two weeks in Malaysia. I would absolutely return to the park and the Marriott.