My Traveloka Experience X Butterfly Project | The KL Journal Hotel Staycation

My experience with Taveloka | The KL Journal Hotel Staycation

It was such an exciting staycation to remember, especially when you get to spend the weekend with your butterflies from the Butterfly Project. The recent staycation I had was basically a collaboration between the Butterfly Project and Traveloka where 40 lucky butterflies from the community were given a 1-night stay at The Journal KL, a highly recommended hotel to stay within the heart of Kuala Lumpur as its located just 10 minutes away from my favorite shopping centers! (Pavillion, Times Square, Lot 10, Low Yat, you name it!) It's also very near to a monorail station which makes traveling so much easier too.

And here i am! Escaping with traveloka

A little introduction to traveloka

The Ice Breaking Session

Having a pack of butterflies in one location, it was one of the best times to get to know new butterflies through an ice-breaking session activity organized by traveloka which really brought back freshman vibes during the uni days. haha. Before checking into our room, we were given a short briefing on traveloka, and we were also given an explanation on their newest traveloka app, where you can book your hotels and flight in the shortest time frame! I managed to play around with the app, and trust me, it's SUPER CONVENIENT when you always have an on-the-go lifestyle.

More about the Traveloka App (Clickable)

CHECKING IN THE KL JOURNAL

Here's the Kedai Kopi Journal

Thank god its lunch time!

Presenting my KKJ Signature Wagyu Beef Burger

The buffet spread

After the entertaining introduction by traveloka, we decided to have lunch at their 'kedai kopi journal' which had a very interesting concept! We were given a choice of an A La Carte Course, then offered with an all you can eat buffet snack, soup and desserts from the buffet. They actually had an interesting choice of selection, and among it all, I decided to try their KKJ Signature Wagyu Beef Burger, because how can you say no to wagyu? OH GAD, I swear I'm craving for it the minute I started typing this out. The patty was extremely juicy and don't get me started on their sweet potato fries. Two words, BEST COMBO!

Did you know: Kedai Kopi Journal means Journal Cafe in Malay?

To launch the occasion, Traveloka X The KL Journal X The Butterfly Project released butterflies at the terrace bar and grill balcony which was magical.

Checking in with my roommate, Syafiqah Hashim

After lunch and the launch ceremony, we were finally allowed to check into our designated rooms, and believe it or not, my roommate for this trip is the one and only Syafiqah Hashim! Never really got to spend long hours with her, but being roommates with her was an awesome sisterly experience. Trust me when I say she's an awesome roommate. hehe. We managed to explore the hotel, and it really gave us an adventuring vibe (odd enough despite being located in the city center, it really felt like we had our own retreat from the city, within the city)! The hotel itself was like an old school vibe with a modern twist which was not at all hard to love.

ROOM REVIEW AT THE KL JOURNAL

Our bedroom

The office desk | Coffee Set | TV | Bottle of Water

Look! The safe is in the drawer! (first time seeing this)

They also have hangers and an iron

Check out the JBL speakers and the triple 5 notebook!

Upon checking into our room, it really made me felt like I wanted to just land myself on the bed cause the bed just looks so soft and comfy. That's basically the vibe it gave me when I was checking in. It had fluffy pillows, believe it or not, they also had the JBL Bluetooth clock where we could just connect to Spotify and play our staycation vibes all day long. What caught my eye the most was this nostalgic triple 5 book which I use to have when I was in my childhood days. Seeing it on the side table by the bed really gave me and my roommate childhood feels and it eventually got us talking about our childhood together! Can't believe something so small can create such an impact on bonding.

The bathroom looking super clean

Fully equipped with amenities

And check out this awesome shower?

And of course, the toilets were clean and surprisingly spacious. Fully occupied with all the things that you may need in the bathroom which includes a hairdryer, toothbrush, soap, towels and everything else! The only thing I wish now is if only I could wake up to a toilet this fancy every day for the rest of my life. *sobs* Fully equipped with everything you need for a staycation/or a holiday, The KL Journal Hotel has got you covered to make your stay a pleasant experience.

FLORAL HOOP WATERCOLOUR WORKSHOP 

by Black Milk Project

Found my seat to start my watercolouring class

Look at me go! haha

And after freshening up in our room, we then proceeded with our next activity. There were 4 activities in overall, and everyone got to choose what they wanted to do. In my case, I decide to go for the floral hoop watercolor workshop by black milk project to embrace my artistic side. (LOL, not that I'm good at it, but what the heck.) The session was for about 3 hours, and trust me, painting can be very therapeutic as it slows down the pace to focus more on details. I find it was rather relaxing, but it's definitely a skill on its own to be able to learn how to paint.

The final outcome

All thanks to the butterfly project

We started off with the basics on painting by understanding how to control the brush and the consistency of the right amount of water to paint. I think after a few tries, I kinda got the hang of it! Later on, we learned how to draw out details and how to color next. I think this was one of my favorite sessions among all as it was fun and it really tests out your creativity and imagination. One thing I learned about painting is that whatever you draw doesn't have to be something real. Example, a flower does have to look like a flower, but as long as they have the characters of a flower (like petals), its good enough to be a painting on its own. And after tons of patience, how do you find the outcome?  #proud

DINNER TIME X GIFT EXCHANGE

Here are just a few things that I had for dinner from the buffet spread

Gotta always look fab for dinner

And yes, I actually dressed up for dinner 

Once all our activities were done, I quickly took some time to settle down in the room and got ready for dinner. All that painting really built me an appetite! Dinner was served as a buffet spread, and despite not having many options in terms of variety, every dish presented was good enough to keep an empty stomach happy. They had veggies, chicken, lamb, fish, appetizers, dessert and even fruits! Dressing up was so worth it cause every corner at the kedai kopi journal was a great spot to take photos.

Gift exchange session

The terrace bar and grill, with live music

With blogger Cindy because we're all in white

Just check out that view, such an amazing place to just chill

Over dinner, we also had a gift exchange session where we were supposed to give a gift to our designated roommate and I was surprised that Syafiqah got me a gift too! She is the sweetest! I really hoped she liked my gift cause it was something I got myself as well since the item was trending in the beauty world. hehe. We spent the night chilling at the Terrace Bar and Grill where there was live music being played with close friends and sang our heart out with the singer that night. A great way to spend our Saturday night together.

THE NEXT MORNING

Rise and Shine!

The gym at The KL Journal Hotel

Gotta burn all that food from dinner last night

And some weights and I'm good to go

Excited to start my morning the next day, did I mention that The KL Journal has a gym too? I was told that the gym is open for 24 hours and I managed to go for a quick workout on the treadmill and some weights. The gym is airconditioned, and it presents you a view of Kuala Lumpur, a great way to spend your morning while deciding on where to go too! Hehe. The gym has a water dispenser and they even provide you with face towels to wipe your sweat. How awesome is that? It's not a big gym, but I'd say that its sufficient enough with basic equipment.

Time to get ready for breakfast

At the Kedai Kopi Journal

A casual Sunday to enjoy breakfast

 After a good 45 minute workout, I quickly got ready in my room to prepare myself for breakfast. Breakfast at the Kedai Kopi Journal was pretty simple and good enough to fill an empty stomach. They served salad, cheese, desserts, light bites, baked beans, eggs, and fried noodles (very Malaysian). It wasn't fantastic, but it also wasn't that bad. It was good enough to me to fill my tummy before leaving the hotel in the morning (boohoo).

The pool at The KL Journal Hotel

Photoshoot take 1

Group photoshoot take 2

Photoshoot take 3

We took the last tour around the hotel, and you'd be surprised that there are many locations that totally picture worthy. Before checking out, I managed to slot some time to check out their pool which had a stunning view! It was designed to be an infinity pool, but if you're just looking for some time to relax and read a book, there is also a spot by the pool where you can just enjoy the breeze too! Didn't get time to swim cause my morning schedule was too packed, but nevertheless, despite it being a small hotel, I'm actually surprised at how complete the facilities are. I'm impressed!

VERDICT | CHECK OUT 

My thoughts on the hotel?

I requested for late checkout at 12pm, and the hotel was nice enough to allow the late checkout. An overall experience with Traveloka and the Butterfly Project, I would have to say that I had a pleasant time staying at The KL Journal with the Traveloka team and our community. I have to highlight that the Traveloka team are filled with fun people who are always ready to ensure that you have a great time during your stay. I definitely built trust with them while I was on my staycation that's for sure. Not to forget the service by The KL Journal Hotel, they were extremely friendly and ready to provide you with service whenever you need them. Thank you. Well, I don't want this post to be too long, so I'd like to end my post by saying thank you to Traveloka, The Butterfly Project and The KL Journal Hotel for an amazing staycation experience. It was such an honor to be surrounded by amazing people with such positive energy.

Psst: Already planning my next staycation with Traveloka *wink

Till my next post gais. 

Sara xx

Traveloka | Butterfly Project | The KL Journal