I was looking for somewhere to go for a pre dinner cocktail (or perhaps even a glass of champagne) which had a view of the Petronas Towers. Some local colleagues informed me that Sky Bar at Traders Hotel was the place to go – if my budget allowed. Traders Hotel in KL is pretty posh with rates around the £100 mark. £100 a night for a hotel in KL is a lot of money; we had a room at the sort-of-nearby Hilton PJ for less than £60.
Traders Hotel is situated in the ‘golden triangle’ of expensive shops, eateries and hotels near the towers. We caught the LRT to the station by the towers and then argued with a number of taxi drivers who were trying their best to rip us off. We eventually found a driver who was willing to take us to the hotel using the meter and some 5 MYR (about £1…) we were there. Naturally we gave the driver MYR 10; the moral of course is that honestly is always the best policy.
Being a posh hotel, the doors were opened and we were directed to the relevant lift for the Sky Bar.
The Sky Bar is on the roof of the Traders Hotel and as we entered I immediately noticed two things; firstly the view of the towers was indeed spectacular. Secondly, there was a very large swimming pool in the middle of the bar.
Seriously. The swimming pool was in the middle of the space with sunken booths and floor to celling windows all around. It really was the most bizarre bar I have been in.
We had reserved a booth (which later turned out to be worthwhile as the bar did get quite busy as we were leaving) that the member of staff pointed at. We had to walk on some wooden boards to access the booth; I wouldn’t recommend drinking too much here. I imagine drunken guests falling in the pool are a regular occurrence here.
Trying to attract someone attention was difficult; service here was not good. We ordered a bottle of Moet (standard NV) for MYR 290 (£60) including service and tax. The champagne was placed in a bucket right next to the pool… it was a bit of a scary experience for both the wine and for me.
We arrived here for 17:45 and left around 19:00. This was the perfect time to come (in December anyway) as we were able to witness the towers light up; the skyline turn from day to night. A very pretty site it was too.
If you want to impress then come here for view and the champagne. There was a happy hour on cocktails although I can’t remember when it was. Book a table for tables with the best views and wear light clothing, as it is very humid. Finally, be prepared to be mocked; a swimming pool is an odd place to go for a drink!
Sky Bar, Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur, 50088. Website
