An Offer Not Many Worldcard Members Can Resist

Working can be boring. Sometimes you wake up in the morning feeling a bit lazy. Don’t feel like going to work. You feel like taking the day off. To laze around.

I received the opportunity to do exactly that, just a few days ago.

Recently, Genting Highland Berhad, made an attractive offer to Worldcard members. What would you do, if you were to be offered a 1 night stay at the First World Hotel, in a Super Deluxe room costing RM270, but for Free! With buffet breakfast thrown in for 2. At the 8th Floor of the Tower 2 hotel.

To top all these, to see 6 of Taiwan’s current popular actors and actresses from Astro’s popular Hokkien Station 333 performing. For free, at the Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands.

Besides this, I had free tickets for the Skyway cable cars rides too.

My sister and her hubby were going as well. They had graciously agreed to take me and my wife from Klang to Genting Highlands.

The most wonderful of all things was, we were to travel in their new Honda 1300 cc hybrid which runs on both petrol and battery power.

These were opportunities, I could not forgo.

Booking tickets for the show, the hotel room for 1 night inclusive of breakfast were made 10 days earlier. There was no hassle whatsoever.

On the anticipated day, the 27 October 2009, the four of us left in the new Honda at approximately 1:15pm.

We decided to take the highway to Batang Kali via Rawang. Sitting at the rear seat, I could sense the Honda’s power. The “pick up” was simply fantastic.

The road holding was just superb. Braking efficiency was extremely good. And the air con way too cold.

The Honda, being a new car, it was decided that we park mid-way at the lower cable car station. After all, tickets to the cable car service were free.

And above all, parking security was also provided by security personnel, 24 hours a day.

The cable car ride up Genting Highlands took less than 20 minutes. Although rather hot at the bottom, the weather became misty and cooler as we approached the summit.

Upon reaching the top, we had to walk quite a distance from the upper cable car station to the First World Hotel.

We had expected quite a big crowd. But as luck had it, “check in” was completed in less than half an hour.

I still remember during our last visit to the First World Hotel last December, the waiting time for check in was more than 1 ½ hours!

Compared it with this time around, it was fast.

The Super Deluxe room we were allotted, on Tower 2, on the 10th Floor, was a 2 bed room suite, rather spacious and facing the hills of Genting Highlands.

A big 24” TV and a small fridge were amongst the amenities provided. There was electric kettle to boil hot water. Nescafe and Mile sachets with sugar and cream were also supplied.

Bottles of cold mineral water were there too. Slippers for room use were also not in short supply. Toiletries such as soap and tissue papers were also in abundance.

There was even a supply of towels as well. In fact, our stay, albeit for one night only, was going to be an enjoyable one after all.

After making our own drinks and resting for 1 hour or so in our room, we went for dinner at 5:30 pm. We selected restaurant Good Friends, a Chinese restaurant, as our venue.

My sister says the above restaurant is reputed for its good food. She should know, as she is a rather good cook herself.

The food, plus Chinese tea came to a total of RM88.00. As my wife had some concession tickets or “rebates” vouchers, given to her as “shareholders” of Genting Highlands, we were able to get 35% discount.

As I had quite a lot of Worldcard points still in my membership card, it was suggested I make payment towards balance of the meal with points instead of by cash.

Finally, the total came to approximately RM55.00. The food at the Good Friends was good and could be recommended to readers.

Show time at Arena of Stars started promptly at 8:00 pm sharp. The anticipated crowd was around 4000 spectators. The 2 hour or so performance was just so – so only. Nothing to shout about.

The actors and actresses that night were not singers, except one or two maybe. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable evening. After all, the show was free courtesy of Genting Highlands.

After the show, the “foursome” decided to split up and go our separate ways. We were heading into the casino.

Therein lies our “folly”. It has often been suggested, but unfortunately never followed, that one should abstain from entering the casino.

The Genting Highlands casino, is such, few can resist going in.

Two hours in the casino, saw myself losing a few hundred ringgit. As we contemplate things over, the package deal offered to Worldcard members came to a value to RM450 for 2 people.

We had ended up losing more than that.

The irony was the package offered by Genting Highlands was meant to be free.

So to all dear readers, should you in future be offered similar free packages, do not make the same mistake I made.

Avoid going into the casino. It’s not an easy decision to make.

Journey back to our hometown took 1 hour 15 minutes. We finally managed to reach home in less the time than we expected.

However, overall, coming to think of it, the one night stay at the hilltop was fun after all.