Room check: The Sheraton, Kuala Lumpur

Deluxe room with a Twin Tower view at the Sheraton Imperial, Kuala Lumpur. Photo / Supplied

Sue Baxalle makes the handily-located Sheraton Imperial her base for sightseeing in the Malaysian capital.

Getting there: From the airport, the options are by taxi or train. The former takes about an hour and the latter, half the time (and cost) in a direct service to KL Sentral station. From there it's a short taxi ride to the Sheraton. For getting around once settled in the hotel, the Medan Tuanku monorail station is diagonally opposite the front entrance and the Dang Wangi light rail (metro) station a few minutes' walk away. The monorail doubles as a central-city sightseeing opportunity.

Check-in experience: Hassle-free, with plenty of staff on hand. There are also plenty of doormen and other staff lurking to help with directions and push lift buttons, etc.

Room: A platter of sweet (and somewhat odd) sushi-like treats and a bowl of fruit awaited on the coffee table. My view was of the KL Tower, guests on the other side of the building would have the twin Petronas Towers lighting up their life at night.

Noise: Being 38 floors up, road noise was not an issue.

Price: Rooms range from the standard "deluxe" room at 350RM (about $150) a night to the Imperial Suite with a 360-degree view, sauna and jacuzzi. The rate? Just 11,538RM.

What's in the neighbourhood? With the monorail so close, the whole of KL is at your fingertips. But closer to home, a new shopping mall is right across the road. At the time of my visit it was not fully tenanted.

Exercise? The gym on the 5th floor was fully equipped. There's also a swimming pool outside on level 5.

Minibar? Not extensive, with a few bottles and bars of chocolate. I didn't bother. Downstairs in the lobby is a free coffee machine.

Food and drink: The breakfast buffet-style as is standard for Sheraton hotels. From there, there is Toastina, a bar and cafe; an Italian restaurant, Villa Danieli, complete with Tuscan-style villa and frescoes; the Essence restaurant with a mix of Asian and Western fare; Chinese restaurant Celestial Court - in its own pagoda; and the Pavilions Lounge bar with finger food.

The bed: Zzzz.

Bathroom: The massive, round bathtub is straight out of a hip-hop video. Sadly, we didn't get time to have a dip.

Toiletries: The Sheraton's own selection of tubes of shower gels, shampoos and lotions - mandarin and mint.

Perfect for: A stay in KL as a base for sightseeing - or shopping in the city's multitude of classy malls.

Would I return? Without hesitation. Everyone was helpful, the room comfortable and the breakfast buffet had all one could desire.

Contact: Sheraton Imperial is at Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ph: +60 3 2717 9900

The writer travelled as a guest of Malaysia Airlines and Tourism Malaysia.