Where to stay in Johor Bahru?

Johor Bahru (JB) is one of the most visited Malaysian destination for Singaporeans thanks to its proximity, easy access, plenty of attractions as well as cheap shopping and accommodation options. Although it is perfectly possible to visit JB and come back to Singapore on the same day, a more relaxed and different approach is to stay in Johor Bahru at least a night.

Thanks to the leisure and business visitors from Singapore, there are now plenty of hotels in JohorBahru to choose among. Here we have listed some of the best hotels in JB for you to choose among.

Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel - Located half an hour from the Senai International Airport, and just 10 minutes from Singapore, luxury Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel offers 5-star elegance and personalized service for its visitors. Equipped with a fitness center, pool and meeting event space, this Mariott Group hotel is located between Johor Bahru city center and the port of Pasir Gudang. The 5-star Johor Bahru hotel makes for a perfect weekend getaway.

Traders Hotel Puteri Harbour - This luxury 4-star Johor Bahru hotel is the first international hospitality brand in Nusajaya, strategically positioned in the heart of a 688-acre waterfront precinct. The hotel offers modern lifestyle components, world-class facilities and an excellent network of infrastructure. Traders Hotel Puteri Harbour is also close to renowned theme parks (LEGOLAND Malaysia and Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park) and Johor's administration capital, Kota Iskandar.

Legoland Malaysia Hotel - Legoland Malaysia Hotel is in the Legoland Malaysia Resort and offers the besr hotel to stay in Johor Bahru if you are visiting Legoland Malaysia. Dedicated to families with children between the ages of 2 to 12, LEGOLAND Hotel provides a unique overnight experience in a LEGO themed environment.

Doubletree By Hilton Hotel Johor Bahru

Doubletree By Hilton Hotel Johor Bahru - Located in the Central Business District, within walking distance of the Persada Convention Center, the contemporary DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Johor Bahru overlooks the surrounding city and the Straits of Johor. Minutes away from Singapore Causeway, the hotel is close to shopping, dining, entertainment and Johor Bahru attractions, including LEGOLAND® Malaysia.

Tune Hotel Danga Bay - Located in Johor’s waterfront city, Tune Hotel Danga Bay is located just minutes away from great dining, shopping and entertainment for all ages! With 218 rooms, the hotel has 155 Double rooms, 63 Twin rooms, with 2 wheelchair-friendly Double rooms. Families can now enjoy the comforts of the new Quad rooms with a capacity of accommodating 4 occupants.

Thistle Johor Bahru - Thistle Johor Bahru is a luxury 5-Star Johor Bahru hotel  all the facilities you could wish for, access to free Wi-Fi in guestrooms and public areas, swimming pools and health spa to restaurants and bars.

Legoland Malaysia Hotel

Rooms Boutique Hotel - Rooms Boutique Hotel is a contemporary theme boutique hotel in Johor Bahru consisting 34 unique rooms each custom designed for the ultimate exploration and pleasure. All the boutique rooms are one of a kind and you won’t find this in any other place. The hotel features a number of exotic rooms such as “The Capsule”, “Tilt Bed”, “The Platform”, “Hangin’ Bed”, “16 Mirrors” and “Aloft”.

The hotel is situated in Taman Johor Jaya which is home to numerous night life entertainment venues and restaurants. It is about 10 minutes drive from the Singapore/Malaysia causeway and the city, and is strategically located in between the Pasir Gudang Highway, Jalan Tebrau & the North-South Highway. Head round the corner to Taman Molek business district where a string of over twenty local and multi-national banks such as the Public Bank, Maybank, HSBC, OCBC, Bank of China operates. Huge shopping malls including Jusco Tebrau City, Tesco and Giant are only a couple of minutes drive away.

Bliss Boutique Hotel - Only 2 minutes drive to Johor Bahru City Centre and the CIQ (Customs Immigration & Quarantine) leading to Singapore, Bliss Boutique Hotel is 15 minutes drive to North-South highway. 20 minutes drive to Senai International airport and 10 minutes to Johor Bahru's ferry terminal. It is a stone's throw away to food courts, restaurants, fast food outlets,entertainment, wellness, sports and shopping complexes. Bliss boutique hotel has 16 Boutique Rooms, 30 Designer Rooms and a Luxury Suite. Have a date with us to experience our warm hospitality and uniquely designed rooms.

For a more complete list of JB hotels as well as details like price comparisons and customer reviews, check out the Johor Bahru Hotels page.

Traders Hotel Puteri Harbour Johor Malaysia

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts debuted its third Traders hotel in Malaysia with the opening of the 283-room Traders Hotel, Puteri Harbour, Johor, Malaysia on 1 June 2013. The hotel’s four-storey towers and landscaped walkways are fronted by Puteri Harbour and complete the Little Red Cube that houses the Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park, alfresco restaurants on the promenade of a marina and retail outlets.

Stay next door to the first Sanrio Hello Kitty Town outside of Japan and The Little Big Club – home to such characters as Thomas and Friends, Barney and Bob the Builder. Just minutes from the hotel is LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort offering over 40 rides and attractions.

Traders Hotel, Puteri Harbour, Johor, Malaysia is easily accessible from Singapore’s Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints and only 20 minutes from Senai International Airport and the shopping haven, Johor Premium Outlets. Within walking distance from the hotel is Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal that provides ferry connections to Harbour Front in Singapore and to Tanjung Balai, Karimun and Batam in Indonesia.

Holidaymakers can arrive geared for golf, a fishing adventure, water sport activities or a boat cruise. For an informative or cultural stay, visitors can tour Kota Iskandar, Johor state’s new administrative centre, to watch parliament debates at the State Legislative Assembly Hall, which is infused with distinctive Moorish-Andalusian elements in its architecture, and admire the surrounding waterscapes and lush gardens.

Other conveniences include free broadband and Wi-Fi Internet access for hotel guests, a rooftop infinity pool, a Health Club with a harbour-facing gymnasium, private massage rooms for singles and couples, an open Jacuzzi, a landscaped rooftop garden, a business centre and basement parking bays completing the quaint marina lifestyle offered at this waterfront hotel.

Traders Hotel Puteri Harbour Johor Malaysia 

Traders Hotel, Puteri Harbour, Johor, Malaysia’s stylish guestrooms and suites range from 33 to 96 square metres in size, and each is outfitted with a spacious bathroom, 40-inch television, IDD dual direct line with voice mail, motorised day and night curtains, iron and ironing board, in-room safe deposit, a mini-bar, hairdryer, and coffee- and tea-making facilities, among other practical features. There are also two rooms with special features designed for persons with disabilities.

Guestroom categories and inventory: 
Deluxe Room 129 rooms
Deluxe Harbour View Room 90 rooms
Premier Room 14 rooms
Traders Club Room 18 rooms
Traders Club Harbour View Room 23 rooms
Executive Suite 8 suites
Specialty Suite 1 suite

A pampering stay on the Traders Club floor ensures the needs of savvy travellers are cared for and provides use of a private lounge with breakfast, refreshments and evening cocktails; personalised check-in and check-out; meeting areas and a Club concierge. Guests will also appreciate the complimentary suit pressing and shoe shine service, daily newspaper and fresh fruits. Shangri-La’s Golden Circle members can enjoy special privileges and earn reward points whilst staying at the hotel.

Meeting and Events

Weddings, annual dinners, birthday parties, meetings, trainings and product launches are just some of the events that can be held in the expansive Iskandar Ballroom. The function rooms, namely, Rawa, Pangkor, Tioman, Langkawi and Penang Rooms, cater accordingly to events requiring smaller venues. 

For reviews, latest and best prices, special offers you can check Traders Hotel Puteri Harbour HotelsCombined page.

Berjaya Waterfront Hotel Johor Bahru

Berjaya Waterfront Hotel, formerly known as The Zon Regency Hotel by the sea, is in Johor Bahru (JB) and a mere 5 minutes away from the main causeway link to Singapore. Berjaya Waterfront Hotel, Johor features one of the largest MICE facilities in the region. The hotel offers four room categories – Deluxe Room, Club Deluxe Room, Club Suite and Corner Suite, each room is equipped with contemporary facilities to ease guests’ well-being such as individually controlled air-conditioning, cable TV, in-room safety box, 24-hour room services, tea & coffee-making facility and many more. Wi-Fi connection is also provided in all rooms and public areas for guests’ convenience.

Being a hotel that is adept in catering to meetings and conventions for business and leisure travellers, Berjaya Waterfront Hotel, Johor Bahru vaunts The Grand Ballroom with a seating capacity of 1,500 persons, 7 function rooms, 2 auditoriums and last but not least, the capacious JB Convention & Exhibition Centre, a paradise platform for all exhibitors as well as for the keen public.

Guests can indulge themselves at any five dining outlets by the hotel with sumptuous cuisines ranging from Local, Italian and Chinese to French which will delightfully butter any discerning palates. These outlets are Salt ‘n” Pepper Café Restaurant, Chinese Restaurant, Palm Lounge, Palm Bistro and Coffee Bar. Each outlet imbues a unique ambience, one that will definitely capture the mood of dining with satisfaction.

Berjaya Waterfront Hotel Johor Bahru

As for the hotel’s indoor recreational amenities to perk up guests’ stay, a wide swimming pool and fully furnished gymnasium are offered to promote a healthy lifestyle. For those who want a more relaxing and pampering treatment, the head to toe spa sessions provided by Spa Manja and NZ Spa will sooth anyone into getting themselves refreshed and rejuvenated, not to mention ripping the benefits of these treatments in appearing healthier and radiant.

Fun is never-ending at Berjaya Waterfront Hotel, Johor Bahru with the outdoor Berjaya Waterfront Fun Zon and Berjaya Waterfront Complex which is adjoining to the hotel. Also adjacent to Iskandar Malaysia – famed for its tourist attractions such as Legoland Malaysia and Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park, the hotel and its integrated duty-free-zone is home to an array of shopping, dining and entertainment options.

Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel opens

The newest luxury hotel in Johor Bahru, Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel has officially opened. New 5-star luxury hotel, which offers 345 rooms to both business and leisure travellers, is strategically located between Johor Bahru City Centre and the key manufacturing and port facilities of Pasir Gudang, in township of Permas Jaya.

The new hotel offers a Business Centre, a top of the line Fitness Centre, pool terrace and a luxury spa. The hotel has 2 restaurants: Café BLD offers international dinning while WAN LI is a Cantonese Chinese and dim Sum Restaurant serving great seafood and favorite Cantonese specialties. The Chocolate Cake Company featuring the hotel’s own freshly baked cakes, breads and pastries; and the R-Bar, a lobby bar offering exclusive RLife LIVE entertainment.

Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel is close to the Johor Bahru city center and a short drive from the Eastern Dispersal Link leading directly to the CIQ to Singapore, and North South Highway, leading to the rest of Malaysia. The hotel is also situated close to the port and industrial area of Pasir Gudang.

For leisure and relaxation, the hotel features an outdoor swimming pool and fitness center, while for those visiting for meetings, the hotel boasts seven flexible rooms packed full of state-of-the-art technology and plentiful natural daylight.

Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel

Marc Cosyns, General Manager, said, “We are delighted to be officially opening the hotel. As you can see this a great hotel and really helps to put Johor Bahru on the map. The 345-room hotel offers a variety of room categories, all equipped with the latest in modern amenities including 42-inch flat screen televisions with satellite channel access and much more, and my team and I are looking forward to welcoming our guests to the property.”

The room prices start from MYR 240 (USD 77.56) per night.

AirAsia introduces Sky Shuttle between Singapore and Senai Airport

AirAsia and Causeway Link has introducing the Sky Shuttle, a joint effort to transport AirAsia guests from Singapore to Senai Airport in Johor Malaysia. Customers will be able to book Causeway Link e-ticket after confirming their AirAsia flights.

With Causeway Link e-tickets, you can board a cross border bus of Causeway Link at either Newton MRT (CW5), Queens Street Bus Terminal (CW2) or Kranji MRT (CW1) to CIQ Malaysia (1st Link).

Located strategically in the Iskandar Malaysia, Senai International Airport is primarily a domestic airport. AirAsia flies from Senai Airport to Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Kuala Lumpur, Miri, Penang and Sibu in Malaysia and Surabaya in Indonesia. Also Firefly flies from here to Kota Bharu, Kuala Lumpur-Subang and operates charters to Langkawi and Malaysia Airlines flies to KL. So, the airport serves as a cheaper alternative to Changi Airport for these destinations.

If you are not a AirAsia customer, you still have several alternatives to travel between Singapore and Senai Airport. The City Lounge provides bus services to the airport, city centre and Kranji MRT Station in Singapore, thus increasing the accessibility of the airport. From Singapore, you can take a public bus service or 'restricted' taxi to Kotaraya Bus Terminal. From the bus terminal, you can change to an express bus service provided by the airport to get to Senai airport. However, if you take a public bus over the Causeway, it is extremely inconvenient for you with luggage since there is a need to disembark and re-board the bus on both the Singapore and Malaysian sides of the border to pass immigration and customs which is one level up from street level.

Below is the Cross-Border Bus Schedule from Singapore to Senai International Airport.

Public Service Bus Number	CW1	CW2	CW5
Bus Route	Kranji MRT Station -CIQ	Queen Street - CIQ	Newton Circus - CIQ
Timing for First Bus	0440	0600	0600
Timing for Last Bus	2300	2345	2330
Frequency	Peak: Every 5-10mins	Peak: Every 5-10mins	Peak: Every 15mins
	Non-Peak: Every 10mins	Non-Peak: Every 15-20mins	Non-Peak: Every 20-25 mins

Here is the Sky Shuttle Bus schedule from Senai International Airport to Singapore.

CIQ (JHB) to Senai International Airport	Senai International Airport to CIQ(JHB)
0600	0700
0800	0900
1000	1100
1200	1300
1400	1500
1600	1700
1800	1900
2000	2100
2330	0030*

Desaru beach weekend getaway from Singapore

Singapore may be a tropical island but its beaches have given way to land reclamation long time ago and there is no natural beaches and crystal clear waters to swim on the ultra urbanized main island. Southern islands offer some but for real beaches you need to either take ferry to Batam and Bintam or head to Malaysia.

One Malaysian resort is Desaru which is a very popular weekend escape destination for residents of Singapore (as well as Johor Bahru). The place is quite near to Singapore and unlike Batam and Bintan you can drive there. The beach, which is on the South China Sea, is located just 88 kilometers east of Johor Bahru/Malaysia. Thanks to newly opened Senai–Desaru Expressway (Highway E22) and cable-span bridge across Sungai Johor, it is only 1:30 hours drive away from Johor Bahru and around 2:15 hours away from Singapore! You can also take a public bus to Desaru and a boat service is available from Changi Point, Singapore to Tanjong Belungkor, Malaysia.

Desaru's main attraction is its clean, sandy beaches spanning almost 22 km and shallow and clear water. The place is not well developed which is makes it an ideal weekend escape for many. Desaru was very popular in 80s and early 90s and most aging Desaru resorts are from this period. But thanks to renewed interest for the place from Singapore and Johor, the hotels went into a quite heavy renovation in the past few years and they provide good facilities and service for the tourists.

If you plan to go there you should also check coupon deal sites where Desaru vouchers are advertised frequently. For example there is a 1-Day Desaru Lobster & Fireflies Tour deal which is only for $65 per pax and includes visit to Ostrich Farm & Desaru Fruit Farm Centre, lunch & dinner, shopping and travel in air-conditioned coach.

1-Day Desaru Lobster & Fireflies Tour deal

Other than swimming, snorkeling (do not expect a magical underwater life like Tioman Island - not even close) and surfing are several other attractions in Desaru. For example, Desaru Ostrich Farm where you can ride one of these big birds, Desaru Fruit Farm where you can enjoy tropical fruits, fireflies watching and Tanjung Balau (Fishermen Village) for fresh and tasty seafood.

if skuba diving is in your mind, Desaru itself is not the destination for you, but you can take a skuba diving tour from here to southern islands of Malaysia.

Other popular weekend getaway destinations from Singapore

Batam Island	Bintan Island	Kuala Lumpur

Legoland Johor Malaysia opens on September 15th 2012

Legoland Malaysia, a theme park scheduled to open in Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia on September 15, 2012, will have over 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions and will be the first Legoland theme park in Asia upon its establishment. Legoland Malaysia will be the centrepiece of a 5,5 million sq ft integrated complex in the Nusa Cemerlang industrial park, within the Iskandar Malaysia economic region, consisting of a lifestyle retail centre, offices, hotels, service apartments and residential units.

Legoland Malaysia is divided up into seven themed areas. Each theme area is designed to ensure that guests of all ages will find much to explore and enjoy at the LEGO® experiment centres, roller coasters, water attractions and shows. The whole family can embark on a day-long voyage of discovery and adventure.

Legoland Malaysia map and theme areas

Hot to get  to Legoland Malaysia? It is in Johor and is very near to Singapore. It is near Malaysia–Singapore Second Link but you can follow Coastal Highway to reach Legoland if you entered Malaysia from Woodlands checkpoint. There will also be a direct coach service from the Singapore Flyer:

"The coaches will depart every 30 minutes during peak periods and arrive at Legoland Malaysia within the hour, it said in a statement to the media. The cost of the bus ride is $20 per person.
Alternatively, the public can also take public transport from Singapore to Legoland Malaysia via the Causeway links. There will be six trips from Jurong East and Boon Lay to Legoland Malaysia, via Tuas Second Link, operating on a daily basis."[1]

Where is Legoland Malaysia?

[1] - Direct coach service from the Flyer to Legoland Malaysia