We arrived hot and sticky at the Ritz-Carlton KL, straight from the  Batu Caves and not quite feeling worthy of the five-star hotel's fancy lobby.

So it was a relief to be handed straight into the care of Ashiq, my personal butler, who took me straight up to my room to complete the check-in process in comfort.

Instead of leaning over a counter scribbling on a bunch of forms, my bags piled around me, I reclined on a plump sofa with a glass of fresh orange juice while Ashiq took care of everything.

But Ashiq wasn't laid on just to impress me, the visiting journo. Every single guest at the hotel gets to benefit from the 24-hour butler service. If you want a cup of tea (or maybe something a little stronger) at three in the morning, just call your butler. Want your shoes shined or your clothes pressed? Call your butler.

As a Kiwi girl used to doing it myself, I didn't feel at all comfortable asking someone else to do my bidding - having porters insist on wheeling my suitcase into the hotel for me when I was perfectly capable was bad enough - so I have to confess I didn't take full advantage of Ashiq's dedicated service.

I didn't even summon him to draw me a bath, even with the tempting selections available from the bath 'menu' that ranged from a honeymooners' delight (romantic aromatherapy oils with champers for two) to the full childhood fantasy (piled high with fluffy bubbles and a rubber ducky to keep you company).

I did appreciate the chocolates and desserts at bedtime, though, and the little note he left on my bed with a fresh orchid flower: "Dear Ms Amy, I have organised a turn-down service for your room. Have a pleasant evening and a good rest. Sincerely, ASHIQ."

Refurbished and modernised in 2006, the Ritz-Carlton comprises 251 guest rooms as well as 114 suites, an enormous conference centre and four penthouses, as well as restaurants and a Spa Village like that at the Cameron Highlands Resort.

As if having a butler at one's beck and call wasn't enough, we took a peek at just how luxurious life can be in a five-star hotel with a visit to one of the penthouses.

The place was massive. The ceiling in the living room had to be three stories high and was dripping with chandeliers. A grand piano sat in the corner, and there were sculptures and fresh flowers everywhere. A door to one side concealed a full commercial kitchen which Ritz staff (or a team of caterers) could enter via a separate entry to whip up delicacies for the guests.

The next two floors were taken up with bedrooms and ensuites, before a staircase led up onto the roof of the building. There we emerged into the penthouse's private pool complex, surrounded by lush tropical plants and including a spa and a rooftop bar, and looking right out over the city.

All this can be yours for a cool NZ$17,000 per night - probably not that much compared to other luxury accommodation around the world, but still a bit steep for the likes of me.

But you really can't put a price on the kind of service a place like the Ritz-Carlton provides. Despite my best efforts to assure him I was fine and dandy and lacking nothing, I constantly ran into Ashiq or other members of the staff in the hall outside my room. Every single person I met, from the moment I got inside the lobby, was so eager to greet me and ask if I needed anything (including the hotel's general manager, who happened to be passing by at one point) it was overwhelming.

The attention to detail even extends to the bedlinen. I was a bit slow on the uptake on the first night of my stay, but at breakfast the next morning my more eagle-eyed companions clued me in - we had personalised, monogrammed pillowcases. This place was good. And more than that, the Ritz claims to hold on to each guest's pillowcase, to keep it for their next stay.

We were so wowed by the pillowcases that we petitioned to be able to take ours home and were given permission. Sadly, my pillowcase went missing the day we checked out, and despite a promise that it would be posted home to me, it hasn't shown up in my letterbox just yet.

Next time in my Malaysian adventure: I let myriads of tiny fish eat the skin off my feet.

Amy Williams travelled to Malaysia courtesy of Malaysia Airlines and Tourism Malaysia.

Find out more about Malaysia.

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