Should you be looking for a place to stay for the holidays with actual 5 star services, a wide fancy lobby, a bell porter to tip with your chump change, lush velvety carpeted floors, in-house restaurants with equal 5 star menus, then you most certainly have come… to the wrong place. This here is one for those travelling on a more, shall we say, rugged terrain, looking for a good roof overhead with the simple basics just as a place to crash in after a whole day’s worth of sight-seeing adventures – hey, you’re on holiday, why spend your time indoors, right? So if you’re a traveller with expectations as low as the set budget, here is a list of hotels and homestays promising more value for little money than warranted, hence highly recommended.
Let’s start with the budget hotels.
1. V GARDEN HOTEL
This three star hotel is located in Jalan Pudu, ten minutes from KLCC and conveniently within walking distance to the LRT Maluri station, accessing easy connections to KL’s hotspots like the Bukit Bintang shopping districts and so on. There is also the neighbourhood mall, Jusco Taman Maluri, a ten minutes walk away, so a hunting ground for food and department store goods is all taken care of there. Also a convenience store and restaurant can be found at the PGRM (Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia) which only takes three minutes to walk there from the hotel.
The design and décor is notably trendy and well done by its standards and there is a cosy courtyard. Though, since the place allows smoking, at least out at the garden, expect some cigarette smells if you happened to get the courtyard-facing room. Other than that, the upkeep is, ahem, kept up nicely with housekeeping services, including restocking of bathroom supplies and bottled water and their beds are said to be sleep-able. They also have the standard free wi-fi, 32′ LCD Tv with Astro channels, rental hair dryer, iron and ironing board, work desk and, of course, the all important bed and air-conditioning. They also feature a courtyard cafe and a rooftop garden.
Their lowest rate as stated through online booking is RM98 for their Standard Room and the highest rate is RM150 for their Private Apartment Deluxe Suites, which come with an attached bathroom and kitchen.
Address: No. 21, Jln Pudu Ulu, off Jln Cheras, 56100, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: +603 9285 8522 / +603 9202 3615
2. CROSSROADS HOTEL
Located in the Chow Kit area, this award-winning budget hotel seems to live up to their well-deserved award as the Travellers’ Choice Winner according to Tripadvisor this year. It is a three minute drive away from the PWTC (Putra World Trade Center), a forty-five minute drive from KLIA, a ten minute drive to KLCC, and the Chow Kit Monorail station is only a one minute walk away, with four stops to Bukit Bintang. There is also a barber shop on site with a food center just two minutes away.
Inside the hotel itself has all the right usual features with some pluses: they have a business center, a mini bar/fridge and sitting area for selected rooms, and a complimentary private parking space available, as well as laundry service, charging RM4 per kg. They also have a rooftop cafe, said to serve adequately tasty food. The staff are said to be attentive and very polite and efficient as well, going the extra mile to provide tour arrangements for tourists.
One downside is that, being in Chow Kit, be warned that it includes a red light district.
Their lowest rate stated is RM86 per night, although you can look out for their special deals offering only RM42. Their highest rate is RM230 for their Family Room (25sqm) which comes with two Queen size beds and a great view of the Petronas Twin Towers.
Address: No. 1, Jln Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 2698 7000
3. GEO HOTEL
This is the ideal hotel for those seeking the best of public transport conveniences because it stands 10 storeys high, right in the heart of the city. The Pasar Seni LRT station is only a minute walk away, taxis are always available and the free Go KL bus stops right in front of the hotel, its starting point. So getting anywhere you’d like to in KL without the use of a car is really up to which mode of public transportation is to your liking, as they are all easily accessible. Shopping destinations like Bukit Bintang and the malls at Mid Valley are also nearby, not forgetting Central Market and the Kasturi Walk being situated right across the way of the hotel with Petaling Street only a minute’s walk away.
The rooms meet the basic expectations and services, all satisfactory and sufficient. One note worthy of mention is that their Premier Suite rooms come with a jacuzzi and they also feature in-house restaurants, although their menu is quite limited.
Their lowest rate is RM60 and their highest is RM320 for their Premier Suites.
Address: Jln Hang Kasturi, 50000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 2032 2288
4. SOHOTOWN HOTEL
This writer had actual experience in this particular hotel and honestly speaking, it’s a really good place for those not expecting all the bells and whistles. It may not have its own restaurant or garden and such but they make up for it with all the conveniences at walking distances. It is located right in the heart of Chinatown, Petaling Street facing opposite the hotel. The whole area would be especially buzzing at night as that is when most of the eateries would open. So for dinner especially you would be spoilt for choice, all at really affordable prices.
Getting to public transports is no problem since the free Go KL bus stop is only a five minute walk away, the KL Sentral at twenty minutes walk away, and there are plenty of taxis at your disposal. Plus, this is mainly ideal for those looking for a transit point nearest to a bus terminal as the Puduraya bus terminal, the main one that connects to all parts of the north and east of Malaysia, is within walking distance, just right around the corner and across the road. One little note-worthy gem is the self-service laundry nearby where they charge RM8 the highest for a 15kg load!
The rooms are tastefully done and the attached bathrooms come with a rain shower that has good pressure and adjustable hot water. The place is always kept clean with good housekeeping and the channels available are not bad, with the national channels together with one movie channel and one sports channel. The only downside is the spotty free wi-fi, but still manageable for four devices in one room. Another little tip is you can use the iron and ironing board for less than thirty minutes with no charge.
Their lowest rate for their Standard Twin is RM88 and the highest is RM128 for their Super Deluxe Family room, where, with one last personal note, six of us had stayed in with six luggages no problem! Do note that they charge an extra RM10 for the weekends and public holidays plus their air-con can get super cold.
Address: No. 113, Jln Sultan, City Centre, 50000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 2031 8133
5. ALPHA GENESIS HOTEL
This is a place to stay for those who are night-life enthusiasts as the location is ideally near to all the clubbing hotspots and bars. Being located in Bukit Bintang also makes it easily accessible to all the shopping destinations like Pavilion, Berjaya Times Square, Lot 10, etc, as well as useful public transportations, including the KL Hop On-Hop Off bus stopping right in front of the hotel. Good food is also accessible as, again, it is located in Bukit Bintang. It is also right beside the popular SK Corner, open daily for 24 hours.
All the basic amenities are made available to all 124 rooms and they also have an on site underground parking lot. Their wi-fi is comparably strong and the view is not too bad either. They also have an in-house restaurant called the Tee Box Cafe.
Their lowest rate is RM110 and their highest is RM310 for their Penthouse Suite which comes with a bath tub in their attached bathroom.
Address: No. 45, Tingkat Tong Shin, Bukit Bintang, 50200, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 2141 2000
6. SAKURA BOUTIQUE HOTEL
This is a fairly new hotel, housing a total of only 38 deluxe rooms, all of which are done up with tasteful and stylish décor according to themes like Back to Basic, Love is Life, Galaxy, Urban Lifestyle, and Bird Cage. The drawback is its not being accessible enough to public transports than most but they make up for it with those travelling by cars in mind, where if there are no available parking spaces on the premise, there is a parking lot nearby for which you get the ticket but no need to pay for as that would be taken care of by the hotel.
They also offer a complimentary free flow of tea and coffee from their rooftop cafe as well as a complimentary breakfast. Housekeeping only comes upon requests as well as hair dryer, iron and ironing board. Other than that, the usual necessities are readily made available, including a personal deposit safe box.
Their lowest rate is RM80 for their Superior Queen and their highest is RM140 for their Deluxe King which comes with, yes, you guessed it, a King size bed.
Address: Exit Jln Tun Razak, Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 9281 2866
Now we move on to the homestays…
7. REGALIA RESIDENCE HOMESTAY
Alright, just to clear things up, a lot of its own sites has probably misled customers to think this is a service hotel which no surprise led to a lot of bad reviews to their services. So, again just to be clear, this is actually an apartment residence with some of its studio units rented out for homestay – which is the one that would be highlighted here.
The location is only a few minutes away from the PWTC and the Sunway Putra Shopping Mall. Also the newly revamped former Yohan shopping mall nearby would have its soft opening on the 28th May. Convenient access to public transportations include the PWTC LRT, The Putra Komuter, and the Sultan Ismail LRT.
The studio units rented out for homestays should comfortably accommodate more than three to four persons at most, even five to six. The available restaurant within the premises is adequate enough with affordable prices.
The main attraction that makes this particular homestay worth a try is truly for the Infiniti pool they have there on the 37th floor, overlooking a breath-taking panoramic 360 degree view of the KL skyline – even said to be just the thing that makes up for its otherwise lack of efficient services.
So far the one with a Miss Nurul as the host seems to be the best bet with rave reviews.
Price per night starts from RM162 for a studio apartment.
Address: No. 2, Jln Anjung Putra, off Jln Sultan Ismail, Chow Kit / Putra World Trade Centre, 50480, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 2725 0735
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8. BANGSAR HOMESTAY
This is another place this writer has a first-hand experience with and, I promise it doesn’t disappoint. It is located in Bangsar as the name suggests at the Lucky Garden area with Bangsar Village only a two minute walk away. The Bangsar LRT is also within walking distance and there is also a taxi and bus stand nearby. TMC is only five minutes away on foot and there are plenty of restaurants from the very cheap to the classy high end around Bangsar. Also the night market goes out in full swing on Sunday nights. And lastly for the Muslims, the mosque is just right across the road from the back of the house.
It is a two-storey house with about four rooms as well as extra three beds set out at the common room, a clean kitchen with a shared fridge complete with stove for cooking and microwave for heating, coffee, tea, kettle, and all the food basics at your disposal. There is also a shared washing machine with a very good space for everyone to dry their clothes. The house is done up in a very simple and basic fashion and the air-conditioning is not exactly cold as the Antartic or anything but kept just cool enough. There is no actual TV either but all that is easily made up for its super fast wi-fi available in all areas of the house.
The host is mainly a French man named Cedric and he proved to be a good host, able to read the guests rightly, only friendly and chatty to those looking to socialize and respectable of the privacy of those otherwise more reserved guests.
The lowest rate for the Double Room is RM75 per night and the highest is the Suite Room at RM120, the very room this writer stayed in with five others for more than 14 days, amounting up to only RM1,350, with no interests of electric or water bill and the like – everything is inclusive.
Address: No. 37, Jln Tempinis 1, Lucky Garden, 59100, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +60 17 232 9893
9. ALEX GUESTHOUSE KL
Here is another good and reliable homestay, run by a friendly family. It is located nearby Mid Valley Megamall, just a five minute walk away, and KL Sentral, as well as the Seputeh Commuter station, just a minute away. So shopping, food, and public transportations conveniences are all taken care of. For good cheap food, there are some restaurants serving Chinese and Indian cuisines just a short walk across the road. A hair salon, launderette, mini market, medical clinic, and a children’s playground are all also within walking distance.
It comes with high speed wi-fi, rain showers in their attached bathrooms, air-conditioners in all rooms, and a fully equipped kitchen, with a cordial invitation for guests to come socialize and even have a barbecue get-together party. Housekeeping is also provided and there is a TV with Astro service. Apart from the usual per night rates, they also offer special deals for longer stays.
Their lowest rate is RM50 per night for their Single Room and their highest is RM70 for their Double Room. The rate for weekly stays come with a 20% discount whilst it is 40% for monthly rates.
Address: No. 21, Jln Tanjung 12, Taman Seputeh, 58000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +60 12 212 2644 (Alex)
10. TRAVELLERS PALM LODGE
The last homestay on the list is situated just ten minutes walk away from Bukit Bintang, so by default, all public transportation and food conveniences are within easy reach. Comparably this homestay have both private rooms and a dormitory which consist of four double decker beds, each bed rented out for RM30. Safe to say this is a homestay that is more like a hostel, making it ideal for backpackers and travelling students rather than private families, what more with the guests sharing the bathroom there. Still the accommodations are good with air-conditioners and fans for all rooms.
Their lowest rate for a room is RM70 for a Single Room and the highest is RM160 for their Quad Room that comes with two double decker beds.
Address: No. 10, Jln Rembia, off Tengkat Tong Shin, 50200, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 2145 4745 / +60 12 564 4745
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And here are at the very final item on the list. It is particularly special due to it technically being a hotel yet not so much of a homestay but a night-stay…
11. CAPSULE at KLIA by CONTAINER HOTEL
If you are a traveller arriving at the KLIA late in the night or at wee hours of the morning and need only long hours for sleep and shower to wait out for the arising sun, this is the place for you. Initially inspired by the Japanese capsule hotel concept, this quirky “dormitory” is designed in such a way where tiny guest rooms, 79 in all, are stacked next and on top of each other. There are separate male and female only units, with one person for each pod, twelve hours at the most. Each pod are air-conditioned and come with free wi-fi, a folding table and mirror, a reading light, intercom/phone, and of course, a comfy bed to sleep on with two pillows.
The downside is something that cannot be helped: noise from your neighbouring fellow sleepers and passers-by. But that is taken care of with the ear plugs provided. You can store your belongings in your own storage locker – which is inclusive with the capsule cost. There is also a good shower with towels, slippers, and shower gels readily provided, as well as a sitting area with couches for leisure and their own Capsule Bar for drinks. Children below twelve can stay for free when staying in one same room with one adult.
So if you’re up for an interesting experience and a more comfortable sleep at the airport, this is one to try out.
Their lowest rate for three hours is RM45 while their highest for twelve hours is RM90.
Address: Lot 1, 2 & 3, Gateway, Terminal KLIA 2, 64000, Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel: +603 7610 2020
