Let's start with the accommodation.
As always, I try to prepare myself with a lot of research before going on a trip. From my research, I found that when you're in Kuala Lumpur, the best area to stay in is Bukit Bintang. It is in what they call the Golden Triangle area. It's a very convenient location because you're a stone's throw away from the train station, major malls (like 7 of them), hawker stalls, massage places, and anything else that you'll ever need. It is literally where all the action is.
Instead of Bukit Bintang, you may choose to stay in the KLCC area. It's part of the Golden Triangle but it's a bit more laid back. Hotels in this area are a bit more upsscale too. What it's got going for it is the fact that it's near the Petronas Towers and the mall attached to it called Suria KLCC. The other malls like BB Plaza, Lot 10, Plaza Low Yat, Pavilion, Starhill, and all the others are in Bukit Bintang though. It's accessible from KLCC through what should be a short taxi ride away. But traffic can get really bad so if shopping is your thing, staying in the KLCC area might not be such a good idea.
In short, if you're a budget traveler and would like to be in the middle of the action, choose a hotel in Bukit Bintang. In particular, a hotel along or intersecting Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Alor, Jalan Imbi, or Jalan Pudu.
Our hotel of choice for this trip was the Bintang Warisan Hotel. Their official website can be found HERE. I went on this trip with my husband and so we only needed a standard room with a queen-sized bed. For this, we paid RM155 per night. In Philippine pesos, that's about P2,200. Admittedly, there are hotels on that same row or around it that are cheaper by RM30 (P425). But from my research, Agora Hotel and Sungei Wang Hotel (at RM130) are both really run-down, dirty, and has bedbugs; Hotel Rae (on a promo for RM140) is nice but it's not that close to the malls -- maybe about a 10-minute walk?; and the others either don't include a free breakfast or don't accept credit card payments.
Our hotel, the Bintang Warisan, was not bad at all. Just like the format that I used for our Vietnam trip, let me enumerate the things that we liked about this hotel:
1.) The location of the hotel and the convenience that goes with it is worth the price alone!
We flew Cebu Pacific going to KL. We left at around 9 pm, add four hours' travel by plane, and another hour travel time from KL's airport (LCCT) to our hotel, and we're there around 2 am. We were just dead tired, putting into account that we went straight to the airport after a whole day of work and add to that the long travel time as well. But when we got to the hotel, we just got sooo excited! The area in front of the hotel and around it seemed like a "happenin' " place to be! And it was a Thursday! There were people still getting a massage right across the hotel, there were people milling around the restaurants, chatting along the street, the lights were bright and there were cars still passing by as if it was only 9 pm! It was tempting to drop off our bags in the room and come down again to be part of all the fun. But with a few hours left to sleep, we knew we had to postpone until the next day.
This hotel is really in the middle of everything. Jojo, my husband, was very pleased that it's only a 2-minute walk to Plaza Low Yat. You just cross the street, walk a few more steps, and there you are! Plaza Low Yat, by the way, is KL's version of our Greenhills. It's the gadget mecca of KL. You'll find everything there for all your "techie" needs. More on that on my next entry. ;-)
If you walk to the opposite direction, you'll find rows of malls in this order: Sungei Plaza, BB Plaza, Lot 10, Star Hill, and Pavilion. That is, not to mention, the row of reflexology massage places just right across the hotel too. To the left and the right of the hotel are various restaurants like Pappa Rich, McDonalds, KFC, and many many others. Jalan Alor, the famous hawker area, is just right behind us too. The location of this hotel definitely cannot be beat.
2.) The free breakfast at their cozy cafe is definitely a perk!
Going in to the hotel, you'll see the Heritage Coffeehouse to your left. This is where you have your free breakfast everyday. You can also order other things like Malaysian fare or Western dishes for lunch or dinner. Most nights though, I see a lot of locals and tourists sitting in this cafe with a beer on hand, just people-watching. After all, there's a lot to see from this vantage point. The restaurant juts out to the sidewalk and it's in the middle of everything!
We only stayed at the Heritage Coffeehouse really, to have our free breakfast everyday. I was hoping we could spend more time there like for cocktails or so, but it's very easy to get distracted -- especially when you have so many other choices or places to be in this area. ;-) Anyway, for the free breakfast, you are given a choice between the American breakfast or the traditional Malaysian one.
The American breakfast includes toast, eggs (you can choose the way you like it), wieners (Vienna sausage?), and get ready for this: pork and beans! ;-) Frankly, I didn't know that the typical American breakfast consisted of that! ;-) It was a nice addition though.
The Malaysian breakfast included white rice and Nasi Lemak -- accompanied with hardboiled egg, peanuts, and of course, the tasty chicken with chili and other spices. It tasted very good! But if you're used to having just toast or cereal for breakfast, this might be a bit much. It's heavy but being a Filipino used to the longganiza (Filipino sausage), fried egg, and rice breakfast combination, it was fine. I loved the burst of flavor and spicyness of their Nasi Lemak. Who needs coffee when you can have the Nasi Lemak to wake you up?!?? ;-) All of their breakfasts were served with free orange juice and coffee, by the way.
3.) The rooms were clean enough and their bed was comfortable.
Admittedly, it can be pretty obvious that this hotel has been around for a while. You can tell this from the bathroom tiles, furniture with a few dents and scratches, and the rust stains in the shower area. But the Bintang Warisan Hotel tries to make-do with what they have. Unlike the hotel that we stayed at in Bangkok which is probably just as old, I was pleased that there wasn't that 'closed-in' cigarette smoke smell in the room. The carpet was well-maintained too. The bed wasn't hard on the back and everything was the cleanest that they could be. Houseekeeping comes in everyday to clean the room.
The room was small but you have everything that you need there. You get clean towels everyday, free packets of coffee, soap, shower cap, and shampoo as well. As for their TV, I think, from memory, it had about 10 channels or so. Most of them were in Bahasa but there were maybe a couple of channels to please the English speakers. ;-)
4.) Yes, you are very close to all the action but you can also get a good night's sleep here too.
We stayed at Room 701. It doesn't face Jalan Bukit Bintang. It's on the opposite side, facing Jalan Alor. Despite being close to all this action though, we loved how quiet it was in the room. Except for the occasional 'ting' of the elevator opening, we couldn't hear anything else. Now, this is a surprise since the hotel was fully booked when we were there. Their walls must be very thick or they must have done something to block all the noise.
To add to the "good night's sleep" part, the airconditioner is pretty strong. In fact, I had to get up in the middle of the night to adjust the temp because it was just too cold. We loved that. ;-)
5.) From your window, you can get a good view of the Petronas Towers AND the KL Menara.
I'm not sure if all the rooms facing Jalan Alor have windows. But we did! ;-) It was sooo cool to see these two landmarks from our window! They looked even more stunning and majestic at night don't you think? ;-) It's a tiny thing but it definitely made our stay in this hotel more special. ;-)
Despite all these good things, the Bintang Warisan Hotel still has a number of things that they have to improve on before it can be considered KL's number 1 budget hotel in my book. Here we go for the negative:
1.) Where's the toothbrush? The toothpaste? And the blowdryer??!??
On a tray in the bathroom, you'll find a shower cap, soap, and a small bottle of generic shampoo. And then you wonder, where's the toothbrush and the toothpaste? Yes, there is a convenient store located across the street where you can get these things. But still. Shouldn't these things be included in the amenities?
Usually, in the other budget hotels that I've stayed at in Asia, the blowdryer is attached to the wall. At Bintang Warisan, you'll have to request it from the front desk. On our first day there, I realized too late that they didn't have a blowdryer in the room. After showering, I only had 30 minutes before we had to leave to get our viewing tickets at the Petronas Towers. To be assured of a ticket, the websites I visited suggested being there no later than 8 am.
Anyway, I told the front desk that I needed that blowdryer ASAP. Thirty minutes had passed on that first day and still no blow dryer. We had to leave and we never found out if anyone came to drop it off. We thought that housekeeping would just leave the blowdryer on the table. But when we got back, there was nothing.
We weren't in a rush the following day. I called at around 8:30 for that blowdryer and within a few minutes, I got it. It led me to think that maybe Housekeeping comes in past 8 and they're the ones expected to deliver these things. So on the first day, the people at the front desk probably waited for someone from Housekeeping to come in to deliver it instead of taking the initiative to deliver it themselves. Which leads me to my second "beef"...
2.) The service could definitely be improved even more.
We liked the staff at the Heritage Coffeehouse. They were all smiles and the waiters were very accommodating. In fact, we even "pestered" one of them when we asked for directions to go to the Petronas by train. The websites I've visited says to get on the monorail and get off at Bukit Nanas, then walk to transfer to another train and get off two stops later. Man, was I glad that we followed our waiter's suggestion. He said to yes, take the monorail and get off at Bukit Nanas. But instead of transferring to another train, he suggested to walk it instead. It was a much better idea because we soon realized that the walk from Bukit Nanas to the connecting train is really the distance from where we get off to the Petronas -- but just in the opposite direction. It didn't make sense to walk further away from the Petronas just so we can get on a train to get there.
And yet again, I digress...;-) Yes, the staff of the Heritage Coffeehouse were great. I assumed the owner of Bintang Warisan also owns that coffeehouse. But I wondered why the people at the front desk weren't as courteous. Yes, they give you what you ask for. But they just don't go the extra mile. There are no smiles, no 'Good Mornings,' and no one offered to help when we lugged our stuff up to our room after checking in at 2 am! Not the friendliest bunch at all. I wish they could improve this. With tough hotel competition along Jalan Bukit Bintang, this could cost them.
3.) The bathroom is a downer.
As I said, the bathroom tiles show their age. There are rust stains on the drain and a few other areas. If you're used to budget accommodation, these things are actually quite minor. But the thing that disappointed me the most was the shower. The water pressure wasn't that strong. And what's weird is that the shower had a semi-enclosure and in the middle -- a shower curtain. I wondered why not have a full enclosure with a door for the entrance to the shower?
I always felt clumsy when taking a shower. Not only is the shower area small but all you had there was a tiny soap dish on the wall. For a girl who uses a lot of toiletries, I had to put all of my stuff on top of the counter near the sink and step out of the shower each time I have to use them, and step out again to put it back. You can put all of the toiletries on the floor while you shower but since the area is small, you run the risk of bumping your head on the enclosure each time you bend down to get something. I think their bathrooms are definitely due for a renovation.
4.) The smell in the lobby is a bit much.
When you enter the hotel, you'll find a perfume shop across the elevator. I'm not talking about a perfume shop that sells Chanel, Carolina Herrera, and the like. I think they mix the oils themselves. And this really strong and musky scent of what seems like cheap perfume wafts through whole lobby. It's a bit strong and can give you a momentary headache. What I had to do each time was hold my breath and dash to the elevator to escape this. Thankfully, the smell doesn't reach the cafe. You'll only smell it when you're by the receptionist or waiting for the elevator.
So what is the verdict? If Jojo and I were to go back to KL, I think we would still choose Bintang Warisan as our hotel. Despite its shortcomings, it's not that bad of a hotel to stay at when you're on a budget. The location, cleanliness, and the free breakfast, I think, makes up for its shortcomings. ;-) Anyway, as tourists, we were really only at the hotel to sleep and shower. We're out the rest of the time so that lack in warmth and hospitality in their service wasn't too bothersome. As for the bathroom, I know that they're beginning to do renovations. So I'm hoping that they'll do something about these bathrooms very soon.
For more reviews of this hotel, you can visit Tripadvisor HERE.
Now, if you're not on a budget and would like to be in the same area as Bintang Warisan, let me suggest the Piccolo Hotel. To be honest, Piccolo Hotel is our first choice. It's about a block and a half away from Bintang Warisan but the location is still very central. Instead of being right across Plaza Low Yat, the Piccolo Hotel is beside Starhill Gallery (a super posh and upscale mall) and across my favorite mall in KL, the Pavilion. From the Piccolo, you cross the street, and you're there at the monorail station. Right in front of the hotel is the HOHO (Hop On, Hop Off) station. Very convenient, indeed.
And did I mention that it's a boutique hotel too? Have a look at these rooms. Very nice and modern hey?
These rooms start at RM303 (P4,300) per night on asiarooms.com. Their official website can be found HERE. It might be worth checking out. ;-)
Source: The Piccolo Hotel pictures were taken from agoda.com
