Hotel O Aliyah Syariah

It was pitch dark on the way in at night, and even my Bluebird taxi driver worried we might be going the wrong way. The inn is close to the airport, and the road gets better near the housing complex, but most of the Kampong path beside the large sewage river is only wide enough for one car to pass and park, and even that sounds difficult. When I arrived, it was flooded above my suitcase wheels, so I had to carry it and my other large bag for the full 200 meters. The room also took ages to be ready. I’d messaged through the app and updated my arrival time after my flight was delayed, but at 3 a.m. I was still waiting because someone had apparently forgotten to tell the inn I was coming, even though I booked at 9 p.m. See below for the rooms.

The room smelled damp, with black mould on the pillows. It hadn’t been cleaned at all: the rubbish was still there, the floor was filthy, and cigarette butts were scattered around. The toilet wouldn’t flush and its seat cover was detached. There was no drinking water, and the staff were rude. The grottiest place I’ve ever stayed.

At least the bed was clean, but that was about the only good part. The bathroom is tiny and in bad shape: the door is broken, the toilet won’t flush, and the shower doesn’t work. They left a bucket and scoop, so the owner must know about the shower. The clothes hanger in the bathroom is broken, and the one in the room is mounted so high it’s hard to reach. The TV didn’t work either, and there’s just one badly placed outlet. I needed to use my laptop for work and couldn’t. Unless your budget is extremely tight, this place really isn’t worth it. A poor place to stay.

We left and found somewhere else after seeing the room, which looked awful. We had booked air conditioning, but at the property they wanted more money for an air-conditioned room, more than the nightly cost itself. The woman at reception couldn’t accept the refund either. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone.