Cozy Residence Syariah Malang

The cold AC and one serving of rice cup were pluses. Hot water was available, though it stopped coming out when I showered in the morning. There were a lot of problems too: no wardrobe or clothes hooks, no running water at the sink, and a bathroom ceiling leak that dripped down. The drain had lots of hair, the mattress sagged and made sleeping uncomfortable, and noise came through the walls. More attention to upkeep and cleanliness would help. I wouldn't come back.

The room itself wasn't bad, but the check-in left me stressed and feeling badly treated. I'd stayed in hundreds of places around the world and never had an experience like this. I wouldn't recommend it to foreign tourists, and the staff seemed very suspicious. Someone was sleeping on the floor and drinking beer, among other things. Before arriving, I messaged the facility to ask about checking in around 11 p.m. They said it was fine and gave me a phone number, but nobody answered when I called. At the desk, a rude staff member who didn't speak English showed me a QR code for Indonesian payments. I had cash and tried to explain with a translator that I couldn't use the code. He asked to see my reservation and tapped something on my phone. I suspected he was trying to cancel it, but luckily I had no internet. After that, he only wrote things like “fully booked” and “reservation don't have.” I knew that wasn't true. There was a sign in Indonesian saying cash wasn't accepted, but nothing about this in the booking information. That's a big problem, because as a foreigner you can't pay any way. I was afraid to go out at midnight without a hotel, so I stayed in a chair at reception trying to find a solution. When I started calling Booking, the man suddenly wrote “pay cash” and the exact amount, which showed my reservation was in their system. The next day, while I was in the city, Booking messaged to say the owner had reported that I hadn't checked in and the cancellation had been canceled. Worried my belongings might be gone, I paid for a ride back to the hotel to check. Thankfully everything was still there, but I couldn't get the reservation reinstated. A day later I went to another place for only 10k more, and it was much nicer with normal service.

There are plenty of good food and coffee places nearby, and the neighborhood is cute. The location was somewhat hard to reach, and I think the gate closes at 10 or 11. The rooms had no window you could see out of, which felt a little scary, though they were clean and bug-free, with hot water, drinking mineral water, and strong AC. It was a good price and not a bad experience, but I wouldn't stay again.

We spent €400 on a 3-night, 4-day trip to explore East Java and ended up here on the first night. This was the sketchiest hotel I've ever been to, and it felt like such a rip-off.