Hotel Merpati

There’s no lift, which makes the stairs tough on your legs, especially if your room is on the second or third floor. Hot water is only available at certain times. The food was okay, though sometimes too plain for us; there’s a local restaurant nearby, or you can order through Go-Food. It’s a cozy, affordable hotel, and I’d say it’s worth a try. My friends found their room very cold and couldn’t turn the temperature down because of an AC sensor issue. That’s my take on it.

Tamatabi 2018/11/28/29 I'm a bicycle traveler. I flew here from Jakarta, which cost about 30us dollars, and the trip from here to the airport terminal was about 8us dollars. The regular room cost me 15us dollars. It was spacious and had air conditioning, and I thought it was pretty good. This Hotel was easy to find, and I could assemble my bicycle in the room. I hope you have a good trip.

I booked Merpati Hotel Pontianak because I wanted a bathtub, but our two-night stay turned into an awful experience. We were put on the third floor, with no elevator and no offer to help with our luggage. The room and bathroom were both dirty. Dust covered the floor, the sheets had stains and cigarette burn holes, the sink leaked, and the water was green. The breakfast choices were limited to rice, some kind of chicken, and fried noodles, and everything was greasy. I skipped breakfast on the second day and ordered nasi padang from outside. I don't know how I got through the stay. The service was just as frustrating. On our last night we were hungry and tried to order food, but nobody picked up the phone. I called reception to ask when the restaurant was open, and they said they didn't know, even though the front office is right next to the restaurant and part of the same hotel, I think. They told us to come downstairs and order in person. When I checked again, an older man just pointed toward the restaurant. That was rude. An older woman wearing a green hijab and large glasses took my order. I asked about Nasi Goreng Merpati, and she just said it was fried rice. I know what that is. When I asked for a customized dish, she shook her head. I assumed she couldn't speak Bahasa Indonesia. They charged 30K IDR for greasy, tasteless fried rice. The next day, someone from the front office called rudely to tell us to check out. They didn't offer to help take our luggage down. I couldn't put up with the rudeness anymore, so I threw my key card at the rude lady from the previous night and hoped the hotel would go out of business.

The hotel is old, but my room was clean and spacious. I could smell cigarette smoke whenever I walked along the corridor, so I think people may be allowed to smoke there.