Selesa View Gambang

The crew were the best part for me. The woman at reception was cheerful, friendly, and helpful, and she kept up with my reservation from the start. The other women working there were friendly too. I only saw two or three female staff, including the receptionist, and two or three young men doing housekeeping and cleaning during the day. The room cost about RM106 per night, which struck me as surprisingly high for a budget hotel in Kuantan. Maybe that helps cover the quieter months, since the busy periods seem to be student registration and Convocation. I was grateful I’d read the bad reviews beforehand. The room was missing shower gel and shampoo, and the bathroom was old, with a bidet whose holder was missing. For two nights, they supplied a tiny 50 sen-sized soap and a small roll of toilet paper. I brought my own toiletries, tissues, and bathroom slippers. The hard plastic bath mat didn’t soak up water, so I used a regular towel instead. There was no room service during my stay, and cleaning happened only after checkout. I found hairs on the sheet, even though the bed, sheets, and pillow looked clean and had been sprayed with perfume. The towels were dark blue, so I couldn’t really judge their condition, but they seemed fine as long as they didn’t smell. The twin room is too cramped and has no space to perform solat, so a queen room may be better. There are around 12 to 15 rooms upstairs, but most were empty in the slow season. I wouldn’t recommend staying there alone. I was exhausted after Convocation, but I shortened my stay, packed up, and checked out before Isyak prayer because it was so quiet upstairs after all the other guests left on Convocation day. The hotel sits behind the shoplots, close to abandoned shops and mini factories, with jungle nearby. I saw wild monkeys near the parking area in front of the entrance. Two other budget hotels are in what seemed like a safer spot farther ahead, near the entrance to the whole shoplot area. Parking appeared to be free, and parking near reception seemed safest. At night it was very dark and eerily quiet around there. All the rooms are upstairs, with no lift, so getting older or disabled family members up for Convocation could be really difficult. I also hated that people smoked in the parking area, where there are benches for guests to sit outside. It was smoky, smelled strongly of cigarettes, and had cigarette butts around. There’s only one power outlet for charging, so bring an extension cord. The TV relies on unstable Wi-Fi and kept losing its connection. The old air conditioner got very cold at night and was a bit noisy. There are plenty of restaurants and cafes nearby, plus a 7Eleven, a KK mart, and a Petron station.