Georgetown Residences

The free breakfast was the worst part. They served poor-quality daily bread, with egg, fruit jams, butter, and coffee or tea. They should use Massimo or even Gardenia instead. The bed and shower were good, and the hostel staff were friendly and did their best to solve my problem. The toilet wasn't great, though, because the flush was weak.

My wife and I booked three nights at Georgetown Residences hostel through Hostel World, in two beds in a mixed dorm. We'd visited the previous night, been shown around, and then booked. We ended up staying just one night, and it was a frustrating experience. The window beside our beds wouldn't close fully, leaving a gap of about 5 cm. A club next door was loud all night, so we barely slept. There was no one at reception that evening to report the window problem to. There was also no internet anywhere we tried, including the dorm, sitting and reading area, and near the bathrooms. The dorm lockers had no locks. When we asked reception, they said they had no more locks to give guests, so we'd have to buy our own to secure our valuables. We told them this should be mentioned in the Hostel World details or during our visit the day before. I raised it with the owner by phone, and he eventually said we could leave valuables with reception staff. But in the evening, no one was there to take them or return them later. Communication with staff was difficult. When we tried to explain concerns, they seemed impatient and unprofessional, cut us off, and didn't resolve anything. The next morning we asked to cancel the remaining two nights because we were so unhappy, had barely slept, and had lost a day without internet. They agreed to cancel and refund us, but returned only 108 MYR instead of 132 MYR. We were too tired to argue and left without the full remaining amount. Given the sleepless night and all the time and energy wasted, we really should have received compensation too.

It's 2:15 am and I'm still awake. Right across from the hostel, a new club has huge speakers and seems to have no idea about doors or sound insulation. Hard techno and Despacito are making my chest vibrate. The hostel itself is really nice, but they need better windows to keep out the music, or they should just become a party hostel.

The reception staff were really helpful, and the WiFi works. Beds are comfortable enough, and I liked the breakfast. The air conditioning is great, though thicker blankets would help because the room can get chilly. Noise is the bigger problem: traffic comes through the windows nonstop, even with earplugs, and at 6 am sharp loud prayers blare from right outside. There are also mosquitoes in the toilets and shower cubicles.