Sim Citystay

Finding the hotel took some effort, since the entrance is a very small door beside a car repair shop, and it’s close to the jetty. We paid around 85 ringgit, which didn’t feel worth it. The reception wasn’t very nice, either. Our tiny private room was on the fourth floor, up far too many steps. There were no windows, little light, and nowhere to put our bags. I felt sad in there. It was clean enough, and there was hot and cold drinking water in the corridor on every floor. For sleeping, it was just enough. The air conditioner blew right at my head, and I couldn’t adjust its temperature: off made the room hot, while on made it too cold. I wouldn’t recommend it. Maybe the room is worth 30 ringgits, not 85.

At RM25 a night, it was very cheap, and the people at the counter were nice. The woman showed me to the room. I stayed three nights and didn’t have much to complain about. My bed, mattress, pillow, and blanket were okay, and each bed had a small locker with a lock. The room had ten beds, arranged as five bunk beds, plus one toilet and one bathroom. There’s a smoking area at the end of the hallway. A few food hawker stalls are nearby, along with Jetty Food Court and Georgetown, the UNESCO world heritage site. If you’re backpacking and just need somewhere for a few nights, this can do the job.

The room and ensuite bathroom were clean, and the staff member was nice and explained the rules clearly. We appreciated that the owner arranged for staff to wait for us until almost midnight because our bus was delayed. They provided drinking water, and the air conditioning was okay, though we couldn’t adjust its temperature. Our main issue was noise and cigarette smoke around midnight, coming from the common room directly below us. I think the sound got through because half of our large window was transparent plastic rather than glass. I’d suggest replacing it with a full glass window.

I felt very unwelcome at check-in. Our bus from Thailand ran 2.5 hours late, and we arrived without local currency or a Malaysian SIM card. The employee told us to pay right there, which we couldn’t do, then wanted a deposit so I could go to an ATM for ringgits. Staying for three nights, or handing over my passport and credit card details, wasn’t enough. It felt like being treated as a common criminal. The room was small, the wallpaper was taped up and coming off the wall, the bathroom door was broken and wouldn’t close, and the air conditioner dripped on our heads. It was fixed at 24C with no way to change the mode. On our last day, the employee pressured us about checkout even though we were leaving before 12.00, as we’d been told. Communication and service mindedness seemed lacking. I won’t recommend this stay, or use it as a general first impression of the Malay people.