1981 Guest House

For RM25 per person, this is a good place to stay, and I’d recommend it. There’s plenty of food nearby, and Hakka Tin Miner Assc Museum and Han Chin Pet Soo are just around the corner. The room, beds, and activity room were clean, with a locker by every bed. Basic extras include a free washing machine, hair dryer, and iron, plus reasonably priced drinks and water for sale. The main drawback is that there are only two bathrooms with toilets for more than 20 beds, which could be a real problem when the place is full. The bathroom smelled of pee, one of the two shared computers was out of order, and the internet didn’t work on the first day, though it was fine the next day. The AC runs only from 9pm to 9am, and there’s just one unit in the big dorm. Each bed has a fan, though, so it was comfortable enough.

The wooden house is really noisy, and you can feel someone walking upstairs. The bed was comfortable, breakfast was basic, and the location is right in the middle of the city center, which is good. The owners aren’t very good at speaking English, but they’re really kind, especially the woman.

The lounge area was nice, and the dorm was a decent size. It’s easy to wash clothes and hang them up to dry, but there are no curtains on the dorm beds. There’s just one working shower shared by the mixed and women’s dorms. The helpful Chinese wife and owner couldn’t communicate well, so she was hard to understand. Towel rental was 1 rmb, with sales tax added to the advertised price.

Chong at reception was really friendly, and the location is perfect for tourists. Birch Memorial, Ipoh KTM station, Concubine lane, Hare lane, Yasmin Museum, and Plan B are all only minutes away on foot. I stayed three days for RM60 per person. It’s a shared dorm with two bathrooms and a free washing machine. There are two king-size beds, and the lower bunk has a private curtain and personal fan, so ask for that if you want more privacy. Lockers are available on request with a RM30 deposit each. WiFi is free, though it may be slow or not work. The reception area has one working PC, a TV, bean bag, sofa, several table games like chess and snake&ladder, and a small fridge for canned drinks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.