Lucky 11 Hotel

The location makes the price reasonable, with souvenir shops and local eateries nearby. But the room was hard to sleep in because the bed sagged badly and was deformed, and the TV had no signal. Security also concerned me: anyone, including non-guests, could use the lift, and there was only one CCTV camera on the ground floor, with none in the lift or corridors.

The single small lift was a time waster, and the poor soundproofing meant we could hear music blasting across the street at night. Still, this is a comfortable budget option if you want to be near everything. Food is just steps away, malls like wisma merdeka and suria sabah are walkable, Jesselton Point is about a 12-minute easy walk for island hopping, and the Sunday gaya street fair is less than a minute away. The room is small, though the minimal furniture makes it feel more spacious. All rooms have windows, and there's bottled water, instant coffee and tea, a kettle, a TV with movie channels, cold air conditioning, strong Wi-Fi, plenty of charging sockets, and a toilet with a water heater. No bath tub or safety box. Given how easily hotel safety boxes can be broken into, that wasn't my main concern.

My parents stayed one night and had a terrible experience. The water went out twice, once just after check-in and again the next morning. Although the hotel is fairly new in town, it seems badly maintained, and the rooms and toilets looked old and smelled bad.

For a central city stay, this is a good choice, especially if you're heading to Gaya Street on the weekend. The market is right behind the hotel, and Suria Mall is about a 10-minute walk away. Service was great and the rooms are spacious, which works well for families or solo travellers. There isn't breakfast, but plenty of restaurants are nearby. They provide one extra pillow for free, then charge RM10 for each additional pillow and RM20 per blanket per night.