V'la Heritage Hotel

It's a small hotel, but clean and neat, and the toilets were especially tidy. The rooms were okay, the location was excellent, and the staff were cooperative. There's free self-service ironing downstairs inside the hotel. The lift starting from the first floor was the one thing I didn't like, but overall it was worth the cost.

The place was really dirty. There were stains on the walls, the toilet leaked every time it flushed, and the bed sheets had yellow marks. I wiped the table with wet wipes, and they came away completely black. Mold was all over the place. It wasn't an inviting sight. Even though it was cheap, it wasn't so cheap that this condition was acceptable. We booked this specific room because of the reviews saying it was a good place, and that was a mistake. My sister has asthma, and the mold made it worse. If you have asthma, stay away. It takes weeks to feel better again.

We found the place basic but okay, and got a good rate through Zen rooms. Extending by one night was a different story: they asked for three times what we had paid online. The room had a leaking sink, a shower that was only warm, and a hair dryer that was broken and nearly caught fire. Staff were probably the most miserable people I met in KL, which was a shame. An Irish bar/nightclub just behind the hotel blasts noise until 3am every night, so it isn't peaceful if that's what you're after.

Bukit Bintang is a great base, with public transport close by and cheap, plenty of bars and restaurants around, and the Petronas Towers within walking distance. The beds were comfortable, staff polite, and rooms clean. The downsides were a very limited breakfast, small and basic rooms, and nighttime noise. The bathroom layout is poor too: the toilet sits right under the shower in the wetroom, so the seat and floor get soaked.