Venus Boutique Hotel

I enjoyed my stay here. The room was clean, staff were helpful, and room service was good. You can walk to the centre, and the price is affordable. Towels cost extra. They also have a money changer, sell bottled water, and rent bikes by the day.

For a budget stay, this was a convenient and affordable base for exploring the city on foot. The room had the essentials, though it felt a little small, and check-in and checkout were smooth. I didn't speak much with the staff. Venus Boutique Hotel is in a great spot, around a 5-8 minute walk from Dutch Square/Red Square, the UNESCO heritage site, and the river cruise. Jonker Street Market is nearby, too. I stayed two nights.

My king-size room had plenty of space, and the price was reasonable. When I first went in, the paint smell was still very strong, but the staff helped me change rooms. The hotel is close to the shopping area. The room didn't keep out sound well. There was no toothbrush or bottled water, just tap drinking water that I didn't really trust, so I bought a bottle at the minimart. I asked reception in the morning to clean the room, then came back 3-4 hours later to find it still hadn't been done.

The location is superb: close to Malacca's attractions, food options, a kind of food court and mall, and a night market barely 200 metres away. The price is among the cheapest. If you're up early, though, don't expect food around the town centre before at least 8am. I also chose it for the easy trips to and from Singapore. A coach bay at Hatten Hotel is about 300 metres away, and Mahkota Medical and another coach bay are about the same distance. I liked the hotel's efforts to be sustainable: liquid soap and shampoo from dispensers, drinking water from a separate sink tap instead of bottles, and room cleaning only on request. There aren't many frills, but I was happy with that and would put the hotel on my shortlist for another visit to beautiful Malacca. The lobby looks like the photos, with fake marble walls that look classy. My room was small, as expected, but cleverly laid out, with a little wardrobe, minibar, safe, and proper work table. The heavy door seemed fire-rated and had an alarm if left ajar. The touchscreen lights worked well, as did the buttons to request cleaning or privacy. The TV worked fine on a couple of rainy afternoons. I saw no rats, roaches, or other crawlies, the bed was comfortable enough, and there was almost no street noise.