Venus Boutique

I really enjoyed my stay. The room was clean, the staff were helpful, and the room service was good. It’s an affordable walk to the center, and you can exchange money, buy bottled water, or rent a bike for the day here. Towels were charged.

I spent two nights at Venus Boutique Hotel in Melaka. The room was on the small side but had the essentials, and check-in and checkout were easy. I didn’t speak much with the staff. It’s a good value base for exploring on foot: Dutch Square/Red Square, the UNESCO heritage site, and the river cruise are a 5-8 minute walk away, with Jonker Street Market nearby too. A convenient budget pick for solo travelers.

The room was spacious with a king-size bed, and the price was reasonable. When I first went in, the paint smell was still very strong, so I asked to move rooms. The staff helped me well, and the hotel is close to the shopping area. There was no toothbrush or bottled water. I didn’t really trust the tap drinking water, so I bought a bottle at the minimart. I asked the receptionist in the morning to have my room cleaned, but it still hadn’t been done after I was out for 3-4 hours. Sound also carried through the room.

The location is a big part of why I like this hotel. It’s close to Malacca’s attractions and even appears on the city tourist map, but the price is among the cheapest. There’s a food court of sorts, a mall, and a night market barely 200m away. If you get up early, though, don’t expect much food to be open in the town center before at least 8am. I also chose it for getting to and from Singapore: a coach bay is at Hatten Hotel, about 300m away, and Mahkota Medical and another coach bay are roughly the same distance. For a few days, it’s a great place as long as you know you’re not getting frills. The lobby looks like the photos, with fake marble walls that still look nice and classy. The room was small, as expected, but laid out cleverly enough to fit a little wardrobe, a mini bar, a safe, and a proper work table. The heavy door seems fire rated, I think, and it has an alarm if you leave it ajar. The touch screen controls handle the lights and the room make-up or privacy request. The TV worked fine through a couple of rainy afternoons. The bed was comfortable enough, street noise was almost nonexistent, and I didn’t see any rats, roaches, or other crawlies. I appreciated the sustainability efforts: soap and shampoo come from dispensers, there aren’t other toiletries, drinking water comes from a separate tap at the sink instead of bottles, and housekeeping only comes on request. If I return to beautiful Malacca, this hotel would be on my shortlist.