Istana

Amazing hotel. My friend and I had the double twin room and although it was smaller than it looked in pictures, it was still very spacious. The bathroom was also very modern and well furnished. The only thing I have to say it was that the shower drain wasn’t as fast as it could be which meant water would go everywhere (bathroom was a wet room so it was fine) and get higher. Cleaning was done every 3-4 days, but they also had a system in place if you needed anything earlier. The hotel is also very well situated. It is near a small mall and plaza that sells local foods, has a grocery store and small markets, as well as many restaurants and bakeries. It is also very close to Chinatown (less than 15-minute walk). The nearest MRT station is about a 10-15 minute walk away, but there are many bus stops around the hotel that will get you pretty much anywhere. Overall, this hotel was beautifully furnished and maintained. Very well organized as well, especially for their shared common space. A perfect stay and at a very affordable price too. Highly recommend and would definitely go back.

The room size and equipment were great, but it's ridiculous that there isn't a SINGLE hook anywhere to hang your towel, shirt, or pants. I had to pick up cheap suction hooks from Daiso, so I had places to hang items that were frequently used. Sure the wardrobe has a bunch of hangers but you don't want to stuff your used day-pants in there. Makes no sense. The room cleaning only happens on Wednesdays, so you'll also need a hook to hold your garbage in a separate plastic bag. The garbage bin in the room is just too small for a week's worth of trash. Walls are thin, you'll hear your neighbors or room mates talk on their phone, and all the activity in the shared living space - this was esp apparent when my neighbor was cooking, doing laundry, inviting her friends over, etc. The 100 year old, very slow lift is cool the first time... but a real pain in the ass to use. You have to pull open two very heavy metal gates, and pull to close them (and ensure they're very closed) before you can hit the button to go up or down. Usually by midnight the lift will stop working... because the bargoers that use the lift forget to close the gates after they've gone to the top floor. And when new guests come in or out, everyone is very confused who should be helping to open or close the inner/outer gates. It's a nightmare when you're a regular guest and all you want to do is just enter or exit the hotel on the 3rd floor. Often, just waiting for the lift takes forever - if it comes at all.