Singgahsana Lodge
Setting the Kuching standard for backpacker digs, this hugely popular guesthouse, decked out with stylish Dayak crafts, has an unbeatable location and a great chill-out lobby...
Malaysia's accommodation possibilities range from rock-bottom flophouses to luxurious five-star resorts. Outside the peak holiday seasons (around major festivals such as Chinese New Year in January/February) big discounts are frequently available – it's always worth asking about special offers.
Budget listings in this guide (denoted with a ‘$’) are those offering a double room with attached bathroom or dorm bed for under RM100; mid-range properties ($$) have double rooms with attached baths for RM100 to RM400; top-end places ($$$) charge over RM400 including 10% service and 5% tax (expressed as ++).
Promotional rates can bring rooms at many top-end hotels into the midrange category. A 6% government tax applies to all hotel rooms (including at cheaper hotels where it is invariably included in the quoted rate) and almost all top-end hotels levy an additional 10% service charge. Credit cards are widely accepted at midrange and top-end hotels; cash payment is expected at cheaper places.
Warning: bed bug infestations are common in Malaysia's hotels and are a particular problem at the budget end of the market.
Setting the Kuching standard for backpacker digs, this hugely popular guesthouse, decked out with stylish Dayak crafts, has an unbeatable location and a great chill-out lobby...
This super-welcoming hostel, with 11 rooms and lots of nice little touches (eg plants in the bathrooms), lives up to its motto, ‘a home away from home’...
The Nak is a solid midrange hotel that's a fair steal if you're travelling as a couple or with friends, and nice value even if you're by yourself...
Friendly staff, fuchsia accent walls and trickling Zen fountains make this a solid option among KK's hostels, particularly if you find a quiet time to take advantage of the gratis internet and DVDs...
KB’s rooms are only so-so (the bigger the better is the rule)...
A classic traveller’s choice, complete with towel-draped 12-bed dorm, noticeboards and staff that speak Bahasa Backpacker. It’s spotless and the jungle mural on the lobby wall is rather eye-catching.
Cosy shophouse hostel offering small and thin-walled rooms with shared bathrooms. However, the communal areas are great and the owners charming.
Run by former trekking guides, Denai gets high marks for its friendly owners and clean digs...
Prison-like rooms, but this hostel does have a mini-aquarium, gay-friendly staff, a great rooftop terrace where free Friday-night dinners are hosted, and homemade yoghurt and muesli for breakfast.
Right downtown, the Cabin offers large, light-filled rooms, clean showers and toilets and a spacious common area. It also offers free internet and luggage storage for while you're away in the jungle.
The highlight of this long-established and well-run hostel with perfunctory rooms is its rooftop bar where you can get breakfast as well as hook up with fellow travellers. It also runs a travel agency and can arrange a variety of trips.
Despite the name, this older establishment has no sea views, but it does overlook the Istana Maziah, right across the road. It's a basic, family-run establishment with clean, simple rooms, which are OK at the price.
At this hostel, it's personal: owner Suzy has created an easy-going and comfortable environment for her guests, decorating it with colourful paintings by local artists and fashioning a palmy oasis courtyard garden out front...
Summer Lodge feels like a bed factory, but it's got that social vibe backpackers adore – 'How long have you been travelling? Where did you come from/where are you going? Isn't it funny when foreigners do that thing they do? Fancy a drink?' The answe...
The Holiday is a very friendly spot right downtown in the Segama Complex. It's showing its age, and hot water here is an on-again-off-again affair, but the folks at the front desk will make you feel at home.
This messy, friendly, rambling, family-run guesthouse is the kind of place where you’re likely to fall in with a local crowd. Rooms are basic, yet clean and cosy, and there are lots of ramshackle communal areas...
Occupying a smartly renovated, yellow-painted shophouse on the southern edge of the Golden Triangle, this is a retro-charming choice with dorms and private rooms, a small grassy garden and welcoming staff.
Near the Seafest (on the seafront – say that three times fast), this dullish spot is cheap and cheerful. There are posters of fish, to remind you of why you came to Semporna, we guess.
Feels a bit like a warehouse, but nonetheless popular with the budget crowd. Located at the southern end of town. Ask about tours to Semporna and Sungai Kinabatangan.
Dorm and double rooms (located in the Labuk B&B portion of the property) are fine – it’s the chalets that are the property’s pièce de résistance...
Polished concrete abounds at this mod charmer, whose owners have transformed a commercial space into a sleek, spotless and low-key hang-out for flashpackers. The carpeted, 10-bed dorm room, with mattresses on the floor, is in the garret...
Highlands styles itself a ‘budget tourist and travel information centre’, and scores a bull’s eye on all counts. Look out for the affable owner, a Twin Otter pilot from New Zealand. If you’re allergic to cats you might have to give this place a miss...
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