Melaka Accommodation – Old Town Guesthouse Review (Updated)

We first wrote about the Old Town Guesthouse in Melaka back in December 2011 – read the old review first by clicking through here. Recently, we had a week or two spare between leaving Sihanoukville in Cambodia and heading to Taipei in Taiwan. We both agreed that the best place to spend it would be at the Old Town Guesthouse in Melaka, Malaysia. We truly loved it there.

We stayed in a private air conditioned double room with ensuite bathroom. Light breakfast is included as is all day tea and coffee.

The Room

The private air conditioned double room with ensuite bathroom that we stayed in could have been a little bigger but what it lacks in space, it makes up for in comfort.  The room that we have stayed in twice now, is just one of two private ensuite rooms available. The rest of the rooms are either air-conditioned or fan rooms that use the very clean shared bathrooms.

Walking past the bathroom door you reach a little but open spaced room with a comfortable and stylish bed.  The mattress is a tad soft for our liking but perhaps that is because we are used to hard Asian style latex beds now. A fitted bottom sheet is on the mattress and there are two blankets at the end of the bed to pull over the top of you when you get cold. A top sheet is not provided but two full sized pillows and two cushions are.

Next to the bed is a little bedside cube cabinet where you can store little things like man bags. On top of the bedside cabinet is a lamp and an alarm clock.  We are unsure why other guest houses don't have these in their rooms! It is so nice to be able to read in bed with a lamp instead of the fluorescent light from above.

A thin but useful shelving unit and a wall shelf is also provided for all of your stuff.  There is also a tall fan in the room in case you prefer fan over air-conditioning. We like this as sometimes all you need is some air circulating!

Next to the window that overlooks the street and a very busy food hall is a comfy chair. We actually brought in another chair to use during our stay as sitting in a chair and working on a laptop is more comfortable than sitting on a bed.

One more thing about the windows is that they are double glazed. This means that it is really hard to hear anything that is going on outside. If you open the windows then you will certainly hear the traffic and the food hall across the road.

There is no television in the bedrooms but there is one in the common lounge and dining area.

We like our little well designed comfy room!

The Bathroom

As soon as you walk in the door to the room we were staying in, the bathroom is on the right. It is a simple wet bathroom meaning that there is no shower curtain to keep the water from spraying all over the rest of the bathroom.

The electric hot water system works very well, as does the western toilet. A cold water basin is just by the door with a few shelves nearby.

Thoughtfully, the owners have provided some towels, shampoo, conditioner and hand soap to use during your stay. Nice!

Breakfast

Simple toast with butter, various flavours of jams, smooth and crunchy peanut butter and chocolate sprinkles is available every morning. Freshly brewed coffee and tea is free throughout the day. Fruit and the occasional sweet or savoury snack is on the table too.

A guest fridge is accessible for you to store some food. Drinks like milk, juice, coke and beer can be purchased also.

Digital Nomad Friendly

Old Town Guesthouse isn't the most digital nomad friendly place we have stayed at but only because there wasn't enough table space for us to sit at for hours at a time.

Work Locations

In the main common lounge / kitchen and dining room area there is a table that people are able to sit at and work on their laptops freely. The only problem with this area is that it can get a bit noisy and distracting. People coming and going, making cups of tea, watching television, reading books, playing with toys etcetera.

There is another room, a much quieter room that has a few couches and a library in it. This room could do with another table setting.  This would make an ideal digital nomad work location. The room still has a few distractions but is the centre point of where the bedrooms open up to so everyone is quieter.

Otherwise, you have your bedroom to work in.  Our room already had one chair in it, we brought in another and we were both set for our daily work time.

wifi / Internet

We were spoilt with awesome wifi during our stay. The internet connection never faulted except on the weekends when the rooms were full and everyone was on their laptops and smart phones at the same time. Even then, the speed just slowed down a little.

The wifi signal could be reached from all parts of the guesthouse. When the wind was blowing just right, I was able to access the wifi from across the road in the food hall.

Amenities

The owners of Old Town Guesthouse in Melaka have made sure that you will feel at home when you stay at their place.  With this in mind they request you treat their place like your own, you can use everything, within reason of course.

Feel free to use the kitchen to cook your meals but try not to put on a five course meal unless the the owners and their family are invited. A fridge, hot plates, a little oven, microwave, cooking equipment,  hot water urn and a filtered water system can be used by all.

There is a comfy lounge setting that you can curl up on and watch a dvd from their expansive collection. Cable TV is also available if you want to watch a special sporting match.

If you are in need of a PC and internet as you didn't bring your own laptop, there is one that can be used in the main common area.

For children, there are a heap of games and books that can be played with and read during their stay. For the adults, a little library has been set up. Read a book while you are there, or trade your read book for one of theirs.

If you feel the need to do some washing, the washing machine is available to be used for RM 10.00 per load. This cost includes the washing detergent. Hand washing is free though!

Services

With four or is it five languages between them – Mandarin, Malay, French, English, and perhaps another that I am missing, the owners and their children can converse with nearly everyone.  This is one of the best services any guesthouse can offer any guest!

The owners will happily advise you of any event that is happening in Melaka, now and upcoming. They will share stories of where the best food of Melaka can be found.  If you are lucky, they may even take you to eat at the best burger and sate chicken place in Melaka.

Along with helpful advice, they will happily help you plan your next stop with the use of many maps and guidebooks that can be used.

Location

Old Town Guesthouse is a lovely ten minute walk from the famous Jonker Street in Melaka. It is situated just down the road from Bukit Cina (China Hill) and has many restaurants nearby – downstairs, across the road, around the corner. There is food everywhere.

View Melaka, Malaysia – Food, food & more food (also a couple of awesome places) in a larger map

Details

Old Town Guesthouse offers a number of accommodation options for short term and long term stays.

Old Town Guesthouse
119, Jalan Temenggong , 75000 Melaka, Malaysia
Telephone: +60 (0) 6-286 0796
Email: hello@melakaguesthouse.com
Website: www.melakaguesthouse.com

To read more about the Old Town Guesthouse, click here.

For more information about traveling in Malaysia click here.