Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Our Favorite Budget Hotel in KL

Once again, location and convenience are the key criteria that make Lodge Paradize Hotel our favorite budget hotel in Kuala Lumpur. If you're taking the bus from the KL airport or from Singapore, the bus will let everyone off at KL Sentral. From there, the monorail station is a few meters away. Take the monorail all the way to the Raja Chulan station, and when you get down and out of the station, Lodge Paradize Hotel will be right across the road. The other landmark is the all-white Hotel Istana on the other side of the road.


Photo from Merdeka Online

You may also take the free (yes, free!) purple Go KL bus - it stops about 100 meters from the hotel.

Photo from Malaysia Public Transport

Lodge Paradize has an open, old colonial-style lay-out that makes the place airy and bright. Sure, the place could use some sprucing up, and the pool was under repair last time we were there, and there was construction that has been going on for a long time, but it had the basics we were looking for - clean, safe, accessible and reasonable. The hotel may look a bit rundown from the outside, but hey, it's sitting on what's probably the most expensive piece of real estate in KL, and there is always somebody cleaning up!

The rooms are basic - airconditioned, with large toilet/shower rooms, and plenty of space for hanging clothes in the bedroom and shower room. 

Yes, they add extra beds upon request..at extra charge. 





Complimentary bottles of water and standard toiletries are provided. There is free internet wifi but we found the signal weak except in the reception area. 

A separate 2-storey building houses the budget rooms - no refs and TVs here, but the rooms and showers are spacious.

Photo from the Lodge Paradize website

The last time we were there, we paid the equivalent of P5,000. for 3 nights for one budget room, with free buffet breakfast for two persons. One may choose a typical Malaysian breakfast of rice and several dishes, or congee with various condiments, or a simple continental breakfast, or everything on offer.  

Did we say the location was excellent? The hotel is situated in an area that is commonly called KL's "Golden Triangle", meaning, the high-end shopping/dining/commercial area of KL. Bukit Bintang, home to Malaysia's classiest malls, is a short walk away. 


There is a covered elevated walkway that leads to KLCC (KL City Centre),where the Petronas Towers are located. Right outside the hotel are restaurants, coffee shops and 24-hour convenience stores. 

If you're standing across the street from the hotel, you see the top of the KL Tower to your left...



and the Petronas towers to the right.


That's us just across the hotel



"Travelling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." - Ibn Batutta (from Fodors.com)



Check out Lodge Paradize here: http://www.lodgeparadize.com/index.html