On a recent trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I stayed at the budget Cube Hotel in KL. Normally, I stay at a four star hotel but with increasing prices it was seeming stupid to spend over $100 a night for a place I basically sleep in. So, this trip to Kuala Lumpur, I decided a budget hotel made more sense and I booked at the Cube Hotel. Located just around the corner from where I normally stay, it turned out to be a fabulous choice.
Location of Cube Hotel, Kuala Lumpur – As I said, the Cube is just around the corner from where I normally stay and also just around the corner from a monorail station, so easy to get to. It’s a 3 minute walk from Imbi station, a 3 minute walk from Berjaya Times Square, the enormous shopping mall, and has four other malls, lots of restaurants and cafes and a Starbucks within five minutes in any direction.
The Staff at Cube Hotel – One of the nicest things about my stay is the staff. Young, cool and exceptionally friendly, they’re also efficient and helpful. Last time I stayed in KL (at the Hotel Capitol) I dealt with one of the rudest reception girls I’ve ever met, so having friendly, pleasant staff is a nice change. They were also lovely when I arrived, insisting on showing me a room before I paid as they said “Some people don’t like them as they are very small” (and yes, they are, but who cares).
The Rooms at Cube Hotel – Easily the smallest hotel room I’ve ever seen in my life, it’s basically nothing more than a teeny tiny box with no windows and a tiny bathroom ‘closet’ attached. Not a ‘sizeist’, the size of the room wasn’t even a factor when I booked the Cube, as I had read the rooms were small. What I love about the room though are these things – it’s spotlessly clean, there’s fast, free Wi-Fi internet (even the 4-star hotel I stayed in before didn’t have this) and it has an enormous flatscreen LCD TV with cable. The TV is mounted on the wall right in front of the bed, so it’s comfortable to watch too.
The bathroom is a typical south east Asia bathroom. Just a tiny sink and toilet, with a water heater and shower head coming out of the wall. What this means is, once you’ve taken a shower, the entire bathroom, toilet, sink, everywhere is soaking wet and you have to paddle in the bathroom until it dries. But, for a couple of days, it’s a minor inconvenience and, as it’s so clean, I don’t care.
The air conditioning is extremely effective, and you can control it yourself (unlike a lot of Malaysia hotels), so it was nice to be able to cool off, then turn it up later on when the room became cold.
The Negatives to Cube Hotel – Of course, there are a couple of negatives. It’s a budget hotel, after all. The bed is comfortable but the pillows are not. Rock-hard and very thick, it was difficult to get to sleep without getting a crick in my neck. The other odd thing is there’s only a bottom sheet on the bed. No top sheet, and only a scratchy blanket to cover myself (which I didn’t bother with). As I live in Bangkok, I’m used to the ‘only a bottom sheet’ in lower end hotels, and as I sleep without covers at home, it didn’t bother me unduly. Someone not used to it though might find it annoying.
I solved the pillow problem though by buying a cheap pillow at a KL mall. Only $4, it did me for the last two nights I stayed there, then I just left it with the hotel when I checked out. Next time, I’ll just bring one with me. No problem at all.
The Price at Cube Hotel – This is where it gets even better. For three night’s stay including tax, I paid only 360 ringgits ($112), which is only $37 a night. Where else in the world do you know where you can find a clean, comfortable room with free Wi-Fi internet, a flatscreen LCD TV, lovely staff and in a excellent location for only $37? I’ve never found one.
Overall, minus a couple of minor annoyances, I’m very happy with the Cube Hotel. To find a comfortable hotel in a good location for less than $40 a night is quite a coup, and I’ll gladly stay here again the next time I come to Kuala Lumpur.
** Addition – since this article was written last year, I’ve stayed at Cube Hotel three more times. Loved it every time and now, on every visit to KL, I won’t stay anywhere else.
You can book a room at Cube Hotel on their website.
