Sunday, May 19, 2013

Orange Pekoe Guesthouse-Our stay in KL

The best decision we took while being at KL must be deciding to stay at Orange Pekoe.

I read the reviews on travel websites, checked Orange Pekoe's facilities, and finally decided to book  the place. Though I should have been convinced with so many good reviews, yet I was a lil' skeptical... I shouldn't have worried...

My flight landed in KL at 1am in the morning and Neel was waiting for me at the airport. By the time we reached Orange Pekoe, it was 3:30am. The location itself was not very hard to find. All we had to do was tell the driver, "Behind Hotel Istana", and we swiftly located the place. From outside, it showed no glitter. It is a corner building, orange-hued, with a vertical signboard.

However, once the doors opened, my eyes were quick to notice the well-kept white tiles. I live in a house with white-tiles and I totally understand the pain one goes through to keep it spotlessly clean. By the way, guests are suppose to open their shoes before entering the house.I guess that's one thing that surely helps Orange Pekoe to be clean.

Even at 3:30 in the morning, the guy at the reception, Fahmy, I believe, was at its efficient best and he quickly handed over the documents to sign, our room key and our Wi-fi password. 3 minutes and we checked in!

For the first night, we had to take a smaller room since the bigger ones were all taken up. The room space was small but I really didn't mind. The linen was stark white, towels were ready and the mattress.... OMG! So soft.... So very soft... I snored off!



Verandah for smokers

Lounge 











Breakfast
We woke up at 10am the next day, feeling terribly hungry and rushed to the kitchen for the complimentary breakfast the guesthouse provides. The kitchen was neatly kept, jars of tea, coffee, milk whitener, milo and sugar kept on one side, cornflakes and chocos with milk at another side. Then there were bananas, three different kinds of jam, butter and bread. Since I suck at operating electric appliances, I let Neel operate the toaster while I tried to figure out how the electric kettle operates. Well, I said I suck... so, I finally asked the helpful Jennifer to teach me. Once taught, I brewed up our coffee and tea, filled our bowls with chocos and liberally spread butter and kaya on our toasts! (Oh, you should try Kaya... it's a wonderful spread... Too bad I forgot to buy a bottle)

The well-kept kitchen


Around 11am (well before the check-in time), we were told that the bigger room has been emptied and we can shift our luggage there. The bigger room, being bigger, had more space for luggage. The bathrooms in this guesthouse has a peculiar shower and I took a while turning all those shower knobs! Electronic illiterate that I am!






The free wifi was a hit with us, especially for me. I had turned off my data services as soon as I landed since international roaming burns such a hole in one's pocket. But free wifi meant I could chat on bbm...! Woohoo!




Free GoKL buses
The last time I came to KL, I was ill-prepared, and stayed in a hotel really far away from all the action. This time, I realised how easy life becomes when you choose a better location to stay. We could reach Bukit Bintang (shopping haven) by a 7 mins walk, Petronas was a 20mins walk and the pub-street (Changkat) and food street (Jalan Alor) are just a 2mins walk!


We were already very pleased with the location when Jennifer informed us that there are free GoKL buses plying next to the Guesthouse that can take us around the Golden Triangle! By now, we were thoroughly impressed!


Orange Pekoe was all that we hoped for. Good rooms, friendly staff, spic and span premises.... to it, you can add free wifi, free internet terminals, complimentary breakfast, anytime tea/coffee and location. And with a price so reasonable, you could save more for your shopping!







This is the first time I experienced staying in a guesthouse abroad and I totally loved it. The setting is so homely.

I guess, the making of one's own breakfast and cleaning one's own dishes contributed to a homely feel. ;)

When you are here, I'd recommend you bring your toiletries since only basics like towels and toilet papers are provided here.




We are going to KL again... soon... and now that we have found Orange Pekoe, I shan't be looking at another place!

You can find more details at http://orangepekoe.com.my/

By and by, do you know how to enjoy KL in a hedonistic fashion for two days with 8000 INR (around USD 140) in your pocket? Read on...

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