Affordable comfort but pack earplugs
Long-running Rainforest Bed and Breakfast offers affordable, compact and clean rooms in a very central location which will appeal to nightowls wanting to make the most of Bukit Bintang’s nightlife.
With its stepped facade, antique wooden doors and trees out front, the property does feel somewhat exotic and rainforesty, but come the evening the imagined sounds of the jungle are more likely to be a thumping bass rather than the hum of insects. Rainforest B&B has a club right along side and plenty more bars and eateries within a short distance—if you are a light sleeper, pack earplugs. Better still, avoid Friday and Saturday when the racket reaches its crescendo.
Rooms are wood-finished, very compact and some lack a window (which, with the evening racket probably isn’t such a great loss). There are a few flavours of lodging available, including well priced dorms, double rooms with ensuite and with shared bathroom, triple and quadruple (family) rooms both with ensuite. The dorms (separately for men and women) are notable for essentially being triples with three separate single beds—great for the bunk-bed-phobic.
We were shown a double room with ensuite and it was clean and well kept. A wall-sized mirror had been added to the room to make it seem bigger (at a glance) than it really was. Facilities include WiFi, all rooms are air-con, TV and safe (in the private rooms). The first floor has a balcony with furniture on it should you want to relax and watch life go by, though there is little view to speak of other than the immediate surrounds.
As mentioned, the location is excellent—if you’re into nightlife and restaurants—as the surrounds are packed with all manner of spots. Highlights include jazz club No Black Tie a few doors along and also Feeka—a cafe which does good coffee and solid breakfasts. You’re also a short walk from Changkat Bukit Bintang and the broad selection of (pricey) bars and restaurants there. Jalan Alor is ten minutes away on foot as is Bukit Bintang monorail and MRT station.
If you want something quieter and don’t mind older lodgings, Orange Pekoe Guesthouse is not far from here and is similarly priced but enjoys a quieter setting.
Address: 27 Jalan Mesui, off Jalan Nagasari
T: (03) 2145 3525; F: (03) 2110 2979
Email: info@rainforestbnbhotel.com
Web: http://www.rainforestbnbhotel.com
Coordinates (for GPS): 101º42'31.43" E, 3º8'54.97" N
See position in Apple or Google Maps: Apple Maps | Google Maps
Room rates: 60 to 120 ringgit
What we were quoted as a walk-in.
Dorm air-con | 37 ringgit | 37 ringgit |
Standard double room | 115 ringgit | 115 ringgit |
Triple air-con private bathroom | 170 ringgit | 170 ringgit |
Family room | 200 ringgit | 200 ringgit |
Reviewed by
Stuart McDonald
Stuart McDonald co-founded Travelfish.org with Samantha Brown in 2004. He has lived in Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, where he worked as an under-paid, under-skilled language teacher, an embassy staffer, a newspaper web-site developer, freelancing and various other stuff. His favourite read is The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton.
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