A charming hideaway
Set in a completely renovated shopfront, hidden behind a small but charming cafe, Tian Jing Hotel offers some excellent rooms in a seductive and private setting.
According to their website, Tian Jing is derived from a Chinese phrase which means “air well” and the architect has done well to double down on that idea, finding innovative ways to bring light into the property. We liked here quite a bit.
Brand spanking new when we walked through in very late 2017, we expect Tian Jing to become quite a sought after property and, we hope, it encourages others to renovate rather than decimate when it comes to tackling how to make some money out of the ageing shopfronts dotted all over the city—so much potential!
Tian Jing has twin, double, family and suite rooms spread across two floors running back from the street front cafe. As we walked back to the ground floor double room we were shown, we loved the light-flooded and brick faced wall with the exposed steel girders and art dotted around which led to the room.
On the ground floor each room has a private gravel based courtyard and we imagine once the greenery gets going in these, they won’t be as spartan as they appear at the moment—floodlights are set in the garden and create some evocative lighting when the sun goes down. The gardens are hidden from the room proper by tan-coloured venetian blinds, which we’d be keeping pulled up to let the light flood into the room. Upstairs rooms have a balcony instead of the garden, though we were not able to take a look at anything upstairs as they were apparently full. The bedroom fronts onto the large and spacious bathroom—we loved the look of the shower—and the private garden area spreads out beyond the bathroom.
Rooms are of a good size and as they are set well back from the road (the cafe serves as insulation) we would guess they are pretty quiet come the evening. The bed in the room we were shown was four poster style with a decorative mosquito net, pristine white linen and four fluffy pillows. The retro black rotary dial telephones were an unusual touch—our kids would have no idea what they even were!
For Chinese food focussed foodies, the location is excellent. You’re spitting distance from Seng Kee, one of our all time favourite claypot spots in Kuala Lumpur and you’re also walking distance from Petaling Street and all the shopping madness there.
This section of Sultan Street is dotted with other spots to stay, many are quite forgettable, Tian Jing stands out and we think will appeal to flashpacking lovers who have a little dosh to spend and would like a hideaway. Recommended.
Address: 66-68 Jalan Sultan
T: (03) 2022 1131;
Email: info.tianjing@gmail.com
Web: http://www.tianjinghotel.com
Coordinates (for GPS): 101º41'54.63" E, 3º8'37.92" N
See position in Apple or Google Maps: Apple Maps | Google Maps
Room rates: 120 to 250 ringgit
What we were quoted as a walk-in.
Superior double room | 230 ringgit | 230 ringgit |
Deluxe double room | 320 ringgit | 320 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.
Our top 10 places to stay in and around Kuala Lumpur