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The work of Malaysian landscape architect Ng Sek San, the house is a series of ground floor and upper floor rooms collected around a small (seven by three metre) lap pool. It is a memorable spot—and we’re obviously not the only ones who think so, as we had two nights here, and on both days there was a photoshoot of some description taking place by the pool.

I could get used to this. Photo: Stuart McDonald

The vibe of the place is rustic (sometimes swinging a bit towards the ill-kept) and half finished, with bare brick walls featuring through much of the property from the street side facade to some of the bathroom interiors. Poolside and garden furniture along with our bed base are formed with fashioned metal wiring—a feature of many of the properties—and while it might not be the most attractive look (to our eye), it works.

Our ground floor double room looked onto the pool and the room was of a good size, the bed was fitted with a mosquito net, base sheet and folded top sheet along with a desk cum shelf to the side. The front of the room had glass windows looking onto the pool—with curtains which could be dragged into place for a little more privacy. In front of the room was a bench you could in theory relax on, but the old pillows thrown about on it were far from appealing (see note above about ill-kept).

Cooling concrete walls, some art and a mozzie net. Photo: Stuart McDonald

The bathroom was exposed brick throughout and while it sounds good in principle, the shower area in particular, probably in part due to Kuala Lumpur’s maddeningly humid climate had seen better days. Other parts of the bathroom, like the basin with its tortured tap pipes, a wall-mounted extending make-up mirror, a desk lamp and a large normal mirror came together well. The shower, well it just needed a good scrub.

Back on the other side of the pool, you’ll see a dining area where you could cook up your own meal if you wanted (or just grab a complimentary coffee) and there’s a large table with seating which was our place of choice for checking email and so on (there is free WiFi throughout). While we didn’t swim any laps, the pool was refreshing after a day trudging the streets of Kuala Lumpur—take our word for it.

The bathroom isn’t your average washing shed. Photo: Stuart McDonald

And it is this last point, in the escaping of Kuala Lumpur, which Sekeping Tenggiri really comes into its own. We loved being able to wander the residential area it is situated in, walk through the gates and have the leafy garden setting all to our own. Come the evening we skinny dipped in the pool in a tropical downpour at 11pm and there was nobody around to raise an eyebrow—though we were almost caught earlier in the evening! This is a hideaway, and while the location is not at all convenient for sightseeing, if you’d just like to drop off the map for a day or two, we’d say look past the somewhat festy shower and give here serious consideration.

This is one of a series of properties on offer under the Sekeping brand. In total there are three in Bangsar, one in Pudu (above Pahit gin bar on Sin Chew Fee Road, which is where we originally planned to stay but were told it was being renovated and so was not available) and a scattering of others, including locations in Ipoh and Penang. The style is somewhat of an acquired taste and will not be to everyone’s liking, but we felt Sekeping Tenggiri to be a memorable stay.

Getting ready for a spot of work. Photo: Stuart McDonald

Two things to note. Firstly, staffing is minimal—you are entirely left to your own devices. Also, there is no alcohol allowed on the premises, though there is a cluster of restaurants and bars a short five minute walk away—don’t miss the vegetarian Indian restaurant Ganga. The closest station is Bangsar but it is a solid 30 minutes away on foot. Reservations must be made direct via their website.