Hotel Robin

Budget 2-star near Ipoh city centre

Listed in Malaysia Accomodation guide as a 2-star hotel.

We walked in without reservations at 3pm on Dec 28 and managed to get the family room (2K + 1T beds) for our party of 4 adults & 2 small kids.
Cost was RM108 per nite - offer. [Later I foundout that they have a 30% discount for family rooms taken after 2pm.... Hmmm...). Also found that after dinner (8pm), the hotel was FULL!

Unique Quality: Beds are clean but a bit soft. Lighting is dim (using recessed halogen lights). However, the fridge never got very cold and the bathroom facilities were dodgy - the shower head hose was hosed - requiring a rubber-band to hold it in a stable position - should be fixable.

Bad point for a family room - no kettle facilities - though they supply hot flask water on demand - after 10 mins. Corridors are a bit winding and there is no lift - not for handicapped folks.

Parking is open-air with 'security'.

Did not explore the hotel - so did not see the 'darker' bits referred to.

However, it is possible to wander into wrong entrance - as the nightclub entrance appears more imposing than the hotel's! Only made the mistake once, when checking in.

Good points:
Within walking distance 3-4 blocks of top eateries like Lau Wong Taugeh Chicken & Foh San Dim Sum. We were lucky to get there at right timing so got seat with only short wait.

Also a Pasar Malam that night near Lau Wong (visible if you sit on the roadside table).

Additional note: The same company also owns the Merloon which is in the same/next block (can't quite tell the separation). The Merloon is slightly (10-20%) cheaper than the Robin.