Best Hostels In Kuala Lumpur – Budget Travel In Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur has accommodation to suit every type of budget. As it is one of the biggest travel hubs in Southeast Asia, you may find yourself in KL more than once. These are the best hostels in Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur offers cheap flights to just about everywhere in Southeast Asia. The first time we visited KL, it was to stay and explore this exicting city. We came back on two more occasions and spent a single night before taking a flight to our next destination. We spent a little more on our longer visit as we fancied a little bit of extra comfort.

Where To Stay In Kuala Lumpur

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These are some of the best budget hostels in Kuala Lumpur, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I found Agoda to be much better than booking.com in Southeast Asia. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.

• Friends Perk Hostel
• ATIO Backpackers KL Sentral
• Travel Hub Guesthouse
• Agosto Guesthouse
• Amethyst Dorm KLCC
• IRSIA Backpackers Guesthouse
• Travel Hub High Street
• The Explorers Guesthouse and Hostel
• Step Inn Guesthouse

Casa Residency Condominium KL

One of the most popular area for travellers is the ‘Bukit Bintang’ area. Here you will find accommodation to suit every budget. It is also where you will find the best street food and the liveliest bar street.

As we had planned to stay in Kuala Lumpur for a week, we definitely wanted somewhere that would be comfortable and have good WiFi. We found a place called ‘Casa Residency Condominium KL’ (map) which seemed too good to be true. Not only did the rooms look very nice but they also came with access to a gym and a swimming pool. As we were only paying £23 per night, we feared some hidden catch, despite the good reviews.

On arrival, things looked good. The hotel was bigger than we imagined.

We had to pass security to get into the hotel and check in. Check-in was a little slow but not as bad as some reviews had warned. We had to leave a 200 MYR deposit which is the most we’ve ever had to pay by a considerable margin. But, this would be no problem as long as we got it back. We then took the lift to the 23rd floor where our room was waiting. So far, so good.

There’s that moment when you travel when you open the door to your accommodation for the first time, hoping for that first good impression. You then do a more thorough check: bathroom, view, bed, WiFi, etc.

The first impressions here were very good. The room was modern, with lots of natural light and had plenty of space and a good bathroom.

We were more than happy with it so far. The views were stunning.

The room seemed perfect. All there was to do was check the WiFi and this is where the problems started.

To cut a long story short, the WiFi wasn’t working. I contacted the reception and they told me someone would fix it in 10 minutes. Half an hour later, no one came so I contacted them again to be told the same. Another half an hour passed and I was getting quite annoyed by this point. I decided I would go to reception myself.

Whilst waiting, we’d noticed a few more quirks with the room. The safe was locked so unusable, the fan didn’t work and the TV had no remote. We’ve never used a safe or watched TV on our travels and we had air-con so no need for a fan but because the hotel had still not sent someone to fix the WiFi (which was now working) I decided I wanted all of these things sorting.

The hotel, to their credit, did offer us a new room. I declined as we had already unpacked. So they sent two staff to the room. They fixed the safe and showed us how to turn on the fan. They even brought us a new TV as they couldn’t locate a remote for ours. We never turned it on once 🙂

After a poor start, the hotel was fine. Our room was cleaned everyday; on one occasion, they came to clean it at 7 pm! The WiFi worked fine and we had no further issues. Joanna spent a couple of sessions in the gym.

Unfortunately, we never got around to using the pool.

I would definitely recommend a stay in Casa Residency Condominium KL. It has its quirks but it was a very enjoyable stay. It is minutes walk from both the Alor food street and the busy Changkat bar street.

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We paid £160 for 7 nights.

Click here to stay at Casa Residency Condominium KL

Scott Hotel Kuala Lumpur Sentral

We returned to Kuala Lumpur for one night before a flight to Borneo. We stayed at ‘Scott Hotel Kuala Lumpur Sentral’ (map). It was a decent hotel for one night but I would not want to stay for much longer. The room was fine but the WiFi was hit and miss and the bathroom was in a poor state: the sink took ages to empty and the toilet smelled like it hadn’t been cleaned in a long time. We paid only £13 for one night.

Click here to stay at Scott Hotel Kuala Lumpur Sentral

The Bunk Backpackers

On another one night stayover in Kuala Lumpur, we stayed at ‘The Bunk Backpackers’ (map) as it was located near the airport. It was a very cool hostel that played cool music and had games, a guitar and a very friendly owner. His daughter was also very friendly and at one point I felt like I was her babysitter! It was a very chilled out hostel and there are a few restaurants nearby, making it a perfect option for travelers needing quick access to Kuala Lumpur International Airport.