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Hostel Review: Illuminate Boutique Hostel, Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia

January 25, 2020 By James Clark

Hostel Review: Illuminate Boutique Hostel, Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia

Guesthouse Name: Illuminate Boutique Hostel.
Address: 9, Jalan Maharajalela, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I stayed at Illuminate Boutique Hostel in Kuala Lumpur. I booked online at the rate of 63.75 MYR per night, plus there is a 10 MYR hotel tax collected upon check-in, so 73.75 MYR ($17.73 USD) per night.

The hostel is near the Chinatown area, which is one of my preferred areas to stay in KL. I’ve stayed in this area many times, but I never knew about this hostel. It’s actually not in Chinatown, but on the other side of a highway that separates it from Chinatown. The hostel is next to Maharajalela station on the monorail line, and from there it’s a 5 minute walk to Petaling Street in Chinatown. I was coming from KL Sentral (where the monorail terminates) so this was a convenient location.

Illuminate at Maharajalela

The Illuminate Boutique Hostel is in what looks to be a repurposed office building, and it has the whole block to itself. It’s modern looking inside and the building has a lift.

Entrance

I booked a private room with a bathroom. I like staying in hostels with private rooms, as it still gives you the option to be sociable with travellers while not having to stay in a dorm.

Illuminate room

The room was compact, with just enough space for the bed in the corner. When I booked I made sure there was a window, as these little rooms can be depressing without one.

The bed was comfortable and it had useful power outlets nearby. The room was air conditioned (which was needed), and I had no problem with the wifi reception in my room.

The bathroom was like the room and also small, but clean and tidy and with a good hot water service.

Bed

There is a basic breakfast service where you can help yourself to coffee and toast.

Breakfast

Being a hostel there is a common area to meet fellow travellers. They have a lounge area with a pool table.

Pool room

There are some computers available for the remaining humans on the planet who aren’t travelling with a smartphone.

Computer space

I like this idea of having a clothes swap area. The concept being that you can take an item and leave something in its place.

Clothes swap

And as a bonus there are some cats lounging about downstairs.

Lounging cat

The location was great as it is so close to the Chinatown Area. It’s not a nice road (the traffic is busy), but there is a pedestrian overpass near the monorail station. It’ also near the Merdeka 118 site, which will be one of the biggest towers in the world upon completion.

Merdeka 118 and monorail

Overall this was a good place to stay in Kuala Lumpur if you are looking for a budget room in a central location.

Book Illuminate Boutique Hostel online or search for more hostels and hotels in Kuala Lumpur.

Filed Under: Accommodation Tagged With: hostel, kuala lumpur, malaysia

About James Clark

James Clark is the founder of Nomadic Notes. He has been a digital nomad since 2003, and Nomadic Notes features trip reports, train travel articles, and where to stay guides. He writes about transport and urban development at Future Southeast Asia. Subscribe to the weekly travel newsletter.

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About Nomadic Notes

James Clark from Nomadic Notes

Hi, I’m James Clark, and I've been travelling the world since 2003 while running a location independent travel business. Nomadic Notes is a travel blog featuring travel guides and notes from my travels.

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