A sitting area in Campbell House Like many hotels, Campbell House suffered during the multiple COVID-19 lockdowns, so I was really glad when it was still operating when I made it my three-day homebase in Georgetown in December 2021. According to the website, the building has been around since 1903. The three-storey building was also an inn back then, though for less fancy clientele — Tai Loke Hotel housed “budget hotel housing pilgrims waiting for vessels heading to Mecca, Hainanese sailors boarding working ships and in the 1920’s, home to upmarket working ladies of the night”. The hotel was ..read more

Penang, without a question, is a fantastic base for any digital nomad. After all, it’s deemed one of the top 10 cities for digital nomads by people more important than me. Reasons: Rich in culture — it’s a UNESCO heritage city Tropical weather Island living Access to great food Modern amenities - WiFi is easily available Affordable cost of living for most Westerners. However, some locals can get super annoyed when Westerners brag about their ability to geo-arbitage their way to a luxurious life in a “cheap island”. I was born on Penang island (the Penang state is made up of an i ..read more

Photo from Komune Living After so many lockdowns in Malaysia, I’m absolutely missing the freedom of being able to just pack my bags and head off to a hotel or a lovely apartment for my staycations. Fortunately, the restrictions are being loosened this week. So, this feels like a good time to release my hotel review of Komune Living, a rather unique place to have a staycation. I’ve been curious about Komune Living for quite some time because I'm a regular browser of Agoda website and I keep seeing the hotel pop up. It caught my attention because it was cheap, about RM100 per night, and I wonde ..read more

Easily my favourite part of the hotel - the swimming pool and deck area. For most of 2020, I didn’t go anywhere (for obvious pandemic reasons). The itch to park my tush into something fancy grew to almost maniacal proportions by the time December rolled by. (I was especially motivated by the fact that the PENJANA stimulus plan gave us tax rebates if we spent on domestic hotel accommodation.) Like everyone, I scrambled to book a place to holiday once strict lockdown was lifted. But unlike most people, I decided to stay local. Very local. Like same-city local. Long-time readers of my blog will ..read more

I love the room design at Ibis Kingsgate. It is compact, cosy and very well equipped. All I ask from my hotel rooms are that it's clean, quiet and comfortable. And since I've always had good experiences staying at Ibis hotels, I went searching for one when I was planning for my holiday in Melbourne. The Ibis hotels I had stayed in Seoul and Malacca was basic but clean and well-appointed. The one in Melbourne, I'm glad to discover, lived up to its budget-but-value-for-money reputation. There were several Ibis outlets in Melbourne's CBD, but I chose Kingsgate for one simple reason - it was clos ..read more

The room design is compact, cosy and very well equipped. As most readers of my blog know, I am a big fan of staycations. So, when I stumbled on this boutique hotel during the long weekend of Merdeka week, I knew I just had to check it out - especially since it’s a pretty affordable place. I got the room around RM150, despite getting the room on Aug 31. Location This hotel is a great place to bunk in if you want to explore Kuala Lumpur. Central Market, Chinatown and Masjid Jamek are all within walking distance. What’s more, the lovely River of Life is just a few steps away from the hotel, so y ..read more

The Melbourne Central YHA hostel is probably one of my favourite hostels in Melbourne. So, when I had to visit Melbourne in August this year, I quickly booked myself a bed in the hostel. The Rooms I usually get a bed in a shared room when I’m at a hostel, but during my recent stay in August, I decided to splurge on a private room. The double room I got was basic but very clean and cosy. The view was nothing to shout at. The room had two windows, one facing the back of a hotel, and another a construction site. It wasn't an en suite, so there wasn't a bathroom attached, but the shared bathrooms ..read more

One of my most popular posts was Why I left Australia and returned to Malaysia. Five years after my return to Malaysia, I’m confident that I’ve made the right decision. Why? Because Malaysia is my home, and there’s so many things I love about my country. So, tomorrow being Malaysia’s 62nd National Day, and the first after the pivotal GE14 where Malaysians changed the government for the first time in her history, I thought it’s a good time to list the things I love about Malaysia. Awesome universal healthcare I’ve accompanied my family members to both public and private hospitals, so I’ve expe ..read more

A ..read more

A ..read more