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[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e were on our way from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi. And as our friend Clive, whom we met while volunteering, was volunteering in Taiping at that time, we decided to make a few day stop there. To meet with him and to see more of Taiping as well. It turned out we had been there before, when we were cycling in Malaysia. But then it was just a short stop for an afternoon.
Right after hearing about us coming to Taiping Clive recommended a place, where he was staying himself – Sojourn Beds and Café hostel. It’s a little bit more expensive, but it’s totally worth it, that’s what we were told.
Usually we rent a private room, but this time we decided to give it a try and stay in this hostel. On booking.com it looked really nice and the fact that Sojourn Beds and Café is the highest rated hotel / hostel (!!) in all Taiping with superb rating of – at the time of writing – 9.4 – only encouraged us to book a room for 3 nights (later we extended our stay to 4 nights).
Before we have stayed only in one hostel in Asia – in Prince of Wales hostel in Singapore. It is a very popular place among backpackers and it has a good rating (only 8, haha) as well.
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Location of Sojourn Beds and Café Hostel – Hostel in Taiping
Address: No. 54, Jalan Kota, 34000 Taiping, Perak, Malaysia.
Sojourn Beds and Café is located in the center of Taiping. And Taiping is a town in a state of Perak, around 70 km North West from Ipoh and 100 km North East from Penang. It’s roughly about a half way from Kuala Lumpur to border of Thailand.
Sojourn Beds and Café is near Taiping Clock Tower, and Taiping bus station is in a walking distance. There are many cafes and restaurants around – wide variety of food is available. There are a couple of coffee shops around and quite a lot of shops and few supermarkets. Very good laundromat (Clean Pro Express Self Laundry) is just a couple of blocks away.
Lake gardens, Taiping Zoo and Maxwell Hill (Bukit Larut) – three of the most popular tourist attractions of Taiping – are in a walking distance from this hostel, as well.
Inside the Hostel
There are two twin rooms with bunk beds, two double rooms with queen sized beds and two 4-bed dorm rooms.
The bathrooms are shared. There are two bathrooms (toilet, shower and sink) on the first floor and there are another two toilets with sinks on the ground floor. One of the twin rooms has attached shower with a sink.
Hostel provides with all the bedding (pillowcases, sheet and a blanket) and they give you a towel as well. Bedding is clean, crisp and fresh.
We stayed in a 4-bed dorm room. Every bunk (they call it a “pad”) has it’s own curtain, electricity socket and even a small fan! 4-bed room has an air-conditioner, but to save electricity it is turned on in the evening at 8 PM and switched off at 8 AM. During the day and in evening as well, if you feel like it, you can use your small fan.
There is a nice and comfy terrace with plants in pots and chairs. You can sit and relax there. But as Malaysian weather might be very hot and humid, you might not enjoy sitting there during the day. In the morning or in the evening the weather is nicer, so you might enjoy staying in terrace then.
On the terrace there are few clothes-lines on the left. So you can hang your laundry there. As I mentioned earlier, there is a very good laundromat just few blocks down the road.
There is a café on the ground floor, but for now it is not really working. Guests of the hostel can buy coffee, tea, beer and some soft drinks there. There are few tables and chairs, so you can comfortably eat your own take-away meal as well.
The building itself stands out because of the beautiful woodwork and colorful mosaics. Some of these mosaics are made by our friend Clive.
Prices at Sojourn Beds and Café Hostel
Single bed in a 4-bed dorm room: 35 Malaysian Ringgit (RM) per night (7.8 Euro / 8.7 USD).
Twin Room: RM 75 per night (16.70 Euro / 18.60 USD).
Double Room: RM 85 per night (18.90 Euro / 21.10 USD).
Other Services at Sojourn Beds and Café Hostel
Hostel offers a breakfast of toasts with jam or butter and tea or instant coffee free of charge.
There are soft drinks, water, coffee (really good coffee, in my opinion, but I am not a big fan of coffee) and tea available for purchase. You can buy some souvenirs and books there, as well.
If you have any questions about what to do or where to go in Taiping and Malaysia, ask Ken and Yin, owners of Sojourn Beds and Café Hostel! I’m sure, they will be more than happy to help you out.
Conclusion
Sojourn Beds and Café is really great! They really are as good as booking.com rating suggests (at the time of writing – 9.4)! This place has its aura. And the cleanliness here is really outstanding. Everything looks like new, as everything is cleaned regularly. Bathrooms are spotless. I didn’t see any mould and stains!
Floors are clean, for sure! It is not allowed to wear shoes on the first floor, where almost all rooms are located. We were walking barefoot all the time and our feet were not dirty.
Bed sheets are crisp, clean, fresh and without any stains. You feel as comfortable as in your own bed.
One thing that was not as perfect as everything else – the small breakfast. It is not really enough with only two toasts with jam or butter and a cup of tea or coffee. Not for Latvian, for sure. If they would add some eggs or some fruit then the breakfast would be much better!
Anyway – it’s a great hostel!
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