This area of Malacca is not littered with guesthouses and so there's a relative inabundance of traveller's around. For me this is always a bonus. What attracted me here was reading about the dipping pool and the description of the old Chinese house. When I arrived a Chinese festival was begining outside the door and amid the clamour of gonging bells, incense and chanting I stepped into the Eastern Heritage. The reception area is actually an old bar with bar stools, a few games, and wooden carved panelling. It's quite atmospheric.
The dipping pool is just beyond the reception in a quiet inner courtyard. It's only about one metre deep but Malacca's hot so it's a great and original idea. There's also a TV, some rather faded tourist information that could do with some updating, a few table and chairs if you order any food and some couches. If you want books you can ask to swap (they keep them locked away) and there aren't any DVD movies. Most people sat in the bar at night around check in time (12 midnight) and patted the cats (there are 6 total!) and chatted so we didn't really miss the lack of TV or movies. It was a pretty social place. The first night I met up with the French girl from the dorm and we went to the Light and Sound Show together. Somehow I was convinced to stay a second night which I spent on the sofa after dinner swapping book notes with an English guy.
The dorm room is the highest point in the building in a little loft or attic. It's an open room with 10 beds (no bunks). All the rooms share the same toilet and shower. There's no hot water.
It's probably on the basic side for guesthouses in Malacca but the location is really unbeatable, just a 10 minute walk from the express bus station and another 10 minutes to the historical heart of the city. They also have an excellent map they can give you for finding your way around town and the owner Yen is pretty obliging and helpful. He even offered to take us out to play pool in the Portugese quarter. A good choice.
— Exklusive Hostelz.com Übersicht
February 2004
Ort/Kontakt
