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Abby Hotel By The River Town: Strategically Located In The Middle Of Ipoh New & Old Town

1. Abby Hotel By The River
1. Abby Hotel By The River

Since setting foot 1.5 years ago in Abby Hotel By The River Town, a hotel located right smack between Ipoh New and Old Town during Ni Artweek, the property has grown from merely a host of a contemporary art festival to a creative hub for international visitors to the city.

 2. reception counter
2. reception counter
3. volunteers at the reception counter: Pilar (L) and Kemi (R)
3. volunteers at the reception counter: Pilar (L) and Kemi (R)

I had the opportunity to revisit the hotel recently whereby I was pleasantly surprised to see how this hotel has shaped up, slowly but surely. Abby Hotel By The River Town, at three years old, is the youngest sibling of the Abby home-grown chain of budget hotels, including Abby Hotel Kanthan and Abby Hotel IGB. All three properties cater to a different clientele. This latest establishment, overlooking Kinta River, is ideal for the free-and-easy budget travellers as well as families or groups who are keen to get the maximum value out of their accommodation while visiting Ipoh.

4. hotel lobby
4. hotel lobby
5. bicycles for rent
5. bicycles for rent

Unlike conventional hotels, Abby Hotel By The River Town is also a backpackers’ dorm. Spread over the four-storey building are a total of 21 guest rooms – five dorm rooms (male, female and mixed), as well as 16 rooms for couples and families.

6. price per bed per night with complimentary breakfast
6. price per bed per night with complimentary breakfast
7. menu of the day - complimentary for hotel guests, a minimum charge for walk-in customers
7. menu of the day – complimentary for hotel guests, a minimum charge for walk-in customers

The single gender dorm rooms, with en suite bathroom, each accommodates 6 guests. As for the mixed dorm, it is equipped with four bunk beds, good for eight pax. Guests occupying this room use the common bathroom down the hall. For large groups of travellers or families, they may consider taking up one dorm room, to keep everyone together. I personally think this arrangement is more fun.

 8. dorm-style accommodation
8. dorm-style accommodation
 9. curtains for privacy
9. curtains for privacy

As a regular dorm guest myself during some of my travels, it is essential for me to be provided with a locker in the room. At Abby Hotel By The River Town, all dorm guests have access to a personal locker in room, although they have to bring along their own padlock. All dorm beds, for the convenience of guests, are installed with a reading light and electrical power point PLUS individual curtains for added privacy.

 10. standard washroom
10. standard washroom
11. hand-painted wall prints done by creative guests
11. hand-painted wall prints done by creative guests

Meanwhile, couple and family rooms are furnished with comfortable king size beds, which is uncommon for budget hotels. Queen beds are the norm. With attached bathrooms, these rooms, like the dorms, are spacious, unlike many of the budget hotels in the market.

 12. art and mural painted by guests
12. art and mural painted by guests
 13. art and mural - the work of artistic geusts
13. art and mural – the work of artistic guests

These air-conditioned, non-smoking guest rooms are clean and comfortable as well as installed with Astro (satellite TV service) channels on TV, and come with hot shower plus complimentary toiletries. It is easy to forget that this is budget accommodation. Items such as iron/ironing board and hair dryer are on loan and should be reserved and collected from the receptionist.

14. art and mural created by guests
14. art and mural created by guests
15. guestroom
15. guestroom

Also, for those who think that a complimentary bottle of water per day, per guest is insufficient, the good news is that, guests are provided with a water dispenser on every floor, for free-flow water throughout the day. Need coffee or tea? Well, brew your own beverage at the Abby Roof Garden Café, at no extra charge.

16. television set with satellite channels
16. television set with satellite channels
 17. room with a round window
17. room with a round window

Despite the low rates from RM15 per bed to RM90 per room per night (with surcharge on weekends and public holidays), accommodation comes with complimentary breakfast in the form of coffee and toast, in an open, self-service style. Walk-in customers are free to join hotel guests for breakfast, at a nominal price. Breakfast hours are from 8.30am to 10.30am but food and beverages are available throughout the day and hotel guests are at liberty to help themselves.

18. one of the artsy guestrooms
18. one of the artsy guestrooms
 19. family room for three
19. family room for three

Another piece of good news for those who are considering their stay at Abby Hotel By The River Town is that the entire property is WiFi connected with UniFi, Malaysia’s fibre optic high speed internet service provider. Connectivity is complimentary for guests! Vacationers who do not travel with a laptop or smart phone need not worry either, as a desktop computer is provided for free use, for guests to plan their trip or book their travel tickets.

20. spacious, clean and comfortable
20. spacious, clean and comfortable
21. complimentary free-flow filtered water on every floor
21. complimentary free-flow filtered water on every floor

Speaking of high speed internet, it comes in really handy with a Smart TV at the guest lounge on the rooftop. With the TV connected to the internet, we literally have the world of news and entertainment at our fingertips.

22. wall mural for Ni Art Week
22. wall mural for Ni Art Week
23. wall art by one of the creative guests
23. wall art by one of the creative guests

About half of the rooms have windows, with “river view”. The river here means Kinta River, which separates Ipoh New Town from Old Town, just a stroll across Kinta Bridge, As you can imagine, staying at Abby Hotel By The River Town, guests are within walking distance from tourist attractions of both sections of town, including the best food of Ipoh!

24. rooftop garden
24. rooftop garden
25. a small bamboo hut is in the works on the rooftop
25. a small bamboo hut is in the works on the rooftop

Culinary points of interest at Ipoh New Town that come to mind are Curry Keng Restoran, Lou Wong Tauge Ayam Kuetiau and the Hakka Mee at Paris Restaurant. Across the bridge are old trademarks of Thean Chun, Kong Heng and a string of hipster cafés. Ipoh Old Town is also well known for Concubine Lane. If you are into wall murals, they are available in both sections of New and Old Town. Hunting them down is a fitting way to get to know Ipoh, the city that tin built.

26. international guests chat with hotel owner, Mr. Liew (2nd from R)
26. international guests chat with hotel owner, Mr. Liew (2nd from R)
 27. one section of Abby Roof Garden Café
27. one section of Abby Roof Garden Café

Guests who wish to venture further beyond this part of town may rent a bicycle from the receptionist at Abby Hotel By The River Town. Rental fee is RM10 for under 3 hours of use, or RM20 for more than 3 hours a day. Deposit is RM50, refundable upon return of the bicycle in its original condition. Going on an overnight trip and don’t fancy taking along all your belongings? This hotel provides luggage storage service at only RM1 per small bag and RM2 per big bag, per day. As for guests who drive, ample parking is available.

 28. lounge to rest, relax, socialise, etc.
28. lounge to rest, relax, socialise, etc.
 29. al fresco dining area
29. al fresco dining area

Visitors who just want to take a break from travelling can make use of the book exchange programme or play the piano at the lobby. They can even volunteer their time at the hotel in the form of artistic skills, administrative work, and all sorts of different tasks. Volunteers are required to commit to three hours a day, five days a week, in exchange for free board and lodging. Minimum stay is one week. Ha! No wonder there were two foreigners manning the reception counter when I dropped by the other day.

 30. from the rooftop of Abby By The River, overlooking Kinta River and its bridge
30. from the rooftop of Abby By The River, overlooking Kinta River and its bridge

In short, Abby Hotel By The River Town is more than a hotel. It is also a community of travellers, a meeting point for those who share a mutual love for exploration.

Swinging by Ipoh any time soon? Make your reservation to get the best deal in town!

Abby Hotel By The River Town
Add: 55 & 57, Jalan Sultan Iskandar, 30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Phone: +605-2414500
Facebook: Abby Hotel
Website: Abby By The River Town

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With love

10 thoughts on “Abby Hotel By The River Town: Strategically Located In The Middle Of Ipoh New & Old Town

  1. Have no experience stay at Abby Hotel yet, maybe next trip might consider staying here since the view is quite nice and the price is affordable..

  2. That is one convenient and moderately priced accommodation for tourist to visit Ipoh at a budget. Thanks for your detailed write-up – I will recommend it to my visiting friends, too.

  3. Nampak menarik dan menjimatkan. Murah je. Kalau ke Ipoh boleh la menginap disini. Cuma nak plan aktiviti apa yang menarik berdekatan hotel. Kalau boleh nak jalan kaki je hehe. Ala-Ala pelancong. Hehe

  4. Menarik..lukisan dekat wall n roof top tu…
    Sesuai for backpackers n group of friends travelling together kan…

  5. this would be perfect when i travel alone. No joke. I am especially in love with the room with round window. That looks like a japanese room too for some reason. And I can’t take my eyes off the artworks. they look so good. Not forgetting the fact that they supply bicycles for rent…and for such an affordable price, definitely worth the stay!

  6. wow. Abby Hotel By The River Town looks like an art hotel to me. Especially love it’s view from the roof top. time to visit Ipoh with my family real soon. Hope manage to book the hotel by then 🙂

  7. I dah lama tak turun ipoh.. dulu dari tahun 1998 – 2004 i stay sana…. Seronok duduk ipoh dulu walaupun waktu itu i masih lagi student.

    Suka hotel ini.. jatuh hati.. maybe one day if i turun Ipoh sorang-sorang i boleh menginap di sini.

    Thanks emily 😉

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