Category Archives: Travel

Very Affordable Hotel in Penang – My Review of Tune Hotel

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One of the things I enjoy in my travelling plan is looking for valued hotels or even hostels.

My requirement for accommodation is really basic.

  • Clean toilets & bathrooms (can be shared type or within the room)
  • Bed-bugs free please
  • Safe environment
  • Great location is a bonus

I went to Penang recently for a food trail and to find out more about the education system over there.

I’m so pleased to find this concept hotel chain which is paying for what you really need. For example, you can buy credits for usage of air con, hair dryer, wifi or rent towels or buy toiletries.

This hotel concept is what I call it the ‘minimalist’ accommodation. When I first chanced upon the website (www.tunehotels.com) in the beginning of the year, I knew I would stay there.

The cost is unbelievable affordable at RM84 (USD 26) for a 4 days 3 nights stay! It would have cost me lesser if not for the flight (thus room) changes. Note that the cost doesn’t include any add-ons. I didn’t buy any credits for air con as me and my partner have difficulty sleeping in air con rooms.The booking was also done 6 months in advance for us to enjoy such great deal.

So what did it come with? Everything we need!

  • Ease of booking procedure
  • Clean bathroom & toilet with hot & cold shower (the lovely thing is that you can be using the basin tap without affecting the temperature of the shower head)
  • Comfortable bed & clean pillows
  • Working ceiling fan (with controller for speed and even timer)
  • Safe hotel with security and reception on 24 hours stand-by
  • Safety deposit box in the room for travellers to place valuable items and documents
  • Great housekeeping service daily
  • 24 hours convenience store (I got my ointment for stomach discomfort there!)
  • Availability of Internet for 30 minutes at the lobby (Great for last minute locating of places)
  • Excellent location (which is within walking distance from the city central, many attractions and eating places)
  • Environmental friendly practices (Energy saving technology is in place)

Tune Hotel isn’t for everyone who needs a typical hotel room with

  • Room service
  • Television
  • Swimming Pool
  • Breakfast (There wasn’t any breakfast option on Downtown Penang but for other locations, there is. Anyway, just walk 50 steps, you can get great food next door)
  • Plenty of walking space (Every inch in Tune Hotel Penang is fully optimized)

Me and my partner were very pleased with the room and Tune Hotels have indeed lived up to its promise of ‘ 5 stars bed at 1 star prices’. I’m sure we will return to Tune Hotels for our future travel plans and recommend their hotels to our friends and relatives.

Just one suggestion for Tune Hotels, perhaps their staff should be more familiarized with some of the famous food and attraction highlights. We were checking with two of the staff on the location of Lorong Bangkok. They gave us the wrong location of being two blocks away. We realized our mistake when we checked with a local. (After 15 minutes of exploration)

If you’re looking for a hotel with minimalist concept plus great value, Tune Hotel (available in different parts of Malaysia, Indonesia & even London!) is definitely worth every cent.

Thank you, Tune!

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Pre-Penang Trip Problems (I don’t want to call JetStar)

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I enjoy quite considerable savings when I travel.

  • I fly budget airline instead of SIA for flight less than 6 hours.
  • I prefer staying in hostel instead of hotel to feel more bagpackers style. In fact, I like the fact that hostel has a common kitchen for you to prepare your foodstuff even though I hardly utilize it.
  • I plan my travel plans at least 6 months in advance. I have the luxury of doing that as I’m self-employed so I’m in more control of my schedule.
  • I travel during off-peak period. Thanks for my work, I can do that!
  • I hardly buy souvenirs when I travel. But I do have the habit of collecting the flags (real size) of the countries I visit.
  • Shopping for clothes and bags is usually not in my itinerary.
  • I do my own booking online for flights, accommodation and even day tours, skipping the middleman fees.

All these helps me to see the world at a low cost.

It isn’t the amount I save that gives me the kick, the sensation but the fact that I get really good deals when I’m an early bird in terms of booking.

This July, I’m heading to Penang for a short trip. I booked the air tickets with JetStar in January and paid less than S$70 for 2 pax!

I found a really cool accommodation in Penang, Tune Hotel which offers an interesting concept of ‘paying for what you use’ . For a 3 nights stay, it costs me only about RM80! Unbelievable. The website is great, easy to use and the booking process is fast. Simply love it!

However, last week, I received an email  from JetStar, informing of change of flight schedule. I did read it in forum that budget airlines have this happening often but my previous experiences didn’t affect my plan much. This time, due to the flight change which I can’t accommodate, I made to travel a day earlier and be back a day earlier.

And because of this, I had to call JetStar. I wish they could offer email support.

I made a total of 3 calls, of which the waiting time was at least 23 minutes regardless if I call in the daytime or weird hours like 7am on Sunday. It was the same!

A friend on Facebook suggested that I on the loudspeaker on my mobile while I wait. It was really a great idea! I was washing up while waiting for a human voice during the 23 minutes of wait.

Another advice: ask all you need to ask in one phonecall!

I didn’t as the hotel didn’t response to my enquiry fast enough. Once flight schedule is confirmed, I need to make changes to Hotel too. Though the flight changes weren’t within my control, we have to pay for a standard fee of RM30 for cancellation of room on the last night. This standard fee is even higher than my per night stay. And this is in spite of my cancellation made 2 months in advance. I was rather upset that Tune Hotel wasn’t able to make an exception as flight changes aren’t within my control. Well, I do  understand that it wasn’t the hotel problem too but considering the fact that we’re making the changes 2 months in advance, they could at least consider on a case-by-case basis. I don’t have such issue from other hotels and hostels on changing arrival and departure dates previously as I always informed months in advance for any last minute changes due to flight.

So this is something I learnt on travelling on budget airline. Flight schedule may change and it may disrupt your original plan. We just have to act accordingly or maybe I will consider SIA for the airline in future.

Photo Credit: Debasis ~~