Friday, July 23, 2010

Homestay in Taiping



Last week, I went back to Taiping, a town in nothern Perak, Peninsular Malaysia, to visit some relatives of my in-laws. I was surfing on the Net for suitable to stay as my parents also followed us back to Taiping for a leisure trip. A colleague of mine suggested that I look up for homestay instead of hotel as it’s cheaper for a big family and certainly more suitable for a family stay compared to hotel. It was a good idea and not long after I found a suitable unit. It was actually owned by one of my wife’s friend.
The place is actually a single storey house with 3 bedrooms located at Taman Tekah in Aulong area of Taiping. It’s a very suitable place as my in-law’s relatives stay at Aulong. So, this house which the owner named it a motel is within a short distance from the relative’s home and also there’s a Giant hypermarket nearby. Isn’t that very convenient ?
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The single storey, 3 rooms motel
The house is at a quiet neighbourhood. There is a row of double-storey terrace houses and shoplots in front of this motel.
Moving into the house, you will be greeted by a single seater sofa and 2 sofa beds. Also, you will find a small tv that comes with a dvd player and some English and Hong Kong movies to keep you entertained if you’re really bored. The floor is tiled as well as the wall. You will really have a good feeling moving into the house.
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 Presenting to you the living hall !
I forgot to snap a picture of the master bedroom! Doh! The dining area is very spacious too. A high airwell certainly make the place brighter and you don’t feel claustrophobic. There a standing fan next to the queen size sofa bed near the dining area. It also has a 6 seater dining table and another tv set nearby. Cool huh?! You get 2 tv sets.
P7160934  The dining area and another queen size sofa bed
So, my parents settled into the master bedroom. Me, my wife and my daughter Clarisse took the middle room which has a double decker which sleeps 2 at the lower half. Clarisse was so excited seeing a double decker bed and keep on pointing to the upper deck, wanting to go up. Her wish got granted and Daddy was a busy man putting her up the bed and taking her down over a few rounds.
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The double-decker was Clarisse’s playground for 3 days 2 nights 
Every room comes with an air-con and a standing fan. My only complain is that the living hall should have an air-con and a wall clock. These 2 items are missing from the living hall. Does time really stand still in Taiping, the town of serenity and peacefulness?
The last room was taken up by my in-laws. It’s spacious enough for 2 single beds.
P7160935  2 single beds where my in-laws slept
The kitchen area is also very spacious as you can see from the photo below. It comes with a single door refrigerator, 1 electric kettle and a normal kettle, some cutleries and plates. There is no gas stove available. So you either dine out or use an electric hot plate if you want to do some cooking. Sorry, for this you have to bring your own. The unit comes with 2 toilets and each toilet has water heater. Shampoo and body shampoo are available free for use too. I understand from the house owner that usually the unit is rented by travelling salesman who rents the place regularly or families visiting Taiping on weekends (like us) or family members who go back to Taiping for festive celebrations.
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I really enjoy my stay in this motel and so does every one of the family member. For RM180 per night (around USD 50) , I would say this is really a good deal, considering you can easily fit 7 adults into all the rooms as well as another 4 can sleep on the sofa beds available. I would highly recommend this place if anyone is looking for a nice play to stay in Taiping. Furthermore, it’s just a short 5 minutes drive from the town centre.