Whilst having a day trip to Ipoh is a good idea, staying in Ipoh for a night (or two) is even a better idea especially for those (like me!) who are there for food binging session. With that in mind, I stayed in Ipoh for a couple times with limited budget allocated for hotel stay.
Fairly new hotel with only 4 four floors, Hotel French is strategically located along Jalan Dato Onn Jaafar, within walking distance (technically speaking) to some of the famous food joints like Funny Mountain Tau Fu Fah, Aun Kheng Lim Baked Salt Chicken, Cowan Street Ayam Tauge & Koitiau and etc.
Some might loath at the idea of staying in hotel that’s operating in shoplots, but the fact that they are clean and well furnished, simplicity and trendy make the stay cosy.
I liked how inviting the lobby was as it was brightly lit with natural lights during the day and by night, it’s still pretty bright. The check-in process was simple and quick with mandatory RM100 as deposit. Besides that, I was able to request for early check-in, a plus point since I don’t really like the 3PM check-in rule. Free parking is available for in-house guests and hence, it is best to check in before heading to the parking lot nearby.
In the compact room, basic necessities are provided; bottled water, coffee and tea. Other items such as kettle, safe deposit box and hair dryer are also there but the only thing that is missing in the room is a refrigerator which I didn’t really care of. Although there is no LAN network port (for internet junkies), the hotel provides free wifi for its hotel guests, albeit a weak signal.
The bed is adequately large yet comfortable but boy, their pillows are even better!
The bathroom is simple yet clean. And like any other hotels (unless those really bad and dodgy ones), toiletries are provided as well. Any extra toiletries (by request) will be charged accordingly.
Due to space constraint, there is no bathtub but I loved the big ass rainfall shower head and the water pressure was constantly strong during my stay.
There’s a new eatery at the first floor; Jose & Deli Eatery, which is quite nice but slightly overpriced, in my opinion. I had their tiramisu cake for RM15. It tasted good but the portion didn’t justify the price they were charging.
For a price around RM150++ for the smallest room (you could get lower rate if you book early), I don’t have complaints about this hotel. It was comfortable stay and best of all, it was clean and cosy. Though there are abundance of hotels in city centre… and I have not personally tried all of them, I can vouch that Hotel French is probably best bang for your buck. And no… I didn’t get paid to say those words.
Address :
60-62, Jalan Dato Onn Jaafar,
30300 Ipoh,
Perak.
Telephone Number : +605 241 3030
GPS Coordinates : 4.5978994, 101.0834026
