by Zalina Mohd Som 

TRENDY, contemporary, great character and personality and affordable. These are the traits of the modern-day budget hotel - non-star-rated establishments labelled "budget" for their lack of certain posh qualities and fancy facilities as found in big hotels.

Unlike the international brands that offer standard service and setting, budget hotels are usually run by owners who bank on individuality to pull in the guests.

The very distinctiveness that often matches the locality of the budget hotels makes them appealing, especially those in "exotic" locales that have a certain character like Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown in Petaling Street, Jalan Tengkat Tong Shin in the vicinity of sizzling Bukit Bintang and good old Malacca with its Straits Settlement charm.

We check out some places that are a hit with backpackers, especially foreign travellers.

KUALA LUMPUR

Budget and backpackers' hotels in Kuala Lumpur have their share of fame in many travel blogs, online booking websites and travel guidebooks.

The backpacker's bible, Lonely Planet, lists Jalan Tengkat Tong Shin, Petaling Street and Bukit Bintang as KL's top spots for backpackers.

While budget travellers from abroad flock these areas, local petty traders from out of the city prefer to stay at Kampung Baru which is close to business venues in the city.

Jalan Tengkat Tong Shin

This road in Bukit Bintang is probably Kuala Lumpur's answer to Bangkok's Khaosan Road and Jakarta's Jalan Jaksa. Though not as big and happening as Khaosan and Jaksa, Tengkat Tong Shin is fast gaining popularity with shoestring tourists.

No one really knows what put Tengkat Tong Shin on the global backpackers' map - its strategic location in one of KL's main shopping districts, its wide range of lodging choices or both.

The one-way Tengkat Tong Shin runs parallel to busy Jalan Alor and the two roads are linked by Jalan Tong Shin and Changkat Bukit Bintang to form a big frenzied loop off the already chaotic Jalan Bukit Bintang.

Its collection of budget-friendly hotels starts with Anjung KL Guesthouse at Jalan Tong Shin and Corona Inn Hotel across the road (exactly at the bend to Tengkat Tong Shin).

It then follows with not less than 10 hotels and guesthouses that occupy the rows of low-rise shophouses on both sides of the one-way lane. These shophouses - some dating back to the 60s or even earlier - have a unique old-world charm with a distinctive Malaysian flavour that appeals to foreign tourists.

However, for those who prefer to stay in "branded" or high-rise, modern-looking hotels, there are a few like Allson Genesis Hotel, Radius International Hotel and Hotel Nova.

Unlike the chaotic Jalan Alor and the happening Changkat Bukit Bintang, Tengkat Tong Shin is quiet and serene most times. Once in a while, KL's Hop On Hop Off buses and a stream of taxis pick up and deposit tourists. But it prospers no doubt due to its more hip neighbours - Jalan Alor, the world-famous food haven with hundreds of stalls offering mostly Chinese hawker fare and Changkat Bukit Bintang with its many international cuisine restaurants, cafes and pubs.

Kampung Baru

The hotels lining quiet Lorong Haji Hussein off Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz in the busy central Chow Kit area are probably among the oldest hotels in the city.

With names like Hotel Merdeka I and II, these places were unmistakably established during the independence year or post independence in the late 50s.

However, they don't have that foreign tourist appeal, with everything - branding, appearance and service - targeted at Malaysians.

But do not mistake them for seedy joints. These are the preferred lodgings of businessmen and women, especially those from the East Coast of the peninsula and foreign merchants from various parts of Asia who have dealings with the many wholesalers in Chow Kit and Kampung Baru areas.

The area is quite self-contained, with food outlets and transport facilities within easy reach. Outside the comfort of the hotels are stalls offering Malay and Thai food as well as mamak fare.

To go out and about, the KL Monorail Chow Kit Terminal is hardly 10 minutes walk away, while other public transportation services are also aplenty.

Chinatown

At the fringe of the city's Golden Triangle, frantic Chinatown in Petaling Street offers a different setting for backpackers. Petaling Street is notorious for its jam-packed state, a combo of persistent street traders and slow-moving vehicles constantly honking at pedestrians and peddlers to get out of the way.

Constantly busy and chaotic, it is certainly a part of Kuala Lumpur that never sleeps.

Since it is not far from the famous confluence of two muddy rivers from which Kuala Lumpur got its name, Chinatown is mostly occupied by buildings that are well over 100 years old.

Staying in any hotel here is in itself a unique experience. You get the feel of eclectic, noisy and colourful Kuala Lumpur right at its core.

Budget hotels here have been around for perhaps even longer than those in Tengkat Tong Shin or Bukit Bintang. Most of them are more conservative looking than the new generation hotels at Tengkat Tong Shin.

One of them is Grocer's Inn that occupies the 1920s Grocer Association Building which has been carefully refurbished to its original condition with a touch of Chinese heritage interior.

MALACCA

In Malacca, the best budget hotels are mostly located in the historic Unesco World Heritage site right in the heart of the old city. This covers the housing and commercial areas of Heeren Street (Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock), the famous Jonker Walk (Jalan Hang Jebat) and the nearby streets including Harmony Street.

Walk around old Malacca and you'll see how its 500-year-old civilisation puts its budget hotels on a different plane. Here, hotels adopt the "boutique" label, riding on quaint charm and personality while offering the must-haves of boutique hotels like exclusivity and personalised services. A few low-rise shoplots have been turned into luxury boutique hotels that are often portrayed in Hollywood's period films.

Exuding a colourful cultural heritage that combines the values of east and west, most of the hotels have colonial and Peranakan (Straits-born) identities and it is only natural that such a special setting comes with a price. Some hotels charge as much as RM200 per room per night, a rate considered high for so-called budget hotels.

Still, there are rooms for travellers on shoestring budgets. One of the most sought-after lodgings here is Discovery Café where the price list starts from as low as RM30 per night.

Malacca's World Heritage Site, however, covers only three areas - Bandar Hilir which includes the Portuguese and Dutch relics, Sungai Melaka and the old Malacca town.

Moving away from the old town to the beach side, Malacca offers charming small chalets set in fishing villages or along beaches. The choice is varied - from small kampung-style resorts to basic A-hut chalets in busy Pantai Klebang or the secluded Tanjung Bidara and Kampung Ujung Pasir.

There are also no-frills "highway" hotels located along the busy Malacca-Muar Highway. Interestingly, the majority of guests checking in to these hotels are anglers, perhaps due to their location and accessibility to a number of jetties and fishing spots.

THE NEW STRAITS TIMES/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Top photo: Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur