Having e mailed the hotel to expect me at 8.30pm it was annoying to wait 15 minutes whilst an inexperienced guy at check-in tried to locate me a room. Eventually they upgraded me to a Club floor (but without club benefits which always seems ungracious). The room was a reasonable size and being on the 18th floor had good views. The bathroom was large, although the bath itself had been crudely patched with white paint. There was a separate shower. The towels were old and there were only two bath sheets. The mini bar was empty - a note offered three very unappertising packages - with no individual choice. There was a Seven 11 three minutes walk away where mixers/juice could be purchased.

I was in a non smoking room and the ban had been adhered to. The bed was comfortable but I had to get two of the four pillows canged as they smelt.

When I arrived, I tried to log on to the free LAN internet. After many attempts, I rang through to be told that it was down but would be fixed within half an hour. After an hour and a half it still wasn't and i had to walk a considerable distance to the JW Marriott to get connected. I had not been informed of this by the check in staff. It was working later that night but was down again the next morning. On their web site the hotel makes much of its interconnectivity!

The corridor carpet was stained and old - not to the standard of a 5* hotel - and this was a club floor.

The bar /lounge is impressive with a very tall ceiling overlooking pretty gardens and the pool area. Drinks were overpriced (US$ 10++ for a single Gin).

The hotel has a private road running up to the entrance - sadly, security fail to patrol it properly and walking down it meant running the gauntlet of pimps and or prostitutes hanging around day and night.

The staff were friendly and helpful with requests. All staff said 'hello' when they passed you.

Its location is good. Close to a monorail station and within easy walking distance of shopping malls and a good choice of restaurants.

With a bit of tender loving care (and some money) it could be great.

We stayed here two nights at the end of our honeymoon. Not off to a great start when we were told that the hotel had full occupancy, and our request when booking for a king bed could not be honoured, something about 3rd party websites. We were given an upgrade to the club floor and told it would be easy enough to push the beds together. This proved difficult due to the nightstand, behind which were bare wires and an incredible amount fo dust. The floor was badly stained, and the room/hotel generally very tired looking. The AC was set to 15 when we arrived at night, and it really was like a fridge. It was impossoble to heat the room, and with the AC turned off, the room remained very cold for our entire stay despite 28-30 deg outside. When at reception we heard others complaining of cold rooms. We thought this would be a nice 5* experience to finish a long holiday, but it was terrible considering the price which also increaed from what we booked due to tax and "room servie fee". We found the staff generally indifferent. We had lunch here, the table was dirty, knives and forks placed on dirty glass top, and the food very average. Overall, we were very dissapointed with this supposed 5* hotel.

Thought at this price it would be something more modern... not phones in the bathroom and big old TVs/cupboards. Very traditional setup and old style rooms. Lounge is nice, but pool is also a bit worse for wear.

We didn't have breakfast because the extra cost is super high, and there is much better local food all over that neighborhood

The Istana is a reasonable hotel - but don't expect it to be the five star standard as it really is quite old and dated. The carpets are generally dirty as are the bathroom areas and the whole hotel is really in need of an upgrade and refurbishment. However, it is in a good location and is generally well priced. The swimming pool is reasonable. While we were there our room became filled with fumes - we all ended up with a headache. When we complained we were told the room next door was being repainted and we were moved to a different room. The way it was handled wasn't very good, no apologies made and it took two hours to sort out the change. In decor and condition, the room moved to was far worse and the carpets were threadbare.
So all in all, yes it is worth staying at as long as you are aware that the quality etc is not going to be terrific and problems are not handled well.
The breakfast is very very nice with a wide range of choices and the chefs will cook things freshly for you as well.