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Cheaper
Average
Higher
About
4.0
#8 of 112 hostels in Kuala Lumpur
Location
4.5
Rooms
3.7
Value
4.1
Cleanliness
4.1
Service
4.2
Sleep Quality
3.7
Located just opposite KL Sentral the hub for transportation in and out of Kuala Lumpur PODs The Backpackers Home offers affordable accommodation without compromising on atmosphere and cleanliness. Rest. Assured. Our common room is equipped with internet access, wifi, door security tags, a library as well as a wide selection of local traditional games. PODs offer trips and links to the roads less travelled, a choice to stay at a Perma- culture farm or an orang asli hut. For the more adventurous, Friends Of PODs have many exciting trips and hikes into the Malaysian rain forest and quietly hidden crystal clear waterfalls. You may join our free R2B2 wheelie rides and experience Malaysia through the eyes of the locals. As the people from PODs are mostly from the art scene, do not be surprised if we break out into song and dance every first Friday of the month.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Centrally Located
Languages Spoken
English, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi and 2 more
Location
Jalan Thambipillay, Kuala Lumpur 50470 Malaysia
PODs The Backpackers Home & Cafe
420 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
I didn’t book via an app and just went directly the the property at 12:30am after a day of traveling. As I walked into the lobby I instantly felt very welcomed by the owner and his friendly staff. I firstly booked just 1 night. But the next morning, I felt impressed by the friendly and easy going atmosphere and the cleanliness of my room and bathroom facilities so I booked another night before going off exploring the city for the day. For me, this hostel is very well located. Just a couple minutes walk from the train and bus station from which you can go anywhere. Quieter area so you can get a good sleep. Cheap and tasty food nearby. Good aircon, soap provided in the showers, hot or cold water to shower, free toast and jam for breakfast... Just book it!
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I first stayed there in October 2017 and decided to do it again this year, as I enjoyed my stay then and wished to stay close to KL Sentral. The cafe is closed for the time being (lack of staff after lockdown, etc), reducing the overall attraction of the place to some extent, but there are lots of places across the street where one can have breakfast and other meals. The dormitory offers bunk beds with curtains, plug and light. The central air/con is pleasant, not too cool and aggressive. There is an ironing board, bath and WC facility are just adequate; I found no place for drying laundry (maybe on the rooftop), this time I just stayed two nights and did not need to do my laundry-
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Date of stay: November 2022
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Wah Harun, Owner at PODs The Backpackers Home & Cafe
Responded Jan 25, 2023
Thank you very much for your review. We are happy to have you back here. Yes, due to the pandemic we have closed our kitchen operation but we are still selling drinks like coffee, tea, and beer. At the moment, there is no curtain in the bunk bed. Individual power socket yes and we will be adding individual light part by part as well. Thank you again and happy travelling.
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The only greatest thing about this hostel is the location. It's only 5 minutes walk from the KL Sentral and very close to all those cheap yet yummy Indian restaurants in the brieckfield (Little India) area.
Towel & breakfast included. Free WIFI. The lobby/lounge is cozy enough. The room & bunkbeds are so so. I checked-in in the afternoon. And, when I walked on the corridor before entering the room, the corridor smelled really bad.
One night stay is enough unless you have things to do around brickfields area for days.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel is situated just a few meters away from the KL Central situation which is really good if you need to catch a bus or a train. However, the service was extremely bad, especially made worse by the Chinese receptionist named Chris if im not mistaken. Incredibly rude, never smiled, not helpful at all, and borderline racist. Worst hostel staff I’ve ever met and I’ve stayed in so many hostels in more than 50 countries. It’s a pity I can’t leave a review on booking since i booked it directly when arriving. The female receptionist in the evening wasn’t as bad and she was actually quite helpful and accommodating. The Chinese guy is just the worst with absolutely no sense of hospitality nor a shred of friendliness in his body. THe hostel also charges for a towel when in fact cheaper hostels offer it for free. The AC is only on (according to the rude Chinese guy) only from 5 PM but in the list of rules it was from 3PM to 8AM, which is actually still such a ridiculous rule. It is very hot and humid in KL and this is just outrageous. They ask you to remove your shoes in the floor without offering any slippers.
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:Bring your own padlock. There are no locks for the lockers
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Very good location, right next to KL Sentral and also 7-11’s and other shops and restaurants. Wi-Fi works ok in the rooms but not amazingly. Beds are clean and comfortable. Shower and toilet area could be a little bit cleaner but nothing to complain about. You are provided with towels but recommend you bring your own shampoo and shower gel. Staff are very friendly and check in process is easy. All in all I would stay here again.
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Date of stay: June 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Wah Harun, Owner at PODs The Backpackers Home & Cafe
Responded Jul 6, 2023
Thank you very much for taking your time to review us. We will take note on your suggestions to keep providing great accommodation service. We do provide shower gel, we are just working on changing the soap dispensers because they're not working properly. We look forward to having you stay here again.
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Very nice and clean place to stay. Stayed for 3 nights in a single room. It was very quite and you always get fresh through the windows. PODs backpackers has a beautiful terasse rooftop so if you are an early riser you can have the whole place for yourself to do yoga or walking meditation. The staff is very friendly and always enthusiastic about helping you out in case you need something. Definetly a great place to stay.
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Date of stay: June 2020Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Wah Harun, Owner at PODs The Backpackers Home & Cafe
Responded May 10, 2022
Thank you very much for your 5-star review. We look forward to welcoming you back here and we are working our best to improve this place again after 2 years of pandemic.
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Location is ok, its less that 10 min walk from KL Sentral. Rooftop is ok. The showers were big, clean and water pressure in strong but the towels did have small stains but not a big deal. Not the most social hostel I‘ve been to but you can meet people!
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Date of stay: May 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Wah Harun, Owner at PODs The Backpackers Home & Cafe
Responded Jul 6, 2023
Thank you very much for writing your review about us. We are sorry about the towels. Some towels were mistakenly mixed with our color blankets during laundry causing irregular color. We assure you that it is not stains and they're clean.
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I stayed here for over a week. The location is perfect - just across the street from KL Sentral! Petaling Street - the famous street market - is only one monorail station away and right outside the door there are plenty of local food options.
The lobby area is the perfect place to hang out with fellow travelers, or to simply just chill. What really makes this place is the staff! The owner, Wah, is such a nice guy (and a devoted Roxette fan!).Thank you Wah for our interesting conversations!
I highly recommend this place and I will for sure stay here again!
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hostel is in a very good location. Convenient to travel around by public transport. Check-in process was smooth. Rates were very competitive too.
However the room was extremely small and dirty. The wardrobe and floor were covered with dust and dirt, hence I had to wipe clean the surfaces before using.
The partition walls had no soundproofing. The aircon only operated between 8PM to 8AM. The common bathrooms were not maintained and the condition was horrendous. Unfortunately, I had to leave the hostel after the first day.
Thankfully the hostel agreed with partial refund.
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Date of stay: April 2022
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Wah Harun, Owner at PODs The Backpackers Home & Cafe
Responded May 10, 2022
Thank you for writing your feedback about us regarding your stay a month ago which we have rectified the issue with you. We are a backpackers hostel with a minimalist concept. We will continue to do our best to provide a great accommodation service, however we do understand that this concept is not for everyone. We would like to rectify some of the points here: 1. We do thorough cleaning by sanitizing the surface of the wardrobe and vacuuming and mopping the floor every time our guests check out. We've already apologized in case if this was overlooked and if the wardrobe and floor were covered with dust and dirt, we would be happy to change you to a different room or to do the cleaning again. However, we were only informed about this by you a day after your stay. 2. By default, our centralized AC operates from 8pm to 8am because most people will be out during the day. However we have clearly communicated with you that we will be happy to switch it on earlier upon request. We are always flexible regarding this and for many times we emphasized this to you and we do not understand why this is still a concern on your side. Our goal is to solve the problem but we felt we couldn't get your cooperation to do this together. 3. The bathroom and toilet are also cleaned every morning. As we are getting busier now with more guests, we are happy to start doing it twice again soon. Cleanliness is indeed one of our top priorities. We hope this clarifies further the matter and we value your feedback for us to continue to be better. Stay safe and keep travelling.
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Chris is a great host! He was accommodating. Friendly host as soon as I stepped foot into the hostel.
I got the room I booked. However, be reminded that aircond only turns on at 8PM. So, for the rest of the day it'll just be the fan. I'd suggest to take a room with a window in case the day gets quite humid.
Overall, I had a pleasant stay!
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:The hostel is only located 5-10 mins away from NU Sentral (shopping complex) and KL Sentral....
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Wah Harun, Owner at PODs The Backpackers Home & Cafe
Responded Jul 6, 2023
Thank you very much for reviewing us. Our AC operating hours has been changed to start at 3pm for the private rooms. We use centralized AC and we understand that the heat and humidity requires us to switch it on earlier. See you again in the future.
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Hi Michael. Stayed there in October in a private room. Unless they plan on doing any renovations before you visit, the private rooms are not completely private as the walls don't meet the ceiling. Noise travels quite easily from neighbouring rooms (ie I could hear someone next door opening a packet of crisps like it was in my room) or from the corridor. If there are other lodgers, there's really not much of a barrier between you and them, especially if they are inconsiderate and make a lot of noise after lights off (you share the main lights and a/c for the entire floor). If you're traveling with a young child, I don't recommend it unless you've gotten it to work in similar situations. Hope that helps.
There are more places to choose from in the Kuala Lumpur area.
PRICE RANGE
$13 - $24 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
MalaysiaWilayah PersekutuanKuala Lumpur
NUMBER OF ROOMS
20
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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