Tips for Malaysia, Indonesia
 

Active couple in mid-60s planning trip to Singapore, then Melaka & Penang (& posibly Cameron Highlands) in Malaysia and on to Yogykarta & Bali in Indonesia. Any transportation & accommodation tips welcome. Prefer mid-range budget places, not large chains.

I've stayed in two mid-range hotels in Melaka. One is the Century Makhota, which is right on the waterfront (though the waterfront in downtown Melaka isn't that pretty thanks to land reclamation). It wasn't gorgeous, but has clean, decent rooms and a nice pool to cool off in. It's not very far from the historical downtown area.<BR><BR>The other hotel I've stayed at is the Orchid, which was also quite reasonable and I thought the rooms were nicer than at the Century Makhota. You can negotiate the price - we stayed for almost 50% of the going rate. Though we did have a local negotiate that for us - you might not be so lucky. It's not far from the area tourists go to, and there are always trishaws going by to give you a ride. <BR><BR>I stayed in the Evergreen Laurelhurst in Penang, but that was a business trip and was paid for by my husband's company so I have no idea how much it cost. Not so cheap, I don't think.<BR><BR>Email me if you have any questions about Melaka - I live there. I've only been here a few months so I don't know everything, but I'm happy to help if I can. <BR><BR>Jen

Catharine:<BR> I was in Bali in April, and stayed at the Sri Bungalows in Ubud. It is a beautiful hotel in lush surrounding, with a pool - for under $20 a night.<BR> You can e-mail me directly if you would like more information on the place or Bali.<BR>Lynda

I stayed at the Baba House in Melaka and would definitely recommend it. It's really not very expensive ( I was backpacking at the time, and it was a small 'splurge hotel'!) but is beautifully restored inside and is in a nice area. And, the breakfast was good! I'm sure its not part of some huge chain

Me again....found the website - <BR>www.melaka.net/babahouse shows you some pictures - go see NOW! And it has prices there too-forgot how reasonable it was!