The 80's Guesthouse

Located at the end of Love Lane, the 80s guesthouse has just gone over a recent refurbishment to make the place look stylish and yet maintain that vintage charm of a house when people were still living in it. The place boasts plenty of sunlight in the daytime which makes it very comfortable to relax in the common area. The dorms are also very spacious for 6 in a room, with a nice headboard to put your personal belongings, a charging port , and light. The receptionist is also very friendly, be sure to ask him for local food recommendations as he is a local Penangite! The toilets and shower area are very clean, though there are some mosquitoes that can cause a nuisance. Overall it's a very great for value place to stay if you're in Penang alone or with a group. Highly recommended

love the hostel (i had my own dormitory room since there was no one else sleep on the other beds) 🫶 but the only downside was the people who had a lack of self awareness stomping their feet on 100-years-old wooden floors in the middle of the night! also when i just came with luggage, the staff wasn’t even offered to help me bring it upstairs (though most likely i will politely decline since it wasn’t that heavy but still though i would’ve been nice if they offered lol)

My stay is made great mainly because of the day staff, Bayu, and his amazing hospitality. He’s very knowledgeable about Penang, has the best recommendations, absolutely funny, very welcoming, goes above and beyond for every guest. The amenities and facilities could definitely be better, however. If there’s a feedback I could give about this property, it would be to add towel hooks in the dorms/rooms, provide bathroom slippers, add curtains to the dorm bunk beds, free coffee/tea, and perhaps provide a proper functioning water dispenser with cold water— as these are basic amenities every hostel should have. The filtered sink water is like urine, come on now. And maybe fix the washing machine too for guests’ use.

This used to be a thriving hostel with a great reputation amongst backpackers and would love to see it renovated and back to its former glory. Rustic charm is fine… decaying death trap is not. The building is in desperate need of some TLC. Broken shower heads, missing locks, faulty taps, scary, shaky staircase (literally held together with random bits of metal and screws… see video). Fix the stairs. They are a DEATH TRAP! ☠️ Fix the front gates. They are a DEATH TRAP! ☠️ Hate to think what would happen if there was a fire at night 🔥 and people are stuck trying to unlock a padlock and open a broken sliding gate. ☠️ The common area is a nice open space with a reading corner, sofa/tv area and a large table/ work space. Kettle and microwave available for guest use.

If I could I would give negative stars!!! Please don’t stay there!! The accommodation itself looks alright but it isn’t very clean and the staff doesn’t care about anything. I was ROBBED of a lot of money while staying there!!! No wonder when the staff is constantly sleeping on the couch in the common space. They just told me to go to the police to file a report. The CCTV upstairs doesn’t work, for which the police just gave them a week to fix it but I don’t think they ever will. So if you care for your valuables stay at a better place. Also if you want a quiet place this isn’t for you as you can hear every single thing and when someone walks on the floor everything starts shaking.

The guesthouse location is perfect as it's located on love lane, 4 minute walk to the top of love lane is where all the bars are but far enough away your can't hear them at night. We stayed in a private room which was basic but very clean which we believe is the most important aspect. Beds were super comfy with fresh bedding and a towel provided. Air conditioning works well. The reception isn't 24 hours so if your arriving early or late check to see if anyone we be there. They have a washing machine you can use and a clothes line to dry your items. Showers and toilets are shared. My only complaint would be the walls are abit thin between rooms. The person staying in the room next to us had their alarm going off from 6am for an hour, but this wasn't the fault of thr guesthouse. We would stay here again

$342 STOLEN from my PRIVATE ROOM. I stayed for 3 nights in a private room and all the cash I had left in a case in the room went 'missing' when I was out, despite the door being locked. CCTV out of order (of course). No signs of forced entry. I‘ll let you put 2+2 together. The management claimed they would investigate and be in touch, but 2 weeks have passed and they neither pick up the phone, nor reply to email. Make up your own mind but I’ll suggest to avoid this hotel if you can (and The Frame & Old Penang guesthouses too – same owner). Better safe than sorry.

For the price it's ok for budget stay. But prepare to rough it out. The guesthouse itself is very run down, the double room which I stayed in is very small (it is literally a 2 storey bunk bed with a single stool at the side) with all the facilities (tables, showers) in the communal area. If you are not ok with such basic amenities better to look elsewhere Quite impressed that there is no dust, though. Staff is friendly too. Location is also excellent with variety of eating places along love lane and chulia street