From past guests
Accounts written after guests have returned home. We have kept the wording as close to the original as the correspondence allows.
Dr Hamidah Kamarudin
Academic, Petaling Jaya
"I stayed in the Rose Garden Suite for three weeks while completing a manuscript. The writing alcove was exactly right — quiet, with the garden just outside. Breakfast at the table every morning was something I looked forward to each evening before bed. I did not expect to find a house like this in the middle of the city."
Rose Garden Suite — April 2025
James Phang
Correspondent, Singapore
"I needed a base in Kuala Lumpur for ten days while reporting on a story, and the Side Room served the purpose precisely. The broadband was reliable, the desk sufficient, and the breakfast each morning a genuine pleasure. Siti knew the neighbourhood better than anyone I asked."
Side Room — March 2025
Roos de Lange
Translator, Amsterdam
"The Long-Stay Cottage gave me six weeks to finish a translation commission without feeling as though I were living in a series of hotel rooms. The cottage has its own kitchen and sitting area. I cooked some evenings and used the library others. The rate was reasonable for what it included."
Long-Stay Cottage — January–March 2025
Tengku Amira
Family visitor, Kota Bharu
"I stayed in the Side Room for a week while accompanying my mother to appointments in the city. The house was quiet and the staff were thoughtful without being intrusive. The location was convenient for Masjid Jamek and from there everywhere we needed. I would not hesitate to stay again."
Side Room — February 2025
Marcus Wölfle
Documentary researcher, Berlin
"I was in Kuala Lumpur for five weeks working on a research project connected to the city's early Chinese community. The address on Jalan Yap Ah Loy was significant for me — the street itself is part of what I was studying. The library had several titles I had not found elsewhere. An unusual and rather fine place to work from."
Rose Garden Suite — April 2025
Sheena Nair
Architect, Penang
"I came to KL for a short project and stayed in the Side Room for four nights. The room is simple but comfortable — not designed to impress, which is why it worked. I liked the neighbourhood: old shophouses, a good coffee shop on the corner, Petaling Street a short walk. I might stay longer next time."
Side Room — March 2025
A few accounts in more detail
Some guests have written at length about their time here. Below are three accounts, condensed with permission.
The situation
A doctoral candidate from Universiti Malaya arrived in January 2025 needing a quiet base in the city centre for a two-month writing period. Her supervisor's office and the national library were both within reach of Jalan Yap Ah Loy.
What the house provided
She took the Long-Stay Cottage for eight weeks. The cottage's sitting area became her working room; the kitchen gave her independence in the evenings; the weekly laundry and housekeeping meant one less thing to manage during a concentrated period of writing.
Her account
"I submitted two chapters during those eight weeks. The cottage suited me better than any arrangement I have made in Kuala Lumpur before."
The situation
A family from Johor Bahru came to Kuala Lumpur in February 2025 for a relative's surgery and recovery period. They needed accommodation close to the city centre for an uncertain number of weeks and did not want the impersonality of a hotel.
What the house provided
One family member stayed in the Rose Garden Suite for three weeks, with the sitting room providing space to work while the other family members were at the hospital. The arrangement was discussed before arrival and accommodated without difficulty.
Their account
"The house was a steadying presence during a difficult few weeks. Having breakfast at the table each morning, somewhere that felt like a home rather than a transit point — that mattered more than we expected."
The situation
A filmmaker from New Zealand arrived for six weeks in early 2025 researching a documentary connected to the history of Kuala Lumpur's earliest settlement. She needed a settled base and access to a working environment during long days of research in archives and on location.
What the house provided
The Rose Garden Suite's writing alcove became her editing workspace in the evenings. The library at Mawar Residence held several volumes on the early settlement of the city that she found useful. The address itself was relevant to her subject.
Her account
"Working from Mawar Residence was, in a small way, part of the research itself. The street, the neighbourhood, the age of the house — all of it fed into the work. I cannot easily recommend the place to everyone; it suits a particular kind of guest."
Reach the house
Address
36, Jalan Yap Ah Loy
50000 Kuala Lumpur
Wilayah Persekutuan
Nearest LRT
Masjid Jamek station
approximately 10 minutes on foot
18+
Years in operation
3
Rooms — no more
1 day
Enquiry response time
12+
Countries of past guests
Consider a stay
If what you have read here suggests the house might suit your time in Kuala Lumpur, write to us. We will reply with whatever information is useful and let you decide.
Send an Enquiry