Perak Hotel

“Not the old Perak but still best in Little India”

Read some previous/recent reviews, and although parts were excessive, there are nonetheless relevant aspects the owners should consider carefully. Perak changed hands earlier this year, and gone are the super-friendly Chinese owners and staff. Perak was always such a guest-responsive and helpful … more

Read some previous/recent reviews, and although parts were excessive, there are nonetheless relevant aspects the owners should consider carefully. Perak changed hands earlier this year, and gone are the super-friendly Chinese owners and staff. Perak was always such a guest-responsive and helpful hotel in an area which, frankly, has little comparable options. In short, I will return to the Perak because it is still the best hotel in Little India - reasonable tariff, excellent location and acceptable room sizes (Little India is renowned for tiny rooms). One reviewer complained about noise - over the decades we have been staying at the Perak, we have come to know the better rooms for quiet sleep. In the past, you could stipulate this - I assume they will still accommodate that request - but in general, inside-facing ground floor rooms are best, then non-front-facing upstairs rooms. BUT, this is a problem all over Asia, so caution is always advised yet one has to just accept when that doesn't always work, and a bad night's sleep destroys one's next day - such is life on the road. Despite the new owners, the positives are that the tariff has not changed that much since post-Covid, the rooms ARE clean - I've never had trouble with cleanliness in The Perak, but then again, this is Asia, so don't expect too much. Now the negatives. Yes, the delightful woman at the desk indeed does not have a welcoming, friendly mien, but despite her stern abruptness, she is actually a very nice person, and will be helpful, once she has laid down the rules! She should realise that arrivals are often exhausted from long flights, and not in the most focused and efficient mind or body - a more gentle understanding would go a long way. The breakfast. ABYSMAL!!! Things were far better when they cancelled breakfast during the Covid days. The old pre-Covid breakfast was never super-duper, but at least it was relaxed and essentially suitable for a traveller's day of exploring Singapore. Outside, it is near impossible to get an egg breakfast, which most westerners prefer (for good reasons!) The Indian man who runs the breakfast is the most obnoxious person I've found in a hotel in Asia (he had such an arrogant swager that I suspect he may be the new owner). You want my opinion - get him out of the kitchen! In the past they staged breakfast, now it's all-in from 8 to 9am. Get there at 8am and there are no eggs yet (boiled are the only offer and they are HOT - obviously this man never eats these things himself). Get there at 8:40 am and there are no eggs left. The only other offering is mashed potato sludge, toasted white bread and some weird extra - potato cakes or poor pastry thingies. Even their tea and coffee is abysmal. And there are not enough seats and tables to cater for the flood of guests cramming in at this time!!! For God's Sake! Where are their brains? (And where are the newspapers?) My advise - outside and across the road, they will do an omelette if you ask them, and their fruit juices are good. Just remember that proper coffee is rare in Little India - they serve a version of Nescafe. In fact, good coffee is an unknown item in South East Asian cuisine. The worst change at The Perak, as another reviewer observed, is that they no longer store your luggage in the back room if you have a flight long after check-out, or arrive long before check-in. Their justification for this changed 'rule' (stipulated in bold type on the official instructions on arrival - easy to miss) is that people steal other's luggage. I'd bet this has never happened, but the owners are afraid of it, and don't want the risk. The previous Perak owners allowed this service for many decades, without any problems, so I'd say the new owners are highly risk-adverse and frankly, don't care about their guest's difficulties because they are currently almost always full. I believe this is simple bloody-minded disinterest in their guests. I know it is a feature across the world of many hotels, but if the owners really had empathy for the difficulties that guest travellers have, they would go to the trouble of recommending a reasonable luggage storage service nearby. Meanwhile, this is an enormous problem for travellers who's flights arrive and depart at awkward hours. My recommendation is that if you want to stay at the New Perak, book the day before arrival and the day beyond departure - that way you will at least have a room, even if you only use it for less than half a day. I asked if one could book extra half-days, and the delightful reception woman finally supposed that might be possible, but I had the feeling it was not an easy option to obtain. All said, the Perak is still my pick for Little India. We have scanned and visited many other alternatives and they all fall far short - mainly on room size. Travellers, just know the obfuscations and work around them. BUT, that does not absolve the new owners of the Perak from lifting their game and becoming a more guest-responsive hotel - it's the little things that stick in people's minds.

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“Good location and cheap for Singapore”

Perfect location close to all public transport and walking distance to many sites. Friendly staff. Good breakfast. The only negative was that the aircon wasn’t as cold as we liked but it was so cheap it didn’t bother us too much. They changed our bedding and towels every day which was very kind.