Tian Jing Hotel

Budget-friendly boutique hotels can be beautiful too. A small gem in the heart of Chinatown, Tian Jing Hotel’s Chinese-style architecture filters through to even its tiniest rooms, making for an affordable and charming base from which to explore the city. The fifteen rooms, built around an inner courtyard or tian jing 天井 (which translates to ‘air well’), come with high ceilings, smart television, Wi-Fi… and interestingly, a balcony or a sheltered patio that doubles as the bathroom. Design-wise: it’s airy and very retro; think crisp white linens, enamel sink and copper piping, plus furniture hand-picked from all over Malaysia.