Backyard Vacay: Walai Tokou Boutique Hotel

This boutique hotel has been secretly gaining my attention, due to its somewhat secluded placement, even though they are still within walking distance to the nearest town area (and that area being the Fajar Complex Tawau – they’re actually located at Jalan Masjid, right next to the Basel Church). And yes, I do know that the Walai Tokou accommodations are also available in other parts of Sabah and are known for their traditional Borneo designs. Taking advantage of the very recent public holidays (and the fact that it’s been a while since I’ve taken a break again from work – sigh) I decided to just go for it and do a walk-in.

Parking will not be a problem here since they have a vast place for it; some might say the space is as big as the hotel itself. And since they’d also built a brick wall (for privacy I believed) and a security post in front of said vicinity, rest assured that your car will be in good hands. Checking in was uneventful, with the lobby area being very quiet. There were actually minimal décor on the lobby area but the Borneo inspired designs became visible once you’ve entered the hallways leading towards the rooms, which fascinated me. I was thankfully assigned to a room that was facing the front side of the hotel and was on the first floor. And those are major pluses considering that the hotel does not have any elevators (yup, strictly stairs guys). I was also quite surprised to find that the room that I got was in a decent size and pretty cosy looking. It’s clean and there’s really something about wooden based floor that feels homey and mellow to me. Bedding was also amicable and I just loved pillows that were considerably hard. All in all it’s definitely a comfy, adequate budget accommodation. Two things that the management might need to take note and improve on are their water heater (which I think is broken since you’ll get this semi-scaling hot water should you turned them on so I was forced to switched them off the entire time, hence bathing in cold water instead) and that ‘intricate’ China originated flat TV. And I’m not actually being sarcastic here. Both the remote control as well as the TV buttons were all entirely in Chinese language (yup, not user friendly I’m afraid).  

Oh and I do apologize for the lack of pictures especially of the earlier mentioned lobby area, as well the traditionally decorated hallways. I did plan on taking some pictures when I checked out but totally forgot to do so towards the end. Shame on me!

For ratings I’m giving them…

Type – Superior King

Room – 3/5 (it would be a very good idea for them to fix the water heater a.s.a.p)

Price – 4/5 (you get what you’d paid for)

Service – 3/5 (a smile or two wouldn’t hurt right?)

Décor – 4/5 (very native Borneo inspired which was charming to look at)

Facilities – 3/5 (there have been ‘rumours’ going on about the spa adjourning to the hotel but as far as I can tell you, nothing has been verified and I do feel comfortable & secure during my stay)

Location – 3/5 (it’s also just a few steps away from the De Choice Hotel)