1825 Gallery Hotel — Hotel in Malacca

I recently stayed at this hotel, and while there were some positive aspects, there were also several disappointments. Let me break it down:

The Good: Beautiful Lobby/Reception: The hotel’s entrance area is stunning, with a koi pond that adds a touch of tranquility. Comfortable Bed: The bed was large and comfortable, ensuring a good night’s sleep. Scenic Balcony: Our room had a balcony that overlooked the river, framed by “jungle-inspired” trees from the restaurant. It was a lovely spot to relax.

The Not-So-Good: Hygiene Issues: Unfortunately, the hotel fell short in terms of cleanliness. We encountered several problems: Dirty Pillow: The pillow in our room was visibly unclean and mouldy. Jacuzzi Troubles: The jacuzzi had only one working jet, and when we turned it on, lots of dirt came out with the water and smelt like an outdoor drain. Additionally, there was hair blocking the drain. Basin Hygiene: The basin around the taps had fungus and mould, which was quite off-putting. The overflow area was also dirty. No Fridge: Surprisingly, our room lacked a refrigerator. TV Channels: The huge TV didn’t have any channels; guests needed to log in with their own Netflix account. However, it did have YouTube. Inexperienced Staff: The hotel staff seemed inexperienced and struggled to address our concerns effectively.

Conclusion: While the hotel’s location was excellent, the hygiene issues left us disappointed. We cut our stay short by a day due to these issues, and although we received a full refund for the unused day, no other compensation was offered. For the price you pay, the above issues should not happen. It’s a definite case of “Form over Function”! There are much better hotels available in Melaka at far less price; it is definitely worth forfeiting the view of the river!

Addendum: This is the response to the photos we received from the hotel... "Greetings from 1825 Gallery Hotel! We apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your feedback. Your input is invaluable to us, and we are committed to addressing and improving upon this issue promptly." ...as you can see this is a standard copy paste response with nothing related to the...

This was one hotel which I was really looking forward to stay at. I spent a considerable amount of time looking for a great, well located boutique hotel in Malacca and booked the 1825. Unfortunately, the hotel really doesn't live up to expectations for a number of reasons which I think guests need to be aware of:||1. We stayed for 3 nights and room never cleaned, no items replenished, no bins emptied, towels never really dried. ||2. There is no fridge in the room, and as it is very warm, you have no where to cool water etc. They give you two small bottles of 'warm' water, but these were never replenished.||3. I looked forward to seeing the beautiful public areas as the website said:||"The 1825 Gallery Hotel is inspired by the theme of antiquity, bringing the experience and atmosphere of the bygone days to reality". ||But there were Halloween decorations everywhere. Why?? It really ruined the aesthetic and didn't seem in keeping with the hotel at all. If I wanted a Halloween themed hotel, I think I would have gone elsewhere.||4. Breakfast extremely limited, cooked individually for you. Nothing really for vegetarians apart from a plain omelette with cheese. One other suitable item was never available, I think because of no Nutella, but no one seemed to be bothered to get one, just told us each day that it wasn't available.||5. They seem more interested in telling you rules.... there are pages of rules in the room book rather than great information about what to do locally.||6. When we checked in they gave another group a glass of chilled drinks, but none were offered to us, I don't know if it was an ethnicity thing.||7. Late check out fees. When we asked if we could check out later, we were presented with a list of fees which would automatically be applied! Now I can understand if they were completely booked, but there was no flexibility. The man on check in did apologies.||So, not one to revisit I am afraid. Malacca is...

Overall a pleasant experience as check in and check out was very easy and quick. Lovely heritage property. The common areas exudes calmness and the diner at the back is a lovely space to have a drink and soak in the greens next to the malacca river. Tastefully appointed rooms too with a sizeable shower for this price point. 👍

However the 2 towel to a room is a little too rigid. Mentioned to them that I have a toddler staying with me and wife but still they didn’t acede to my request. Perhaps they may have their own reasoning. Separately also tried to find the card to be placed outside the room but couldn’t locate it. Anyways this is not a deal breaker though.

The major issue here is the parking (also based on the other reviews) You can’t park in front of the hotel but can only drop off your luggage at the drop off point as the road in front - Bunga Raya is for public parking. And also during the day, most of the time (especially on weekends) the traffic is heavy as this is one of the main roads leading out of Jonker are. Quite a stressful situation sometimes.

To park your car, you need to turn left after the hotel into a small lane and then right into an even smaller lane. The hotel parking is really a challenge of the best driving skills of any driver. So do note that you will want to reconsider to stay at this hotel only if (1) you drive a medium sized to small car (2) your car has 360 cameras (3) you have excellent car maneuvering skills OR (3) you are patient enough to wait for a public car lot to become available somewhere near the hotel along the road because the hotel parking is on a first come first serve basis!

If given a chance I will want to stay here again but will not do so simply because of...