Lost world hotel Ipoh is essentially an integrated development and for those familiar the name, it should seem obvious that this hotel is part of the Lost World of Tambun family. Guests of this three star hotel can look forward to a fun stay with the bulk of the day spent in the theme park. Needless to say guests also have the privilege of limited access to some of the theme park’s facilities, which we will explore further in the post.

Address

No. 2, Persiaran Lagun Sunway 1

Sunway City Ipoh

31150 Ipoh, Malaysia

Location

To start off, Lost World Hotel Ipoh is definitely the best location to stay at should you want to spend a few days at the Lost World of Tambun theme park. After all, it is just a three minutes walk away and all guests have to do to be transported into the Lost World of Tambun is to cross a road, marshalled by a friendly hotel staff dressed as a park ranger. This definitely is a huge boon, especially to families with kids as the hassle of arranging for transport to the popular theme park is negated.

Unfortunately, this good start in terms of location is short-lived, as Lost World Hotel Ipoh is pretty much an isolated hotel, with nothing much around it besides for the theme park. For starters, getting to the hotel from other places Ipoh is pretty difficult as the only sign of public transportation is a bus stop at a 10 mintues walk away. No other public transportation options are available and I am sure that tourist with luggages would want to avoid squeezing on a public bus. As such, private transportation such as a rental car, taxi or tourist group bus is strongly recommended for getting to and from the hotel. The one and only saving grace is that for those with foresight to rent a car or for locals who drive there for a short staycation, free parking is available. Furthermore, there is nothing else close by to the hotel. No convenience stores, no department stores, no malls and no restaurants and this poses a serious problem to tourists who not just want to have fun at the Lost World of Tambun theme park but want to venture out and explore the rest of Ipoh instead. In fact, getting to the nearest shopping malls and tourist attractions such as the Sam Poh Tong Cave requires a drive of more than 20 minutes and this isn’t exactly an ideal trait that an all rounded hotel should have. Also, for those who do not have a method of private transportation, getting around Ipoh will definitely by a chore. Of course, the hotel staff can assist guests in making transport arrangements such as booking a taxi, bit sadly, they seem to lack any form of their own transportation. In other words, should guests want to make last minute arrangements for any trip to elsewhere, there is no option for the hotel to provide their own transportation services and guests will be in the hands of taxi or private bus drivers, based on their availability.

Location wise, I would say that Lost World Hotel Ipoh is a wonderful choice, especially for families with kids that just want to spend the weekend at the Lost World of Tambun theme park. In addition to the convenience that comes with the hotel’s proximity to the theme park, guests can also look forward to receiving perks and benefits as the hotel and the theme park are under the same group. However, those who wish for a comprehensive tour of Ipoh should look at other hotel choices and leave the Lost World Hotel specifically for the days you wish to spend at the theme park.

Check In

Being so closely related to a popular theme park, most guests would expect a hotel entrance that will seem to transport them into fantasy land but unfortunately, this is not the case with Lost World Hotel Ipoh. In fact, the hotel’s entrance is pretty much uninteresting and apart from an exterior façade that looks a little like an olden fort, nothing else really stands out and I must say that it really does not seem to be as impressive or grand as many other hotels. Of course, this comparison is one that is made globally but within the small town of Ipoh, the exterior and lobby of the Lost World Hotel is actually more than decent relative to the more abundant lower class hotels.

Checking in is smooth, but do not expect super fast speeds, as the hotel is a popular choice for tour groups and most locals, especially during the holiday season and over long weekends. If you are unfortunate enough to check in or out concurrently with a tour group, be prepared to wait for 15 to 20 minutes before you get your room key as the hotel does not provide an extra concierge or check in counter for them. Thankfully, the brightly lit lobby has enough space to accommodate large groups and there is a selection of newspapers and magazines for your browsing pleasure while you await your keys. Even so, I would not consider the lobby as a particularly comfortable or welcoming place that is god for lounging, as it generally lacks warmth and grandeur – something that even 3 star hotels are trying to incorporate into their lobbies nowadays. The lobby of the Lost World Hotel Ipoh does make for a sufficient waiting area to meet up with friends or await your transport, but for those who enjoy lounging or mingling in public areas of hotels, you will be more comfortable in your own room.

The hotel staff are also able to speak in English, Malay and some in Mandarin so there shouldn’t be any communication issues unless you come from an exotic part of the world. However, I would advise that guests ask for clear instructions to the rooms as the hotel takes up a large area and not all rooms are accessible by the elevators in the hotel lobby. Yes, there are rooms that require you to walk to another wing without much guidance from signs before finding the designated elevators.

Though the hotel lobby and the entire check in process is not bad at all, there is definitely room for improvement. More can be done to make this part of every guests’ stay more pleasant and comfortable, perhaps by enhancing the check in process and improving the interior decor. After in the travel industry, first impressions count and Lost World Hotel Ipoh has to strive towards making a better first impression to draw loyal guests, rather than just replying on the popularity of the Lost World of Tambun theme park for its crowds.

Room

During my stay at the Lost World Hotel Ipoh, I was fortunate to get a room located in the same wing as the lobby. This means easy accessibility from the elevator right beside the hotel concierge and proximity to the exit that takes guests right across the road to the Lost World of Tambun. However, I must warn that the room can still be a distance away from the elevator as the corridor seems to span a long stretch with similar looking segments being connected.

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I must say that even the door to the room looks pretty rudimentary and simple, with a no gimmick card reader lock securing the room. Of course, this unexciting and somewhat aged design can be expected, given the condition and looks of the hotel’s exterior and lobby.

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However, open the door and you will be welcomed into a simple looking be spacious room. Though the rooms are not large by any means with the classical room that I got standing at only 23 meters square, the room seems to have an abundance of space. This is achieved by combining the typical room amenities into one location, therefore freeing up more space and preventing any feelings of claustrophobia. Considering the fact that a large proportion of the Lost World Hotel’s guests are families with young children, such a minimalistic design might actually be a practical trait of the rooms, as it provides ample space for lively kids to jump around and have fun, without much chance of damaging hotel property or injuring themselves. However, guests used to staying in more luxurious hotels might not like the “chalet” feel that comes alone with such a basic design and might thus find it a little too bare. Personally, I thought that the spacious layout of the room has no bane, but more can and should be done to spruce it up a little in order to add some life and colour to the room. This way, the rooms at Lost World Hotel Ipoh will look and feel more like classy hotel rooms instead of chalets.

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On top of just feeling and looking spacious, the rooms also have generous storage spaces, making it very suitable for families with much luggage and belongings. The design and placements of shelves seem to be well thought out and the wardrobe is accommodating with more practically laid out shelves for additional storage space. Lost World Hotel Ipoh also provides bedroom slippers, albeit of low quality but even so, it does add a touch of convenience for guests. After all, providing small amenities like this seem to be an inconsistent practice in hotels of Ipoh. It is also here that guests will find bath towels provided and a safe to store important personal belongings, which unfortunately, did not seem to be working throughout my stay. Surely the hotel management should implement a checking system to unsure that such inconveniences  be picked out and solved before a new guest checks in.

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The other gripe I have regarding is the storage area is that the hotel only provides a stingy amount of just four clothes hangers in the room. With ample storage in the wardrobe but such a pathetic amount of clothes hangers, it does make me wonder whether the management expects its guests to pack their own hangers?

As Lost World Hotel Ipoh is tucked into a quiet area of town, guests can expect themselves to be surrounded by lots of lush greenery and this is evident from the rooms as well. During my stay, my room came with a view of the Lost World of Tambun theme park and though it is a huge development, what lies beyond the theme park is a pretty picturesque plain of green. Guests will be treated to views of nature in its natural and undisturbed form and I find such a scene rather relaxing and soothing. As more and more people nowadays are travellers coming from modern and urban areas, such a sight can be rare, especially if you are from a concrete jungle like Malaysia’s neighbour, Singapore. Hence, I must say that though the view is nowhere near what I would call breathtaking and pales in comparison with the view from skyscraper hotels like The Westin Singapore and Sheraton in South Korea, it does serve as a wonderful, serene escape from the busy hectic lifestyles that many people are so used to. The only pity is that the windows opening to the view is rather narrow and guests do not have anything in the room to complement it – a huge negative that I will come to right after this.

In order to reduce wastage of space, the rooms do not come with a full-service pantry. Instead, what each room is appointed with is a pantry integrated into the TV console. This design sure does free up space, but what it also means is that guests have to live without much amenities in the room. Also, simply placing the pantry amenities on the console just seem almost amateurish and I am sure that such a practice is very much common in budget hotels and not a full fledged hotel like Lost World Hotel Ipoh. As such, this really seems that the hotel management has not put much thought into beautifying their rooms and are simply laying out the rooms for their own ease and convenience. In fact, I must say that Lost World Hotel Ipoh also seems rather stingy when it comes to providing such amenities, as the in-room offerings are limited to two bottles of mineral water, some coffee and tea satchels complete with creamer and sugar and an electric boiler. There are not soft drinks whatsoever and the rooms are not even equipped with an empty minibar. I must say that this is quite a host of bad news, as the hotel also lacks much dining or drinking options and such a miserly equipped room brings just more inconvenience to guests. For those who have plans to purchase groceries or drinks to bring back to the room, do remember that there is no minibar available to keep the necessary items chilled. Yet another huge inconvenience is that the hotel does not provide room service at night, and even though you do get s snack menu in the room, the last order for snacks end at a very early time of 10pm daily. I find this to be very impractical as the night time will most probably be the time where such services are required of the most. To add salt to the room, there are no dining options within the hotel itself and should you find yourself having hunger pangs late at night without having purchased any local delicacies or snacks in the day, you will definitely have to survive on the coffee and tea provided in the room and starve till the next morning.

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Because there isn’t any snacks or many drinks for you to enjoy in the room, there also isn’t any lounging area besides the beds. Hence, do not go in expecting to be able to chill and relax on a plush sofa or cushioned seats complete with a practical coffee table as the room only comes with a hard plastic chair that I am sure most guests will not even use. Thankfully though, despite being quite poorly equipped thus far, the rooms have a television set of decent quality, which even screens various channels which are not confined to Malay or Mandarin. Yes, guests can in fact relax in the comfort of their beds while enjoying TV programmes that they can understand after a long day of touring Ipoh or at the exciting theme park. Thankfully, Lost World Hotel Ipoh never accommodates business travellers due to its relatively inconvenient location and the sub-urban location of Ipoh. Otherwise, I really cannot picture any businessman trying to do work on the uncomfortable plastic chair without any basic stationery and power sockets within reach from the table.

The bed area is well lit and those who enjoy reading in bed will have no problems with that. Furthermore, the layered wooden board behind it adds a modern touch to the area and gives the room some zest, taking away the focus from the old fashioned tiled floor. On first sight, the sheets also seem to be crisp, white and clean. I am indeed glad to say that the beds do not suffer from any cleanliness issues – a pleasant finding, considering the rather imperfect impressions that the hotel has given so far. Each guest also gets a choice of two soft but not so fluffy pillows and the bed is reasonably comfortable. DO not expect top quality sleep as the mattresses are not those high quality branded ones that you commonly find in luxury hotels, but they do provide guests with a decent rest. However, they are slightly on the hard and springy side and this might not appeal to all guests. Should you have children that love jumping on beds, you might hear some squeaks from the springs beneath it be rest assure that as long as the mattresses are not severely abused, it should take care of the sleep of the room’s occupants.

There are bedside tables beside each bed for guests’ convenience of storing personal belongings close to them but the storage here is not as generous as previously mentioned as the tables comprises a simple wooden platform by each bed, without separate tiers or drawers. Likewise with the pantry, do not expect many amenities such as multi-port chargers or high-tech switch controls more commonly found in modern hotels as guests get just a simple telephone, the TV remote control and a TV programme guide.

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