Well, we made a last-minute decision to stay here, and wouldn’t you know it, the place was just about booked up. Kuala Lumpur has a huge variety of rooms, but there was the national UMNO (political party) meeting going on. Most of the better hotels were completely booked or asking for outrageous prices.

We finally found the Florida Hotel by looking in the paper. They had a special rate of RM75 and agreed to honor it even though the UMNO meeting was in town. It turns out it was their last room.

The hotel itself is decent. It’s rated as a two-star, and I would say that it was fairly accurate. It was very clean, though, and not the least bit sleazy. The place was completely remodeled in 2003 and still looks very nice.

The room we got was pretty small but well appointed. All the decorations and furnishings were new or nearly new. It had the usual TV, A/C, and queen-size bed. The bathroom was quite large compared to the room and very clean. This was the first hotel room I stayed in that didn’t have a window, though. This turned out to be a problem, as one of Kuala Lumpur’s all-too-frequent blackouts hit and we couldn’t see a thing for several hours. The hotel people were quite apologetic, but didn’t give any kind of discount.

The staff in general was excellent. They had some honest cabs they could call if needed and helped us in finding some great food. Housekeeping was excellent and heeded our needs for extra pillows and towels quickly. I was also able to get some laundry done very cheaply and quickly by contacting the front desk.

The best thing about this place was the location and price. You can see KL Sentral (the subway) from the hotel, and it is half a block away from the monorail. The Brickfields is an Indian area, and you can get some great food here. It’s not a main tourist area, though, and I’m not sure I would recommend it for families with children. Room prices start at around RM60. It won’t satisfy someone looking for the Ritz, but if you are a budget traveler, you should be more than happy with this place. I would stay there again if I was on a budget, but I would be sure to get a room with a window.