I often travel to Kuala Lumpur for short breaks and feast on all the food scattered throughout the city. Most of the time, my choice of accommodation is always budget hotels or service apartments for bigger groups. My choice of area for my accommodation is always around Bukit Bintang side for the proximity to the shopping malls and restaurants
I was searching for a 3 bedroom apartment for my recent trip as we wanted an individual room each and it was so difficult to find one which is new and in the location I wanted. Most service apartments only have 2 bedrooms and were unsuitable until I came across Axon residences in Bukit Bintang which was surprisingly very affordable
Located in the small alleys just behind the main Bukit Bintang shopping street, I booked a 3-bedroom apartment for only SGD482 for 2 nights in December, considered the peak period for tourists. The location is fabulous: it is a 5-minute walk to Pavillion Mall, a 10-minute walk to TRX Mall, and 5 minutes to the nearest MRT. From a distance, the apartment looks like a private residence with a grand entrance and drop-off point. There are also 2 convenience stores within 1 minute’s walking distance
The lobby of the residence is designed to be a private apartment with no check-in or service counters. There are many sofas for guests to sit and rest and the only staff available is the security guards who man both the main entrance drop-off point as well as the lobby area
The check-in process is out of the ordinary and can feel like a scam but it is indeed legitimate. Once you arrive at the property, you can WhatsApp the agent who has been in touch with you and he will meet you at the lobby to process your stay. You will fill up a manual form at the security counter with some of your detailed contact information and proceed to pay the agent for the stay. There is no receipt and they only accept cash or bank transfer as they mentioned the credit card machine was not working. The advice is to bring cash for the check-in as we ended up having to walk to the bank to withdraw the money
There were up to 6 lifts in operation for all guests to use and I believe the residence is also open for short-term stays. The key card passed to us includes the keycard for the lift and the main apartment door. One big down point for the residence is the speed of the lifts; as they were built for private living, the lifts cannot really handle the heavy load of guests checking in or checking out around the same time. We waited close to 15 minutes to get a lift to the lobby during our check-out day and some days when we returned to the apartment during peak period, we waited more than 10 minutes to get to our apartment
The agent brought us to the apartment and showed us all the necessary use of card keys, wifi as well as any switches or controls to take note of in the apartment. Throughout the stay, you can continue to communicate with the agent if you need help. We found out there were no towels in the apartment after the agent left and he went to search for towels which we did not use in the end due to the musky smell
In terms of size, the apartment was a great size for 3 of us and has 3 rooms; a master with an ensuite bathroom, and 2 other smaller rooms with a shared bathroom. The living room has an open kitchenette, dining table as well as sofa area for lounging, all in one space. The rooms and shared spaces were all clean and maintained well except for some damages behind the doors and wardrobes. The only downside was the shared bathroom shower which was not hot enough, the washing machine did not work and there was no available TV network except Netflix which you have to log in with your own account. The beds are pretty comfortable although the pillows are slightly flat and too soft
I do however want to bring attention to the view from the apartment which is totally gorgeous. From the sofa, you have a clear view of KLCC, Pavilion Mall, and KL Tower as well as the bustling streets in the main Bukit Bintang area. While there are a few pain points, the view, comfort of the apartment as well as the proximity to all the shopping and food kind of makes up for it
There are also shared facilities with the connected hotel apartment Sleeping Lion which has a proper check-in counter and servicing. The rooms are more expensive and they only have 2-bedroom apartments. The gym, sauna room and swimming pool are located on the 37 floor and have a great view of the surrounding areas which is quite a plus point for a staycation but the facilities are quite crowded in the morning
Overall, the stay at Axon Residence is comfortable except for the initial mess from the check-in of paying in cash and not being given towels. While the towels given to us had a storage smell, I did see other units with very clean and fresh towels so I would give that a benefit of the doubt. There is no room service or cleaning throughout our stay so it is really an apartment with the bare service. I do not mind staying here again if I am doing a trip with a bigger group of friends where we can hang out in the living area as we can walk to almost everywhere and the pricing is really good for sharing. The only mental note to make is to prepare for cash, bring my own towels and manage expectations that it is a no-service apartment
Address: 5, Lorong Walter Grenier, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Room rates: From SGD 60
Bear Travels . Bear Eats . Bear Cooks 