M Boutique Hotel Ipoh

Exterior | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

Located in the historical tin mining town of Ipoh sits a unique boutique hotel that almost seems misplaced, the M Boutique Hotel Ipoh. This unique establishment is situated on Hala Datuk, not far from the Ipoh city centre, a city decided by Lonely Planet as one of the Best in Asia. This quaint little hotel is furnished with a fusion of contemporary design and colonial past, being dubbed “urban straits eclectic”. This hotel seeks to invoke a sense of throwback to a time where the straits settlements were in its infancy, but with a modern twist.

Lobby | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

As you enter the building, you are greeted by wooden panelled floors and an aesthetic that has a refined, but modern touch. The panelling throughout the hotel are laced with cast iron fixtures, large glass windows and touches of Britannica, a nod to its colonial past. The painted black rattan fixtures and wooden awning is what gives it a contemporary Asian blend, birthing a distinct unique experience. This boutique hotel almost seems displaced in time compared to its surrounding buildings and hotels. M Boutique Hotel Ipoh is also home to the one and only Oldtown White Coffee Grand, it’s one of a kind eatery offering full service dining and an extended menu.

Walkway | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

The owners of M Boutique Hotel Ipoh wanted to cater a different experience to its patrons, giving somewhat of a unique experience from the usual hotels that Ipoh has on offer. When asked what is the philosophy behind this establishment, General Manager Lloyd Gan stated: –

“One of the driving philosophy behind M Boutique hotels is to provide comfortable stays, like your own home, in a highly individualistic and artistic setting. Each M Boutique Hotel has its own personality, from Urban Straits Eclectic to Post Contemporary designs that caters to the lifestyle of today. We incorporate a young family culture whilst paying homage to our local history/traditions, a coupling of new and old which you can say is our signature in general. Our service motto is “Come as Strangers, Leave and Friends”, and we try to welcome everyone as our Friends, regardless of the reason of your visit to any of our M Boutique Hotels. For the Owners, who are from Ipoh, both M Boutique Ipoh & Station 18 was a project to give back to the community of Ipoh, as all our project team, artistic consultants, owners including the operators are all local people, except for 1 or 2 persons in our team.” — Lloyd Gan, General Manager of M Boutique Hotel Ipoh.

Corridor | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

M Boutique Hotel Ipoh Rooms

M Boutique Hotel Ipoh boasts 93 rooms with 3 thematic floors, and 5 types of room. Each floor is meant to cater to a specific theme, with unique furniture catering to each room type. The three themes are The Adventure Theme on the 1st floor, evoking the Malaysian safari hunting in the 1800s; The Majestic Theme on the 2nd floor, evoking raw, industrial and concrete, and The Excelsior Theme on the 3rd floor, evoking colours, rainbows and butterflies. When asked what is unique about M Boutique Hotel Ipoh, Gan replied: –

“To us there is nothing unique about our homes in our opinion. The main thing for us is to drive the message that we are a boutique hotel, as during our 3 years of doing business, we noticed that there are many in our country who do not understand the term “Boutique Hotel”. Everything we do in M Boutique is governed by the philosophies outlined in point one, and we recognise the fact that like in any human being, we have our weaknesses and strengths, and we do this quite out rightly via our online replies to feedback garnered (TripAdvisor) including our online mediums like our websites. As these are the underlying philosophies in our home, and so, it is not unique to us.”

The Cabin | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

The Cabin

These petit rooms come with a single or double bed, with 10 square metres of space, duck down plush tops, dual density pillows, LCD tv, wifi, minibar, ensuite bathroom with rain shower and universal power sockets for travellers. Each room also comes with complimentary Oldtown White Coffee sachets, although these rooms do not come with a view.

Superior | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

The Two Twins & The Queen Deluxe

The deluxe rooms come with a double bed, with 14 square metres of space, has all the basic amenities and an ensuite bathroom. These rooms come with floor to ceiling windows.

Premier | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

The Two Twins & The Queen Premier

The premier rooms come with a double bed, with 17 square metres of space, ensuite bathroom with rain showers and rooms have floor to ceiling windows. These rooms are slightly bigger than the deluxe rooms.

The Club | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

The Club

The suites are designed to feel like an English cottage, come with a separate sitting area, equipped with a king bed, with 33 square metres of space, ensuite bathrooms and all the basic amenities. These suites have floor to ceiling windows and are great for a bit more space and comfort.

The Family Suite | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

The Family Suite

The family suite comes with a separate sitting area, and separate room for children with a bunk-bed and ensuite bathroom, and is equipped with a king bed and with 33 square metres of space. These rooms have floor to ceiling windows which are curtain drawn.


Double Bed | Bed Room | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

Room Review: The Two Twins & The Queen Premier

The Queen Premier on the Majestic Theme floor is decently sized, but spacious enough for a good night’s sleep. The walls are decorated with contemporary art, and is brick laden all around with appropriate wood panelling.

Bathroom | Bed Room | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

The bathroom comes with perfect white tiles, and have a separate rain shower area and a toilet.

Room | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

The windows are shaded with heavy curtains that ensures a good night’s sleep.


Living Room | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

Living Room

There is shared living room spaces where you can read or relax. These occur on every floor which is nice and cosy, and can even be a working space as they come with computers that you can use.

Gym | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

Gym

If you are looking to do some exercise, the hotel is equipped with a gym which has enough functionality for a proper workout. Situated in a nice glass window room, you’re able to exercise your body, and mind.

Self Service Laundry |Myth Eatery & Bar | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

Self-Service Laundry

For those that need to do some washing up, the self-service laundry makes it available for you to do some quick washing if you have been travelling for a while, all within a very affordable budget. It even comes with a nice sitting area.

M Shop | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

M Shop

One thing about the M Boutique brand is that they sell a number of unique items, from things you can use for your travels like battery chargers, to more unique home decoration. Do have a peak as their penchant for design makes them not just a boutique hotel, but also a boutique.

Myth Eatery & Bar | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

Myth Eatery & Bar

For a taste of contemporary fair, that is served in a quaint environment where the ingredients used are sourced from all around Ipoh. The restaurant is designed reminiscent of a classic apothecary shop, and is a blend of Ipoh’s culture with the feel of a historical shop house in the old city.

Oldtown White Coffee GrandMyth Eatery & Bar | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

Oldtown White Coffee Grand

If you are aware of Malaysian coffee culture, you would definitely be acquainted with Ipoh white coffee, and Oldtown White Coffee is is one of its most prominent brands. At Oldtown White Coffee Grand, the first of its kind, caters to a wider menu with more options, and stands to serve as a proper restaurant, compared to its kopitiam counterparts.

Room Key | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

The Personal Service

A point of note about this place is that for a boutique hotel, they do go that personal mile to make your stay a pleasant one. The reception will gladly give you pointers of where to go, what to see and what to eat, a point not usually expected unless you’re at a five star hotel, which is highly commendable.

Living Room Second Floor | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

The M Boutique Hotel Ipoh Experience

There are quite a few hotels in the city of Ipoh, but very few offer such a unique and gorgeous design you almost feel misplaced e oin its location. When asked why this location and why the chosen aesthetics, Gan quipped: –

“For M Boutique Ipoh, we chose this location as it was, at that time, a new development on the fringe of town. We felt that as a boutique hotel, privacy is more important for our friends, as we thought that if we were in the central part of town, there would be more people walking through our lobby snapping pictures, which may not bid well for our friends staying with us. The main inspiration came from our Pre-War Shop houses, hence you will see us use the term Straits Eclectic, an architectural terminology that represents this. We wanted to transport all our friends to another place, even though they are still in Malaysia.”

Guest Bathroom | M Boutique Hotel Ipoh | Food For Thought

When speaking of the experience M Boutique Hotel Ipoh is trying to cater to, the management indicated that: –

“We are governed by our motto “Come as Strangers, Leave as Friends” and as such, we try to be ambassadors to Ipoh, like a Friend who is coming to stay with you. Like in point one, M Boutique is all about giving back to the community, and we hope to welcome all to the Silver State, providing good local recommendations and hopefully our friends will have a good time in Ipoh.”

If you happen to be in Ipoh exploring, do have a look at this hotel for an experience you will remember.


M Boutique Hotel Ipoh
2, Hala Datuk 5,
31650 Ipoh,
Perak,
Malaysia
+ 605 255 5566

|PHOTGRAPHY BY: NICH0LAS NG & M BOUTIQUE HOTELS | WEBSITE: M BOUTIQUE HOTEL IPOH |


Nicholas Ng

Nicholas Ng is a restaurant critic and drinks writer and is the editor of independent publication Food For Thought. He has been a freelance journalist for the 15 years and has previously worked as a lawyer and in digital marketing. He currently is the Principal Consultant of A Thought Full Consultancy, a food and beverage marketing consultancy.

17 Comments

  1. Nice review Nicholas. I’ve heard so much about it but have always been wondering.

    • Hi Amrita,

      It’s quite a nice hotel I must say. It stands out as quite unique from the rest of the hotels there.

  2. Just came across this site. Great content! Nice review of this hotel. I’ve not been to Malaysia, didn’t think it would look like this. 🙂

    • Hi Ameena,
      Thank you very much! Its a beautiful country with a great culture. You should definitely come visit. 😀

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