Guest Notes
What people have written about the house
These notes are from guests who have stayed at the Manor. They were collected from correspondence and exit notes over the past year, and are reproduced here with permission.
Back to Home✦ From recent guests
Notes from the guest book
Priya Lakshmi
Chennai, India · Garden Cottage
"I came to Kuala Lumpur to finish a chapter of my thesis that had been giving me trouble for eight months. Three weeks in the Garden Cottage. The quiet was the thing — genuinely quiet, not 'quiet for a city centre'. I wrote more in three weeks there than I had in four months at home."
April 2025
Martin Hofer
Zürich, Switzerland · East Room
"The East Room was exactly what the description said. The breakfast was the best part of the morning — nothing elaborate, but properly prepared and served at a table with other guests. In a week of working visits to KL this was the first time I felt I was actually staying somewhere rather than passing through."
March 2025
Nurul Ain
Penang, Malaysia · South Wing Apartment
"My family stayed in the South Wing for six weeks while we were waiting to complete a purchase. The apartment has its own kitchen, which made an enormous practical difference. Zulaikha was easy to reach whenever something needed attention. I think the main thing is that the house is run by someone who is actually there."
February 2025
Thomas Rajan
Singapore · Garden Cottage
"The Garden Cottage was recommended by a colleague who had spent a month there the previous year. I stayed for ten days working on a publication deadline. The terrace was usable early in the morning before the heat, and the cook — whom I would see through the kitchen garden — was pleasant company without being intrusive."
April 2025
Sarah Whitmore
Melbourne, Australia · East Room
"I found Selasih Manor through a friend's recommendation. Four nights in the East Room. The library was a particular pleasure — there were books there I hadn't seen in years, left by other guests. The room itself was clean and well-maintained, without the slightly anonymous quality that most accommodation at this price point in KL tends to have."
March 2025
Ahmad Kamarulzaman
Johor Bahru, Malaysia · South Wing Apartment
"Three fortnights in the South Wing while I was on an extended project in the city. The south verandah was where I read in the evenings. A practical, quietly well-run house. The maintenance issue I reported — a slow drain — was seen to the next morning. I've stayed in serviced apartments at twice the price that couldn't manage that."
January 2025
✦ Longer accounts
Three stays in some detail
Garden Cottage · Eight weeks · Researcher
A fieldwork visit from the University of Edinburgh
The situation
A postdoctoral researcher needed eight weeks in Kuala Lumpur for archival fieldwork. Budget was constrained. She needed somewhere reliable, quiet, and within reach of the National Archives on Jalan Duta.
What the cottage provided
The Garden Cottage at a weekly rate equivalent to a fraction of a serviced apartment. She could work on the terrace in the mornings before the archives opened. The broadband was reliable enough for evening correspondence with Edinburgh.
On departure
She has returned for a second visit since. In her words: "The house didn't change. The staff were the same people. That consistency is harder to find than you might think."
South Wing Apartment · Six weeks · Family
A family between homes
The situation
A couple with one child were completing a property purchase that had been delayed. They needed six weeks of accommodation that would function as a home — kitchen, separate bedroom, outdoor space for the child — without the cost of a two-bedroom serviced apartment.
What the apartment provided
The South Wing's kitchen and sitting room gave them independence. The verandah gave the child somewhere to be outside in the evening. The house cook made a contribution to their meals on three occasions when the kitchen needed restocking.
On departure
"For a six-week stay with a child, we needed somewhere that functioned as a house, not a hotel. Selasih Manor was that. The rate was fair. We felt at home by the end of the first week."
East Room · Five nights · Consultant
A working visit, briefly described
The situation
A management consultant from Singapore needed five nights near the city centre for a client engagement. He had stayed in hotels on previous visits and found them good for single nights but tiring for working weeks.
What the room provided
The East Room, with its morning light and writing desk, suited the schedule. He ate breakfast in the dining room each morning and found it useful to start the day without leaving the property. The room was quiet enough for evening calls.
On departure
"I've booked the East Room twice since. What I noticed the first morning was that the building had a particular smell — old timber and something from the garden. I can't describe it better than that. It stays with you."
✦ Find us
The house details
Address
64, Jalan Mahameru
50480 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan
Telephone
+60 3-2693 5814Enquiry hours
Monday – Friday: 9 am – 6 pm
Saturday: 9 am – 1 pm
House in numbers
15
Years operating
340+
Stays completed
60%
Return or referral guests
22+
Countries represented
✦ Enquiries
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