One of my Dutch roommates in George Town had just come from Langkawi, and when she heard I was headed there next, told me that I absolutely HAD to book Bed Attitude hostel. She was so adamant about it that she told me not to even do any other research, just to book it. It was amazing. I asked about the two things I care most about when booking. Was there a place to fill up water bottles? (I’m trying to avoid plastic as much as possible here, and have come to appreciate that most hostels offer water refill stations.) And was there wifi and a space to work? The answer to both questions was yes, so I went ahead and followed her advice. A very wise man once told me to never turn down free advice, because nothing in this world is free anymore.
Bed attitude was brand new; it had only been open for two months. I wouldn’t normally go for the extreme budget and high capacity that they offered, but since it was brand new, I figured it still had be be nice and clean. Rooms were available with 32, 20, 12, 8, and 6 bunks. The 32 bunk dorm started at 30 ringgit per night (less than $7 US) and the smaller rooms were incrementally more expensive, though not by much. I went ahead and just booked the big room, as the number of bunks seemed to be the only real difference between the rooms.
It was immediately evident that this was a younger crowd than my hostel in George Town. Gone were the rows of neatly lined-up shoes at the bottom of the stairway. Here there were nearly 100 pair of shoes outside the door, all tossed about in a big sandy mess. Ah the joys of youth and not thinking or caring about trivial things such as keeping shoes orderly. I suddenly felt old.
I entered into a large common area with a pool table and numerous tables with stools at which to socialize. The far wall had an elevated area full of very inviting-looking bean bag chairs for lounging around. A few couches provided even more seating options. Next to the check-in counter was a small, communal kitchenette area, were one of the volunteers was busy cutting up a red pepper that made my mouth water. She had the right idea. While Malaysian food was divine, it was certainly proving to be a lot more noodles and sugar than I was used to eating on a daily basis.
I checked in and was shown my locker, which was almost big enough to accommodate a backpack (almost) and even had a mirror inside. The whole row of lockers had a very industrial-chic feel to it. Then I was shown to my bunk which was generously located on top at the very back corner of the room. I felt like I had the prime real estate as far as bunks in mass-capacity dorms were concerned. Maybe it was because I had booked 5 nights. All the other backpackers always seemed to be shocked when I would tell them how long I was staying in each place (and I thought I was traveling fast). Most tended to travel through from place to place with two to three nights being the average. I preferred to actually get to know a place a little, plus I had to schedule in a few days of work each week to actually bring you all of this wonderful content.
The bunks were capsule style: holes in the walls like a beehive, with a curtain to draw at the foot end of the bed. Inside was some extra space on the side of the mattress to be able to sort through belongings, a power outlet, and a reading light. I was immediately glad for the extra space in the pods. Living out of a backpack is harder than you might imagine when there is never anywhere to spread out. How do you get to the things in the middle of your backpack with nowhere to set the things on top as you sort through? Where in the world are you supposed to hang your wet swimsuit? You never think about these little things until they become an issue. (By the way, there was a whole array of bamboo, ladder-like structures to hang wet things on, just outside the bathrooms).
The showers were also generously spacious, with a shelf to set toiletries on, enough open space so that the water stream didn’t actually reach the stall door, and four whole hooks on the door to hang dry belongings from. That was another thing I was learning about hostel life. There was never enough room in the showers for belongings. The showers were communal, and co-ed, so you had to change in the stall. That meant you needed a place inside the stall for all of your clothes. And that meant that place needed to be dry. Such conditions were rare. Also, I’m finding that people really love to leave their used bottles and toiletries they are through with in the showers, instead of throwing them away like responsible humans. So there is never actually space to set down your own belongings. It is quite annoying. Rant aside, I was very impressed with the showers at Bed Attitude. And there was hot water which was a bonus. Malaysia is so hot that some people might not care. In fact the heaters were usually turned off from the previous people who had used the stall. But I always appreciate a good hot water shower.
Bed Attitude definitely proved to be a great bang for your 7 bucks, and word had gotten out fast. By the time I left, the bunks were usually sold out each night. I met a few people who tried to extend their stays, and ended up having to go to different hostels. I ended up extending as well, but was smart enough to do so a couple days in advance.
The only qualm I had with the place was that with so much space to hang out, a lot of people were usually sitting around, eating up all of the internet bandwidth, making working nearly impossible. The volunteers were helpful though, and happy to recommend cafes with suitable working environments nearby.
The hostel was kept impeccably clean. I observed the polished concrete sinks being scrubbed out with detergent on a daily basis. The big dorm was also impressively quiet. I think with so many beds in there, everyone was mutually afraid to make any noise. Plus with such a great hangout area, there really wasn’t any need to try and socialize in the dorm rooms. Everyone was very respectful with the noise level.
So if you are ever backpacking through Langkawi, go ahead and book Bed Attitude. The high capacity and inexpensive price shouldn’t scare you away. As long as you are ok with going elsewhere to find a decent wifi connection (if you even need one), then the rest of your backpacking needs will be taken care of at this friendly, hip place. Book at least 24 hours in advance though, as word is spreading fast, and space does fill up.
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