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37tigers
Bristol

An amazing stay in living history...

Review of Cafe 1511
5.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 16 Aug 2012
Wow. I think that's a good way to start. This guesthouse was one of the highlights of Mr 37tigers and I's Grand Malaysian Adventure... we'd 100% recommend it.

We stayed for 2 nights, but it felt like a week, leaving relaxed and chilled, despite the buzzing central location just of Jonker Walk. And it really is just off Jonker Walk – one street back, less than 2 minutes to all the stalls, bars and food hawker fabulousness.

It's probably best to start, well, at the beginning. You know you're in for a special experience when your taxi pulls up outside what looks like a museum. In fact it is. Well, next door is anyway – the Baba Nonya museum, where you can learn all about a very Melakan people. Well worth a visit. But I digress...

The building itself is stunning, the servants quarters of a wealthy Baba Nonya family. Victorian tiles that'll be familiar to British visitors contrast stunning chinese carving, mosaic work and wow-factor 'airwell' – shaft through the middle of the building with a pond at the bottom, opens to the sky at the top, complete with a pet terrapin! This airwell keeps the communal spaces feeling light and airy and is certainly dramatic when it storms. Beautiful and practical...clever lot, these Baba Nonyas.

The guesthouse is also home to a really cracking cafe... but more on that later.

So to bed. We'd requested a quiet double – travelling down from the Perenthians was bound to be a bit hectic, and we knew we'd need a good rest. Our room was exactly what we'd requested – in the centre of the building with a window out onto the communal areas. Not huge, but absolutely adequate, very comfy bed, immaculately clean, with good aircon. We slept brilliantly both nights we stayed. Decor in our room was simple, modern and tasteful, with some nice watercolours of local scenes. The only reason I can't give it an 'excellent' is the lack of ensuite... which brings me neatly to...

A note on bathrooms. Be prepared for shared. This is because, I believe, adding the plumbing for ensuites would contravene planning regs in this amazing historic building. Well done planning people – it would be a travesty to ruin such a beauty for the sake of an ensuite in every room. The shared bathrooms are very clean, close by, and there's even complimentary toiletries. Absolutely fine by me – just don't forget to take a robe with you!

The staff are friendly and offer lots of tips on what to visit – I'm terrible with names, but the one gentleman was an absolute star – David I think – suggesting places to visit, helping us organise our transport on to Port Dickson (cheaper and easier by taxi FYI!), and dishes to try... which neatly brings me onto the food.

Aaaaaah, the food. Now Malaysia, as you'll soon discover, is an absolute paradise for foodies. I put on about half a stone in 3 weeks it was SO good. But I would say the Cafe in 1511 was one of the food highlights. Be brave, go for the Malay breakfasts – amazing. The hardest thing is deciding what to have. And if you're not quite up to spicy noodles first thing, Mr 37tigers highly recommends the waffles! We also ate a lovely traditional Baba Nonya lunch here – we'd tried other significantly more expensive places whilst in Melaka, and the Cafe knocks them for 6.

One final note. Complimentary coffee 'tea bags'. Real (black) coffee can be a bit tricky to come by, so this tiny touch that made me very happy. So a big thank you Cafe 1511. You're stars, and if ever we're luck enough to be in Melaka again, you'll be our first port of call!

Not really related, but whilst you're in Melaka, we'd recommend: checking out the Baba Nonya museum (next door); the Hereen St restored shophouse (same street – walk towards the river, it's on your left) as a contrast showing how less wealthy people lived; being a complete tourist and taking a trip up the cheesy revolving tower to get your bearings; then relaxing on a riverboat tour, before mooching the backstreets to see what you can find to snack on. We stumbled upon a riverside satay stall, where some middle-aged ladies insisted we join their family table for a satay feast, giggling at our lack of satay-eating skills and smiling non-stop. Fantastic!
Date of stay: May 2012
Room Tip: Ask for a quiet room so you're not facing the street – we were in the middle of the building...
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
5.0 of 5 bubblesValue
4.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
5.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
5.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
5.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
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Reviewed 31 July 2012

Tried to book a stay at the original Cafe 1511 but was relocated to their secondary guesthouse that is about 8mins walk from the original Cafe 1511.
If you are driving (Free open air car park directly opposite the GuestHouse) and do not mind the 8 mins walk to Jonker Street, then the guesthouse is a good choice.
There is also a food street directly below the guesthouse at night to satisfy your hunger.
Bedroom was cozy and comfortable.
Toilet was small yet sufficient.
They should have their TV up soon so it'll be a good communal space for the guests.

Room tip: If you do not mind paying RM20, I would recommend to get the Triple Room which is worth the extra space.
Date of stay: July 2012
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
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1  Thank HongXin
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 3 July 2012

Great location, very clean and comfortable! Free wifi and computer access. Good selection for free breakfast. Highly recommended.

Date of stay: June 2012
    • Value
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Thank Tebay2
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 25 June 2012

We were looking for a quiet place to stay after spending 5 intense weeks in India and we felt we made the right decision in heading straight to Melaka as soon as we walked out of the airport (Kuala Lumpur)...Cafe 1511 wasn't our first option since bathrooms were shared but the other hotels in the same location were all full so we called Collin and he booked us the attic room...we were so glad we stayed here instead since the place did feel homey...the GH is a former shophouse so it has character and is very well kept...rooms are small-ish but we usually care more about cleanliness and the shared bathroom wasn't even an issue anymore...staff are friendly and discreet and the laksa we were served for breakfast was fantastic! (we ended up having the same dish every morning during our stay)...location-wise, it's just a block away from Jonker St without the noise and a few steps from Hainan Food Street..we also had lunch here one day and were not disappointed..

I can't remember how much we paid but probably around US$30 per night for 2 adults so found it to be very good value..

A friend happens to be going to Melaka in a couple of weeks and I've insisted he stay in Cafe 1511...

Date of stay: March 2012
  • Trip type: Travelled with friends
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Thank Buquing
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 4 June 2012 via mobile

Nice cafe with rooms on d 2nd and 3rd floor. Room comes with air con and shared bathroom. There's a common place where u can watch dvd and there's a big shelf of books. They serve nice laksa nyonya as well.

Date of stay: June 2012
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Thank tieneit
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 11 April 2012

We stayed at the cafe 1511 for one night and had a great experience. We had the attic room, initially felt awkward, but in no time, it felt like your bedroom. The place is very clean. Bathroom located a floor below attic, but was not a problem. Privacy is respected. The owners were very friendly and did a fantastic job. The breakfast was simply ample and delicious.
We had a choice of movies from a movie library and books for a full shelf. If I have a chance to visit Melacca again, I will consider to stay there again.

Room tip: Consider asking if you are being booked for attic room ; given about 4 flights of stairs and small steps. And also note the the bathroom is on a floor lower than attic .
Date of stay: April 2012
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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2  Thank Helena R
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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