I love those pictures I often see on social media where you must find the tiger in the jungle. And those documentaries that show a tiger lurking in the jungle and even when it’s moving it’s difficult to see. On safari in South Africa, I came across a lion less than six feet away from me and couldn’t believe how it merged into the dry long grass around it. Lions and tigers know when to make their presence known.
Hotel Stripes is making its presence known in an area of Kuala Lumpur that I used to walk through at a faster pace than usual because unusually for Kuala Lumpur it was dark and unsettling.
Hotel Stripes and where it’s located is the setting for this story but it’s a story that tells much more about community, about the use of space and how we all need to find some.
I’m in Kuala Lumpur to test a theory that there’s more to this amazing city than food and shopping and even more food and even more shopping. I get it. I’ve enjoyed it. But I want more.
I want to know more about the temples and mosques that I see as I move around the city, and I want to know more about the green spaces and places that we all need to hear our own thoughts.
I’ve also heard about The Row, a street of pre-war shop houses that have had new life breathed into them and the surrounding streets.
Hotel Stripes is nearby to The Row and has a vibe that reaches back and holds onto its past while reaching out and helping those around them to rejuvenate and restore.
It’s also a hotel with one of the most amazing rooftop bar and pool settings in Kuala Lumpur with an unobstructed view of the Menara Tower which puts on a multi colour light show every evening. The tower is surrounded by the last remnant of virgin jungle within the city. By day this green belt stands out amongst the urban jungle and by night is completely black which allows the tower to stand out even more than a 421m tower has the right to.
The Hotel Stripes neighbourhood is known as Jalan Kamunting. In the mid 19th Century, it was a thriving district but by the early 20th Century it had mostly been destroyed by fire and flood. To make sure that the area was rebuilt more robustly, the British administration made a ruling that the new buildings had to be made with brick and tile and not the more traditional and affordable wood and thatch. This led to a streetscape quite unique in Kuala Lumpur and a sense of pride on looking that little bit different to everyone else.
Hotel Stripes has maintained some of its original brick façade at the front of the building, helping it bind to the community it resides in. The hotel also supports the local small businesses, including local icon and one of the remaining tailors in Kuala Lumpur, Mr Loke Kwong Yuen, who allowed me into his store on a Sunday morning but laughingly said he didn’t have enough cloth to make me a pair of pants.
For those who love a gorgeous high tea and think they must head to London to have the finest tea and tiered treats then just hold onto your little cake spatula a minute.
Each afternoon Hotel Stripes serves a high tea inspired by a 1929 novel, Mr Ma and Son by Lao She.
The high tea draws on the authors experiences in 1920s London which means you will smell the scones before they arrive at your table and enjoy tiny, delicate sandwiches and maybe a few Asian inspired creations as well.
If you miss high tea then you’ve probably got time to head up for an end of day swim before sitting at the bar to enjoy a session of ‘You Chill, We Grill’ where sizzling beef brisket bao buns, roasted vegetables and waffles will go perfectly with whatever you’re drinking.
Through the next few days, I explore temples and mosques with my friends May and Sanjeev, including the Thean Hou Temple which is dedicated to Thean Hou, patron goddess of the Hainanese community and who watches over fishermen. We also visit Kuala Lumpur’s oldest temple, Sin Sze Si Ya, built in 1864 and tucked away behind the ever-busy Central Market. We also visit the spectacular Indian temple, Sri Maha Mariamman, located very close to the frantic seller and buyer activity of Chinatown.
I also catch up with my friend Paul to see what green spaces we can find in Kuala Lumpur. Government forestry projects are interesting and the big parks such as the one in front of the Petronas Towers are impressive and proof that my friend’s description of these parks as green lungs that help us breathe is a wonderful way to think about how important green spaces are.
Most impressive, and more than just a green lung, is the Kebun Kebun Bangsar Community Garden. Utilising land that is too difficult to build residences on, this community garden has little plots of well-tended spices and vegetables. Turkey’s and geese squabble for who can sound the most annoyed and all around you is the quiet activity of people being quiet while they tend to their green projects with twine, pots, trowels and purpose.
I needed to understand that this city has more than I’ve seen before and I needed for my own reasons to find those quiet spiritual and quiet green spaces. I found them and I also found a community that has life because of a hotel and a hotel that has life because it has a community.
As Hotel Stripes likes to say, ‘Every stripe tells a story’. A stay in the Hotel Stripes community and time spent in temples, mosques and green spaces will add a stripe to your life’s journey to be proud of.
Get There
Fly to Kuala Lumpur with Air Asia throughout the week from Perth. Hotel Stripes is easy to reach if you like travelling by train. Just use the KLIA Ekspres from the airport to Sentral Station and then the monorail to Medan Tuanku and then it’s a five-minute walk to the hotel, walking past The Row on the way there and also the tailor, Mr Loke Kwong Yuen.
Look For
Every day it seems there’s another mural going up on the walls around Hotel Stripes and a new art gallery or café opening up. For something different and barely a skip from the hotel, try the stingray at Kooky Plate café.
