The Happy 8 Retreat

Unclaimed

After read the reviews here, I feel very insecure and worry. But room was booked and we keep convince ourselves that it might not be that bad. Still, we will try to avoid unpleasant experience by:- 1) Check in between 3pm to 6pm, so we can reach any help (like change bedsheet, get toilet paper…any bad reviews which we read from Google and agoda) from staff before they end their shift (as many said they have nobody to seek help from) 2) Make sure every facilities works such as aircon 3) Ready mosquito coils For us, the stay is really not that bad. We able reach the owner and check in successfully. We able reach the worker and he told us that we can get hot water from the kitchen. Bathroom has extra toilet paper, extra clean towels, hair dryer. The romantic shower section has hot water too. So you don’t have to shower in cold water. The room’s aircon was really cold and wasn’t defaulted. The controller was there and you can do the setting yourself. The room has fan too. The wind is strong enough to fly your wig away. Still, there are something need to be improve:- 1) The wooden floor made a lot of noises when we walk 2) The coverage of line. No wifi there (maybe we didn’t ask for) and my Maxis not working at all. But no worry for Digi and Celcom. For those who considering this stay:- - If you book Lotus room, no worry with the mosquito coils, we left ours in the drawers and actually they provided but we realized when we about to check out. - No TV there, and line is terrible - The car park is only enough for 1 car. If somebody parked their car inside the place, you’ll need to park outside.

Rooms : We loved the Bali concept/retreat, which was quiet, you can hear creaking wood plank as you step, so for my family it was great. We just fear that we may be too loud for other guests. In terms of cleanliness, it certainly can be improved, as certain specific area was appear to be dusty. Our room comes with a concrete tub with open air, the hot water works just fine and my kids loved that they can just open hot water and take their bath! I did clean again the tub for my own confidence in using the tub ? i bought all the necessary stuff from speedmart it was nothing, and I am glad the kids enjoyed the tub. Spacious common room / living room, with outdoor seating, we can easily dispense water from the Coway in the kitchen. Service : Mane the housekeeper was amazing and thoughtful, it was raining and he actually came out to see us in the car and offer umbrella, and always checking on us. Location : It is center between surrounding attractions, any food/tourist attractions in the town are within 10 to 15 mins driving only which was a plus point.

Stayed with family for one night from 26-27 Dec 2024. Initially we weren't expecting more after reading the google reviews. But to my surprise, the stay was very pleasant and lovely. I truly enjoyed the stay with The Happy 8 retreat. Upon arrival, I parked the car in front of the hotel without obstructing the traffic. The hotel has very limited parking. Roughly around 4 cars can park without obstructing the traffic. Well, you can park at the road side as according to the locals, no summon will be issued in the small alley. We arrived before 3pm check in time but I tried to contact the lady staff, Atika by making a phone call. She is very polite and friendly. Advise us to go for lunch and then she will make a phone call when the room is ready. On the way to find a restaurant, we were approached by a group of youngsters to offer if we are interested in the eagle feeding tour. One person needs RM25 that includes a small tour around the Kuala sepetang l, eagle feeding, fishing farm and mangrove on a shared boat. After roughly an hour later, Atika phoned and informed us that the room was ready. We were given a hotel room key with a digital password on it to access the main hotel lobby door and also an access card for the hotel lobby main door too. The hotel has no lif therefore you have to carry your own bags to your own room. The staircase is pretty spacious and safe for elderly and kids too. Both my parents aged 70++ were able to climb up and down without any troubles. We were given room 318 that was facing the river view. Very beautiful and clean. During my whole stay, I didn't see any cockroaches. The room is equipped with a hair dryer, water heater, towels, a huge bottle of mineral water, 3 single beds on the upper double bunker and one double bed on the lower bunk. The room is slightly narrowed but it comes with a spacious balcony that overlooks the river. The aircon is very powerful and very cold. The downsides are no wifi provided, TV isn't working cos no signal, the cafe on the hotel isn't open for business and the hotel room sound proof is very bad. You can hear anything from the lower floors and next door. Otherwise it is completely ok. We didn't encounter much trouble with the engine sound made by the fisherman boats. The hotel is just next to the pier for an eagle feeding tour. Very convenient. I would strongly recommend staying at this hotel.

Unbiased review: Felt skeptical booking at first seeing the other reviews, but my room was very clean! Check in: No receptionist, Self key collection from gate entrance. Only one staff who stays there. WiFi available, but no TVs. Parking: Empty lot infront of residence Distance: 5 minutes to city centre (Lou Wong Tauge Chicken etc) Room & Deco: The decoration style is quite outdoor alike a jungle villa style Needs more cleaning, but understandable because not easy to maintain outdoor villas with so much plants ? (should consider a high pressure washer for easy cleaning ?) Mosquito is one factor with the amount of wilderness, can consider mosquito-repellent plants like lemongrass. Sunway Banjaran Ipoh planted those and there was literally no mosquitoes everywhere! Conclusion: One of the rare gems in Ipoh, not a lot of places would renovate this intensively for the price point. (maybe boss vacation home turned homestay/ in before they raise the price ?) Very couple-oriented rooms, can give them a try because it’s severely underrated and has high potential for such a small town like Ipoh! Kudos owner for the effort ? PS: Mr. Mane, the caretaker of villa who stays there was quite very helpful, fluent in Malay and some english. He cleaned my room and came to spray mosquitos repellent before i left for dinner (peak mosquito hour)