Hotel Puri Melaka

Hotel Puri has a distinguished beginning. It was the ancestral home of the descendants of Tan Kim Seng (1805-1864), a well known philanthropist. He was the third generation Straits Chinese born in Malacca. Hotel Puri is typical of Peranakan culture, a mix of Chinese, Western and local flavours

The building Hotel Puri resides in was first built in 1812 and was bought over by Tan Kim Seng in 1840. The house was then rebuilt by Tan Kim Seng's grandson, Tan Jiak Choo at a cost of 14, 000 Straits Settlement Dollars in 1876. The house sits on a piece of land at the historic Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock which has in its possession the original Dutch Title dating back to 28.4.1819

The original building now housing Hotel Puri stretched from the street to where the hotel kitchen is today, a full 100m long.

It had 3 airwells to let in air and light and a water well which supplies water in the days when pipe water was unknown.

In the refurbishment and development of the hotel, extreme care was taken to conserve the unique architecture as much as possible. The building from the front to the inner court or the Ancestral Hall was carefully reinstated preserving the original structures together with its carved doorways, windows, partitions and interestingly sculptured airwell. Chinese couplets of good fortune, health and happiness adorning doors, windows and entrances just as the Chinese residences in China were meticulously restored.

The mosaic floor and wall tiles and marbles were arduously cleaned and polished. The mosaic and wall tiles were imported from 19th century England, hence the similarity to those in the old houses in England of the same period

Where the hotel garden and the L-shaped new wing stand today was an open area. The compound was used as a stable for the Tan family horses and parking area for horse and deer.

This is the new wing added to the garden where most of the accommodation rooms are located.

From the top of the building, the other home building which are still preserved until this very day. Its location is very strategic as it is just a few minutes walk from Jonker Street and the historical sites in Malacca.

The standard room here is decently spacious and comfortable. I got the room for RM 162.40, after including the tax and service charge. The air conditioner here was unable to cool the room sufficiently on a very hot day. The compressor noise outside this room is also quite noticeable. However, I still have a nice stay here for 4 days and 3 nights.

Another annoying thing is with the housekeeping. Whenever we went to have our breakfast at the cafe below, the housekeeping personnel will be quick to spring into action to tidy our room. When we came back to our room from our breakfast to get our stuffs before hitting the street, the room cleaning process is still ongoing. Hence, we put on the "Do Not Disturb" sign the next day before heading for breakfast. I would have prefer them to do the tidying when we are out of the hotel exploring Malacca the whole day.

I don't get to see a lot of safety deposit box in a 3 star hotel and I'm glad the hotel management put up a safe in every room for their guest.

The shower cum toilet is just about the right size although I would have prefer it to be bigger.

Coffee and tea making facility is pretty standard but I was intrigued by the design of the coffee cup.

The hotel received quite a number of visitors every day due to its rich heritage and the management had set up a counter to sell snack and coffee in way of the main entrance.

The swallow also seems to gather in a hall inside this hotel. The management harvest their nest twice a year and sell it as one of the hotel signature product.