I had a great stay in Apa Kaba Home & Stay during my trip to Melaka/Malacca!! Here are my comments about the hostel:
- If you look at the photos, the house-turned-hostel seems to be located in the middle of nowhere. However, upon arrival, I realized that the hostel was right in the center of downtown Malacca, around 5-10 minutes away by walking from all the attractions (ex. Stadthuys, A Famosa, Christ Church, etc.) It's just that the hostel was "strategically" located in a quieter part of the bustling downtown, which makes the hostel a good place to relax and take your mind off the slightly bustle of downtown Malacca.
- There are nearby restaurants -- casual, fastfood (like McDonald's,) coffee shops (like Starbucks) and fine dining restaurants. There are nearby convenience stores too (like 7-11). There is a huge mall nearby (Dataran Pahlawan) as well.
- The staff were friendly and accommodating, even during our e-mail exchanges prior to my arrival.
- I booked myself a private double bedroom with ensuite restroom with air-conditioning. Since the hostel was a traditional Malay house-turned-hostel, staying in my room had a slight "Malay" feel to it with some comfort. The air-conditioning was a great blessing as the summer sun in Malacca can get too hot. Also, the hostel provided free towels for use, though no soap and shampoo (that's fine though.)
- The hostel also provided a simple free breakfast (bread, coffee, tea, fruits, Malaysian rice cakes, etc.)
- My MINOR concern was that the free wifi wasn't always stable, so it was a very minor inconvenience. However, the internet seemed fine most of the time.