FRIENDS Themed Hostel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I’m writing this Friends themed hostel and Friends themed cafe review in celebration of 25 years since the beginning of the greatest TV show of all time: FRIENDS.
I am a self-proclaimed number one Friends fan and reference the show in almost every conversation (sometimes in my own head). Part of my travel goals is to see everything there is around the world to do with Friends. I’ve already been to Friends Fest that was part of a UK tour including real props, set recreations, Friends-based food and all-around awesomeness.
I recently visited Thailand and Malaysia and researched whether there was anything related to Friends. To my wonderful surprise, there was a Friends-themed hostel in Kuala Lumpur. No question about it, I booked it for our stay and was beyond excited.
If you’re a huge Friends fan and needn’t bother reading this review because like me, you want to stay here solely because it’s accommodation BASED ON FRIENDS, find the latest prices here.
Read on for my personal review of the Friends Perk Hostel and Central Perk Friends Cafe and why you should stay here if you’re a Friends fan or not! Note: I have referenced Friends throughout this blog post so please comment on anything you pick up on!
Time of Writing: 5 MYR = £1
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Friends Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Contents (jump to)
The hostel is called Friends Perk Hostel and is located in the Bukit Bintang area of Kuala Lumpur. Could it BE any better? I stayed in this hostel for one week in KL. After my trip to Penang, I came back to KL and couldn’t stay anywhere else but the Friends Perk Hostel! Again, after a trip to Borneo, I returned to KL and stayed in Friends Perk Hostel because it was the perfect stay!
Before visiting the Friends hotel, I binge-watched Friends obviously. Make sure you do the same! You can buy the full Friends boxset here.
Getting To Friends Perk Hostel
It’s quite easy to miss, especially if arriving by night as I did but if you follow the directions and look for the Friends colours and themes, you’ll spot it.
From KL airport, it takes about 1 hour in a Grab or taxi.
The Friends hostel is in the Bukit Bintang neighbourhood of Kuala Lumpur which is just 40 minutes from the airport and while there are lots of taxis outside, you are often overcharged. For peace of mind you could arrange airport transfers beforehand or pre-order a SIM card and get a Grab on arrival.
It is very easy to get ripped off by taxi drivers from the airport, I was charged almost three times of what it actually costs!! If you download the GRAB app, you’ll get a standard rate of 65 MYR to and from the airport. I’ll be there for you if you use my referral code of GRABHDTRAVELS and we’ll both get further discounts on our rides!
Unfortunately, it won’t be in Phoebe’s Grandmother’s yellow cab.
On arrival, you’ll see the Friends cafe and the adjacent door to the left is the entrance for the hostel. You have to walk up steps for the reception and the kind staff will check you in. Behind reception desk is a huge wall with Friends quotes and pictures on!
Address of Friends Perk Hostel: 76, JALAN PUDU 1-2 floor, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Read Next: How To Find The Real FRIENDS Apartment in New York City!
The One With The Room Review
The rooms offered at Friends Perk Hostel range from: 2-bed room, 3-bed room, 4-bed dormitory, 6-bed dormitory and 4-bed female-only dormitory. There are no private bathrooms, the shared bathroom is located behind the reception area with shower gel provided to take what the hotel owes you. I stayed in a 2-bed room and it was called Geller’s. Loved that.
I had air-con in the Friends themed room, no windows, two singled beds, plug sockets, seating area and the room was locked. Reception is open 24/7 so just arrange a time for your check in. Check out is 12.30 sharp, and like Ross, we don’t check out a minute before we have to.
Price of Friends Hostel, Malaysia
Staying in the 2-bed private room for three nights with my partner, we paid 207 MYR. This included free breakfast every morning in the cafe downstairs.
Note: In Malaysia, you have to pay a room tax of 10 MYR every night.
Total for 3 nights stay including tax (for 2 people sharing) = 237 MYR
Location
The location was perfect for exploring Kuala Lumpur. I love this city! The hostel/cafe is found on Jalan Pudu and a 5-minute walk from the famous Jalan Alore for great street food. About a 5-10 minute walk, you’ll find Chinatown, Central Market and temples. It’s conveniently located in close proximity to lots of food stalls, restaurants and shopping centres as well as public transport stations such as the bus station to get to Penang from KL and other Malaysian cities.
Join A KL Private Walking Tour Here
I would highly recommend staying at this Friends hostel because the location alone is perfect.
Read About Another TV Show: Gavin & Stacey Guide in Wales
Comfort / Cleanliness of Friends KL Hostel
The beds aren’t race cars but they are comfortable! Monica would be happy with the level of cleanliness of the hostel in general and the rooms.
Amenities in Friends Central Perk Hotel
- There is a free water machine available
- Shower room with complimentary shower gel and shared toilets.
- You can rent a towel for 4 MYR with 10 MYR deposit which you’ll get back after use.
- Free (and fast) WIFI included.
- Air con in rooms.
- Able to print tickets, etc. at the desk (at a small fee).
- Friendly staff available for advice. There was a lovely man working when I went who helped carry all of our bags out for us.
- Book-swap shelf.
- You get good discounts on food and drinks in the Friends perk cafe, as below.
Cafe Perks of Friends Cafe Malaysia
Grab some coffee in the downstairs cafe… FRIENDS THEMED CAFE! So many times we’d be sat in the cafe and people would be walking past taking pictures of the outside because it is Friends Cafe Malaysia.
As a guest of Friends Perk Hostel, you can enjoy free breakfast (toast with jam and coffee) at Friends cafe Central Perk.
You also get free tea and discounted food and drinks from the cafe menu. I really enjoyed the food at ‘Central Perk’ and ate there several times, Joey would love it.
The best part about the cafe is that they play Friends on repeat ALL DAY. You can sit at the orange sofa and binge-watch Friends with other guests! They have portraits of Ross, Chandler, Phoebe, Monica, Rachel and Joey on the walls with framed pictures around as well as a guitar in the corner of the cafe.
They serve your food on Central Perk plates and your coffee in Central Perk mugs!!
The Friends cafe in New York may not exist but the Friends show cafe in Kuala Lumpur does!
The Friends Central Perk Cafe Menu
My favourite part of the whole stay was laughing at the Friends cafe menu and the names of the items. They are all Friends referenced!
A few of them include: Joey Doesn’t Share Beef Spaghetti Bolognese, Chicken Bings, Pheobe’s I Can’t Eat Meat Pasta, Monica’s Kitchen Specials, Janice Oh My God and many more clever menu items.
The food was really good and not too garlicky at Friends Perk Cafe (unlike Javu ;))!
Book the Friends Themed Hostel
If you’re finally convinced that staying in the Friends perk hostel is the right option, click here to view the latest prices or use the search box below. If you’re a Friends fan, you won’t be disappointed.
So far, is this trip better or worse than the trip to London?
Further Reading for Friends TV Show
I recently bought the brand new book by Saul Austerlitz called Still Friends. It has been released for the 25th anniversary of Friends and details the era of the decade-long sitcom.
As a massive fan of Friends, I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. It gives information from insiders, how the show was created, the original names, casting information and why Friends is so deeply rooted in pop culture and defined the 90’s. View the latest prices for the Friends book here.
Things to Do While in KL
If you’re visiting Kuala Lumpur, of course you need to stay in Friends hostel and grab a coffee in Friends perk cafe KL, but there are other must-see attractions too such as visiting the Batu Caves, viewing KL from the top of the Petrona Twin Towers and sampling the delicious local cuisine.
Klook.comCheck out this 2 day itinerary in KL for more ideas!
Get a SIM Card in Malaysia
The very first thing you should do in Malaysia is buy a SIM card. I never bought a SIM card when I was in Thailand and looking back, it would’ve made things so much easier. When I got to KL, buying a SIM card was my gateway to getting the most out of the city in just 2 days because I was able to use apps such as Grab and use GPS to find specific restaurants I wanted to visit.
The best way to get a SIM card for Kuala Lumpur is to buy this 4G Sim for Malaysia which you can pick up from KL International Airport on arrival. This connects you to KL as soon as you land and you can download Grab (Asia’s Uber) which saves you from being scammed from taxi drivers at the airport! Also, this sim will work all over Malaysia and has various airport pick-ups around the country including: Langkawi International Airport, Penang International Airport, Johor Senai Airport, and also Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
If you think this post is fine, repin it for later!
P.S. How many times did you notice a Friends reference? Leave a comment below!
I think it’s so cool that this hostel was the theme for Friends! I didn’t know places like this existed, now it’s on my bucket list because I love Friends and I have to experience this for myself!
Yes I’m exactly the same and so excited for the reunion next week.
They should have put the sofa in the cafe!
Agreed!
I am not fan of Friends but the hotel looks really good. Good post and thank you for sharing your experience!
I never thought they’d have a place in Kuala Lampur. It sounds perfect for friends fans. I like the names of the menu items.
Yes it’s great for super fans like myself haha