Address: Walking distance to Old Market area
Our room: USD45/night before tax and surcharge (inclusive of daily breakfast)
Payment: Accept cash and major credit cards (with 2.5% surcharge)
Web: http://www.goldenbanana.info/ 
Originally posted: May'2008
The boutique hotel is within proximity to the Old Market/Pub Street area . We reckon that it takes only 5-10mins by foot to reach the hottest spot of the town. However, it was noted that the road leading to the Old Market area usually becomes pitch dark after 11pm.
The hotel assigned us to a 2-level villa style room. A double bed and a wooden closet on the lower floor. A bunk bed, shower stall, TV and small chiller on the top floor. The access to this top floor was via an indoor steep staircase which has no handrail! The novelty of living in a split-floor unit quickly worn out after we have to frequently shuttle up and down the steep steps to access the bathroom, the MIRROR (did we say we are gay?), the chiller and yada yada. Another area we found lacking was a place on the lower floor to hang our dampened towels. Yes, the closet was there but I didn't suppose people hangs *wet* towels inside closet. So it was another trip up the stairs to settle those towels. I prayed that nothing else slipped my mind and I don't slipped the steps as I climbed. Another bizarre affair that we discovered was that there was only one miserably small mirror hanging in the bathroom (read: upstairs) out of the entire maisonettes. We are gay and my partner needs the mirror every 30 seconds. ^_^"The complementary breakfast did not have our compliment. My bf would have fruit salad and tea everyday and I had 2 small pieces of rock-like baguette with butter/jam and coffee every morning. I thought for a boutique hotel they could afford something more inspiring (serving fruit salad in Dim Sum cage was not).
Generally, we found their staffs to be friendly, polite and approachable. Nevertheless, a few of them appeared to be untrained and did not know how to response to guests' demands. The hotel provides free WIFI internet connection and it was WEP encrypted. In short, we needed a password to access the net. The counter staff was lost in outer-space when we asked. No sup was around and the manager was probably not available since it was late.I always have the same strange moment on those few mornings when I had breakfast. I don't usually take jam because they are too sweet but the portion of butter served was minuscule for even 2 small pieces of baguettes. When I requested for 'more butter please'. The staff stared at me blankly as if I was speaking Tamil. Sign language and speaking with a fake Yankee or English accent did not help. Naturally, I did the walk every morning for that extra butter.
To sum up, untrained staffs, poor layout of the room, lousy breakfast for a hotel of this standard. These are a few shortcomings that we believe the hotel should improve on. Otherwise, the people are friendly and the place is indeed like an Oasis of its kind.
In a nutshell
Likes:
> Lush greenery
> Nice pool
> Helpful staffs
Dislikes:
> Steep stairway, narrow tread.
> Only 1 pathetically small mirror
> Forgettable breakfast
> Helpless staffs
Entrance to the boutique hotel
Golden Banana B&B is just across the street from the boutique hotel
A small lobby with a few tables for small meals, web-surfing and etc. As the check-in counter at B&B was over-crowded when we arrived, we were ushered to a serene corner here for our in-process
Lovely rattan hanging chair
A cyclo on display
A petite but chic lounge below our assigned room which is accessible via the concrete steps on the left of this picture
Rattan and hanging chairs greeted us upon climbing up the steps
The place where we slept for the next few days laid behind this Oriental-inspired door
Our room is minimalist furnished but adequate
This steep staircase leads to the penthouse
Novelty worn-out quickly after we had to shuttle up and down tens of times a day
TV, mini-bar and a daybed on this level but this floor has no a/c. Without fail it transforms in to an over-sized toaster every afternoon
The bathroom adjoining the penthouse
Lovely view looking down from the penthouse
This is the only piece of glass in the entire maisonettes. And it is big (or small) enough to fit 1 face. A big disappointment especially when it is coming from a gay owned/run hotel
