Ren I Tang Heritage Inn

Friendly owners/front desk. The place has quirky design and interesting layout particularly as it maintains some of the heritage structure. Very comfortable stay throughout.

I first walked past @renitang_inn years ago, after a meal at my favourite shop Anandha Bhawan. Across the street, an old building was undergoing renovation works, and its doors weren't yet open to the public. Being the usual busybody I am, I poked my nose inside and asked a few questions. I was astounded. What was a Chinese Medical Hall doing in the middle of Little India?? Back then, heritage conservation wasn't a big thing yet. I wondered how much they'd need to spend, and how much *work* they'd need to invest. Even in those early stages, I liked what I saw, and I told myself that one day I would stay here. My wish came true this weekend. It's quite rare that hotels exceed the expectations set by their professionally taken website photos or glossy ads. Ren I Tang is one of those extremely rare exceptions. From the moment you wander into its beautiful cafe and explore its leafy courtyard, to the tentative steps you take up the narrow staircase next to the original airwell, you sense this place is driven by passion rather than the pursuit of profit. I gasped out loud when we entered our room - a soaring high ceiling, dark wood furniture that reminded me of my grandmother's house, and a proper king-size mattress instead of two joined single mattresses practised by other cheapskate hotels. Yes it can be noisy at night because it plonks you in the middle of an active work setting. When you throw open your shuttered wooden louvre windows, you look down to a lively street of curry houses and snack and saree shops galore. But I love it. How it's so vibrant and intimate and so wonderfully authentic at the same time. I don't think I've ever been so reluctant to check out of a hotel.