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Johor Bahru · Hotel shortlist

Hotels with a kitchen in the university district, Johor Bahru

Talia Ben-Ari

Talia Ben-Ari Turkey, the Gulf and Egypt

Updated 1 September 2026 · 7 Johor Bahru hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Johor Bahru, out of the 7 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.5 down to 4.2.

Cube8teens by Nest Home is the one I would book myself.

Cube8teens by Nest Home

Highest rated of the five

Cube8teens by Nest Home

★★★★★4.5 from 460 reviews

Cube8teens by Nest Home comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.5 from 460 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 4 star property, found under downtown and around $35 a night on the dates we checked.

7 hotels in Johor Bahru qualified for this list and five made it. Fraser Place Puteri Harbour, Johor is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Kitchenettebreakfast on your own schedule

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All five, ranked

  1. Cube8teens by Nest Home1

    Cube8teens by Nest Home

    ★★★★★4.5 from 460 reviews

    • Kitchen
    • Air conditioning

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  2. Fraser Place Puteri Harbour, Johor2

    Fraser Place Puteri Harbour, Johor

    ★★★★★4.3 from 1,599 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Kitchen

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  3. R&F Princess Cove by ANJU3

    R&F Princess Cove by ANJU

    ★★★★★4.7 from 200 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Air conditioning

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  4. Miilehill Hotel by Maco at JB Town Center4

    Miilehill Hotel by Maco at JB Town Center

    ★★★★★4.6 from 117 reviews

    • Kitchen
    • Air conditioning
    • Accessible

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  5. Shama Suasana Johor Bahru5

    Shama Suasana Johor Bahru

    ★★★★★4.2 from 2,173 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

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How this list was put together

7 Johor Bahru hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Talia Ben-Ari

Talia Ben-Ari Turkey, the Gulf and Egypt

Editing runs in intense blocks with real gaps between, and she fills the gaps by going somewhere with no plan. No itinerary, no bookings past the first night.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.