MALAYSIA: PENANG

Penang: After flying from Manchester to Singapore and then hopping on a one hour flight up to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, my lifelong friend Dina and I, spent four days and nights cossetted in the luxury of Trader’s Hotel in Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) while recovering from travel fatigue.

But once over the jet lag and having adjusted to the eight hour time difference we felt energised and eager to set off on our three month adventure in Asia!

Travel with me to Penang. It’s just a one hour Air Asia flight over to the island known as the Pearl of the Orient and also the food capital of Malaysia. And that’s not all – the whole of George Town in Penang, where we will be staying – is a wonderfully preserved original old Malaysian trading town and now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Dina and I were looking forward to exploring this colonial old town with its interesting streets famous for their street art, the kitschy little shops and the chic cafes, and areas known as Little China and Little India, the bougie bars, the street food and food courts, and the historic clan jetties that are still in use today and that make Penang both unique and exciting.

We were also looking forward to staying at a beautiful colonial style hotel for seven nights.

WHERE WE STAYED IN GEORGE TOWN PENANG

You will see as we continue on this epic and adventurous trip, that in places where the accommodation is more affordable, Dina and I will sometimes have separate rooms. In the travel planning stages, we were mindful of how three months is a long time without any personal space, even with your best friend.

So, while we’re in some parts of Malaysia and Vietnam, we’ll have our own rooms. But once we get to Japan and South Korea, where the hotels are much more expensive, we’ll happily share the cost and a twin room.

In Penang, we were booked into two rooms at The Royale Chulan Hotel – a beautiful old colonial hotel with a grand facade overlooking the harbour – for a whole week. The hotel boasts spacious rooms, a restaurant, a coffee bar, and a swimming pool. Bearing in mind that Penang is hot, steamy, and tropical, all year round. And, during our stay, as the whole of Malaysia was experiencing a heatwave and temperatures were extreme, we considered that a hotel with a swimming pool to be not so much a luxury but an absolute necessity.

In fact, in the months before our trip, I had imagined us cooling off with a swim after a full day of exploring Penang or relaxing in the shade on a poolside lounger enjoying Malaysian ambiance.

So, you can imagine our disappointment on arrival at The Royale Chulan Hotel to be told the pool was closed for maintenance for the entire week of our stay! I was so annoyed. Why had we not been pre-warned of this? After all, they had my contact details. They had also (I’d expected to pay on arrival) already taken full payment for our stay, which meant we felt held to our booking, rather than able to go elsewhere and to a hotel with a functioning swimming pool.

Also, as I’d booked many months ago, going elsewhere at last minute would have undoubtably cost us more and blown our budget. Damn it. It seemed we had no choice but to accept the pool was out of action and the offer of a complimentary afternoon tea and a buffet dinner in compensation.

Not wanting to spoil our trip or our mood, we decided to look on the bright side. After all, the hotel was beautiful and we liked that it held some of Penang’s history in its old stone walls. Our rooms were comfortable. We decided that we wouldn’t let one little inconvenience sour our week exploring Penang.

In the hotel lobby, there’s interesting framed historic information about the building that dates to 1892. It had originally been known as The Boustead Building, a commercial warehouse on the waterfront and, interestingly, it seems the industrious Mr Boustead of Boustead & Co, was the great grandfather of the actor David Niven!

Would I recommend staying at the Royale Chulan Hotel to you?

Yes, I would. But I would also advise checking they aren’t doing any maintenance or renovations and that the swimming pool will be open during your stay! Also, bear in mind it’s an old and historic building and things can and do go wrong occasionally. For example, Dina’s room had a faulty air conditioner leaking water through the wardrobe and across the floor – twice.

THE RAMADAN BUFFET INCIDENT

We’d also accepted an evening meal that actually turned out to be a ‘Grand Ramadan Buffet’. Did I mention we were in Malaysia during Ramadan? Anyway, at sundown, feeling hungry and curious, we went along to join those celebrating breaking their fast and to enjoy the grand and traditional fayre on offer.

Except, we somehow got lost trying to find our way to the dining room and, in the end, following the buzz of chatter and delicious wafts of food, we went in through the wrong door and suddenly found ourselves in a room full of startled Muslim men in tradition attire!

Embarrassed – and feeling oh so western in our own attire – we made a dash across the room towards the dining room and the buffet where we collapsed into mortified laughter!

Laughter became the theme of the week, as we found so many (sometimes ridiculous and often puerile) things and incidents and moments of absurdity that caused us to collapse into fits of giggles!

THE GIRL ON A MOTORBIKE INCIDENT

Another such moment happened during our street art interaction with the famous ‘Boy On A Motorbike’ mural by artist Ernest Zacharevic. Dina, who has a Harley Davidson motorbike at home, had draped herself stylishly over the exhibit for a photo.

Impressed with her elegant pose, I then attempted to do the same, but found it much harder to pull off than I had imagined.

The result – struggling to mount and then bruising my chin on the handlebar while attempting to hold the pose – resulted in a not so elegant position and a hilarious photo. Dina actually still hasn’t stopped laughing. To my shame, neither have I!

Penang is famous for its street art – I’ve written a street art guide and a map to help you explore and find the art – and I highly recommend seeing the art as it’s such a popular attraction and some of the exhibits are fun and interactive as you can see!

LET’S EXPLORE PENANG

I’ve visited Penang a few times before and with each visit I’ve fallen more and more in love with this little island off the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. I find its capital George Town both fascinating and fun in equal measure. There is so much to do and to see (and eat) in Penang that I’d recommend you plan to spend at least three days. But, if you want to enjoy Penang at a more leisurely pace, then I’d highly recommend you stay, as we are, for an whole week!

You might like to see my other posts to help you make the most of your time in Penang – My 10 Best Things To Do In Penang – Penang’s Famous Street Art and Penang, A Food Fest.

A PERFECT FIRST DAY IN PENANG

I believe that your itinerary for a perfect first day in Penang might look something like this: Have dim sum for breakfast at the popular Fu Er Dai Dim Sum restaurant before exploring the Chew Jetty, which is a popular tourist site and a living heritage site in George Town, where the residents still live in traditional wooden houses built on stilts over the water. The Chew Jetty is the largest of the seven remaining Chinese clan wooden jetties dating back to the 19th century. There’s a beautiful Taoist temple at the entrance to the jetty and it’s a great place to buy hats, souvenirs, crafts, art, and it’s a wonderful way to see a traditional way of life where history meets modern living and yet refuses to compromise.

Then, just across the road at the Jetty Food Court, enjoy a classic Malaysian lunch of local dishes like Char Koey Teow or Wan Tan Mee. In the early afternoon, while keeping to the shady side of the streets, follow my map and take yourself on a self-guided treasure hunt to discover all the famous and fabulous George Town street art.

Mid-afternoon, you simply must head for coffee and cake at China House. A good friend once told me that if you haven’t been to China House then you haven’t been to Penang!

Early evening is a perfect time to take a trishaw ride or ‘a beca’ as they are known in Malaysia, to tour around town to spot all the sights you might want to properly explore tomorrow – like the paved waterfront esplanade and Fort Cornwallis or the Khoo Kongsi Mansion House and then the impressive Masjid Kapitan Keling Mosque.

If you enjoy Indian food – as we do – head over to Little India for dinner at Gem Restaurant. We ate here twice during our trip and I’ve eaten here on previous trips too. Delicious food and great staff so highly recommended. We also happened to meet a lovely group of Indian ladies on a trip together and they wanted a photo!

PENANG HILL

I also absolutely recommend you take a day out of George Town to venture up to Penang Hill and to what is known as ‘The Habitat’. It’s easy to get there in a Grab taxi or by local bus or the ‘hop on-hop off’ bust to the Lower Station where you can get a ticket. I recommend you buy your ticket online in advance to avoid waiting in a line.

Then you’ll take the funicular train up the hill and gain access to views over the 130 million years old rainforest reserve known as The Habitat where there is a bridge and viewing platform that is the longest bridge of its kind in the world and the only one in a rainforest.

The bridge forms a loop above the forest canopy at about 820 meters above sea level and about a hundred meters higher than the Top Station offering 360 degree fabulous panoramic views.

Here, you’ll also access the circular Curtis Crest Treetop Walk, which is the highest viewing platform on Penang Hill. Stand in the same spot the late Dr Jane Goodall stood in 2019 listening to the rainforest’s ‘quiet wonders’ and see ‘Jane’s Tree’ that was planted in her honour.

We loved our day trip and also appreciated the cooler air at Penang Hill. It’s an incredible experience I highly recommend and that you simply wouldn’t want to miss. I bought our tickets online at Klook.

THE OLD FIRE STATION

In the centre of Georgetown, at the junction of Beach Street and Chulia Street, is one of the most interesting colonial buildings and that’s the old fire station that dates back to 1908. It’s Malaysia’s oldest surviving fire station and we just happened to be walking past it while a fireman was out front so we stopped to ask him about the station and the fire engines and particularly the motorcycles on display that are used by the firemen.

The fireman was really helpful and friendly and keen to show us the station and the equipment they use. He also showed us a bullet hole in one of the station’s supporting columns that was from the second world war. We got a fabulous tour and we got to sit in the fire engine!

THE GEORGE WELLNESS SPA SANCTUARY

I would be amiss not to tell you about our wonderful spa experience in Penang. When it all got too hot and sweaty and tiring in the heat, we took ourselves off for a relaxing massage, and happily found The George Wellness at the Lebuh Carnarvon area of George Town.

The interior was clean and cool and calming with a fountain in the reception area. They were running a promotion and so Dina and I chose to have the full body massage and relaxing foot spa. It was so good (and affordable) that we went back the very next day and did it again!

Next Time: In Part Five – we continue to explore Malaysia by travelling to the island of Langkawi. Officially known as ‘The Jewel of Kedah’ it is a natural paradise of beautiful beaches, verdant mountains, and ancient rainforests. Join us!

THE RESOURCES I USE TO PLAN AND BOOK MY TRAVEL ITINERARIES

SKYSCANNER .NET – I use Skyscanner website as a search engine to find and compare flights and source best flights. But I believe it’s always important to book the flight you’ve selected directly with the airline – as if anything goes wrong you are dealing directly with the airline rather than a third party agent.

TRIPADVISOR UK or TRIPADVISOR .COM – to read reviews and research hotels, things to do, local restaurants etc.

BOOKING.COM – this is my favourite for booking site for hotels and accomodation. I use the Booking.com App on my phone to reserve and to book – it’s quick and easy and I often choose the free cancellation period option in case I change my mind and rebook. I have achieved ‘genius’ level through my (hundreds) of bookings over the years. This often gives me discounts and perks like free breakfasts and room upgrades in selected accommodations. I’ve never had any problems or issues with Booking Dotcom so I’m happy to recommend booking with them.

EXPEDIA UK – travel site for booking flights, accommodations, holiday packages, car hire and more.

AGODA .COM – travel site for booking hotels and transport and things to do at your destination.

HOTELS .COM – booking site for hotel accommodation.

VRBO .COM – booking site for hotels and accommodation.

KLOOK.COM – this is my favourite attraction ticket website – I use the App on my phone – to easily book tickets and tours.

GET YOUR GUIDE – discover and book things to do and tours at your destination.

TOURRADAR – If you don’t want to book everything independently and would rather have the planning done for you and would prefer a guided adventure as part of a group then I will suggest taking a look at TourRadar. I’m associated with TourRadar and they have a fabulous choice of tours and holidays and cruises all over the world at really great prices. I’m looking at booking some of their tours for myself next year. Booking through my highlighted link automatically gives you another £$50 off! If you’d like to discuss specific tours with me then get in touch and I’ll do my best to advise you.

HELPING YOU PLAN YOUR OWN TRAVEL ADVENTURE

Feel free to share this post with a friend who loves to travel. You can also leave a comment in the comments section at the end of my posts – or contact me directly. You can subscribe to receive My Asia Diaries directly into your email inbox by subscribing to my mailing list using the pop up box or by messaging me directly with your email address. Then you won’t miss any of my travel posts!

IN THE MEDIA

I’m also talking about this epic trip of friendship and adventure in the media and would like to let you know that I’ve written a feature for UK Woman and Home Magazine. Our travel story will be featured in the January 2027 issue which will be in the shops and available to buy in December 2026. Don’t forget to get your copy! Also see My Media Page.

GRAB YOUR PASSPORT AND DON’T LOOK BACK!