|
GIVEN A CHOICE OF VISITING The City of Life, The City of Wonder, and a World City, what might a sensible traveller pick? Of course they’d all prefer “The City of Brazen Hussies Who Do Unspeakable Things to Tourists” or the “City of the Living Dead Packed With Green Zombies”, but as these places have not as yet been discovered by Google Maps, Steven Spielberg, and NASA, it is time for Plan B.
Whatever became of those sultry, Casablanca destinations with monikers of yore promising all manner of whimsy and wonder? Thus it was we set sail, in Somerset Maugham’s footsteps, bound for that old gem, the “Pearl of the Orient”, Penang. Just about every Asian sandbar with swaying palm trees, blotto locals and a hint of sweat and spice lays claim to being the real Pearl of the Orient but, Penang Malaysia, is perhaps the original claimant, and certainly the most colourful.
 Hotel Contact Information  Show Photographs
 |
| Penang's Batu Ferringhi Beach |
Viewed from the towering Komtar building – a mind-boggling warren of creaking elevators and musty security, where flashing ID cards and coloured passes will see you eventually to the blue elevators that judder up to the briskly efficient modern hush of the 52nd-floor Tourism Penang offices and its sweeping 360-degree view – the island of Penang (or Pulau Pinang) is a 285sq km turtle-shaped affair with a rapidly expanding girth as reclamations continue apace and smart condominiums thrust up into tropical blue skies. It is clearly a city on the move.
Pulau Pinang literally means “island of the betel nut”. Modern Penang however is better known for its swank mega-malls, mega sales, respectable big-city mega-traffic, excellent spas, golf, and preening mega-resorts hosting plump sun-burnt travellers from countries as diverse as Saudi Arabia, UK, Hong Kong and Japan. The city remains a melting pot of gawping, sweaty visitors, splendid turn-of-the-century colonial architecture, nose-twitching spices, hot curries, resident Malays, Indians, and Chinese, and modern oddities like the curiously named Hydro Majestic Hotel (almost on par with the “Replica Hotel” in Kuala Lumpur).
Send us your Feedback / Letter to the Editor
Story has it when Francis Light arrived on the island (which he originally named Prince of Wales Island) he was confronted by a vast tangle of seemingly impenetrable jungle. To convince his unwilling men to clear the land for settlements, he filled a canon with gold sovereigns and fired it into the jungle thus inspiring his merry men who marched into the rainforest, machetes in hand, offering us the opportunity some 200 years later, to present a robust Penang guide for latter day adventurers who can now enjoy multi-lane highways and air-conditioning.
 |
| Goddess of Mercy Temple |
This Pearl of the Orient is certainly worth a fresh look. While the rush hour traffic tends to clog up historic Georgetown (the business and heritage heartland) and even the ribbon of road running up the coast to the beach strip of Batu Ferringhi (also called Ferringi Beach), the island still has a welcomingly slow, sleepy feel to it. If you sensibly can, avoid roads 7-8.30am and 5.30-7pm. So on to our Penang hotel review, with a resort, shopping and dining guide. Drop by the informative Tourism Penang website for a rummage to bone up on Penang heritage homes, accommodation, more shopping, Penang golf holiday options, good golf courses, and information on Penang conventions and meetings (for the specialist MICE market). See also our quick-look printable Penang Map.
The island boasts acres of space, choking with lush eye-soothing green, punctuated everywhere by magnificent old mansions, some with manicured estates that could host a fox hunt and still leave room to swing a cat by the tail. This is an east-meets-west melange that will have shutterbugs enthralled. Food is terrific with a real spicy curry zing to it.
Big multinationals like Dell, Intel and AMD Athlon maintain manufacturing bases here, largely in the south near the airport, so why has the world seemingly forgotten Penang? Hotels are rarely full like neighbouring resorts up in Phuket, though Penang business hotels in Georgetown do well, and summer does see a huge influx from the Middle East as beaches get taken over by ladies donned in black head-to-toe burqas. At the end of the day, if you bargain hard and shop carefully, some great Penang holiday deals are to be had for all tastes and purposes.
Penang Airport duty free shopping, car rental, taxis
 |
| Then that wobbly boat arrives... |
Arriving in Penang is pretty painless. A taxi from the airport in the far south of the island will cost RM45 (US$1 = 3.25 Malaysian Ringgit) for the 45-minute drive to the northern beach area of Batu Ferringhi (where several of the best five-star resorts are located) or RM20 or so to get you into Georgetown. Taxis do the 25-minute run from Georgetown to Batu Ferringhi for RM25 or, if you have a busy day planned, haggle with your cab driver for a rate of around RM20 and up per hour. There is a 50 percent surcharge after midnight. Taxis all have meters though drivers are often reluctant to use them so establish rates beforehand.
If you prefer to rent a car at Penang International Airport, Hertz (tel: [60-4] 643-0208, 7.30am-10pm, www.Hertz.Com) can offer a 1.5CC Toyota Vios automatic at around RM220 per day or a small locally manufactured Proton for around RM185. Departure formalities at Penang Airport are quick. Do your eating beforehand as the food selection airside, especially during the early morning hours, is limited to curry puffs and cardboard sandwiches.
If you plan on some duty-free shopping at Penang Airport a quick ten-minute round will cover it all. A 1 litre bottle of 12-year-old Chivas is US$29.50, and Johnnie Walker Black label, 12 years, US$29 for the same volume. A silk Salvatore Ferragamo tie will set you back US$122, a Dunhill tie US$128 and ladies can pick up a Chanel “Chance” 7.5ml parfum for around US$105. If you feel adventurous, try the Durian chocolate for RM25. T-shirts galore at Body Glove.
Penang shopping, herbal spas, and beaches
 |
| CHI Spa at Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang |
Shopping in Penang is not bad at all, especially if you consider that mall prices are at least 30 percent cheaper than in Hong Kong even if the selection isn’t always the most current. Serious shoppers can try Plaza Gurney, Penang Plaza, Queen’s Bay Mall and Prangin Mall (next to Komtar, with trendy accessories for the young and restless). There’s a bustling Night Market from 7.30pm till midnight running through Batu Ferringhi (starting just across the road from the Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa by Shangri-La). You'll find it packed with authentic Malaysian handicrafts like inflatable plastic sharks, trinkets and that staple of beach shopping – T-shirts, some rather good. The market is peppered with restaurants, several of them catering for Indian and Arabic palates. If you’re so inclined, pick up BVLGARI watch knock-offs for RM60 that look like, well… RM10 knock-offs. Imitation Rolex gold watches change hands for around RM40-RM120, and the ubiquitous T-shirts are from RM20 up.
Definitely browse the stalls and doddering tradesmen of Little India and Chinatown and check out traditional hand embroidered Nonya kebayas produced by venerable tailors like Yeap Seong Kee at 180B Jalan Air Itam (Tel: [60-4] 227-0889) . If you’re interested in joss sticks, gold, rattan weaving and fortune tellers, head down Georgetown’s Jalan Masjid Kapitan Kling to the junction with Lebuh Pasar that runs into Little India. Fortune teller Aunty Sim is usually parked in a side lane near 156 Chulia Street and she’ll be happy to examine your face, and palms, and pore over dog-eared cards to coax out their secrets.
 |
| Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion/ photo: hotel |
Penang spas and herbal saunas tend to be quiet home grown affairs usually located in rural kampungs though hotels like Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Parkroyal, The Northam, and Gurney Hotel, are breaking the mould with upscale offerings (more on these spas in the Penang hotels section). Local options include places like the Danai Spa in Tanjung Bungah and the Ancient Herbal Sauna (where you can spend the day for just RM5). The speciality at the Danai Spa is the Hawaiian “Kahuna” massage, exclusively using forearm pressure.
The beaches in Penang are not much to write home about, the water often murky and sullied, but the island remains a family destination that holds considerable appeal with views no less impressive than from other tropical islands in the region. There is no dearth of activity for sun-and-sand boffins. At Batu Ferringhi beach you can parasail, jet-ski, thump along on a banana boat, head out for an island cruise, or hop on a pony and leave hoof-prints in the sand.
Penang sights, flora, and temples
Penang is developing a reputation as an eco-friendly getaway and it now even boasts the world’s “smallest” national park – the 200-acre Penang National Park carved out of steaming mangroves. Tourism Penang’s affable and jovial chief Teng Chang Yeow believes the island “has it all”. “We have everything here,” he maintains, “…turtle sanctuaries, a national park just 45 minutes from the city centre, and well preserved Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Taoist heritage, all converging in Georgetown.”
 |
| Kek Lok Si Temple pagoda |
Penang Hill affords some of the best views of the island though the entire funicular railway and hilltop access is to be closed and redeveloped end 2007. Sweeping views are available as well from the Chinese Kek Lok Si Temple at Air Itam and its signature Pagoda of Ten Thousand Buddhas that attracts big holiday crowds. For something different with the family in tow, pop into the Tropical Spice Garden (tel: 881-1797, www.tropicalspicegarden.com) not far from Batu Ferringhi, offering an eight-acre escape with lush foliage, several hundred plant species and, best of all, a WiFi Café.
Other places of interest include the 33m reclining Buddha at Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram (bright and fun if artistically less compelling); the atmospheric incense-shrouded, smoke-filled Goddess of Mercy Temple; the sky-scraping landmark Komtar tower in the heart of Georgetown with its assortment of malls, theatres, and eateries; Fort Cornwallis, where Francis Light landed in 1786 to found the British trading post after securing the concession from the Sultan of Kedah; and the Snake Temple and its assorted dozing reptiles that are prodded awake for the benefit of gawking tourists.
The South Indian Sri Mariammam Temple (dating back to 1883) is home to a fabled jewel-encrusted statue of Lord Subramaniam. This statue is the centrepiece of the annual January Thaipusam festival when it is paraded by devotees all skewered through limb and tongue with tridents, spears and iron rods. Ash-smeared celebrants claim to feel no pain and it won’t hurt to watch. Who said Penang was boring? Swap that namby-pamby navel ring for a decent meat hook and impress your friends – and doc – back home.
 |
| Thirty Two: fine dining |
Penang food, dining and nightlife
While all the hotels offer a range of international fare, Penang's best food is found in its smaller lanes and back roads. Kayu Nasi Kandar is a 24-hour place with terrific Indian Muslim food, curries, spicy fish, and dosas. Of an evening, promenade down Gurney Drive and pick from hawker stalls and noodles by the mile. In Georgetown the best hunting ground for traditional food is between Jalan Penang and Lebuh Cintra around the linking street Jalan Chowrasta. And local flavours abound in the charming converted shop houses of Nagore Place (off Burma Road).
Thirty Two (tel: 262-2232), a quick walk along the seafront from the E&O is a characterful restored peach-coloured villa with a lounge and restaurant serving Western fare. This is a stylish somewhat formal venue with white tablecloths, a small garden and nice alcoves. Main courses run at around RM50. A sister outlet is 68 Kelawai, also in an old building. For more curry, banana leaf spreads or tandoori, try Passage Thru India (tel: 262-0263). Malay hawker stalls and Chinese noodle shops abound in central Georgetown. For an excellent dining experience focusing on BBQ and steamboat delights in a small but atmospheric row of heritage shophouses, check out 8-Row (tel: 227-1039).
A fair bit of Penang's nightlife is centred in the area between the E&O Hotel and the Cititel around Upper Penang Road. Here you'll find smoky English pubs with darts and not-so-posh accents, bars, discos and small nosheries. Next to Cititel are a string of karaoke parlours where crooning companions charge extortionate sums per half hour. KTV economics is simple. The fewer the tourists, the higher the prices. Fortunately, right next door is the morally uplifting Catholic Information Service and a decent wine bar. Hurrah!
 |
| Slippery Senhoritas gets going |
Pop into Slippery Senoritas (tel: 263-6868) across the road from the E&O with its finger foods, dance floor and pub. Cover charges normally kick in after 10pm. Next door is the lavender building housing the lively dance club Glo @ The Garage (tel: 261-1066, www.glo.com.my). Also in the vicinity are SOHO (with an array of beers, a dance floor and cosy snuggeries), Uptown bar and Momo’s. Musically inclined visitors may wish to try the informal surrounds of a beer garden (serving Mexican fare) called the Coco Island Traveller’s Corner (adjacent to the Blue Diamond Hotel) where alfresco food and impromptu jam sessions await. Join in.
Penang heritage homes
The historic Chinese courtyard house Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, dating back to 1880 when work commenced on this “blue mansion”, is worth a look. Cheong Fatt Tze brought in artisans from Southern China to ensure attention to detail while select material was shipped in from places as far afield as Scotland. The place eventually became the residence of his most favoured seventh wife. Stays, meetings and special events can be arranged here. Other heritage homes of Georgetown include the stately 14-room Segara Ninda Residence on Penang Road that was once owned by Ku Din, the King of Satun in Southern Thailand. Much of this colonial mansion’s interior retains its old woody flavour, tile flooring and marble and there is a mini museum providing further historical insights.
Penang budget guesthouses and apartments
 |
| Rasa Sayang's golf course/ photo: hotel |
Condos, some rather good, others the product of grotesque architectural miscalculation, are sprouting everywhere offering ridiculously cheap budget stays. Some like the Sri Sayang opposite the venerable Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa run by Shangri-La, offer room deals from around RM89++, this with a small pool, tennis court and Arabian restaurant. Try these places at your own peril and lock your valuables. It is unlikely you will find yourself located on a beach.
Budget guesthouses and cheap Penang hotels in Georgetown's Chulia Street and Penang Road are a decent in-town option if you simply want to potter around and are not chasing some humungous business deal. Tourism Penang lists places like the Eastern Hotel (509 Chulia Street) and the YMCA of Penang Hostel (211 Jalan Macalister). The Hongkong Hotel, a little outside town in Tanjung Tokong, with its whitewashed colonial promise, has okay rooms and the special rates at around RM77 if you desperately need a budget option. You may come across large Brylcreemed gentlemen with svelte high-gloss lady companions. Just smile and look the other way. Budget hotel options in Georgetown include no-frill hotels like Continental, Oriental and Seri Malaysia.
For a more rustic kampung-style escape check out something like the Teluk Bahang Sportfishing Chalet where up to three persons can chum for just RM70 a night. Larger family rooms are available.
Batu Ferringhi hotel guide
 |
| Rasa Sayang new room |
Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa is a stately sprawl dominating the Batu Ferringgi strip. The ageing grand dame underwent a 21-month US$30m overhaul to transform itself into a swank, younger and chic, self-contained escape that livewire General Manager Arbind Shrestha likes to call a “mini-destination with a par 3 executive golf course”. The main Rasa Wing sports a contemporary new interior and a CHI Spa Village, an oasis of private villas, suites and yogic meditation. Rasa Wing rooms are large, with flat screen swivel TVs, DVD player, a long work table with Broadband access (and three-pin square sockets), comfy sofas and a balcony with a soaking tub looking onto the secluded Rasa pool. (Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa is showcased in our exclusive Top Asian Hotels Collection, featuring the best Asian hotels, resorts and spas in a printable A4 page with stunning visuals.)
The electronic safe can house a small laptop. The colour scheme is a tad heavy with earthy browns dominating, enlivened by bright cushions. A see-through glass wall separates the dressing and bathing area from the bedroom with Venetian blinds for privacy. The shower cubicle is roomy with the additional allure of pressure jets and Aigner toiletries. There are twin vanities with separate, large swivel mirrors with lights. There is also an iron and ironing board. Shangri-La's refurbished Garden Wing has its own freeform pool, a kids' club for children aged four to 11, a beach-load of activities, extensive gardens, and Wireless Internet in public areas.
Public areas right through the hotel have been freshly energised with bright colour schemes and artistic flourishes. The new CHI Spa with its 11 villas and suites is easily accessed through the gardens or from the Rasa Wing lobby.
 |
| Lone Pine: laid back and charming |
It is a therapeutic enclave surrounded by landscaped green, water features and delightful, thoroughly professional, staff that will get to the bottom of every ache to work out a customised menu for you be it scrubs, wraps or potions. It is well worth a visit for an hour-and-a-half treatment or a longer half-day therapy. Highlights include the over three-hour “Paradise Found” involving a Himalayan bath, wrap, a signature massage and facial for RM830, and the jet-lag beating “Traveller’s Retreat” for RM780. CHI has finally put Penang spas on the map, with élan and substance. Enjoy Rasa Sayang as a honeymoon escape, a Penang family resort, or as a Malaysian spa holiday.
Just next door is the family-friendly and bustling Golden Sands Resort by Shangri-La, with lots of activities for children and the popular Sigi's by the Sea for alfresco dining. Splash out on water sports or trek off into the jungle. The three Shangri-Las (there is a business property Traders Hotel Penang in Georgetown as well) offer good conference and meetings facilities.
Heading along the coast in a westerly direction is the charming and unassuming Lone Pine Hotel with nice bright flourishes, extensive garden, a small pool and shady casuarina trees. Dating back to 1948, the dinky resort is simple, funky, with nice rooms and looks perhaps a wee bit more flattering at night. It's the kind of place to bring along a good book and settle down for a leisurely read. It was one of the original expat hangouts on this strip and remains so. One of its main attractions is the large shaded lawn fronting the beach which would make a charming spot for a wedding. This is a good Penang family hotel choice that won’t pinch the wallet unduly. Ask for a “Value Deal”.
 |
| Parkroyal Grand Deluxe/ photo: hotel |
Next up is the Holiday Inn Resort Penang with a tower wing on the other side of the road (away from the beach). Of course, everything is connected by walkways. It is a fairly compact sort of place and you won't need to kill yourself walking. There is a kids' club and, interestingly, specially designed and themed “Kidsuites” with bright colours and bunk beds. Jump into the pool or opt for a spot of foot reflexology on the beachfront garden.
Almost adjacent is the renovated 324-room Parkroyal Penang Malaysia (formerly Grand Plaza Park Royal). The place was one of my favourites in years gone by and it still retains some of its laid back charm and a chic high-ceiling lobby with gauzy drapes and lounging areas. The excellent Koko-Nut Kids Club lives on (9am-9pm, for three to 12-year-olds). There are two pools, one with a splash slide. The overall breezy ensemble though is let down somewhat by the limitations of the original building design – rows of piled-up arches now painted bright orange.
The place is cheery nonetheless with an airy, comfortable lobby, and tasteful rooms. It is a good value Penang family resort especially with the addition of the St Gregory Spas Penang offering everything from aromatic rubdowns to Balinese massage for harried parents. Try a “Thalgo Micronised Marine Algae” treatment for RM200 or opt for something more lavish like a “Javana Body Wrap” for RM280. The hotel’s function rooms along with the grand ballroom can host up to 400 people without too much of a squeeze so keep it in mind as a possible small meetings or Penang conference hotel choice.
 |
| Batu Ferringhi Night Market |
The Casuarina Beach Resort is closed and is on the assembly table to perhaps reopen as a Hard Rock. The Bayview Beach Resort makes a stab at modernity, presenting a marble floor lobby with hideous pink trim up the atrium. It will doubtless cheer some and the promo rates are usually attractive. The pool, gardens and recreational facilities are extensive and it offers the boldly named “Amandari Spa Centre”. There is a Georgetown City Bayview Hotel as well, which offers business facilities and a central location.
A few minutes drive from here to Teluk Bahang brings you to the secluded Mutiara Beach Resort Penang which is currently closed.
Tanjung Bungah hotels
Backtracking past Batu Ferringhi again, to head east this time, you’ll come upon the neat but uninspiring and intriguingly named Hydro Majestic Hotel (formerly Ferringhi Beach Hotel). Getting to the rocky cove is an arduous trek across a pedestrian bridge and down several banks of stairs. There are 350 rooms, reasonably comfortable and featuring bright floral paintings. Again on the bright side, higher floors offer decent sea views.
 |
| The Northam Pool: grand vistas |
Farther on in Tanjung Bungah are a trio of properties – the bland and cramped The Crown Jewel, the breezy Roman-columned Paradise Sandy Beach Resort, and the 318-room Copthorne Orchid Hotel. It is a long haul down to the rocky beach from here but, of the three, the Copthorne has the feel of a real hotel albeit with a decidedly slow pace. Some of its rooms have nice sea-facing balconies and you’ll find a spa centre, gym and sauna. All three hotels are narrow and long, jutting towards the sea with the Crown Jewel the closest to the beach. Also in the vicinity is the three-star Tanjung Bungah Beach Hotel.
Georgetown hotel guide
Standout Georgetown hotels include the magnificent colonial E&O Hotel, the new and chic G Hotel, and the highrise all-suite The Northam. The Northam All Suite Penang is all reflective gold and glitter on the outside but remarkably tasteful inside. Suites are elegant with lots of gleaming wood and sharp finish. There is a Suite Spa at Level 9 with nine treatment rooms, all with turbo water-massage, Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. The stunning pool, on the same level, offers breathtaking views of Georgetown and the sea. There is a broad-timber lounging deck if you simply wish to snooze. You can tan here or lounge in the shade. Staff are very much on the ball and attentive. The hotel likes to call itself an all-suite business hotel.
The new 304-room G Hotel (the hotel actually prefers to lower case the “g”) is, in keeping with its lower case name and stylish website, a modern boutique-style hangout for the hip, young and restless. The hotel fronts the Gurney Drive ocean boulevard. The building is an unexceptional modern high-rise raised seven feet above the normal plinth height to avoid damage from any repeat of the 2004 tsunami.
 |
| New boutique-style g hotel/ photo: hotel |
Décor is minimalist and Zen with cool colours and splashes of light. Hotel staff are busy, brisk and pretty competent. Rooms are clean-lined with dark wood, bright white linen and the occasional four-poster bed – in the middle of the room, resort style. Expect high-speed Internet, flat-screen TV, a hair drier, laptop-size safe and, thoughtfully, an iron and ironing board. There are suites and service apartments too. Hotel facilities include a pool, wading pool, Jacuzzi, spa treatments and a gym.
The quaint lowrise Hotel 1926 (presently closed) was built in that year to house British immigration officers. After a major restoration in 1999 the place opened as a hotel. It closed in 2004. The original structure remains largely unchanged though the roof tiles – and the starchy British colonels – have been replaced.
Rising prim and starch, an almost eye-numbing dazzling white above the junction of Farquhar Street and Penang Road, is the old world E&O Hotel. This splendid Penang heritage hotel is a delightful colonial confection that enjoys a prime seafront location in the heart of Georgetown (but no beach) with charming nooks and crannies for walks, afternoon tea, or even a swim in a small inviting pool. Along the waterfront promenade are a couple of hefty canons to remind you of the location's historic roots. The hotel started off as The Eastern in 1884. The Sarkies brothers later combined their two properties (the second being The Oriental) into what became The Eastern & Oriental. After a long five-year restoration and a fresh lick of paint, the E&O Hotel reopened for business in 2001 winning numerous accolades. The hotel is considering an extension wing reconverting a neighbouring block.
 |
| White and starched E & O Hotel |
Suites have satellite television and the mini-bar, quite properly, is locked with a key. Suites are plush colonial (minus the dust) with a fold-out writing desk, classic Roman numeral clock, a full length mirror, wooden cupboard, and a gleaming, spacious toilet with twin vanities. There are some WiFi hotspots but several locations remain gloriously unplugged from the rest of the world. The Grand Ballroom can host 400 people, seated, and smaller function rooms can manage groups of 20 to 150. Among the guests that have passed through its portals are the likes of Noel Coward, Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling and Hermann Hesse. The E&O is easily one of the best heritage hotels of Asia and it does not rest on its laurels. Best of all, it is situated right next to Penang’s most interesting nightlife offerings.
The Traders Hotel Penang (formerly the Shangri-La Hotel Penang), is smack in the heart of town, conveniently located for business or shopping, with a health club and sauna and a good business centre. Privileges here include signing facilities at any other Shangri-La resort restaurant or bar on the island.
Other business and Georgetown options include the smart, modern, meetings and Wireless high-speed Internet-equipped 276-room Dorsett Penang Hotel (formely Sheraton Penang Hotel), the Evergreen Laurel Hotel, the neat The Gurney Resort Hotel & Residences, the Berjaya Georgetown Hotel, and the cheap and lively Cititel Penang smack in the middle of curry houses, nightlife and shops. Popular with Taiwanese and Hongkong visitors, Cititel has gained some notoriety for its popular massage parlour as well. The Gurney Resort Hotel offers a Suite Spa and reasonably decent rooms. The Berjaya is also well located for shops, business and food.
 |
| Penang historic mansion |
Farther south near the airport is the large and well-equipped Hotel Equatorial Penang with an additional wing. Equatorial is patronised by conventioneers – and golfers, headed to the neighbouring 18-hole Bukit Jambul Golf Course. This Penang golf and conference hotel is a five minute drive from the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone and under 10 minutes from the airport. If you have an early flight out this hotel will save you an hour – if the front office remembers that wake-up call.
Welcome to the Pearl of the Orient. Yes, we’ll get to the “City of Brazen Hussies Who Do Unspeakable Things to Tourists” eventually.
Send us your Feedback / Letter to the Editor |
