Penang
Where to lay your head
Where to lay your head
Georgetown, Penang, offers a great array of places to stay, from cheap backpacker haunts through to charming heritage hotels. Here are a few guesthouses and hotels in Georgetown that struck us as outstanding value for money. Don’t let the choice of hotels in Georgetown put you in a spin. Under 50 ringgit If you’re visiting Georgetown on a budget, dorms are the way to go. Most of the... Read our full review of Great places to stay in Georgetown, Penang.
All manner of accommodation options are available in central Georgetown, so there’s no real reason to stay outside of the UNESCO World Heritage zone. Budget lodgings are scattered throughout the area with a concentration around Lebuh Chulia, Lebuh Muntri and Love Lane and usually means a dorm, but many are worthy of “boutique” status with clean comfy beds in smart digs (although the odd fleapit still remains).
Exclusively flashpacker places are a little thin, but look for privates in hostels or budget rooms in swankier hotels and guesthouses. Where you’ll find the best value in town is mid to top range with an outstanding choice of gorgeous renovated heritage buildings converted to boutique hotels—worth a splash-out even if your budget only allows one night. Note that in some hotels rooms may not have windows or ensuite bathrooms, check before booking. A two ringgit per night heritage tax is often not included in quoted rates, and is payable on check-in.
With a name and address such as 23 Love Lane how can this gorgeous historical boutique hotel be anything but romantic? Hidden behind a high wall, within a leafy fragrant garden retreat, piercing the heart of Georgetown’s heritage zone, this eclectic mix of buildings and architectural styles, some from the early 1800s, have been everything from private residence to stables to a backpacker... Read our full review of 23 Love Lane.
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Operated as a museum and presented a UNESCO award for heritage conservation, you know you’re buying into a special piece of Penang’s history when you spend a night at Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion also simply known as The Blue Mansion. Once the digs of Georgetown’s “Rockefeller of the East” this opulent and elegant boutique hotel is one of the city’s finest. Rooms are housed in a... Read our full review of Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion.
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Some of Penang’s most beautiful heritage hotels have been salvaged from decay and neglect by local developer Chris Ong, the man behind the Galle Fort Hotel in Sri Lanka, often pouring profits into saving more crumbling buildings and the latest effort is the Jawi Peranakan Mansion. This stately Anglo Indian mansion stands imposingly on Jalan Hutton, once known as Georgetown’s “Malay... Read our full review of Jawi Peranakan Mansion.
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Looking for a restorative night’s sleep? Ren I Tang, offers the opportunity to unwind in a beautifully restored heritage building with plenty of curative credentials, converted from what used to be Southeast Asia’s longest established Chinese medicine hall and warehouse. The concept may sound clinical, but it feels as though there is a very positive feng shui to this beautifully restored... Read our full review of Ren i Tang.
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Stylish, arty and minimalist Sinkeh edges the heritage zone both physically and metaphorically. Located away from the thrum in quiet Lebuh Melayu, it’s nevertheless an easy walk to all the main tourist sites. Designed by Malaysian architect Lillian Tay, this is no ordinary 19th century shophouse restoration and remains somewhat elusive in the streetscape—we walked past several times. The... Read our full review of Sinkeh.
Sophisticated and sumptuous, Campbell House occupies a grand triple-storey corner building in the heart of Penang’s UNESCO heritage zone and offers a range of luxurious Asian-themed rooms overlooking the streets below featuring high ceilings, warm timber floors and beautiful heritage tiles. Furnished with antiques and plush beds with beautiful features such as the gorgeous Chinese screen in... Read our full review of Campbell House.
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Big on space and big on character, the enchanting rooms at Coffee Atelier offer a counterpoint for the oh so lovely but sometimes almost too refined restorations at heritage hotels elsewhere in Georgetown, here it’s rustic and authentic, warts and all. Housed within a row of five shophouses on Lorong Stewart built in 1927 that once housed a coffee merchant and now incorporates a cafe and... Read our full review of Coffee Atelier.
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Quirky and cosy Lang Hoose is the perfect middle ground for Goldilockses whose budget doesn’t stretch to one of Penang’s high-end heritage hotels, are beyond backpacker digs and can’t come at a faceless chain. No, the name is not a spoonerism for Hang Loose, although it’s ideally suited for lounging about, with a museum-like sitting area and rooftop terrace, but is Gaelic for “long... Read our full review of Lang Hoose.
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It’s all in the name: A fun play on words of its Lubuh Muntri address hints at the twinkle, quirkiness and dash of poetry that sets Moon Tree 47 apart, and if you don’t get the joke, the zesty green shutters at the front of this heritage shophouse may offer a clue. Step inside, and the original chipped patterned floor tiles, walls decorated with black and white photographs, old cabinets... Read our full review of Moon Tree 47.
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From the original Peranakan tiles lining the arched five-foot-way to the ornate gilt carved Chinese screen and huge antique British coat-of-arms in the vast lobby, and even the name, suggests you may be in for a bit of a treat at the Museum Hotel. This beautifully restored midrange hotel is located on a quiet street with little traffic noise about 500 metres north of Jalan Penang, a little... Read our full review of Museum Hotel.
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Nam Keng Hotel bills itself as a “heritage business boutique hotel”—we’re not exactly sure what that means, but this intimate eight-room hotel is in the business of providing some lovely rooms. Located on a quieter cross street, Lebuh Cintra, in the heart of the Heritage zone, a row of three combined former shophouses harbour two rooms on the ground floor and the remainder upstairs. A... Read our full review of Nam Keng Hotel.
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Taking its inspiration from 1950s Asian cinema and fashion, Noordin Mews a former trishaw garage and servants quarters now boutique hotel, is a delightful and utterly charming choice among Penang’s heritage picks. Added to the sway is a long, cool, sparklingly swimming pool, a rarity in Georgetown's tropical swelter. Located a little outside the main tourist drag, it’s still less than a... Read our full review of Noordin Mews.
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Sorry gentlemen, Queen’s Hostel is a (mostly) women only affair. And ladies, if you’re after a safe dude-free, relaxed and welcoming hostel environment with little extras that will make you feel like a Queen, this my well be your castle of choice. Queen’s Hostel is a little difficult to spot with no obvious street signage, but equipped with the address (where else, but on Lebuh Queen),... Read our full review of Queen’s Hostel .
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Occupying a row of three heritage shophouses, Ropewalk Guesthouse harbours an assortment of simple and clean air-con rooms spread over two floors of the three buildings. Offerings include a female-only dorm, (sorry guys, no male or mixed dorms here), along with a selection of private double, twin, and triple rooms with and without ensuite bathrooms. The folks at Ropewalk Guesthouse greeted us... Read our full review of Ropewalk Guesthouse.
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Walk into Siok Hostel and you feel like you could be in a snazzy boutique hotel. Located on the corner of Lebuh Chulia and Lebuh Leith smack in the middle of Penang’s backpacker area, Siok Hostel occupies three beautifully renovated shophouses. A loving restoration to this previously burnt-out heritage building is evident in the high-end finishes and preservation of original features,... Read our full review of Siok Hostel.
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Opposite Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, The Edison, dating from 1906, was once the residence of Yeoh Wee Gark, another of Penang’s Hakka tycoons who made their home in this affluent enclave. Post WWII it was transformed into a hotel and until the restoration completed in mid 2016, operated as a somewhat seedy budget hotel, The Cathay. Like the proverbial phoenix, The Edison has a new life as a... Read our full review of The Edison.
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In the thick of Penang’s backpacker area on Lebuh Chulia, just a short saunter from Chulia night market, The Frame Guesthouse doesn't make much of an impression as you pass by. It could be easily mistaken as the frame shop it was previously, with a collection of picture frames and signboards leaning against the spartan reception area, but this heritage shophouse turned guesthouse is worth... Read our full review of The Frame Guesthouse.
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From the street, Tido Penang Hostel appears to be a modern multi-storey cookie-cutter chain hotel, but step into the air-con lobby, and the ambience is a tad more hipster than you may expect, with raw cement and traditional tile finishes, a hint to Penang’s heritage architecture. Here you’ll find a terrific value hostel with clean, spacious and modern eight-bed mixed or female-only dorms... Read our full review of Tido Penang Hostel.
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Want a good central location? On a budget? Don’t like to share? Don’t care for fancy boutique this or heritage that? Old-school 75 Travellers Lodge on Lebuh Muntri offers decent no-frills clean and comfortable rooms in a friendly older style guesthouse, that at a pinch some fancy marketing department would label “retro”. Freshly painted, bright and airy double rooms are all graced... Read our full review of 75 Travellers Lodge.
Think of Cintra Heritage House as an “entry level” heritage stay, here a row of four restored late 19th century shophouses offer comfortable homely antique-filled rooms and home-stay like hospitality at a more affordable price than many others in the city. This charming guesthouse has preserved not only the facade, but the integrity of the building is still very much intact with shuttered... Read our full review of Cintra Heritage House.
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Set back from the shophouses along Jalan Hutton, almost hidden from view behind an ancient tree, Hutton Lodge occupies a lovely old free-standing Indo-Malay bungalow dating from the late 19th century. After a chequered history, the double-storey building was almost destroyed by fire in 2003, but the bones survived to continue its legacy. However don’t expect a fancy hipster reno at this... Read our full review of Hutton Lodge.
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Among the smart cafes, bars and beautiful heritage hotels on one of Penang’s most fashionable streets, Ryokan Muntri markets itself as a “boutique hostel”. Once you step in through the very traditional shophouse facade you find yourself in a world of sleek polished cement, chrome and a baffling array of feature lighting (switched off when we visited—obviously the power bills are high).... Read our full review of Ryokan Muntri.
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If you’ve come to Penang for a beach holiday, the reality is that it doesn’t compare to many other beaches in Malaysia. Staying in Batu Ferringhi is expensive and often means spending a lot more money than in Georgetown, or making do with a rundown room in a very simple guesthouse. Budget places are scarce, so if you’re keen on staying here but don’t have much to spend, try to book ahead.
Cashed up and yearn for some old-world charm by the sea? Established in 1948, five-star Lone Pine, was the first hotel in Batu Ferringhi and along with service and comfort offers a good dose of romance and nostalgia. The story goes that the original owner mistook the solitary casuarina tree on the front lawn for a pine, and a name and icon was born. Today a swath of shady casuarinas dot the... Read our full review of Lone Pine.
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If your pursestrings are too tight for a beachfront resort, a short walk to the shore, Roomies offers the best deal for a cheap sleep in Batu Ferringhi. Opposite Park Royal Resort in an ugly shop lot—don’t be put off by the hostel’s outward appearance—climb (and climb and climb) up to the fourth floor where you will be more-than-pleasantly surprised when you reach the top. To help you... Read our full review of Roomies.
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Baba Guesthouse is but one of several options where a row of ramshackle friendly family-run guesthouses face the beach, a few metres from the sand. To be honest there’s not a lot of difference between them, even the asking prices are more or less identical, but if it’s location you’re after you can’t beat this neck of the neighbourhood at Batu Ferringhi, well, unless you’re prepared... Read our full review of Baba Guesthouse.
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