Malaysia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 439

Destinations Bangkok, Thailand (3 daily; 1hr 40min); KL
(14 daily; 45min); Langkawi (2 daily; 30min); Medan,
Indonesia (daily; 20min); Phuket, Thailand (3 weekly;
30min); Singapore (4 daily; 1hr 10min).
By bus Although some buses to destinations on the
Peninsula depart from Pengkalan Weld in Georgetown,
most long-distance buses depart from the long-distance
bus terminal at Sungai Nibong, just south of Georgetown;
take bus #303, #305, #306, #401 or #401E from the
KOMTAR bus station near the city centre.
Destinations KL (every 15min; 5hr), Kota Bharu (several
daily; 6hr) and Malacca (3 daily; 7hr). Some buses and
minibuses from the Cameron Highlands (5 daily; 5hr),
and places such as Hat Yai in Thailand stop near KOMTAR.
However, the majority of long-distance buses use the
terminal at Butterworth (see box, p.439).
By ferry Ferries to Butterworth (every 20min;
5.30am-11.30am; RM1.40) run from the Pengkalan Weld
ferry terminal. Ferries to Pulau Langkawi (2 daily; 3hr)
depart from Swettenham Pier near Fort Cornwallis. Book
ferries a couple of days in advance.

simple hostel, managed by friendly and accommodating
staff, offers private singles, two-, three- and four-bed rooms.
There's a small lounge area with cable TV and DVDs, as well
as decent showers. The downside is that rooms are a bit of a
squeeze and do not have a fully partitioned cei ling, w hich
means guests can overhear one another. Double RM88
Moon Tree 47 47 Muntri St T 04 264 4021, E moon
[e-mail]. This traditional 1920s shophouse
building is a guesthouse that doubles as an art gallery and
fusion café. The cheaper fan-cooled rooms are lovely two-
storey affairs with beds in cosy loft spaces, while t he mor e
spacious a/c doubles are stylishly decorated. Double RM100
Old Penang Guesthouse 53 Love Lane T 04 263 8805,
W oldpenang.com. This pleasant airy guesthouse has high
ceilings and beautiful original tiled floors. It's clean and
tidy, and there are just two dorms - one mixed and one
(pricie r) femal e onl y (RM30). Wi-fi throughout. Dorm
RM26 , double RM80
★

6

Queen's Hostel 20 & 22 Lebuh Queen T 013 489
6218, W queenshostel.my. This cute and cosy female only
hostel has a welcoming dorm with painted wooden pods
and colourful partition curtains. Each “queen's canopy”
has a reading lamp and plug socket, as well as a painted
wooden crate to store possessions. Lovely extra touches
such as comp lemen tary sha mpoo, conditioner and nail
varnish. Dorm RM59 , double RM99
Red Inn 55 Love Lane T 04 261 3931, W redinnpenang
.com. Located in a historical building with wonderfully
high ceilings, this popular option offers a variety of dorms,
from two beds to more spacious six-bed dorms. Travellers
can kick back and relax on the raised platform with
cushions and beanbags, or at t he shad ed tab les spilling
out onto the street. Dorm RM30 , double RM80
Red Inn Court 35B & 35C Jln Mesjid Kapitan Keling T 04
261 1144, W redinncourt.com. The premises are spick-
and-span and the spa-type showers are powered by the
a/c unit in an effort to b e eco-f riendly. Dorms are on the
small side, though. Dorm RM35 , double RM98
Reggae Penang Love Lane 57 Love Lane T 04 262 6772,
W reggaehostelsmalaysia.com/penang. KL's sister hostel
offers a/c dorms only; most open onto a balcony with
wooden parquet floors and all have privacy curtain, reading
lamp and individual power plugs. There's an atta ched bar
with pool table and wi-fi throughout. Dorm RM33
Ryokan @ Muntri Street 62 Lebuh Muntri T 04
2500287, W myryokan.com. This chic flashpacker hostel
has a welcoming lounge area and comfortable dorms
with a/c, lockers, power plugs and reading lamps. Guests
can unwind in the chill-out or reading corners. Ther e's wi-fi
throug hout an d rates include breakfast. Dorm RM30 ,
double RM136
★

INFORMATION
Tourism Malaysia On the ground floor of the Penang
Port Commission building on Jln Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah
(Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; T 04 262 2093, W visitpenang.gov
.my). This o ce has a host of useful brochures on the
area; pick up the excellent Penang Food Trail booklet.
There's also an info point at arrivals at the airport (daily
8am-9pm; T 04 642 6981).

GETTING AROUND
Buses A comprehensive bus system covers the whole island;
most buses stop at (and leave from) the station by the
Pengkalan Weld bus station by the jetty and the KOMTAR
complex on Jln Ria. Fares are rarely more than a couple of
ringgit. Services are frequent during the day, though by 8pm
they become more sporadic and most stop completely at
11pm. From KOMTAR, there are two useful CAT shuttle-bus
routes - red and blue (both free) - which loop around the
centre every 30min or so, connecting it to Pengkalan Weld.
Trishaws A traditional way of seeing the city is by pedicab
trishaw, which has a seat on the front; the driver pedals
from behind. They can be found all over town - negotiate
the price in advance. This mode of transport is dying out,
so try it while you can.
Taxis There are taxi stands by the ferry terminal and on Jln
Dr Lim Chwee Long, off Jln Penang. Drivers rarely use their
meters, so fix the fare in advance - a trip across town costs
about RM10, a ride out to the airport RM45.

ACCOMMODATION
Flash Back Homestay 41 & 43 Lebuh Acheh T 012 475
2453, E [e-mail]. This neat and

Syok @ Chulia Street 458 Lebuh Chulia T 04 263
2663, W staysyok.com. This lovely hostel with exposed brick
walls has sturdy dorm beds and clean, shared bathrooms