Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
245
find ATMs in KOMTAR and other smaller shopping plazas as well.
Internet
cafes come
and go, so it's best to ask your hotel's concierge for the closest place to your hotel, or use
the hotel's. If you're in to wn, Chulia S treet, the main drag for backpacker tourists, has
Internet access in a few places.
WHERE TO STAY
Although Georgetown has many hotels right in the city for convenient sightseeing, most
visitors choose to stay at one of the beach resorts 30 minutes away at Batu Feringgi. Trips
back and forth can be a bother (regardless of the resorts' free shuttle services), but if you're
not staying in a resort, most of the finer beaches ar e off-limits.
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
Finds
This is definitely one of the most unique
and memorable hotel experiences in M alaysia—to sleep inside the walls of one of Asia 's
most carefully restored heritage homes, the huge and opulent mansion of 19th-centur y
millionaire Cheong Fatt Tze. The lobby is a simple desk in the front hall; inside, the only
facilities to speak of are a courtyard breakfast area, a library, and a TV room (guest rooms
do not hav e TVs). Guest rooms are each distinctiv e in shape and decor , all with terra
cotta or teak floors, charming architectural detail, and antiques and replicas of the period.
Double rooms have either twin beds or one king-siz e bed. S uites are also av ailable. All
are air-conditioned and hav e private bathrooms, though they ar e pretty small and bar e.
The experience is described by the management as an “owner-hosted home-stay,” which
is quite accurate. Don't expect the professional polish of the finer hotels, but then, with
so much beauty around you, who cares?
14 Leith St., 10200 Penang.
&
04/262-0006.
www.cheongfatttzemansion.com.
16 units. RM350 ($102/
£63) double; from RM450 ($131/£81) suite. AE, DC, MC, V.
Amenities:
Breakfast area w/tea and beverage
service; smoke-free rooms; TV room.
In room:
A/C.
13
The City Ba yview Hotel, Penang
This city hotel is per fect for those who visit
Penang for its cultural tr easures rather than its beaches. A good budget choice, it has a
number of fair dining v enues, including a r ooftop r evolving r estaurant with ex cellent
views of the island. Choose from guest rooms in the newer wing, completed in 1999, or
those in the old wing. Either choice offers cool rooms in neutral tones, not as elegant as
many, but comfortable and definitely offering value for the money.
25-A Farquhar St., Geor getown, 10200 P enang.
&
04/263-3161.
Fax 04/263-4124. 320 units . RM276
($80/£50) double, from RM828 ($240/£149) suit e. AE, DC, MC, V.
Amenities:
3 r estaurants; club w/liv e
entertainment; lobb y lounge; out door pool; c oncierge; airpor t transf ers; r oom ser vice; bab ysitting;
smoke-free rooms.
In room:
A/C, TV w/in-house movies, minibar, hair dryer.
Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E&O)
E&O first opened in 1885, established b y
the same S arkies brothers who w ere behind Raffles H otel in S ingapore. It is without a
doubt the most atmospheric hotel in Penang, with manicured lawns and tropical gardens
flanking a white colonial-style mansion, a lacelike facade, and
Moorish minarets. Accom-
modations ar e all suites, with cozy sitting nooks and sleeping quar ters separated b y
pocket sliding doors. You can expect molding details around every door and paned win-
dow, oriental carpets over polished teak floorboards, and Egyptian cotton linens dressing
each poster bed. D ining along the hotel 's many v erandas is gorgeous.
One caveat:
No
beach, but the pool in the seafr ont garden is very pretty.
10 Farquhar St., 10200 Penang.
&
04/222-2000.
Fax 04/261-6333. www.e-o-hotel.com. 101 units. RM900-
RM2,050 ($261-$595/£162-£369). AE, DC, MC, V.
Amenities:
2 r estaurants; English-st yle pub; small
health club w/sauna; concierge; airport transfers; room service.
In room:
A/C, TV w/satellite programming,
minibar.
