Penang - Georgetown

[koheesti]

I'm planning to take Firefly to Penang the last weekend of the month for a border run. I'm not interested in sitting in a minivan all day again so I decided to make a weekend trip out of it and see someplace new. That said, I'm sure a lot of you have been there on visa runs before, can you maybe toss out a few suggestions of interesting places to go? Bars & restaurants as well as museums or shops or the best beach. As of now it looks like I'll be staying at the Cititel Penang Hotel in Georgetown. It looks pretty central.

Edited September 8, 2008 by koheesti

[Florin]

Beach-wise, Batu Ferringhi (20-30 minute drive from Georgetown) is the main choice and is not too bad...I also love the colonial area around Town Hall and (though I've never been) the Muka Head lighthouse seems like a very pleasant way to spend half a day

[Nirvana]

I'm planning to take Firefly to Penang the last weekend of the month for a border run. I'm not interested in sitting in a minivan all day again so I decided to make a weekend trip out of it and see someplace new. That said, I'm sure a lot of you have been there on visa runs before, can you maybe toss out a few suggestions of interesting places to go? Bars & restaurants as well as museums or shops or the best beach. As of now it looks like I'll be staying at the Cititel Penang Hotel in Georgetown. It looks pretty central.

Penang Museum and art gallery is good. Sea food, Bali Hai on gurney drive is very good also

[Bangyai]

Take the funicular railway up Penang Hill. Interesting train ride plus great views from the top. You used to be able to hire mountain bikes up there too.Lots of old colonial mansions set in jungle surroundings to be seen on the many trails running around the hill.

[glaitong]

Hong Kong Bar with Jenny. Sign the book.

Go out to the Botanical Garden and on the way back stop by Batu Farringgi Beach.

You can go up the hill and have a nice lunch, take it slow. No need to get in a hurry or it will be over just as fast.

Also some good shopping on China. I have bought many tea sets and dinning sets from Penang along with other nice decorative items for the house.

Great Chinese temples that are not crowded by tourist too so you can drop mangos and get your fortune in order too without a rush.

Not much else to do but relax around the hotel pool and get a tan.

Glaitong

[mssabai]

Wander round china town and little india and eat from the zillion little side stalls. Also make sure you eat Dim Sum and a curry! For me Penang is all about the food.....

[mattias33]

When we where there the last time we ask the Mali-driver to take us to the best beach of the island. He took us to bathu ferringhi, and allthough it might be better than the beach i was the first time (forgot the name) i´d still say a samuian should not have to high expectations on the beaches. I´ve gotten the impression that Penang just can´t compare for us, we are to spoiled with the beutiful beaches of Samui. Allthough, bathu ferringi is possibly comparable to ban rak, tops. But the beachlife i´d save til i came home from that trip if i where you, it´s way better in samui.

We also lived in the area of the beach and there where a few good reastaurants around there though, a little different from what i am used to. Alot of muslim food. Quite good actually, but sorry i dont remember any names. All the ones we went to where high quality food and they where all in walking distance from the beach.

Have fun!

[tommyj4]

The Hill is great, take your camera.....but a little warning...I had to queue for a ticket for 45 minutes then wait 90 minutes befor could go up & another 50 minute wait to come down...maybe just busy when I was there but it took the whole day up with the 3 hours waiting around.....great Indian food all around Penang...Comptar center is great for shopping...DVDs always seem to be cheaper there & get a better choice.

[PoorSucker]

The Chinese temple is the biggst one outside China..

Take a bicycle taxi and a couple of beers and ask the driver to take you on a tour.

Fort Cornwallis is a very good preserved colonial fort.

Passage to India has excellent Indian food, in the corner Jalalan penang-Chulia street.

Take right from citadel and it's in the first big crossing.

[penangrunner]

hi, to make it quick and full scale go to www.thailandmagic.com and after to www.penangcentral.com that covers everything you asked for.

[Boater]

Friday nights, has to be Soho Pub

[koheesti]

What are the options for getting from the airport to G-town? I hope better than the options here at Samui Int'l Airport.

I wrote the hotel I'll be staying at asking if they have an airport shuttle and this is their reply:

Greetings from Cititel Penang!

We are pleased to inform that we had received your reservation through Firefly under the guest name is Mr. [me]. Regret to inform that we are not provided shuttle bus services but we can arrange the Airport Transfer with other Agent and that will be chargeable at RM50 (day time) per car per way. We require credit card details to guarantee the transfer arrangement if you wish to confirm the Airport Transfer.

Please advise us the following details:

Credit card no:

Expires date (month/year):

CVV Code (3 digits at the back):

Cardholder name:

Please advise if Airport Transfer require.

No, I didn't send them the info - it's a really bad idea to have that info on an email bouncing around. I've already PAID for my hotel for 2 nights you'd think they would trust me to pay for a ride.

Edited September 10, 2008 by koheesti

[PoorSucker]

Used to be fixed to George Town RM28.

Can be higher now though.

Buy a ticket at a counter inside terminal, no haggling.

[koheesti]

I just read on that www.penangcentral.com site (thanks for the link) that it's RM35 now.

It'll be great to be there before the ferry would even reach Donsak.

[theoracle]

There is a taxi booth just before you exit the airport, you have to pay the fixed Georgetown charge there, fair rate.

[BigC]

Wander round china town and little india and eat from the zillion little side stalls. Also make sure you eat Dim Sum and a curry! For me Penang is all about the food.....

yes the curries there are quite special and cheap

[koheesti]

A big thank you for all the tips.

I just got back from Penang. I stayed in the old colonial area of Georgetown for the most part. The taxi from the airport was RM38 (from the hotel RM45). In the taxi from the airport at about 17:30 the radio DJ was having people call in to talk about their favorite comfort food. I thought that was a odd considering it was Ramadan.

The Cititel hotel was comfortable, the Internet cost 80 baht for 1 hour, 200 baht for 5 hours or 380 baht for 24 hours (you can start and stop as you like). Being interested in politics and wanting to see the presidential debate Sat morning, I was quite annoyed that the hotel didn't have any cable news channels (CNN, FOX, BBC, Al Jazzera). They had CNBC which was going to show the debate but when the time came they switched over to some pre-recorded crap from earlier in the day. A 4 star hotel should have more than 7 channels. Can't spend 24 hours outside the hotel room - without going broke.

First night I visited several clubs and bars with Soho being my favorite (thanx, boater). I went back there Sat night and had successful night on the ol' pool table. Quite a few cute girls there also which helped getting over paying 30% more than I'm used to for drinks. I also had an evening bike taxi ride through Chinatown and Little India. I found the people down there very friendly and willing to start up conversations (not just touts). The next day I walked around and found most places closed in the afternoon (I guess it's the Sabbath,, right?). I was going to go up in the 60+ storey tower to check out the view but they were closed very early. So not much going on but I strolled around town and saw some interesting architecture. Oh, I looked into getting a SIM card for my phone in order to make cheaper calls - and they needed my passport in order to register the card before it would work.

Anyway, it was a good weekend and for me worth spending the extra money instead of spending 12-15 hours in a minivan speeding to and from the border for a stamp.

[fred2007]

Wander round china town and little india and eat from the zillion little side stalls. Also make sure you eat Dim Sum and a curry! For me Penang is all about the food.....

I agree I am a lover of indian or malay food is the best in Penang, nightlife I don't think you have a great deal it all depends what you like

[Judy Khoo]

Penang is a very beautiful island. However, I would also tend to agree that the beaches in Penang would not be able comparable to what you can get in Koh Samui.

There is the Penang Hill which can be a great experience. Other places which you should go is Air Itam and Kek Lok Si Temple. This is where the Goddess of Mercy's statue is located. It is quite a nice walk up to the temple and there are many stores along both sides of the walkway.

Another place of interest would be the Snake Temple. I am not too sure of the condition of this temple today but when I was young (which is more than 30 years ago), my parents used to take the family there during the Chinese New Year and there was many snakes all over. Yet the snakes would not harm anyone visiting the temple.

The central of Penang is Georgetown. There is plenty of British heritage over there. You need to take time to walk around to see the buildings, visit the pier and see the Clock Tower and Fort Cornwalis. We also have many chinese associations which have really beautiful buildings like the Khoo Kongsi. This is probably one building you should not miss.

As for food, Penang is a paradise for it. Try Nonya Baba food - a mixture of the Malay and Chinese cuisine. Or have Nasi Kandar - a very famous Indian Muslim food. Places like Gurney Drive offers plenty of choices with small store selling all the different types of food. Or go to Kinta Lane. If you like Pad Thai, you would love Char Koay Teow. The best is in MacAlister Road and is called The Sisters. It is a bit pricey there and there is normally a long wait but the quality is great. While waiting you could also try the Yam Cake which is fantastic.

For Seafood, you can go to Batu Maung (if you have transport). Or you could try Oriental which is located along MacAlister Road. Along Gurney Drive are also many coffee shops or restaurants that you can try. But if you come across the stores where you can pick your own seafood, please do ask for the price first. They go by weight and sometimes you might come across a unscrouplous seller who will raise the price if you do not inquire first.

If you are staying in Cititel and do not mind paying slightly more for good food, try May Garden. The food there is very good but being a more prestige restaurant, the price is also higher than the local stores.

If you are moving around Penang island by taxi, always ask for the price first. The only fixed price is the taxi from airport and to airport. Other than that, it is a freely negiotiated price. Like Samui, they do not use the meters.

At night, go to Soho which is located in Penang Road. That is probably the best pub in town.