After being in Phuket Town for a few days, I must say that I really enjoyed walking around and just looking at old structures. And that experience made me look forward to visiting Georgetown. Our travel to Penand from Phuket already made a good first impression to me of Malaysia.
Upon arriving in Lebuh Chulia, Georgetown, we immediately walked around the area to look for accommodation. If you’re looking for some affordable accommodation in Georgetown, you could check out the hostels in Lebuh Chulia, Jalan Muntri and Love Lane. We found a good deal at W&O Cafe and Hostel for 25RM for a huge room upstairs. Rates vary and we got lucky because it was low season and we were able to talked to the owner and bargained for the room.
After checking in, we started walking around to explore the area.
It seemed like time stopped in Penang.
There’re so many well-preserved colonial houses that made me wander what’s life like before in Georgetown.
We had a chat once with the owner and he said that he had a few guests staying longer than expected. One of his guests stayed for a total of 7 years, doing the visa run every now and then. Another guests stayed for three years and another one for a year, both these guests are still staying in his hostel. He also said that they even bought additional furnitures to make the room more comfortable for them to live in.
After spending some time there, I quite understood what made them stay for a long time in Penang.
Georgetown has a great laidback vibe that appeals to me. Going to the beach, shopping malls, tourists attractions and other places of interest is very easy. Most places are accessible by bus.
For those who love shopping, you’ll also be surprised to know that there’s a lot of shopping areas to go to. Island Plaza, 1st Avenue, Gurney Plaza, Queensbay Mall, and Sun City just to mention a few.
Food is also great although I still prefer Thai food. Dishes that I’ve tried in Penang were really tasty and delicious. I didn’t like though some of it, but I enjoyed most of the meals that I got to tried especially Char Kway Teow .
Spending a week lounging in Penang didn’t seem enough for me since we proceeded to Genting Highlands after a week. I’ll definitely go back and stay longer on my next visit to Penang.
Did you ever find out why it’s called Love Lane? I’m adding this place to my list of places to visit in Malaysia next.
didnt find out why its called love lane though…
Nakakainggit! Penang’s one of my favorite places in Malaysia!
By the way, if you get the chance to go back, try going around the island, not just Georgetown
we went to batu ferringhi but spent most of the stay sa georgetown, nakakaaliw…
Penang is definitely my favourite city in Malaysia. Its really unique and charming and surprisingly quite modern too according to Malaysian standards. I’m glad you liked the island!
i do and im looking forward to visiting it again in the future
Penang!
Some friends of mine told me that aside from the food trip (which is a must accdg to them), the laidback feel of the place attracts more tourist to make it their new home. Hmmm… where you able to meet some of their long-term guests? Ganda sana i-feature 
Waiting for your Genting Highlands adventure
I loved Penang when I was there several years ago too. The colonial houses and laid-back atmosphere was great. I can definitely see why some people would stay there for long periods of time.
yeah I was surprised too to find out that there’s quite a handful of people staying in Penang for quite a while.
i should have gone to penang last april, but i didn’t. did a split from my friends to visit genting highlands so my son can enjoy the last leg of our trip. sayang…
maybe you could drop by penang next time you visit Malaysia… Genting Highlands is nice too…
Although I only ended up staying for an afternoon, I got a really good impression of Penang. I would love to return. The food, cultures, and architecture were all fascinating. Here are my first impressions: http://bohemiantraveler.com/2011/04/penang-malaysia-walking-tour/
thanks man for sharing your experience in Penang
how your impression about the people live there?
Penang used to be called Pearl of the Orient 20 yrs ago especially during the duty free era. There were few thousands RAAF personnel staying in Penang and working in Butterworth. As modernisation progresses rubbish took headlines and the attitudes of drivers on the road became a sore topics.