I decided to plan a short Penang trip to celebrate my mother’s birthday and the rest of my family was happy to come along.
Penang’s weather is the same as Singapore’s luh - hot and humid with rain on some days. I think the reason why we felt that it was hotter in Penang than Singapore was because we spent more time out and about on the Penang streets but in Singapore, we would most likely be indoors.
Tip: It's relatively affordable to take Grab around in Malaysia. We took Grab a total of 17 times and spent around $55 SGD for all the rides (each person spent around 50 cents/ride). Booked 7-seater cars every time for 6 pax. Travelled mainly within Georgetown. Grab between the airport and Georgetown was the most expensive among the rides. It cost around 20-35 RM per trip depending on the traffic conditions and time of booking. You may want to compare this against renting a car or private car chartering. I'm not sure about those options.
ACCOMMODATION
I booked an Airbnb condominium for our 4 nights there. It had 3 bedrooms and 2 toilets. All the rooms had air-conditioning and ceiling fans too. This option was more affordable as compared to booking 3 separate hotel rooms. Since we had the entire unit to ourselves, there was more bonding time as a family when having supper or chilling together in the shared spaces. The condo was also at a convenient location, so it was super easy to take Grab from place to place.
The highlight for this accommodation was the beautiful view from the 32nd floor through the floor to ceiling windows. We could see the city lights at night, sunrise/sunset, and even the sea from where we were. If it was too hot or bright, we could always draw the blackout curtains.
Inevitably, the unit came with some slight problems. Although the water pressure for the toilets was great, one of them had a slow drainage system, so the shower area was almost perpetually flooded. I think the body wash hadn’t been used for quite a while, so there was separation and it looked kinda disgusting. There was still a tiny gap despite the window being fully closed in my room. It didn’t give me any problems until it rained so heavily one night and it was scary to hear the howling and whistling caused by the strong winds through that gap. Apart from these, the space was overall comfortable and clean.
ITINERARY
Day | Places Visited |
Tai Tong Restaurant > Wonderfood Museum > Clan Jetties > Kia Lai Cake Pastry > Kimberley Street Duck Kway Chap > Penang Street Famous Cendol > Upside Down Museum > Airbnb > Ivy’s Nyonya Cuisine > Gurney Plaza > Airbnb | |
2 | Roti Canai Gemas Road > Penang Hill > Air Itam Sister Curry Mee (closed) > Airbnb > Corgi & The Gang Pet Cafe > New World Food City > Loud Speaker Family Karaoke > Airbnb |
3 | Restoran Zim Sum > 1st Avenue Mall > Prangin Mall > Hin Bus Depot Sunday Market > Pasta Path > Gurney Plaza > Dehappy Seafood Restaurant > Airbnb |
Day 1:
Tai Tong Restaurant is a shophouse that sells dim sum. Most dim sum places in Malaysia require you to bring around a slip of paper to the food/drink stations. After you’ve ordered and/or placed the dishes onto your tray, the staff will indicate your items on the paper and this helps the cashier tally the total amount at the end of your meal. Sometimes, the staff will also come by the tables with trays or push-carts of food items that are not available at the stations. You can take what you want to eat and they will note it on the paper. I personally didn’t notice anything special about Tai Tong, but my dim sum cravings were satisfied. Next, we walked to the Wonderfood Museum which was a few streets away. It’s a place filled with beautiful and quite realistic food replicas. They allow photography inside the museum and even have props for you to hold onto in your pictures. Overall, it was a fun and interesting place to visit. Loved that we had 100% control over our pace in the museum. Managed to save some money as the tickets for senior citizens were cheaper. Would recommend families to check this place out! The walk to the Clan Jetties was long and tiring. Perhaps it was our mistake in choosing the route to get there, but it was dangerously close to traffic on a main road under the hot sun. Had to whip out my umbrella. There seemed to be nothing much at that area tbh, except the experience of walking through the neighbourhoods of the wooden stilt houses above the sea. Some of them have converted a part of their homes to sell souvenirs or food items. Saw some tourists paying for a boat ride too. Mixed feelings about real homes being commercialised. Wanted to grab some fried snacks nearby but the place was closed, so we continued our walk to Kia Lai Cake Pastry for some cheese tarts. Bought the matcha, lemon, chocolate, salted egg and pandan (can’t remember actual names). Would recommend the chocolate one. Skip the lemon if you can’t handle sourness. The pandan one had chicken floss outside. Unique but quite heavy and I didn’t manage to finish it. Didn’t personally try the other flavours, so no comments. Then, we walked to Chatto Tea and Coffee for bubble tea. We rested at this shop before heading over to Kimberley Street Duck Kway Chap which opens at 2pm. Nothing really special about the taste. We were coerced into getting drinks because they allegedly share the unit with a drink stall. Next, I brought my family to the Penang Street Famous Cendol. Split opinions amongst my family about the cendol. Some of them think that it’s the same as Singapore’s and some think otherwise. Apart from cendol, you’ll get to try a variety of dishes here. Char Kway Teow was surprisingly good with the eggs and prawn but damn small portion and oily. Squeezy and not ideal for large groups. Kinda chaotic because once you find a seat, the various stall owners take turns to approach your table with their menus. After a filling lunch, we went to the Upside Down Museum. Tickets were more expensive than Wonderfood. No senior citizen rates. Well, they could probably rethink how they want to run the business because I didn’t enjoy my experience there. Felt like I was on a conveyor belt. There were a few staff at every “station” to tell us how to pose and help us take photos, but they seemed quick to guide us to move on to the next “station”. Didn’t get a good look at the details of the place. Didn’t really pause to think about the effect that I wanted to achieve in my pictures. Some staff were not that patient as well. Merh. Won’t recommend it but if you still want to check it out, don’t let them affect your pace and experience! The massage place that we wanted to try out was full, so we booked a Grab back to our Airbnb. Showered and napped before heading to Ivy’s Nyonya Cuisine for dinner. 100% recommend this place. Food was delicious and the staff was friendly. Meal was around 300 RM for 6 pax. We didn’t make a reservation but were lucky that they managed to fit us in. A group after us didn’t reserve a table as well but were willing to be seated outdoors. Bagged home a box of sugee cake too. Yay! Decided to check out Gurney Plaza on a whim. We ended up going for a massage at Thai Odyssey. Best decision ever. My thai traditional massage felt so relaxing. I dozed off a few times when she wasn’t pressing too hard. Glad that everyone got some kind of massage there - foot / shoulder and back / thai / aromatherapy. Pricey for sure, but money well spent. Hehe. Went back to our Airbnb happy and hungry again, so we had supper to end the day.
Day 2:
Started the day with prata at Roti Canai Gemas Road. Eating at roadside stalls is the best if you want a “local’s’ experience”. We just wanted to eat prata luh. Btw, prata is known as roti canai in Malaysia. This stall does it a little too doughy for my liking tbh. Well, I still enjoyed drinking my teh tarik. It’s a little disadvantageous/confusing if you don’t know Melayu but the staff can speak basic English. After breakfast, it was time to make our way to Penang Hill. People mountain people sea. Definitely a tourist spot. Based on the crowd at the lower station, we decided to purchase the “fast lane” tickets to save time. The price difference is quite significant actually (30 vs 80 RM). A standard ticket gets you a spot on the tram, but you can’t start queueing for it immediately. You have to wait for your batch number to be displayed on the board before you are allowed to start queueing. This could be 3-4 batches later. Moreover, a tram is unable to fit everyone from the same batch, so if you’re at the end of the queue, you probably will have to wait for a few rounds before it’s your turn to board. Getting a “fast lane” ticket allows you to skip a lot of the waiting and you can start queueing immediately. People from the “fast lane” are also allowed to enter the tram first when it arrives at the lower station. Anyway, Penang Hill was disappointing for me and I wouldn’t recommend anyone to go through the hassle of going up. There were a few attractions that you can pay to enjoy such as an earthquake/typhoon simulator, buggy ride, museum and little village. All of which I didn’t try as I wasn’t interested, so I can’t comment. Well, if you’re looking for a workout, then hiking up would be an option. Next, we took a Grab to the nearby Ayer Itam town to have curry mee for lunch. The original place we wanted to try was closed, but no fret because there’s always food stalls everywhere on the streets of Penang. Friendly tip: Look out for stall owners who have little tolerance about bringing other stalls’ food to their tables. They can become really nasty under the sweltering heat. Returned to our Airbnb for a quick recharge before visiting Corgi & The Gang Pet Cafe. It’s a pet friendly cafe on the first floor and a husky galore on the second floor. Each person is required to purchase a drink or snack (~16 RM) for entry and to play with the smaller sized dogs on the first floor. If you’re interested in checking out the huskies on the second floor, you can either purchase a main dish or pay an additional 12 RM. On the second floor, you can enter the fenced up area to feed and play with the 7-8 huskies or sit outside and watch your friends/family interact with them. I love that we are given these options because some people may find dogs cute but feel uncomfortable interacting with them. We scrubbed our hands clean and went to get dinner at the New World Food City which was within walking distance. It’s a food court with a lot of variety - Chinese/Malay/Thai/Western. Thereafter, we spent 3 hours singing at Loud Speaker Family Karaoke. I find that karaoke in Malaysia is more affordable and better quality than that in Singapore. Free flow drinks and ice cream, plus you can adjust the air-con temperature in your room. We ended the day with supper at our Airbnb.
Day 3:
Queued around 15 minutes to have dim sum at Restoran Zim Sum. The place is huge - it seemed like 4 shophouses combined, so the turnover rate for tables was high. They have dim sum and zi char items. More options for drinks too. I wished that my dim sum was hot though. Walked over to the nearby shopping malls - 1st Avenue and Prangin, for some shopping. You can get sports shoes/outfits/accessories at reasonable prices at these older malls. I wanted to check out the Hin Bus Depot Sunday Market, so we all went. People set up small tables to sell various items like coasters, essential oils, accessories, bags, food and dessert items. There were live band performances scheduled and deck chairs set up in front of the stage. Visitors could also get food from the cafes within the compound. Definitely a more hipster place than the rest. We had enough of the heat and escaped to have lunch at Pasta Path. Make-your-own-pasta concept by choosing the type of noodle, sauce and ingredients. I enjoyed my ebiko cream seafood spaghetti a lot! Headed to Gurney Plaza again as I needed to get some stuff that was only available there. Noticed that the same pair of shoes from 1st Avenue was sold for around 90 RM more at Gurney Plaza. Erps. After the final round of shopping, we went to Dehappy Seafood Restaurant for dinner. Interestingly, they had a number of items labelled Singapore blah blah (e.g. Singapore chilli crab). Perhaps they were appealing to foreigners who enjoy Singapore dishes? Idk man. We avoided those items luh. The meal was okay. Overall, I feel that the seafood served in Penang is fresher and bigger than in Singapore. The stalls here are slightly more generous with their seafood portions too. Ended the day with a quick trip to 7 Eleven and a chill stroll back to our Airbnb!
Disclaimer: I mainly travelled around Georgetown and my opinions are solely based on these few places that I'd visited. Please take my comments with a pinch of salt as your experience could be different from mine!
Lastly, there are a number of cool cafes and hidden bars in Penang that I didn't get a chance to visit for this trip, but you can consider adding them into your itinerary.
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