It had been 8 or 9 years since I last visited Penang. Therefore, I used my birthday as an excuse to organize this short 3-day-2-night trip to Penang! Let's see how we spent our precious time in this world renowned holiday destination! =)
Accommodation
Address: Jalan Batu Ferringhi, 11100 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
There are a lot of accommodation options available in Penang. Hard Rock belongs to luxury hotel and you definitely need a car to access to this place. If you are not driving, unless you plan to spend your vacation using the hotel's facilities without exploring the town centre, otherwise the cab fares will going to eat up bulk of your travel budget.
(+) Well-maintained hotel, spacious and clean room, good facilities, near the beach
(-) Far from town (good if you do like quietness and peace), limited options for buffet breakfast (can totally omit complimentary breakfast option and head to the town for yummy local delights)
Chew Jetty and Penang Street Art
Get a Penang map and start a treasure hunt to track down all the beautiful murals in Penang. That's the initial plan until it started drizzling, and we gave up. It will be in my to-do-list when I visit Penang the next time.
For Chew Jetty, I find it so touristy that I didn't enjoy it very much. It lost the tranquility and peace that a small fishing village should be equipped with. Yet, the scenery was still breathtaking even on a gloomy day like this.
My outfit didn't match the background, hmm...
Penang Avatar Secret Garden
Worth going or not? Erm, if you like fancy lights, then maybe that's the place for you. Otherwise, it's a bit overrated and will be an one-time thing for me. It was overly crowded, probably because we paid a visit on a Saturday night. Nonetheless, I have to admit that the light installations here were pretty charming!
The photos turned out to be really amazing though.
Ticket price for cable car (two-way):
Malaysians: RM10 for adults, RM5 for children aged from 4 to 12
Foreigners: RM30 for adults, RM15 for children aged from 4 to 12
Would encourage everyone to come here twice as it offers both stunning daytime and night views. The ticket price will get discounted if the weather is bad, exactly what happened on us as we only paid approximately RM4 per person. The night was extremely foggy and we couldn't see a single thing from the top, how depressing!
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
Daily tour timings: 11am, 2pm and 3.30pm (the tour lasts about 45 mins)
Entrance fee: RM16 for adults, RM8 for children aged 12 and below (Additional RM1 surcharge applies for online booking)
This place gets famous after the screening of movie "Crazy Rich Asians" as the mahjong scene was taken here! Also known as "Blue Mansion", the picturesque building is actually a boutique hotel. Even you don't stay here, you can still join the daily tour to pay a visit.
However, we decided to skip this attraction for the following reasons:
1. We just missed the 11am tour, should have done some research before coming, sigh. Things are a little different here - you have to join the tour and cannot walk freely by purchasing the entrance tickets.
2. A local guide who brought a group of tourists here shared his experience with us while waiting for his customers to end the tour. According to him, there was nothing much displayed inside the mansion in relative to the expensive entrance fee. He recommended us to visit Pinang Peranakan Mansion instead. I quickly did a search online and what he told us indeed matched the online reviews. Therefore, the decision was easy to make.
Pinang Peranakan Mansion
Opening hours: 9.30am to 5pm daily
Entrance fee: RM20 for adults, free entry for children aged 6 years and below
It turned out that we made a smart decision. We joined the complimentary tour (the guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable) and it was a good experience to learn the rich Peranakan cultures in the region. Another good thing is the tours come in English and Mandarin versions, ideal for elderly who may not understand English. Some really amazing, delicate items such as antiques, handmade Nyonya costumes and stunning jewellery are being displayed here. Did I forget to mention? If you watch the TV drama “The Little Nyonya" which was filmed in the mansion, you will definitely appreciate the Baba and Nyonya cultures even better.
Acting like the 娘娘们 in 延禧攻略...
Kek Lok Si Temple
Another iconic attraction in Penang.
Ferringhi Beach
Another advantage of staying at Hard Rock Hotel is this! Do not expect white smooth sand like what you will get in famous islands such as Krabi or Phu Quoc. Still a nice place to chill and admire the sunset. For people who are looking for fun activities, there are a number of options, including horse-riding, parasailing, motorboats etc.
Food
Ong Cheng Huat Seafood Restaurant
Address: 6093, Kampung Pokok Keras, 13400 Butterworth, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
Opening hours: 11am to 5.30pm, closed on Mondays
Hidden well in a residential area, this restaurant always tops our must-visit list in Butterworth by offering delicious dishes at affordable prices (this meal costed us about RM150) and fast service with minimal waiting time. The food choices seem limited as they only sell a couple of their specialized dishes. Thus, it is not surprising that almost every table ordered the same set of dishes. The photos of their signature dishes are placed on the wall for the ease of reference. However, I can reassure you that all their signature dishes are yummy and worth a try. After filling our stomach, we continued our journey to Penang main island to hunt for more food.
Clockwise from top: Deep fried spring chickens (perfectly marinated), prawn crackers (love the crispiness though they were kinda oily), steamed clams (very fresh) and poached octopus (the sauce was definitely spot-on).
Their steamed fish is another must-try fish. I love the sauce that comes with chopped garlic and a tinge of sourness.
Address: 214, Lebuh Victoria, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
Opening hours: Mon to Thurs 10am to 11.30pm; Fri 10am to 12am; Sat 9am to 12am; Sun 9am to 11.30pm
Located conveniently near Chew Jetty, it is an ideal place for tea break (and escape from hot sun!) after visiting Chew Jetty and searching for famous Penang murals. I love the beautiful interior here. Though the food here don't come with a cheap price tag, they are definitely insta-worthy. The strawberry watermelon cake was really impressive in term of taste.
Refreshing drinks.
The best dessert here - strawberry watermelon cake. Love the juiciness and sweetness of watermelons that complements the sourness of strawberries!
Sinful afternoon break. Apart from strawberry watermelon cake, other desserts that we ordered didn't leave a lasting impression...
Ang Hoay Lor Restaurant 洪火炉
Address: 260, Jalan Brick Klin, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
Opening hours: 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 9pm; closed on Wednesdays
Calling for all the Hokkien food lovers~ The home cooked authentic Hokkien dishes here will satisfy your taste buds without doubts. We tried all the signature dishes recommended by the friendly Mrs Ang (I supposed). Even though the food looked ordinary and humble, they didn't disappoint us (though my dad commented that there had been a drop in quality since he last visited the place). Our absolute favourite was stirred fried glass noodles, so yummy and flavourful!
Stirred fried glass noodles.
Oyster omelette.
Stirred fried tao kwa (beancurds).
Prawn rolls.
Penang street food at Lebuh Keng Kwee
One can never leave Penang without sampling the delicious street food here!
Refreshing Teochew cendol.
Asam laksa, my all-time favourite street food in Penang! Nonetheless, the more well-known stall is located in the market near Kek Lok Si but we didn't visit this time.
Pai tee.
Yam cake.
Ferringhi Garden Restaurant
Address: 34, Jalan Batu Ferringhi, Kampung Batu Feringgi, 11100 Batu Ferringhi, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
Opening hours:
This restaurant is very near to our hotel, about 10-min drive away, for your consideration if you don't wish to travel far to town centre. However, understand that this belongs to high-end restaurants, there are a number of eateries next to this place for you to choose from as well. You will probably not notice the restaurant at your first glance because it is well-hidden in the lush greenery.
The food here didn't disappoint for the prices we paid. I especially liked the seafood platter, which was good for sharing between multiple people. The carbonara was not as good as I'd expected as the sauce was kinda runny and not rich enough.
A really nice ambiance to dine in.
The white orchid was stunning.
Salmon Aglio Olio.
Platter.
Seafood carbonara.
Char-grilled salmon.
Lastly, something out of topic, we stopped by Ipoh for a quick bite. Hence, the photo below features the yummy egg tarts and Ipoh signature white coffee from Nam Heong coffee house :)
My list of souvenirs
1. Tau Sar Piah (豆沙饼) from Him Heang or Ghee Hiang.
2. Fragrant sesame oil from Ghee Hiang.
3. Preserved nutmegs from Cheong Kim Chuan.
Goodbye Penang, til the next time we meet! Please treat me with more good food when I return :)
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