Where to stay and what to do at Penang, Malaysia

Last time I was in Malaysia, I went to Melacca but this time, I tried to go somewhere further. Around a 4-hour drive away from Kuala Lumpur, Penang was recommended to me for its delicious food, deep heritage and various historical attractions.

One thing that I’d like to note is that when they say Penang was the go-to-place for foodies, it’s definitely not a joke. The food there was, no doubt, one of the things that made the visit worth the trip. I’ll be sharing where and what we ate there on a separate post on my food blog soon.

The Leith Hotel Penang
First stop is The Leith. This is where I stayed during my time in Penang. We were given refreshing welcome drinks at the lobby where I ended up chatting with one of the staff who was also from the Philippines. At first, he thought I was Malaysian Chinese (I often get mistaken for one), I told him I was Chinese Filipino. I found that there are a lot of Chinese who speak Hokkien in Penang, though their Hokkien differs from the one I’m used to, I can still understand it for the most part (I think they mixed a few Malay words in their sentences).

This hotel was pretty good because Cheong Fatt Tze, The Blue Mansion is actually right in front of the hotel. There’s also a hawker center beside The Blue Mansion.

Address: 13 Lebuh Leith, George Town

Beryl’s Penang Lebuh Leith Outlet
To kill time while waiting for the Grab driver to arrive, we checked out Beryl’s Penang Lebuh Leith Outlet near our hotel. It looked pretty inside and outside. I actually ended up buying some biscuits.

Address: 22 Lebuh Leith, George Town

Penang Hill
Upon arriving at the foot of Penang Hill, we paid and took a tram going up to the hill. We looked around the observation deck, saw some monkeys, checked out some attractions, grabbed a bite, and bought some souvenirs.

Strolling around George Town
After a long day of exploring Penang Hill, we grabbed a bite at the hawker center in front of the hotel and strolled around George Town at night.

Armenian Street
On our back from breakfast, we went by Armenian Street to take some snaps with the umbrellas.

Cheong Fatt Tze, The Blue Mansion 
As I mentioned, The Blue Mansion was right in front of our hotel. We couldn’t go on the first day because we were told that they were at full capacity. They told us to come back early the next day. If memory serves me right, they told us the limit was 30 people. However, upon checking their website, they posted an update effective January 30, 2025 where their guided tours will accommodate 24 guests per session and self-guided tours are 10 guests per hour.

Before I ended my Penang trip, I dropped by Chagee because I felt like something was missing. It was just nice that Chagee dropped a new tumbler design which I could get at the Chagee branch I went to in Penang.

Coincidentally, our room had a great wallpaper that matched well with the Chagee cup.

I'll also be sharing soon the other places I went to in Malaysia but it's mostly shopping around KL.