Hello!
My dad has booked us a family holiday to Penang and I haven't really had any time to do proper research and am unlikely to have free time till I go away... and people say students have it easy!
Anyway I was after firstly some views on the hotel we will be staying in the paradise sandy bay/beach hotel and also information about what I can and should do whilst I am there are I'm generally not the type of person who can sit by the pool all day reading and drinking. Also how safe is it for me to go about the place on my own?
Thanks a lot!
You might like to post your question on Penang Talk. http://penangtalk.com/ Hope this helps.
Cheers Geri
Cheers Geri
....but of course we'd much rather you stuck around here. I'm sure the members here can help just as well!I went to Penang 6 years ago so of course I can't give up to date info on places to eat and drink.
Things to do- watch out for jellyfish in the sea! We stuck with the pool but made sure we went down to a beach bar to watch the stunning sunsets.
Go into Georgetown- there are organised tours which can be quite handy for orientation but I would also take myself in for a wander around. I love to go where the local markets are/off the beaten track to see day to day life. There is a beautiful Burmese temple just opposite the main Buddhist temple in Georgetown. Chinatown is also a must do.
we went on one excursion which took us to a batik factory( really interesting). Next they stopped off at a stall up in the hills where we tried varioius local fruits. We then went to see a Malay village- this was well worth while. Finally we went on to the Snake Temple where we got covered in vipers and got photos taken. There are some really funny notices in the temple. One warns mediums not to fall into a trance as it would cause inconvenience to worshippers and visitors..
Another trip we went to the Butterfly Farm and then on to the Botantical Gardens which are stunning and full of monkeys wondering about. You can feed them outside the gardens and we spent way too long doing that!
There is also Penang hill and the funicular railway.
An absolute must is to try hawker food- both in Batu and Georgetown. In fact- I would not eat at the hotel at all- get out and try the different local restaurants or stalls.
We found it very humid when we were there and half day tours were enough as they could be draining. But the island is so small this is easy to do.
If we went again I would hire a local guide/driver as organised tours do tend to end up at "gem factories" or the local pewter shops for some hard sell.
There were sea excursions but we did not have enough time for them.
Hope this helps!
Things to do- watch out for jellyfish in the sea! We stuck with the pool but made sure we went down to a beach bar to watch the stunning sunsets.
Go into Georgetown- there are organised tours which can be quite handy for orientation but I would also take myself in for a wander around. I love to go where the local markets are/off the beaten track to see day to day life. There is a beautiful Burmese temple just opposite the main Buddhist temple in Georgetown. Chinatown is also a must do.
we went on one excursion which took us to a batik factory( really interesting). Next they stopped off at a stall up in the hills where we tried varioius local fruits. We then went to see a Malay village- this was well worth while. Finally we went on to the Snake Temple where we got covered in vipers and got photos taken. There are some really funny notices in the temple. One warns mediums not to fall into a trance as it would cause inconvenience to worshippers and visitors..
Another trip we went to the Butterfly Farm and then on to the Botantical Gardens which are stunning and full of monkeys wondering about. You can feed them outside the gardens and we spent way too long doing that!
There is also Penang hill and the funicular railway.
An absolute must is to try hawker food- both in Batu and Georgetown. In fact- I would not eat at the hotel at all- get out and try the different local restaurants or stalls.
We found it very humid when we were there and half day tours were enough as they could be draining. But the island is so small this is easy to do.
If we went again I would hire a local guide/driver as organised tours do tend to end up at "gem factories" or the local pewter shops for some hard sell.
There were sea excursions but we did not have enough time for them.
Hope this helps!
You've summed most of it up Fiona- main thing in Penang is to relax and enjoy yourself. Its such a wonderful island with super people. There's enough to see- would really recommend the fenicular railway, the botanical garden is a good place for a walk and to spy on monkeys, Georgetown is worth a wander around. I love Penang- have travelled there on my own 4 times and stayed in Batu Ferringhi . Using the local bus is no hassle and an experience. Enjoy- I'm jealous
thats something I didn't do-use the local bus. Nowadays I would do things differently though- no advertised tour and local transport!!!
Yeah _ the bus to Georgetown from Batu Ferringhi- the one without air con., sorry the air con is the open windows - holes in the floor and really old chairs but well worth the journey- really cheap only a couple of ringets.
Post a Reply
Please sign in or register an account to reply to this post.
