The Eastern and Oriental Hotel Penang is a bucket list hotel steeped in history. One of the three Sarkies Brothers hotels along with Raffles in Singapore and The Strand Hotel Rangoon. It has also been recently renovated which makes it an ideal time to visit.
We visited Penang on our return from Switzerland as part of a short layover to recover from jet lag. We originally planned to visit Yogyakarta but with the spate of volcanic activity decided to go somewhere safer. As we had followed Milton’s advice we were able to easily cancel the hotel booking.
The E&O is situated in the Unesco world heritage site of Georgetown. Once the hub of the British Straits Settlement it is now better known as a tourist mecca. Of course depending on the length of your stay you don’t even need to leave the hotel.
In this post:
How to Book the Eastern and Oriental
We booked directly off the hotels website which provided more options than the usual hotel aggregators. We also got a 25% reduction by booking 30 days in advance (we booked 40 days ahead).
Penang Airport Transfer
As part of the booking process you can add in pick up either by Toyota or a Mercedes. We chose the cheaper option and were met by a hotel representative in the air conditioned arrivals area at Penang International Airport.
The Georgetown Suite King Room
We booked the Georgetown Suite King Room room in the Heritage wing, it was huge.
It has a separate lounge area, massive bedroom and bathroom. The lounge is plush with plenty of room to spread out. There is a writing bureau and fully stocked bar.
Complimentary drinks are included such as, beer, vodka, whisky, gin, juices, water, mixers and soft drinks. Chocolates and snacks were included.
The bathroom had two large wash basins well separated, unlike the cramped doubles in many hotel rooms. The bath is huge, it filled quickly and Julie really enjoyed it.
There were no views from our room (which made it a lot cheaper). We looked over to some office buildings and a petrol station. This was not a problem for us as we spent a lot of time looking at the view during happy hour and when hanging around the pool. Next time we would choose a room with a view.
The Butler Service
We tried the butler service button on two seperate days but got no response. We called the front desk who were able to help us out by delivering ice to our room.
Breakfast in the Cornwallis Room
An a la carte breakfast is available in the Cornwallis Room, like cocktail hour this can be consumed inside or outside next to the pool overlooking the Penang Straits.
Cocktail Service included for Heritage Wing guests
One of the highlights of staying in the Heritage wing is the cocktail service that starts just before sunset. It is in the Cornwallis Room but spills out to the pool area. My tip is to start inside and then as it cools finish your drinks outside overlooking the Straits. They had a good selection of South American wines available and the staff were continually topping up glasses.
Having had a huge lunch in Georgetown the canapés were delicious and enough to get us through to breakfast the next day.
Staff were happy to pour a generous drink before the end of the cocktail service so you could really enjoy the ambience and stretch out the evening.
Between happy hour and the stocked bar we did not need to buy any drinks. We never even got around to the beers!
Exclusive Pool Area
The pool area was never crowded and when we stayed there were no children. As it was newly refurbished everything was spotless and in perfect condition, The Heritage wing has a pool for the exclusive use of guests.
The staff were attentive without being intrusive. As we had a late flight out we were able to spend our last day around the pool after check out.
Victory Annexe or Heritage Wing
I would always choose the Heritage Wing as it is one of the remaining throwbacks to an earlier time. You theoretically get a butler service but also get cocktail bar, a la carte breakfast, free laundry and the stocked bar.
Every room in the Victory Annexe gets a view, while around 70% or rooms in the Heritage Wing have a view. When booking in the Heritage wing make sure your room has a view as the prices do vary. Significantly.
Things To Do In Penang
We only had one day free in Penang so we selected a private guided tour with Tiger and Airbnb experience. The tour included breakfast (on top of our Cornwallis breakfast) which we ate with our hands.
At the end of the tour our guide was able to direct us to some wonderful local restaurants to eat and have coffee.
Airbnb experiences are a great way to see a town with locals. This was our first but not last time we will choose Airbnb
Summary
The Eastern and Oriental Hotel Penang is a wonderful indulgence at a very reasonable price. It provides a cure for jet lag when travelling between Australia and Europe. It is very easy to get to with regular flights between Singapore and Penang that are short, heap and plentiful.
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Beautiful hotel especially that spacious bathroom! Hope you and Julie enjoyed eating nasi lemak with your hands=]