Where to stay in Penang?
 

I'm traveling for the first time to Penang this month and am deciding on where to stay. Do you recommend Batu Ferrenghi or Georgetown? Thanks!

Hi, In Penang, I'd definately stay at Batu Ferringhi over Georgetown. We stayed at Park Royal, that was great, but we also looked at other resorts while we were there and they all looked quite good. We got breakfast every day at the happy garden restaurant, across the main road and go to the right about a 5 min walk.<BR>Sue

Thanks for your input Sue! But did you still have time to sightsee around the major Penang attractions? I was reading one of the travel books and it said staying in Ferringhi was not an ideal location if you wanted to explore the city since Georgetown was 25 min away. Thanks!

We have also stayed at the Park Royal and thought it was great- even better to stay at would be the Rasa Sayang. I would have hated to have been based in Georgetown- what's 25 minutes! Many of your excursions will not involve Georgetown- only 2 of ours were. It is a small island in any case. We loved Penang!

I rank the Rasa Sayang as the best, great service and good value. Georgetown is only a short distance and if you stayed in Georgetown you would regret not being at the beach! <BR>If you want to 'add' to your experience why not take the train a few hours across to Thailand and spend a night or 2 in Hat Yai. The train is efficient, very cheap and it really gives you the chance to compare 2 cultures, although so close, so 'very' different.

Thanks for your suggestions! I will probably stay in Batu Ferringhi then!

Cathy - When are you going to Penang. I am also going in September and staying in Batu Ferrenghi??

I went to Penang last year and stayed at Batu Ferrenghi. Per someone else's point, Penang is not very large and there is no need to stay in Georgetown. I stayed at the Shangri-La (not Rasa Sayang, but the property next door). Both Shangri-La properties were comfortable, and I think, an excellent value. We paid ~$65 USD per night and that included a delicious breakfast buffet. We also had a car with us, so it was quite easy to see the sights (Georgetown, Butterfly Farm, etc.)<BR>Happy Travels!

I agree with previous posts - stay in Batu Ferringhi. The Ferringhi Beach Hotel is an absolute dream. Fantastic service and wonderful atmosphere, and close by are some great night time street markets.Attached to the Hotel is transport to and from Georgetown, but this is probably true of most hotels in the area.