Holiday Inn Resort Georgetown

Finally, someone from the good old USA to visit us in our new home of Penang Island, Malaysia. The saga goes that both of our Moms were due to arrive on Monday, September 6 and keep each other companion on that long long journey here. O.k. so it's not so long. We don't want to scare Peter and Arlene; Dad and Linda; or Tricia or April G; whom are all scheduled for trips here in 2005. We still have many openings at the Penang Inn;-) Well, it's not really an Inn; just ask Mom or Craig Signer, wh...

After a subpar stay at a hotel just outside of the KL airport which shall remain nameless (grungy room, malfunctioning AC and moths the size of HOLY EXPLETIVE!), we headed to the airport at the crack of dawn to catch the first morning flight to Penang. The flight was quick n’ easy, and we met with our friend Azhar, a Penang native who’d volunteered to guide us around his home state.



Penang was the place we’d spent the most time reading about prior to the trip,...

The Penang curry still warm in our bellies, we drove to the foot of Crane Hill and prepared to climb up to Penang’s most recognizable cultural landmark: the Buddhist Kek Lok Si Temple. Built into the side of the hill, the temple’s been a work in progress for over a hundred years, with new wings, shrines and statues constantly being added. Unfortunately, construction work was being done on the massive statue of the goddess Kuan Yin during our visit, and scaffolding blocked our view...

The hotel we were staying at in Penang was one of the many which sit on the beachfront strip of Batu Ferringhi (Foreigner’s Rock), Penang’s most famous resort district and nightspot. The popularity with visitors to Malaysia which gave the region its name hasn’t diminished over the years: we spotted plenty of Americans, Brits and Aussies soaking up the sun and lazing on the beach. We checked into our hotel, one of many that open directly onto the beachfront. The ground floor ...

After a quick nap and a hot shower (both well deserved), we hit the town in search for some trinkets and whatsits at Batu Ferringhi’s huge night market. What used to be a calm sidewalk by day, transforms into a frenzy of activity, full of shoppers trying to strike a deal. The bright fluorescent lights of each table and crazy neon colors of trishaws passing by reminded me of a Eastern influenced Las Vegas. It was madness! Scoping the goods at the night market. Shopkeepers were hawking th...

And again we find ourselves ready to eat…you guys must think I’m a glutton of sorts. Anywhoozits, we visited a delightful under-a-canopy food area a little walks away from the night markets at Batu Ferringhi. Hunger was setting in and I was ready for another round of Malaysian food delights – Penang stylez. The place we ate at was called Cafe Long Beach – imagine a Kopi Tiam, but A LOT bigger… and outside…and under a tent. So let’s get on with the foo...

The Asam Laksa is known throughout South East Asia as one of the best noodle soup dishes ever. Penang apparently is THE place to get the real deal. Now, I had read stories online about Penang Asam Laksa and all its majesty. I desperately tried to find it back home, but the best I could come up with was coconut laksa – and I wasn’t too impressed with it either. Before I continue, it should be said that I have a high bar set for noodle soups. As I’ve noted before, I myself am ...

What was most irritating about travelling from Bako to Santubong was that there was no direct bus there and we had to travel back into Kuching, walk from the bus terminal to Holiday Inn to catch a shuttle to Damai Beach.. which cost 10 ringgit.. shouldn't it be free for guests? Hmmm.. My first impression of the resort was not very good - the whole place gave a very 80s vibe, from the lobby building to the pool to the hotel buildings.. guess I was expecting more for the price.. However, the ro...

We leave Thailand just as our visa expires. We then head to the beach in Malaysia, opting for the Island of Penang. We get the ferry the short hop over to the island and then pass straight through the capital Georgetown on our way to the north coast. Here we book in to the Holiday Inn, a tower block of a hotel overlooking the beach. The coastline looks just like that of Spain, only much hotter. We then spend the next few days lazing by the pool or walking the few yards to the white sand beach...