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Hotel Review: Old Penang Hotel – Georgetown, Malaysia

March 31, 2018 By James Clark

Hotel Review: Old Penang Hotel - Georgetown, Malaysia

Hotel Name: Old Penang Hotel – Penang Times Square
Address: No.3/3A/5/5A, Jalan Kampung Jawa Lama, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

I stayed at the Old Penang Hotel in Georgetown, Penang. The hotel is located in Georgetown but outside the historic UNESCO World Heritage zone, between KOMTAR and the Times Square mall. Normally I stay within the heritage area, and for first-timers to Penang that is my recommended place to stay in Georgetown.

I picked Old Penang Hotel because this area is becoming interesting with cafes and shops opening up. It still has lots of shophouse rows like in the old town, and as it isn’t restricted by development rules there are new apartment towers and malls going up. There is a Hindu temple on the corner as an easy-to-find landmark.

Jalan Kampung Jawa Lama

The hotel is in a modern building, so it’s not a classic shophouse but it’s also a bit more spacious.

Old Penang Hotel

The reception was bright and spacious, and had the look of a well-kept, modern budget hotel. I got a good online rate of $17.78 USD per night, but I didn’t know about the new hotel tax which is now collected by Malaysian hotels.

The new tax was introduced in September 2017, and the rate must be listed separately from the room rates. It’s 10 MYR per night, no matter what the hotel price is, so budget hotels and hostels will be hit hardest. 10 ringgit is $2.57 USD, so not a big deal, but I just find it more annoying that this sort of tax isn’t collected during the booking process.

Reception

I got a double room with an ensuite bathroom. I had a window facing the street so there was plenty of natural light. The room had A/C and the bed was comfortable.

Bed

Next to the bed was a work desk which didn’t leave much room for work once the tea and coffee took its place.

Desk

The bathroom looked modern and was clean and orderly.

Bathroom

There is free wifi at the hotel, which was available throughout the hotel. There was no breakfast service, which was ok by me as that just diverts me from my mission of eating out in Georgetown for every meal.

Overall this was a great budget hotel, and ideal for seasoned visitors to Penang. It was only 20 minutes walk to Chulia Street, and I enjoyed visiting some places outside the world heritage zone. For first-time visitors I would still stay in the UNESCO area.

You can book the Old Penang Hotel online, or search for more Hotels in Penang.

Filed Under: Accommodation Tagged With: georgetown, hotel, malaysia, penang

About James Clark

James Clark is the founder of Nomadic Notes. He has been a digital nomad since 2003, and Nomadic Notes features trip reports, train travel articles, and where to stay guides. He writes about transport and urban development at Future Southeast Asia. Subscribe to the weekly travel newsletter.

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About Nomadic Notes

James Clark from Nomadic Notes

Hi, I’m James Clark, and I've been travelling the world since 2003 while running a location independent travel business. Nomadic Notes is a travel blog featuring travel guides and notes from my travels.

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