We had this small wish after we booked our Penang trip 3 months ago – for time to pass faster so that the December trip will materialise sooner and for time to slow down while in Penang. Somehow or rather, we got what we wished for – amazingly! Every single day felt like a weekend to us, where the pace of life was comfortably slow and every hour of the day was spent in a fulfilling manner:)
We chose Lone Pine Hotel in Batu Ferringhi – recommended as one of the top 3 boutique hotels in Penang. Prices are slightly pricey – but I would say you get what you pay for. The hotel service is wonderful. We were served orange juice while awaiting check-in, shuttle service in a Mercedes to Straits Quay and Georgetown etc. Never had we felt so important and valued before! Location of Lone Pine Hotel is good too. The hotel has exit points to the Ferringhi Beach which offers sea sports activities like jetski, parasailing, banana boat etc. during the daytime. During the night, Batu Ferringhi is transformed to a busy night scene, with stalls lining the roads selling souvenirs and food. If you don’t wish to get out of the hotel premise, you can choose to swim in the pool, or even relax at any of the beach chairs and hammocks (mister’s favourite activity after breakfast). And one of the best-selling point definitely has to be the bathtub on the balcony in the room!
Lone Pine Hotel
Beach chairs overlooking Ferringhi Beach
Parasailing on Ferringhi Beach
Pool view from our balcony
Going to Penang which is known as the “Food Paradise of Asia”, we listed the food trail as the most important to-do of our trip. We did not disappoint ourselves and tried 15 out of 29 of the recommended dishes of the city. Not a perfect score but at least we passed! The night before I left, I googled for some baking shops to visit in the city to establish some sort of baking trail for this trip as well. We did the food trail and baking trail side-by-side and I thought they really complemented each other – eat, shop, eat, shop and the cycle continues. Somehow, we always managed to find good food before and after we visit the baking shops.
Food Trail – warning: a strong stomach required!
Penang Assam Laksa – the first of our food trail
Char Koay Teow with Duck Egg (RM 4.50) by the Champion! Voted best dish of the food trail by me!
Pasembur Rojak (RM 8.00)
Hokkien Prawn Mee (RM 3.00). Voted best dish of the food trial by Mister.
Ice Kachang (RM 5.00)
Hokkien Lam Mee 福建淋面 (RM 2.60)
Curry Wan Tan Mee (RM 2.60). Combining the best of Curry Mee and Wan Tan Mee
Mee Goreng
Ayam Goreng MCD. We ended our food trail on a highly satisfying note at the Penang International Airport.
These pictures are in no way indicative of the amount of food we ate during the trip. They simply did not do enough justice to our stomachs for the extra amount of hard work they went through in the 4 days lols.
Baking Trail – hidden gems and value purchases
1. Sugar
3A-1-3 Straits Quay
10470 Penang, Malaysia
www.sugar.com.my
Sugar. Hopefully one day I can live a dream like this too!
2. Sim Trading
195 Carnarvon Street
10100 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
A baking shop with an old-school feel, probably with decades of history behind the shopfront
Sim Trading uses metal barrels to display the various types of flour for sale. I love this shop for the feel!
3. i Home Bakery Ingredients
598-GF-08, Menara Asas,
Jalan Tanjung Bungah
11200 Tanjung Bungah, Penang, Malaysia
Regrettably, I did not snap any photos of this shop because I did not bring my DSLR out that afternoon. It is a new shop that is still in the midst of settling down into business proper. Parts of the shops are empty at the point of my visit, but this shop has a lot of cheap finds! The cake pans are selling for RM 28.80 and comes in various designs like car, flower, ladybird, bear, house etc. and these pans easily sell for RM 36.00 and above in other baking shops.
4. Bonjour Trading
6 Lintang Burma, Pulau Tikus
10250 Penang, Malaysia
Bonjour Trading
5. La Vanille
No. 122A, Jalan Hutton
10050 Penang, Malaysia
3 for RM 10.00
Penang may not be a to-go destination for many, but we have so much fond memories from the 85 hours spent together on this trip:) Not only has Penang exceeded our expectations, we have in fact fell in love with Penang and Lone Pine Hotel. To us, Penang is a beauty in itself – the place, the food, the shops and the way of life! Penang, we will be back soon!