Penang – The Culture, Food, Beach Combo
Penang does’t have the absolute best beaches in Malaysia. That prize goes to the Perhentians or Redang. However, there is only so long anyone wants to be on a tiny island with limited food choices and nothing to do that isn’t water or hiking based.
That’s why lots of people love Penang. Penang offers the beach / nice hotel pools, warm weather, plus more variety in terms of food, and more a of taste of Malaysian culture. It’s also less huge than KL, for people who find the KL too big (personally I love KL, but I love huge cities).
Of late, Penang has definitely become most famous for it’s food. Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations episode about Penang can easily be found online, or you can watch this clip to get an overview.
Penang tends to be a place that digital nomads and other long term travelers often put down roots for a few months. It tends to be especially popular with family travelers who rent good value long stay apartments there. The folks at Travel with Bender spent an extended time in Penang and have lots of detailed posts about aspects of travel there, like the food. The Bohemian Travelers Blog has a list of 14 things to do in Penang that has very good photos and will provide an excellent overview of what’s on offer for tourists.
However if you’re only in town for a short period and have had enough of that beach bungalow, hotels in Penang offer luxury, and 3-5 star hotels in Malaysia tend to be much cheaper than in other parts of the world. Normally I stay in “flashpacker” type places in Asia, and 2.5 star hotel chains in the Western world, since I see those as being the sweet spots for value in those places. However, in Malaysia the best value is usually at the the more luxury, 3 star plus, end of the spectrum. Therefore, it’s a good place to splurge, especially if are are coming from a small island with limited infrastructure and need a break from that. Also, flashpacker level places mostly don’t have pools in Malaysia and a pool or being right on the beach is essential for coping with the afternoon heat.
Firefly flies to Penang from Kota Bharu airport, which is the jumping off point for heading to the Perhentian Islands so if you don’t fancy overland travel or backtracking to KL, then on your way to/from the Perhentians offers an opportunity to go check out Penang and see if you like it.
The gorgeous Perhentian Islands below.
photo credit: wEnDaLicious and JonoList via photopin cc
