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Day 1 @ Penang - CATHAY HOTEL

I reach Penang around 10.30pm, my friend and I choose to stay at George Town area. George Town was founded in 1786 by Captain Francis Light, a trader for the British East India Company, as base for the company in the Malay States. He obtained the island of Penang from the Sultan of Kedah and built Fort Cornwallis on the north-eastern corner of the island. The fort became the nexus of a growing trading post and the island's population reached 12,000 by 1804. Why do I want to choose George Town, cause on July 8, 2008 George Town, Penang was added to Unesco's World Heritage List.

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After roaming around George Town with my travel buddy, we decided to stay in this very unique looking hotel, is called Cathay Hotel.

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Sandwiched between the hectic Jalan Penang and the backpacker strip of Lebuh Chulia, Lebuh Leith is a relatively quiet and unassuming street. The Cathay Hotel here is an old whitewashed colonial-era villa, set a little back from the street in its own little courtyard.

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Stepping inside is like walking into the past, with many of the building's original features having been restored, including the tiled floors and carved woodwork.

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It's a friendly place and there are a number of different rooms to choose from; some have attached bathrooms with both bath and shower, others have shared facilities. Rooms are large and simple, but perfectly comfortable and a bargain at these prices.

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Those on the ground floor nearest reception may be subject to noise however; ask for one at the back.

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The Cathay hotel is located in a very nice white colonial building. The rooms are big and are very basic decorated. We paid RM 80 for a 3 persons room.

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That's very cheap and it was value for money. The rooms are clean but not maintained so the bathroom looks definitely 'shabby' because everything turned old.

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Another downturn is that it's opposite the night market so it does get very noisy.

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I asked the reception how long is this hotel. Well is over 100 years, and it had been operate as a hotel for over 70 years. But RM80 for one night is kinda expansive, so my friend and I had decided to change to a B&B Hotel tomorrow.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

you bring back all those good memories I had. :) Thanks.
I have been living in Penang for a year and haven't visit it for a long time. 2 years maybe.... so I hope to visit it again.

Wilson Chin said...

littlefrog - your welcome my friend. Penang is a great place, I'll visit it again next year.