Penang Island (Pulau Pinang) | vacationinmalaysia.com

Penang George Town Roofscape

Penang (or locally Pulau Pinang), is an island and also one of the states in Malaysia. Earlier, Betel Nut palm was all over the island, which gave rise to the name of Pulau Pinang(Island of the Betel Nut). Penang is also known colloquially as “The Pearl of the Orient”. About 112km north of Penang Island lies the Langkawi Island, another popular travel spot in Malaysia.

Penang has come a long way from its early beginnings as the first British trading post in the Far East. The capital state of Penang, George Town, is a bustling metropolitan city with a unique blend of East and West. On July 7, 2008, George Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Penang state is geographically divided into two sections, Penang Island and Province Wellesley ( or locally Seberang Perai). The body of water between Penang Island and Province Wellesley is the North Channel to the north of George Town and the South Channel to the south of George Town. Penang Island is irregularly shaped, with a granitic, hilly and mostly forested interior, the highest point being Western Hill (part of Penang Hill) at 830 meters above sea level. The coastal plains are narrow, the most extensive of which is in the northeast which forms a triangular promontory where George Town, the state capital, is situated. The topography of Province Wellesley is mostly flat.

Penang Hill Railway

Butterworth, the main town in Province Wellesley, lies along the Perai River estuary and faces George Town at a distance of 3 km (2 miles) across the channel to the east. Penang state has about 2,031.74 people per square kilometer on the island and 865.99 people per square kilometer on the mainland. At such, Penang state is considered to has the highest population density in Malaysia. Penang is different from other states in Malaysia where the domination race is non-Malay. Besides, it is also the only state in Malaysia where ethnic Chinese forms a plurality. The Peranakan, also known as the Straits Chinese or Baba-Nyonya, are the descendants of the early Chinese immigrants to Penang as well as to Malacca and Singapore. They have partially adopted Malay customs and speak a Chinese-Malay creole. The Peranakan community possesses a distinct identity in terms of food, costume, rites, crafts and culture. Most of the Peranakan Chinese are not Muslims but practise ancestor worship and Chinese religion. During British rule, the Peranakan had a reputation of being loyal British subjects and many of them adopted British mannerisms. They prided themselves as being Anglophone and distinguished themselves from the newly-arrived Chinamen or sinkheh. The Peranakan, however, are almost extinct today due to their re-absorption into the mainstream Chinese community. However, their legacy lives on in their great cuisine, their intricate nyonya kebaya costume and exquisite handicrafts.

Kek Lok Si Temple

Snake Temple

Penang is a very popular tourist spot in Malaysia. There are many attractive selling points in Penang Island such as Kek Lok Si Temple (panoramic view), Snake Temple, Butterfly farm, and so on. Not to mention the northwestern coastline of some fine beaches with blue sky and poldery white sand such as Tanjung Bungah, Batu Ferringhi, and Teluk Bahang. Food Penang In 2004, Time magazine rated Penang as having the Best Street Food in Asia, citing that Penang is full of many great tasting food that are very cheap in pricing. One can easily find Penang’s unique cuisine in hawker centers or roadside like penang Char Kui Teow, Penang Laksa, and Penang nyoya dishes, just to name a few of them. Famous places to taste Penang’s hawker food are Gurney Drive, Pulau Tikus, New Lane, Swatow Lane, Penang Road and Chulia Street. These “hawker food” especially noodles and fresh seafood has earned Penang the nickname of the “Food Capital of Malaysia”. Also, due to the fact that Malaysia is multi-racial and multi-religious populace, one can find unique culture practices and exciting festivels celebrations in Penang such as Dragon Boats Racing and Dumpling, Bon Odori, Nine Emperor Gods, and Thaipusam. Penang is a resort island in full bloom with numerous hotels of international standard fronting the sea along the beaches on its northern coastlines. The range of facilities and amenities available here makes it an ideal playground for worshippers of the sun and the sea.

Penang Bridge

How to get there By road, Penang Island is connected to the mainland by Penang Bridge, one of the longest bridges in Asia. Penang on the side of Province Wellesley is connected to the North-South Expressway, which traverses the western part of Peninsular Malaysia linking major cities and towns. The expressway also incorporates the Penang Bridge. By sea, there is a cross-channel ferry services that connect George Town and Butterworth. High-speed ferries to the resort island of Langkawi, Kedah in the north as well as to Medan are also available daily. By flight, Penang International Airport is located at Bayan Lepas in the south of the island. The airport serves as the northern gateway to Malaysia. The operating airlines are Firefly, Air Asia, Singapore Airlines, MAS, together with Indonesian airlines Lion Air and Mandala.

Accommodation

Recommended Accommodations:

Berjaya Georgetown | Cititel Hotel Penang | City Bayview Hotel | Bayview Beach Resort

Cititel Hotel Penang

Bayview Beach Resort

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Evergreen Laurel, G Hotel, Good Hope Inn, Grand Continental Hotel Penang, Gurney Resort Hotel, Dorsett Penang Hotel , Sunway Hotel Georgetown, The Northam Hotel, Copthorne Orchid Hotel, Grand Plaza Park Royal, Holiday Inn Resort, Shangrila-La’s Golden Sands Resort, Shangrila-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort, Equatorial Penang.

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Islands & Beaches
Famed Beaches | Aman Island | Jerejak Island

Hills/Forest Parks
Teluk Bahang Recreational Forest | Penang Hill

Place of interest: