Christian and I were having a lovely chitchat under the stars with our 3-year-old son who was busy playing with his toy cars. It was a midnight picnic. We were on the balcony of a gorgeous suite that’s housed in a heritage building in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The setting was all too perfect at The George Penang by The Crest Collection, the newest 5-star boutique hotel in Penang. It was indeed a vacation from our vacation.
Penang will always hold a special place in my travel heart if there’s such a term, that even if it’s my fifth time in this Malaysian state, the excitement is still there (check here for discounted tours, activities, and transportation in Penang).
I’m always excited to go back to Penang because of the food and of course, the idea of getting lost in this beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most of all, I always look forward to catching up with dear loved ones, as well as the friends we made over the past years.
Christian and I have been traveling together for ten years now and for the first time, our three-year-old son joined us on our backpacking trip. This year we went to Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines for 36 days straight (we aptly named our trip, #BackpackingWithAKid2023.) Our annual backpacking trips became some sort of “tradition” during my two-month school vacation.
During our 8-day stint in Penang, Malaysia, we had the chance to stay at one of the newest hotels in Georgetown, The George Penang by The Crest Collection . The hotel is housed in a heritage building that was built in 1923. It was utilized as the George Town Dispensary that supplied medicine to hospitals not only in Penang but to Malaysia and Thailand.
The George Penang by The Crest Collection is a 5-star boutique hotel that is perfectly situated in the middle of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Georgetown. This modern and chic hotel has a regal and opulence vibe to it with its exquisite furniture and fixtures.
The moment you stepped into the lobby, you’ll feel the grandiose touches on the design. The choice of furniture was funky and also added some splashes of colors.
We went straight to the front desk officer and were told that the room wasn’t ready yet so we asked if we could just stay at the pool first while we wait.
It was late afternoon and the pool area was the perfect refuge. Akira brought out his crayons and started doodling on his pad. We wanted to take a dip but we knew that his naptime will be soon. We all got excited when they told us that our room was ready.
The layout of the hotel was interesting because it’s a heritage building. The sophisticated yet trendy door numbers complemented the architectural features of the corridor with railings that overlooked the indoor pool.
Our Colonial Suite was huge and the moment we stepped in, we knew that we’re in for a great time.
A huge cabinet with funky wallpaper design greeted us as we entered the suite. I checked out what’s inside and realized that it’s the mini bar. Just across it was a door leading to the powder room. I shrieked because of excitement the moment I saw the Japanese-style toilet inside, the same reaction I have when I go into a toilet upon arriving in Japan.
The spacious living room was designed with funky furniture pieces in addition to the sofa bed. The room was also adorned with beautiful light fixtures. The room exudes a sense of a classic chic feel to it.
Akira couldn’t take his eyes off a basket filled with local knick-knacks that rested on the table. There was also a towel that was turned into an elephant with a kid’s sunglasses on it. I told him that it was a gift for him from the hotel.
There was a door leading to the main bedroom where the overall theme of the suite followed through. An open-layout closet occupied the back of the door and it was filled with extra pillows, bathrobes, bedroom slippers, and more.
The comfy bed was huge and Akira immediately jumped into it and rested on the fluffy pillows. The light fixtures on both sides of the bed and the bed frame were definitely the accent pieces of the whole space.
Another surprise was a door from the bedroom that leads to a huge bathroom. We were all in awe of how beautiful the space was.
The black and white floor tiles were gorgeous and sitting on one end is the freestanding bathtub—the focal point of the room. The tub was complete with a body scrub, a native brush, and bath salts.
The vanity was accentuated with a huge mirror and a magnifying mirror. Bath amenities were also neatly organized in trays and a woven laundry basket sat opposite the fluffy rug. There’s also a Japanese-style toilet here and a shower stall.
I guess the main feature of the suite was the huge terrace that can be accessed with sliding doors from both the bedroom and the living room.
Akira ran around outside while mentioning how happy he was to have a place where he could play with his toy cars. The rectangular sofa was perfect with the round center table. There’s also a bit of an awning that provides some shade in the seating area as well as cover from the rain.
There’s also a coffee table with chairs on the other end of the space. I just wish that there would be more plants in between the terraces so there would be more privacy.
We had to tell Akira that it was his naptime already even if may sound anti-climactic. He took his nap in the bedroom where I drew the curtains closed. He slept in no time.
Christian and I eventually relaxed on the terrace while holding back the urge to take a nap as well. We didn’t wanna miss the chance to hang out in our suite.
It was six in the afternoon when we woke Akira up. We met up with our friends, Stephanie and Steven, and went to the best Duck Blood Curry Mee in town. After the quick meet-up, we headed back to The George and nursed our full tummies.
It was around nine in the evening when we all decided to check out the happenings around us. We started our aimless stroll along Lebuh Chulia, just right outside the hotel.
We saw some restaurants and cafes that were filled with diners. There were also some bars where they played live music. The vibe was lovely and people literally gave out some high fives with Akira, and our son was game.
If it were the old times (A.K.A. pre-Akira days), we’d definitely hang out at one of these bars and chill for a bit, but we had our son with us so we went back to The George Penang by The Crest Collection and had our own beer night sesh on the terrace. Akira, on the other hand, was busy playing with his toys.
I was awoken by the flicker of sunshine passing through the sheer drapes. I always keep the curtains open when we sleep at night because I have a tendency to oversleep if the thick curtains are all shut.
I enjoyed that “me” time as I looked closer to where Akira was. While I was cocooned inside the duvet, he looked like in heat with his arms stretched wide on top of the sheets. Christian was in the same actual position as our son.
After the two woke up, I immediately asked them if we could go and have breakfast because I was super excited about what The George Penang by The Crest Collection had to offer. Our room came with a buffet breakfast for two and because our son’s only three, he was free of charge.
Saffron Dining is the in-house restaurant of The George and is located at the ground level. The vintage chic design of the lobby echoes through the all-day dining restaurant. I immediately fell in love with the hand-painted porcelain floor tiles in different shades of blue when I saw them.
The first thing I noticed was the aroma all over the place which made me hungry. The vibrant colors of each section were evident and I needed time to scan the buffet spread before I started. Well, I needed to get something for Akira first though. Good thing, there were many fruits, milk, and bread options which are his favorites.
Christian immediately grabbed some nasi lemak and roti with curry. I love how not one item was overpowering the other but rather complementing it.
The curry mee as well as mee goreng were good. The breakfast staples such as baked beans, sausage, and dim sum were equally good but we wanted to eat as much Penang food as we could.
But what stood out the most for me was this unassuming small yellow bun filled with creamy salted egg-flavored custard. It was so good that I let Akira taste it for approval and he also gave his thumbs up.
We went back to our suite while nursing our full tummies. I then suggested to Akira that we should have a bubble bath, and so we did.
We had one full hour of bubble bath and as much as we wanted to stay longer, we needed to check out soon.
After years and years of traveling, I kinda developed a gut feeling about whether or not a certain hotel would last long or not. Some hotels would be remarkable because of their exquisite personalized service or their historical value of it. And for some reason, I know, deep in my heart, that the whole concept of The George Penang by The Crest Collection was well-thought-out and very well executed. It’s not too loud or flashy but rather classy. What I loved most was how they transformed this colonial heritage building into a beautiful 5-star boutique hotel in Penang. It truly adds to the charm of Georgetown as a Heritage City. We will surely come back here.
The George (check here for discounted room rates)
138, Jalan Penang, George Town,
10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Contact Number: (+60) 4291.9000
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