2D1N Trip to Penang (Part 1/2)

Hubby and I were invited to his colleague’s wedding in Penang to be held on Saturday, 10 September 2016. Well, it would be a long weekend holiday due to the Hari Raya Haji celebration next Monday, 12 September 2016, so we thought, why not? Sure I just hit my 32nd week of pregnancy but if we were going to do a babymoon, might as well get to it.

Driving there from our home on that Saturday morning at 5 a.m. was cool & pleasant, there were some traffic jams along the way, namely along the Slim River road and around 3km away from the toll from the old Penang bridge. The sun was bright and our journey took around 6 hours to arrive at our first tourist stop for this trip, Penang Hill (inclusive of a 1/2 hour breakfast stop, and rest stops every 2 hours).

Clear blue skies on the New Penang Bridge

Penang Hill + David Brown Restaurant & Tea Terrace

Main entrance to train station & ticketing counter

Entrance fee charge for train for Non-Malaysians

Entrance fee charge for Malaysians

The building where we parked our car

The ticketing counter queues at 11.00 a.m. were manageable, and hubby and I were eager to try out David Brown’s restaurant at the top after reading the pretty good review on it since the change in its menu and management last year. Our wait from the ticketing counter to the top of Penang Hill took about 35-45 minutes for the normal rate, with only 1 person per group allowed to queue up at the ticketing counter with the MyCards/ passports of all members of their group to minimise the queue length, and there were 3 trains in operation. Ventilation during queue time for normal rate customers was a bit stuffy on a hot sunny day, but thank goodness there were intervals where small short benches were available for priority seaters. In between there will be staffs who will invite you to take your memento photos of the trip, which can be purchased at the exit for a fee. The train ride was smooth and the air was cool. Perfect weather to dine at the open air restaurant area.

Upon arriving at the top of Penang Hill, you would need to climb a few more flight of brick steps to reach the terrace. The signage is very simple and noticeable so it’s easy to locate it. The waiters that served us were very kind and helpful, and the food, whilst a little on the pricey side, to us was well worth the price paid. Hubby said he even felt like sleeping there after the meal because of the relaxing ambience, cloudy skies, fresh air and cool breeze!

View from First Viewing Deck

Viewing Deck nearest to train station at top of the hill

View along the walkway

Binocular viewing decks available

Some of the brick steps heading up to restaurant

Outdoor seating of the restaurant

View of the garden from restaurant

Restaurant area

Onto the dishes we ordered, hubby went for the Classic BBQ Chicken Chop whilst I opted for the Fish and Chips set menu that came with an Iced Lemon Tea, Cream of Chicken soup for appetizer, and a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream for dessert. Complimentary warm bread with butter and plain drinking water are served too.

Classic BBQ Chicken Chop (RM38.00)

First up the Classic BBQ Chicken Chop, hubby broke into a wide satisfied smile just after the first bite, and after tasting it myself, I can see why. The BBQ sauce given was ample, and the chicken meat was so tender and well marinated that it fell off easily when cut and would melt in your mouth at first bite. The vegetables and potato crisps were very fresh and their serving portion was pretty generous too so it really filled hubby up by the time he was done with it.

Cream of Chicken soup

When my Cream of Chicken soup arrived I was amazed at the first mouthful of how much flavour and effort had been put into making this soup. It was a soup made with many chunks of different vegetables such as carrots, celery and potatoes, and tender chicken bits to give it a very filling and aromatically satisfying starter. The creaminess was just right too, not too thick/ chunky/diluted, making me wish I could get another helping of this soup even before my main course arrived.

Fish and Chips - set menu (RM56.00)

For the Fish and Chips, was the serving huge! 3 whole chunks of solid meat fried in a very crispy batter, served with their own homemade cream of tartar sauce, mashed green peas and fries. Ok, so the soup did fill me up quite a bit so taking on this dish was a challenge. The fish was perfectly cooked and the hot steam would escape each time I cut into it. Coupled with the cream of tartar sauce it was a delectable way to warm up on a cool breezy day.

Vanilla ice cream with fresh whipped cream drizzled in chocolate syrup

Finishing off the whole course was a large scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with 2 small swirls of whipped fresh cream. I am normally not a whip cream person due to the fact that I did have minor lactose intolerance, but I could not spare even this serving of dessert and finished it down all the way to the last drop. The vanilla taste from the ice cream was a little too strong for hubby’s taste, but perfect for me as I now would not need to share. Yippee!

PS: I was having a slight indigestion at the time of having our meal due to the long travel and sudden change in eating time and pattern, and this ice cream really nailed the spot. Didn’t have to take my Gaviscon after that for the rest of the weekend. Oh the joy!

Alternative Pathway heading down from restaurant

Tourist area attractions

Entrance to Owl Museum, another Viewing Deck and a few handicraft gift shops

After the meal, we decided to take a quick walk around Penang Hill and were greeted with sights of many other tourist attractions in the area, including multiple viewing decks, an owl museum, a 3D theatre, temples, mosques and historical heritage sites, booths for exotic animals, henna art, various handicrafts and mementos, Love Lock, and a soon to be opened nature bridge walkway.

After such a good meal we weren’t really in the mood to participate in any of the attractions and after wandering about for around 40 minutes, we took the train back down. A point I would like to express my thanks here would be the attentiveness and helpfulness of the train station staffs. Once the fast lane customers had boarded the train, I was very thankful that the lady managing the queue let me and hubby pass through first when she noticed I was pregnant. She also guided me to a coach with available seating inside. Wow did I feel special!

On your way out at the bottom of the hill, the staffs will try to encourage you to take a look at your photo taken earlier and to purchase it. If it’s not your cup of tea, be firm when saying no to their business and you will be fine. After exiting, we decided to go check-in at our hotel to rest up before the wedding dinner that night.

Restaurant review: 4.0/5.0

Ambience and cleanliness of Penang Hill: 3.8/5.0

Attractions at Penang Hill: 3.0/5.0

Train ride review: 3.6/5.0

Overall review: 3.5/5.0

Old Penang Hotel (Day 1)

We parked our car on the roadside parking outside the hotel and checked in at around 3.00 p.m. for a 1 night stay. The hotel located along Jalan Kampung Jawa Lama, just off Jalan Dato’ Keramat and around 50metres away from Penang Times Square, had ample roadside public parking surrounding it, making it easier for us to move our stuff to and from the car. It was also a building away from a McDonald’s outlet.

Upon check-in, a RM50.00 cash deposit would need to be placed upfront, which would be refunded back upon checkout. Public parking coupons can also be purchased at the hotel counter and if a customer’s car has been compounded for not displaying the proper coupon, the hotel also offers the service of assisting them to make payment to the relevant authorities accordingly.

Table in the room, with complimentary x2 mineral water bottles and tea/coffee sachets

Queen sized bed, with air-con remote and light switches on the wall above, next to the door to the toilet

Shower and sink area

Toilet bowl on the left of the shower area

View from hotel room

The room we got was pretty clean, and faced the main road with an Indian temple (which was also a Pokestop for the game Pokemon Go) and Church in sight. The table was pretty small so we had to use its drawers and the chair as a makeshift table. The bathroom was just the right size to fit 1 person at a time, and the toiletry provided was that all-in-1 soap pump outlet on the wall for your hair/body wash. The soap provided was ok, but thankfully we brought our own toiletries and toothbrushes to make it more comfortable.

Towels prepared were clean, and 2 hooks and 4 hangers were provided. The bed sheet and pillow case looked like it might need to be cleaned as there were tiny specks of black cloth fibre on them, but is easily removable with a pinch and a few swipes. The air conditioner was positioned directly above facing the bed and being an old school type, it was pretty strong and made the air abit dry when turned on.

Microwave in lobby

Water Dispenser in lobby

The refrigerator, microwave oven, and water dispenser are located in the hotel lobby for complimentary use, and various snacks are on display for sale in a cabinet at the lobby area. There is also a small kopitiam/mamak shop just beside the hotel, but it closes by early evening if I’m not mistaken. The nearest 24-hour convenience store would be located around 200 metres away on Jalan McAlister.

Penang Times Square

Well, we rested until around 6.00p.m. and started getting ready for the wedding dinner to be held at the Indian Palace Restaurant in Penang Times Square. Arriving early, we decided to walk around the mall first and noticed that whilst the shopping area was pretty deserted, most customers were found seated at the cafes/ food shops outside the mall. Decorations for the coming mooncake festival was already in place, and there was a wax museum on the 3^rd floor of the mall. The entrance of the mall also had around 3 Pokestops for those playing Pokemon Go, so there were a number of players camped out playing there.

Decorations in mall (1)

Decorations in mall (2)

Decorations in mall (3)

Decorations in mall (4)

Other than that, there wasn’t much for us to do and after awhile, we decided to head on over to the wedding dinner venue.

Overall mall review: 2.0/5.0