Advice on Penang

[Habrosus]

Was checking out Cititel Penang, when I came across this:

> FREE Broadband Internet access for up to 2 devices per room.

Under normal circumstances, anyone knows if such an access will allow us to plug in a wireless mobile router to connect more than 2 devices?

 

[turtlezhu]

have never been to penang before. what is there to do there. as i got voucher for 2 night free stay with breakfast.

 

[ramakian]

Came back from 2nights in png. Stayed at The Glow at Jln Macalister.

Spent 2.5 hrs at the Kek Lok Si. Very hot but loved the weather up in the hill. Then took bus to Jln Penang for the infamous Line clear Nasi Kandar. Ordered Chicken masala, omelette n medium size prawns. Eat with your hands for the kandar experience plus when u see the oily untensils lying in the water in the tray, eating with hands seems more hygienic.

Drank loads of umbra juice with sour plum to wash down all the greasy hawker food.The locals love it n everywhere u see them drinking it.

Had the famous penang rd cendol. Nice but not really to my liking. Had some nice CKT at various places n prices from rm9 to rm4. Tried the Dayumm pork burger at Jln macalister tien lai kopitiam. Not bad. Moist n juicy pork patty.

Watched Hunger Games for only rm22 for 2 pax at pragin mall. Ate variety of local food with the locals at Lor Baru aka New Lane.

Last day went to New World Park food court off Jln Burma to try those local food all under one roof.

Got around on foot, bus n taxi. Taxi I used the app Myteksi to book. Fast n easy.

Overall 3 days just nice for short getaway.

 

[etoilebiscuit]

guys, can i ask if we can purchase dfs from changi if gg penang for 4d3n?

 

[chehjin]

Was checking out Cititel Penang, when I came across this:

> FREE Broadband Internet access for up to 2 devices per room.

Under normal circumstances, anyone knows if such an access will allow us to plug in a wireless mobile router to connect more than 2 devices?

depends on how they offer the connection. from what you posted, it is most likely free wireless access. so dunno how you want to link the mobile router?

anyway, 2nd thing is, even on lan, there will usually be a login page to key in like room number and passcode to get access and they might check login based on mac id.

anyway, end of day, YMMV depending on how sophisticated the system is.

 

[chehjin]

guys, can i ask if we can purchase dfs from changi if gg penang for 4d3n?

travelling from malaysia, land, air, sea, all no duty free. don't need to try. DFS changi will refuse to sell you once they see your boarding pass.

of cos, you can buy malaysia side and try your luck by hiding it in your cabin luggage. but at your own risk hor. but, honestly, malaysia duty free prices is not good at all in my opinion).

 

[chehjin]

do you think if travel with family can go penang without renting a car?
will be troublesome?

if travelling in group bigger than 4 adults, its better to rent a big car or arrange a local driver. it is too much hassle to coordinate for so many people on public transport.

besides, more people, your rental becomes more economical. Confirm cheaper then taking 2 or more taxis.

I think take bus is possible if everyone knows what number to take, where to get off, etc. else sure headache

 

[etoilebiscuit]

travelling from malaysia, land, air, sea, all no duty free. don't need to try. DFS changi will refuse to sell you once they see your boarding pass.

of cos, you can buy malaysia side and try your luck by hiding it in your cabin luggage. but at your own risk hor. but, honestly, malaysia duty free prices is not good at all in my opinion).

thanks for the headsup. my alcohol
i heard that buses are quite convenient in penang,
do they have those tourist bus brochures?

 

[Habrosus]

depends on how they offer the connection. from what you posted, it is most likely free wireless access. so dunno how you want to link the mobile router?

anyway, 2nd thing is, even on lan, there will usually be a login page to key in like room number and passcode to get access and they might check login based on mac id.

anyway, end of day, YMMV depending on how sophisticated the system is.

From what I've seen, hotels normally highlight "Wireless" unless it's LAN, so I took this phrase - > FREE Broadband Internet access for up to 2 devices per room. - as such. Thus strange to see a limit to LAN connection offered.

Maybe I'll send them an email to ask.

Anyway, I always have mobile data in my devices, only issue is that such a connection tend to be weaker in hotel rooms, somehow.

thanks for the headsup. my alcohol
i heard that buses are quite convenient in penang,
do they have those tourist bus brochures?

Came across this, the other day, but yet to explore:
Rapid Penang | www.rapidpg.com.my

 

[chehjin]

thanks for the headsup. my alcohol
i heard that buses are quite convenient in penang,
do they have those tourist bus brochures?

just use the link given by Habrosus above to search for buses.

now if you are travelling from depot to tourist places or within major town areas, you can find the bus stops easily. it is when you go out of town or outskirts then you have to ask the locals where the bus stop is as there is no physical bus stop. just a small sign or word of mouth

2 of my memorable bus stops.

a) fire hydrant along major highway
b) 2nd lamp post along deserted road

if u speak malay lagi best, i seen the locals ask the bus stop right at their block YMMV

 

[palmpda]

There are many variations of tourist maps in penang.....easily 7-8 different types.

Some of the maps will give infor on the buses that go to the popular sites.

Something to bear in mind, bus routes do change so please do confirm with locals or bus drivers.

I found this website very useful (bus infor and everything else):
Rapid Penang Bus Routes & Guide for Budget Travellers

thanks for the headsup. my alcohol
i heard that buses are quite convenient in penang,
do they have those tourist bus brochures?

 

[palmpda]

chehjin is right.

Some TA review had this:
"However, there was this cumbersome log-in system which you had to access via a web browser first, before getting any internet access. You had to leave that webpage open while surfing. If you wanted to surf the net with another device, you have to go back to that webpage and log out with the current device, before logging-in with the new one."

So they control via the login page.

depends on how they offer the connection. from what you posted, it is most likely free wireless access. so dunno how you want to link the mobile router?

anyway, 2nd thing is, even on lan, there will usually be a login page to key in like room number and passcode to get access and they might check login based on mac id.

anyway, end of day, YMMV depending on how sophisticated the system is.

 

[Andrew Lee]

have never been to penang before. what is there to do there. as i got voucher for 2 night free stay with breakfast.

Then you have even more reasons to visit Penang. There are tons of activities,food to eat and places to visit in Penang. To put it short, you go to Penang for food,see the heritage and also the Street Mural Arts,plus to take some photos! You go Penang to explore the local food,heritage and cultures of Penang.

 

[Andrew Lee]

if travelling in group bigger than 4 adults, its better to rent a big car or arrange a local driver. it is too much hassle to coordinate for so many people on public transport.

besides, more people, your rental becomes more economical. Confirm cheaper then taking 2 or more taxis.

I think take bus is possible if everyone knows what number to take, where to get off, etc. else sure headache

Yup,more people sharing the fixed cost,sure cheaper the price per pax as the rate are calculated based on per car,per day basis and not per pax. Plus,you save your travelling time as taking bus will consume a huge amount of precious time,especially if you going to Penang only for 3D2N. Therefore, time is super precious as there are so so many places to see,take photos and eat in Penang!

In addition,you need to take into consideration the jam in Penang which will eventually eat up some precious time on the road. Taking bus is much cheaper but cars and MPV are smaller than bus and easy to maneuver on the road during jam. Besides, arranging a local driver to bring you around will make sure that you have a seat,comfortable journey and only exclusive to your friends & families. You don't get to squeeze or mix around with others during your trip to explore Penang.

And also,you don't have to walk under the scorching sun or heavy rain!Some they do offer umbrellas in the car and their driver even take the initiative to hold the umbrella for you when it rains! What a service. It's really like a premium chauffeur service.

Since the plan to travel to Penang is for our own holiday,and going on a holiday,for sure we would expect to spend some money. Since we are ready to spend that money,why no we spend it meaningfully to make sure that we really really enjoy and have a memorable trip,right?

 

[The_Flash]

hi guys, am driving up to penang this weekend for the first time with another 2 friends to rotate driving. Planning 15-19 hours for the trip with pit stops in between. What are the suggest rest/petrol areas and any recommendations of places to visit? Probably setting off in the early morning about ~4am?

 

[chehjin]

hi guys, am driving up to penang this weekend for the first time with another 2 friends to rotate driving. Planning 15-19 hours for the trip with pit stops in between. What are the suggest rest/petrol areas and any recommendations of places to visit? Probably setting off in the early morning about ~4am?

15-19 hours is too much la. I solo drive with 2 rest stops, took less than 9 hours only. (from amk to Chulia Street) okie, i admit my speed is a bit higher then speed limit but still your estimate is way high unless you intend to stop for leisure lunch and dinner somewhere.

I suggest you to stop at the newly constructed or renovated rest stops that are bigger in size.

Just after Malacca area, you can try Ayer Keroh R&R, after KL, near Ipoh can consider Tapah R&R. these 2 popular with Singaporeans and usually got more people around.

In between when you see the other R&R signboards, the board will list in logo form what facilities they have. The more logos usually mean the bigger the rest stop. you can consider stop and see. If you dun feel comfortable, just carry on to slip road and exit. There are some pretty nice R&R, just the 2 I suggested are in the just nice place to stop in between road trips.

My advise is to skip KL area totally, make sure ur GPS route you around KL and not through it to avoid jam and heavy traffic.

If you really want leisure trip, on way up, consider stop at malacca for lunch, on way back, stop in ipoh for lunch.

 

[Andrew Lee]

hi guys, am driving up to penang this weekend for the first time with another 2 friends to rotate driving. Planning 15-19 hours for the trip with pit stops in between. What are the suggest rest/petrol areas and any recommendations of places to visit? Probably setting off in the early morning about ~4am?

Hi,drive safe and have a safe journey. You can rest at the Ayer Keroh Bridge Restaurant in Melaka, Tapah Rest Area in Perak and Bukit Beruntung rest area straight off to Penang. Usually I'll stop at these places and straight head to Penang unless I am really sleepy. 15-19 hours is way too long a journey. A normal journey from SG to Penang should take at least 6-8 hours only on normal traffic. My usual speed were between 120-140 km/hour with only 2 stops in between.

Why do I recommend these 3 places? Ayer Keroh is a good place for your breakfast and pump some petrol if you start your journey at 4 am as you will reach Air Keroh at around 6.30-7am depending on your driving speed. Once you had your breakfast, you can continue your journey for another 4 hours and rest at Tapah Rest area for a quick toilet break and petrol refill. Bukit Beruntung rest area is also another place for toilet break and petrol refill if you need it.

In Penang, if you love tea and would like to buy some tea back as souvenirs for your friends,families or colleagues,then you can visit the renowned tea factory in Penang: Hana Tea Factory which is located at Tanjung Bungah. There, you can see how tea is being processed,manufactured and packed!Not only that,you can also enjoy your tea break and sip a cup of tasty,quality tea at the cafe inside to quench your thirst from the hot weather in Penang.

Besides that, you can also visit happening places like 3D Interactive Museum, Kek Lok Si temple, Penang Hill, Penang Peranakan Museum (exploring Baba & Nyonya culture), Armenian Street (most happening street in Penang), Escape,Penang Fruit Farm,Camera Museum. If you are in penang on Sunday, you can go down to Beach Street where they will have awesome events on the street. They call it Occupy Beach Street! Lots of performances like zumba dance,magic show,archery games,story telling and much more, happening every Sunday!

If you love arts and take selfie or some photos, you can head to the Street Arts places- There are more places painted with mural street arts recently in such as places around Georgetown and Balik Pulau. You can also visit Penang Arts Centre at the Hin Bus Depot located at Jalan Gurdwara. Lots of fantastic arts depicting local heritage and cultures by the ever famous Ernest Zacharevic are on display there!

Well,I guess you must be waiting to see if there is any place with delicious food to eat in Penang! Of course one of the recommended place is New Lane Street food. Not to be missed is Penang Famous Chendol at Lebuh Kheng Kwee (off Jalan Penang), Hai Boey seafood, Kuey Chap at Kimberley Street and so much more!! Can PM me if you would like to know more.

But kindly take note that Gurney Drive food court which is just beside Gurney Plaza is not recommended to explore local food as the food there are not delicious,not that local in taste and flavour and slightly more expensive in the prices. Another place to avoid from going is the Air Itam Laksa,which is the roadside stall on the way to Kek Lok Si temple. The laksa there is way below Penang Laksa standard, not that local in taste and flavour, soup too watery and slightly more expensive in their price.

 

[geylangeast]

Dear Fellow Travelers,

Any idea where can rent bike for Penang?

How much per hours?

Per day?

Thanks so much.

 

[sbl2560]

Armenian street area, plenty of bicycle for rental. RM 10 for a day of rental, or lower if you hunt around.

 

[The_Flash]

15-19 hours is too much la. I solo drive with 2 rest stops, took less than 9 hours only. (from amk to Chulia Street) okie, i admit my speed is a bit higher then speed limit but still your estimate is way high unless you intend to stop for leisure lunch and dinner somewhere.

I suggest you to stop at the newly constructed or renovated rest stops that are bigger in size.

Just after Malacca area, you can try Ayer Keroh R&R, after KL, near Ipoh can consider Tapah R&R. these 2 popular with Singaporeans and usually got more people around.

In between when you see the other R&R signboards, the board will list in logo form what facilities they have. The more logos usually mean the bigger the rest stop. you can consider stop and see. If you dun feel comfortable, just carry on to slip road and exit. There are some pretty nice R&R, just the 2 I suggested are in the just nice place to stop in between road trips.

My advise is to skip KL area totally, make sure ur GPS route you around KL and not through it to avoid jam and heavy traffic.

If you really want leisure trip, on way up, consider stop at malacca for lunch, on way back, stop in ipoh for lunch.

Hi,drive safe and have a safe journey. You can rest at the Ayer Keroh Bridge Restaurant in Melaka, Tapah Rest Area in Perak and Bukit Beruntung rest area straight off to Penang. Usually I'll stop at these places and straight head to Penang unless I am really sleepy. 15-19 hours is way too long a journey. A normal journey from SG to Penang should take at least 6-8 hours only on normal traffic. My usual speed were between 120-140 km/hour with only 2 stops in between.

Why do I recommend these 3 places? Ayer Keroh is a good place for your breakfast and pump some petrol if you start your journey at 4 am as you will reach Air Keroh at around 6.30-7am depending on your driving speed. Once you had your breakfast, you can continue your journey for another 4 hours and rest at Tapah Rest area for a quick toilet break and petrol refill. Bukit Beruntung rest area is also another place for toilet break and petrol refill if you need it.

In Penang, if you love tea and would like to buy some tea back as souvenirs for your friends,families or colleagues,then you can visit the renowned tea factory in Penang: Hana Tea Factory which is located at Tanjung Bungah. There, you can see how tea is being processed,manufactured and packed!Not only that,you can also enjoy your tea break and sip a cup of tasty,quality tea at the cafe inside to quench your thirst from the hot weather in Penang.

Besides that, you can also visit happening places like 3D Interactive Museum, Kek Lok Si temple, Penang Hill, Penang Peranakan Museum (exploring Baba & Nyonya culture), Armenian Street (most happening street in Penang), Escape,Penang Fruit Farm,Camera Museum. If you are in penang on Sunday, you can go down to Beach Street where they will have awesome events on the street. They call it Occupy Beach Street! Lots of performances like zumba dance,magic show,archery games,story telling and much more, happening every Sunday!

If you love arts and take selfie or some photos, you can head to the Street Arts places- There are more places painted with mural street arts recently in such as places around Georgetown and Balik Pulau. You can also visit Penang Arts Centre at the Hin Bus Depot located at Jalan Gurdwara. Lots of fantastic arts depicting local heritage and cultures by the ever famous Ernest Zacharevic are on display there!

Well,I guess you must be waiting to see if there is any place with delicious food to eat in Penang! Of course one of the recommended place is New Lane Street food. Not to be missed is Penang Famous Chendol at Lebuh Kheng Kwee (off Jalan Penang), Hai Boey seafood, Kuey Chap at Kimberley Street and so much more!! Can PM me if you would like to know more.

But kindly take note that Gurney Drive food court which is just beside Gurney Plaza is not recommended to explore local food as the food there are not delicious,not that local in taste and flavour and slightly more expensive in the prices. Another place to avoid from going is the Air Itam Laksa,which is the roadside stall on the way to Kek Lok Si temple. The laksa there is way below Penang Laksa standard, not that local in taste and flavour, soup too watery and slightly more expensive in their price.

Wow, very detailed. Thanks guys, really appreciate it! Will definitely stop at some of your suggested stops.