Tropical Getaway

Rooms had balconies overlooking the pool and beach--what a lovely way to wake up to in the morning. The pool is on the beach as well, so the view is amazing. The staff was so helpful and nice.

This is a true tourist trap and not a very good one at that. The place is huge and has big round tables that seat 10, so it's likely you'll be sitting with strangers.

Let me start with the servers. Not one of them smiled - it was like they hated being there. The food was different, but we never got an explanation of what we were eating, which was a little unnerving. It's all served family-style, with big bowls of stews and different kinds of fish. They had native dancers that tried to get the patrons to come up onstage and do some steps - and of course they were waiting for tips at the end of it all. All in all, it really wasn't very good, the food or the atmosphere.

The best part was walking back to the hotel. There is a flea market all along both sides of the street that opens only at night. There are lots of trinkets to buy.

One hundred ten years ago, Cheong Fatt Tze, one of the most flamboyant of all Penang's multimillionaire towkays during the island's heyday of wealthy magnates, built a place to live with his seven wives. At the time, Cheong was the "Rockefeller of the East". He was Consult General for China, Mandarin of the Highest Order, and director of China's railway and first modern bank. He passed away in 1916 at the age of 76.

The mansion, in its original indigo blue, incorporates 38 rooms, five granite-paved courtyards, seven staircases, and 220 vernacular timber-louvred windows. Master craftsmen were imported from China in the 1880s to build this masterpiece.

Eventually, the house fell into disarray after his last son died in 1989. In 1995, the mansion was bought and authentically restored over six years by Laurence Loh and Loh-Lim. The epitome of Feng-Shui, it is now an exclusive bed-and-breakfast. Located in the 'Georgetown District' of Penang, The Blue House is a beautiful reminder of early fortune. (The servants lived across the street.) This tour is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon while in Penang. It's amazing to see all the engraved wood and tiled doorways. The 1993 movie 'Indochine' was shot here, starring Catherine Denueve. It's great tour, and they take donations for the guided tour.

Up a steep hill, you can see orangutans in their natural habitat. The Sanctuary started in 1964 for the rehabilitation of orphaned baby orangutans, designed to return tame or captured orangutans to the wild. Some get so attached to thier handlers, it's hard for them to go back into the wild. These gentle creatures are playful and full of life. There is no touching to avoid the spread of disease, but you can watch them get fed milk and bananas two times a day, once at 10am and then again at 3pm. This is a beautiful place to spend the day. It's a real jungle habitat.