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Eastern & Oriental Hotel

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    $204Recent Rate
  • 10 LEBUH FARQUHAR
     Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia 10200
    +(6) 04 222 2000Website
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Richard Cain
Richard Cain
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
3
Reviews
2
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Eastern & Oriental - The Grand Dame of Penang

  • April 8, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by a traveler from Travelocity.com
This place is truly "grand." You feel as though you have gone back in time to the 1920's but with the modern ammenities situated so that they do not detract from the ambience or look grossly out of place. The pool is nostalgic so not a giant water park type. The hotel is right on the water but there is no beach front access so not a good choice if you are after beach activity from your hotel. Evening dining in the dining hall (if you did not go to one of the specialty lounges/restaurants) kind of reminded me of the movie "Dirty Dancing" in that people dressed nicely but casually, listened to music while dining and the waiters wore formal attire and served wine/champaigne. It was an elegant atmosphere but yet very child friendly in the food offered and staff attitudes. The evening buffet was so wonderful! Our room was on the ground floor with French doors opening up to the garden area which had some lawn furniture and then it only took about 20 steps to be standing at the edge of the pool. Customer service was probably the best we've ever had. I think that I booked the room online, last minute through Agoda.com. Anyhow, when we arrived, they had no notification of our room or the special rate. Customer service was so good that I never found out what happened (actually suspect it was even my fault) and we were immediately set up in their last available room and given the rate that I said I'd booked the room at (a rate seriously below their normal rate for that room). Classy, historic, cool hotel with great staff & food. I hope to get to stay there again.

Old Time Charm

  • May 30, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by a traveler from Travelocity.com
The suite I stayed at is spacious, nicely decorated with old fashion furniture together with modern day amenities in the bathroom. I enjoyed the stay and the hospitality of the staff and would definitely make a point to stay at it when I visit Penang again.
Editor Pick

Eastern & Oriental Hotel

  • January 27, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Richard Cain from Bangkok, Thailand
Eastern & Oriental Hotel

Unlike its sibling, Raffles in Singapore (both were established by the famous Sarkies brothers), the E&O’s renovation has been exactly that --renovation rather than rebuilding. It looked pretty much as it would have 100 years ago. In some places, notably the corridor to our room on the second floor, it looked its age. Perhaps the renovation here included only layers of paint. At $100 a night, it’s actually quite cheap for a five-star hotel, but the rooms, or rather the suites, as there are no rooms, are far superior to many five-star hotels I have been to. It really did feel like the lap of luxury of times past.

You enter a sitting room replete with a desk, sofa, and, of course, TV. Forget the TV, though, because a wide, tall window opens out with a view over a manicured garden and, beyond that, the straights of Penang and the mainland. If you look back into the room, you see the sliding doors into the bedroom. On either side of the bed there were table lamps and, next to them, an old-fashioned bell push marked with the word "butler," as the room comes with 24-hour butler service. Nice touch. Beyond the bedroom is perhaps the most impressive part of the suite, the bathroom. More sliding doors reveal, in the centre, a shining white tub flanked by sinks, one for him and one for her. In the corners there is a shower and toilet, and all around are gleaming tiles and mirrors. I’ve slept in smaller hotel rooms.

Out of the window I had spied the swimming pool. So it was here we had a chance to soak up the remnants of the dying sun. Too early for cocktails? I think not.

From journal Penang: Multicultural Melange of the Tropics

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