I LOVE PENANG

So i am biased, but Penang has always been an ideal location, the weather is always sunny with a sea breeze, there's history in all the old buildings, plenty of good food and if you can wrench yourselves away from the hotel the food along Batu ferringhi on the street side cafes is brilliant. Last trip we stayed at the shangrila and down the road we found a spot that was full every night with tourists. There were maybe 20 or so vendors selling all style of food from satays to crabs to curries, and we ate there most nights for as little as $20 which included a beer or two. Taxis are cheap, but if you want one cheaper grab one off the street. getting the doorman to bring one in and it's extra. From memory we used to go uptown for $5, but we found staying in the area for a while that there was a fairly set rate for tourist. Malaysia is a muslim country so don't be surprised when there is no bacon to go with your eggs, and just make sure you don't have a mosque under your bedroom window which we had when we stayed at the Golden sands. 5.30am each morning the loud speakers would blare out a welcome to all the faithful. They move us three times during that stay. BEACH, well the hotels have such good pools ,there's little reason to venture onto the beach but if you do there are the hawkers and the massage guys but that's Asia all over, everywhere you go there is someone trying to sell you something and initially it's fun but it can become tiresome. You will have a wonderful time in Penang, the exchange rate is unbelieable, the food is brilliant, the sun is hot and the happy hours are generous. Gurney Plaza was good for shopping and so were the markets in Penang, visited 5 different lots and found the prices cheaper than BKK, but you had to bargain hard. The airport is laid back and old and not a problem to sort out. regards bkkrop