Ipoh info.
Mar 24, 2009 | 3:19 pm
#1
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Ipoh info.
If you have been to Ipoh, Malaysia, I am interested in your opinion about it. Any reason to visit it? Is it a nice city? Are there any interesting sites in or around the city?
Any opinon about the Majestic Station Hotel at the train station?
Also, any suggestions about accommodation in Penang would be welcome to. I am looking for a accomodation hotel with aircon and TV with sports programming and news in English and free broadband internet. I am not looking for a resort orlots of amenities. Proximity to restuarants would be a plus.
Any opinon about the Majestic Station Hotel at the train station?
Also, any suggestions about accommodation in Penang would be welcome to. I am looking for a accomodation hotel with aircon and TV with sports programming and news in English and free broadband internet. I am not looking for a resort orlots of amenities. Proximity to restuarants would be a plus.
Mar 24, 2009 | 5:40 pm
#2
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If you are driving from KL to Penang, its a place to stop for lunch.
There are some cave temples that some people might find interesting but thats about it. The Station Hotel is purely to colonial nostalgic purposes. It was nostalgic when I was growing up 40 years ago so heavens knows what it must be like now. Been reading the reviews on TripAdvisor and the comments made last year is the exact same ones I would have made 40 years ago.
If you do stop of lunch, Ipoh is famous for its Ipoh rice noodle soup with chicken - very bland but its a local speciality of the town
There are some cave temples that some people might find interesting but thats about it. The Station Hotel is purely to colonial nostalgic purposes. It was nostalgic when I was growing up 40 years ago so heavens knows what it must be like now. Been reading the reviews on TripAdvisor and the comments made last year is the exact same ones I would have made 40 years ago.
If you do stop of lunch, Ipoh is famous for its Ipoh rice noodle soup with chicken - very bland but its a local speciality of the town
Last edited by KenJohn; Mar 24, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Mar 26, 2009 | 12:52 am
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I concur with previous poster - stop in Ipoh only if you're driving and need a break.
Although there are some nice sights to be had, particularly if you enjoy a flashback to a time where things moved a lot more slowly, Ipoh is decidely untouristy. The train station is old and worth a 5-minute look-see. I had some great dim-sum in Old Town (I'm told the "city" [that's being very generous] is split into 2 sections: old and new) with lots of character, noise, old men with bird cages etc and I'll never forget eating Ipoh Chicken Rice al fresco under electric poles teeming with crows at dusk. Summary: will probably appeal only to fans of "how it used to be in the old days" or Lat the cartoonist (his Town Boy graphic novel takes place in Ipoh)
If you're driving, the Chinese temple set in a limestone cave is called Sam Po Tong. You might also might want to make a stop here and there (if you're not on the PLUS highway) at roadside shops selling pomelo (a fruit very much like grapefruit), peanuts and chinese-style chicken crackers, all of which I was told were the signature produce of the region.
The 2 hotels that I've stayed in Penang were the Mutiara Beach Resort and the E&O Hotel (I stayed there pre-and-post the redo). The Mutiara (very nice though) is far away at the very end of Ferringhi Beach so out of the running here. E&O, close-in to town, was nice but pricey. I would take a look at tripadvisor. What might help you decide: Sunway, Berjaya, Cititel are well-known local hotel chains. Evergreen Laurel is a Taiwanese chain, also good. You'd probably want to stay in Georgetown which is the town/city area on Penang Island.
Although there are some nice sights to be had, particularly if you enjoy a flashback to a time where things moved a lot more slowly, Ipoh is decidely untouristy. The train station is old and worth a 5-minute look-see. I had some great dim-sum in Old Town (I'm told the "city" [that's being very generous] is split into 2 sections: old and new) with lots of character, noise, old men with bird cages etc and I'll never forget eating Ipoh Chicken Rice al fresco under electric poles teeming with crows at dusk. Summary: will probably appeal only to fans of "how it used to be in the old days" or Lat the cartoonist (his Town Boy graphic novel takes place in Ipoh)
If you're driving, the Chinese temple set in a limestone cave is called Sam Po Tong. You might also might want to make a stop here and there (if you're not on the PLUS highway) at roadside shops selling pomelo (a fruit very much like grapefruit), peanuts and chinese-style chicken crackers, all of which I was told were the signature produce of the region.
The 2 hotels that I've stayed in Penang were the Mutiara Beach Resort and the E&O Hotel (I stayed there pre-and-post the redo). The Mutiara (very nice though) is far away at the very end of Ferringhi Beach so out of the running here. E&O, close-in to town, was nice but pricey. I would take a look at tripadvisor. What might help you decide: Sunway, Berjaya, Cititel are well-known local hotel chains. Evergreen Laurel is a Taiwanese chain, also good. You'd probably want to stay in Georgetown which is the town/city area on Penang Island.