I was in Penang for a couple of days early this week on some personal matters but I took time off to enjoy some of the island’s well-known offerings, namely food! We were at the Bayview Resort at Batu Ferringhi and had a corner room that gave us two delightful views, one looked inland to the rainforest-covered hills not too far away and the other opened up a vista of the sea glimmering in the afternoon sun over homes and tall trees.

The next two days, however, were cloudy so there wasn’t much to do by the sea but to enjoy the comfortable room and enjoy the views from the room balcony over hot tea. Four-star Bayview’s food is also quite good. The lamb shank curry and lasagne at one lunch buffet was especially good. There are also a number of hawker fare around the hotel which also live up to Penang’s reputation as a food haven.

The best chicken rice I have had in my entire life was in Penang this time at Kafe Kheng Pin in Georgetown (See pic).  Hmmm. So tasty! Although I didn’t have any, I’m told its lobak (skewers of meat) is as good!

It was the school holidays and there wasn’t much of a crowd at the places we went to. But, we drove around and it was nice to see the world-class development away from the beach. The island has all the modern amenities while keeping some of its past heritage.

Most of the shops closer to the resort areas maintain the old restored facades while the interiors are modern and well-decorated. The roads are narrow but the traffic moves.

For a quick getaway for a restful, reasonably-priced hotel-based holiday with easy access to hawker fare and some sight-seeing, Penang is enjoyably convenient.