MALAYSIA
Basic Info
Flying to Malaysia is fairly easy, particularly from Singapore. One thing to note is that due to the pandemic, there are increased safety measures. However, it’s all very easy to complete. The first thing to do is, download the MySejahtara App and upload your vaccination status through the “Traveler” icon. Also make sure to complete your arrival card before entering which asks you to fill in the details of your stay. Before entering Malaysia your app should show that your are Fully vaccinated.
If you are flying from Singapore, there are plenty of flights but we chose to go on Singapore Airlines. For us, it has been a hassle free very convenient airline.We flew into Penang International Airport, which takes about 1 hour.
Major currency is the malaysian ringgit.
Once you reach the airport you have a couple options to reach your hotel. We first tried “Grab”, which is the transport/food/payment app used in both Singapore and Malaysia. This is typically the cheapest option and very similar to Uber. However, we weren’t able to get a car on the app so we decided to take the airport taxi which was 70 MYR.
Day 1: Batu Ferringhi
Stay at Shangri-La Rasa Sayang : fabulous hotel located in Batu Ferringhi, which is basically a beach town located right outside of Georgetown in Penang. Fair warning, although this is a beautiful hotel with excellent service it is quite far away from the main city and takes about 30 minutes by drive. If you are looking for a nice place to stay in Georgetown I would recommend the Eastern and Oriental or the Blue Mansion. Both are luxury properties and the former is a favorite stay for VIP’s coming to Penang.
Eat at Ferringhi garden : The service is wonderful, beautiful ambience and the food is so flavorful!
Day 2: Explore Georgetown
For our second day we decided to visit Georgetown. Our first stop was Little India for lunch. Be warned, it is extremely hot outside!!!!! Walking is close to impossible during the day, so plan your schedule and outfits around the hot weather. We had a quick snack at the Woodlands hotel and then walked to the Peranakan museum which is only 2 minutes away. The museum is a must-visit and showcases a heritage home with many antiques.
After this, to cool down we walked to Armenian street and stopped by the cutest café called Ludwig. They have a bunch of desserts and drinks but I would recommend their soft serve. After this, we walked around Armenian street and visited the city’s most famous street arts which is mainly located in this area. From here, we walked to the Boat Jetties. This is also a must-see as most of the homes are placed on stilts in the water.
We, then, decided to take a grab car to the Blue Mansion for dinner. They have a multi-cuisine restaurant known as Indigo which is quite well known. I would recommend going to this hotel a bit earlier than your reservation as it is a beautiful spot for pictures and even looking around in general.
Day 3: Relax at the Hotel
On the third day, we decided to get massages in the Shangri-La’s hotel spa. They have a beautiful spa with wonderful amenities. This was definitely a lazy day for the Ajayans.
Later in the evening, we decided to head out to Georgetown as it got cooler. We first visited Love Lane which has a lot of beautiful photo spots. Because we were feeling hot, we decided to stop at Ba Wang Cha Ji for a cold drink. Would highly recommend this place, the teas are very refreshing! Then we walked back to the area where Armenian street is located and stopped at the Choo Chay Keong temple. Along the way, there are some really nice cafes and restaurants to stop by. While we were walking to our dinner place, we stumbled upon another restaurant called Kesum art. Unfortunately they were reservation only so we made one for the next night. Right next to this restaurant is the Indian Muslim Mosque. We had dinner in Little India (located only a few minutes away) at Karaikudi. This was recommended by many people and websites and the food did not disappoint! It was spicy and flavorful, for sure!
Day 4: Visit the Orangutan Sanctuary
The next day, we woke up bright and early to visit the Orangutan conservatory located in Bukit Merah. This is about a 1-2 hour drive (depending on traffic) from the Shangri-La hotel. This conservatory has 14 orangutans and they are completely free and wild whilst the humans are walking through a cage to visit them. This is an indescribable experience as the orangutans are almost within inches of you and they are the most beautiful, fascinating creatures ever. To get to the island you can choose to take a taxi however we got the contact of an excellent tour guide whose name was Seelan. He was willing to take us to the conservatory for a very reasonable price.
After this, we visited the Kek Lokh Si temple which is located on a hill very close to Georgetown. It is a very important Buddhist pilgrimage spot and the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. Inside, there is a staute of the king Rama VI which is almost 120 feet tall. It is beautiful and has many photo spots.
For dinner that day, we went back to the town and ate at Kesum Art restaurant. They had a limited special Iftar Menu so we were able to try traditional Jahore Malaysian food. This was definitely our favorite meal of all. We tried a traditional fish curry, veggie fried rice, chicken satay and a chicken curry. Everything was excellent, so well-prepared and honestly reminded us a lot of our Kerala food back home! The food was spicy, sour, salty and just a delight to our tastebuds. They were also offering unlimited drinks, desserts and fruits. The desserts were very unique and we were just waiting to have sweet mango as they had served. The experience was a 10/10 and the staff was so incredible friendly. Would highly recommend a visit to this restaurant if you are visiting Penang!
