Postcard from Penang – The Eastern & Oriental Hotel

I told you about this place on our last visit to Penang – you can find that here. Anyways, we loved it so much last time that I booked it again for my recent visit with Sarah.

Located on the Georgetown seafront, we could easily explore the Heritage Quarter from here. The Blue Mansion (more on that another time) was just a few blocks away, as was the Red Garden night hawker market, which I told you about the other day in the foodie post.

History…

The history of the E&O, as it’s known, marries with the rich history of Penang itself.

Already established as a trading port and having attracted merchants from around the world, in the late 1880s four Armenian bothers, the Sarkies, saw an opportunity for luxury accommodation. One of these took over the lease of an old accommodation house in 1884 and from this came what we now know as the E&O. The brothers went on to found other luxury hotels – notably Raffles in Singapore – but had lost control of their hotel empire by the 1930s. Their name still lives on in the restaurant.

At one point the E&O was known as “the premier hotel East of Suez” with the longest sea-front of any hotel in the world. At that time hot and cold running water and adjacent bathrooms were considered the height of luxury. Thankfully we’ve moved on from there, but the hotel still retains it’s luxuriously elegant feel whilst still giving a nod to its heyday. These days the hotel is still full of art and other heritage touches, and a photo gallery on the ground floor tells it’s history. Another next to one of the bars is a gallery of famous people who have stayed here – legends from the literary and film world, a few political leaders and a royal or two.

The lobby…

On this visit we stayed in the Heritage Wing – it was being refurbished when we were last here.You might recognised the lobby from the opening scene of Crazy Rich Asians – one of my favourite movies.

Our room…

Sarah declares this is the poshest hotel she’s ever stayed at.

We have a separate sitting room and (for the ultimate in travel bliss) a separate dressing room with two hanging spaces and two sets of drawers for unpacking – yes, I am that person who unpacks.

The bathroom is also huge, with two sinks, a claw foot bath, and a large shower.

Although we didn’t have a balcony this time, we could see across to mainland Malaysia from our room, watch the ferries as they went to and from Butterworth on the mainland or Langkawi, the cruise ships as they glided in and out of port and hear the waves as they hit the seawall.

Our complimentary minibar has a selection of cold soft drinks and beer and is replenished daily. Staying in the Heritage Wing also gives us access to the lounge, where we can enjoy evening drinks and canapes. Some afternoons, I sit here and sip tea or iced water while working on the edit for Murder at Deverell Grange.

The Pool…

As lovely as the hotel is, for Sarah and me, the pool is the most important part of any stay – and there are two at the E&O.

One in the Victory annexe – it was this one I used last stay…

and the one attached to our wing. We spent at least a couple of hours every day here.

Breakfast

Breakfast was also included in our room rate – I told you a bit about that last week too.

I’m craving the chicken congee even now…

More information?

We booked direct with the hotel and snagged an early bird discount of 40% – making the luxury affordable when split between the two of us. The website is here.