Areca Hotel Penang

The staff are friendly and professional and the decor of the hotel is in the old English colonial style with lots of plants inside. Spacious and comfortable bed. The air conditioning and fan are very effective with little noise. The bathroom was spotlessly clean and the water piping hot including nice toiletries. There is a fridge which came in handy as I put my water in there to chill but there are many places where you can stock up on drinks for a refreshing drink after a long day sightseeing because you will find that wine bars and alcohol places are somewhat limited around Penang. The location of this hotel was perfect in terms of proximity to two famous eating places; The largest and most popular cendol place (approx 4.50 ringgit) and Penang Road Famous Laksa, which in my opinion was the BEST for the famous Char Kway Teow (approx. 9 ringgit). The real winner was the fact that the hotel is around the corner from Roti Bakar Hutton Lane were I ate roti canai every day for breakfast with a cup of heritage tea for 10.50 ringgit. Outside of eateries, the location is perfect for street art and shops and restaurants abound. Don't miss Penang Rainbow Skywalk for gorgeous views over Penang whilst sipping a nice drink in the evening, it is 5 minutes away. Let me know if you found my review helpful.

Nothing, some people mention the disturbance from the Muslim call to prayer in the morning. It is not loud at all and some mornings, I slept right through it. It did not disturb me at all. In fact I find it very comforting. As well as that, I am a morning person when I am on holiday and therefore it served as my alarm clock !

The ambience is authentically heritage. The location is central and we explored the nearby sights via foot most of the time. Lots of great local food within walking distance too Enjoyed the complimentary afternoon tea. They no longer serve chendol (tried it as it was just behind the hotel and found it disappointing so you are not missing anything). Room was spacious and generally clean. There is an additional dressing room that gave privacy for changing etc. Beds were comfortable overall. However, the aircon was blowing directly at one so beware if you are afraid of cold. Shower head has good pressure. Basic toiletries provided. Enjoyed the stay with great staff service.

The sofa might have bed bugs as friend had napped there and awoke with itchy bites along the arm and leg. Need to clean under the sofa too, friend found lost coins while exercising under sofa Toilet required steps down so not elderly friendly. There is a little window on the roof and sunlight streamed in early morning so if you are light sensitive, avoid the loft level.

I liked the location. So close to many busy markets and food but just far enough away not to feel too busy. Breakfast was served in a comfortable restaurant with a good selection of choices. The boutique nature of the accomodation and the extremely sympathetic manny of the renovations is a real credit to the owner. Internal spaces have been created that are light and airy allowing guests to sit outside of their rooms and interact with others.

If you want absolute silence you may need to make a different choice. There is little traffic noise but being close to the mosque does provide you with a pre-set alarm each morning. It isn’t a bother and the trade off you make to be able to step out straight into the action each day.

The Good: Gorgeous Peranakan decor. Fantastic staff. Very spacious Heritage room. Comfortable beds. Proximity to local food ( eg Chowastra across the road, Hutton lane mutton soup and prata). Price - such value for money! We will return.

The not so good: 1)Noise from a club next door during a long weekend but they did stop by 12am. Not a deal breaker. It was quiet on Sunday night onwards. 2)Two literal steps down to bathroom - not really an issue unless you have bad knees like my husband, he only felt it after day3. My son and I were fine. 3) Being woken up at 6am by next door mosque but it's gentle sounding call to prayer like someone singing a soulful tune downstairs. I didn't hear it by the 3rd morning. Not a deal breaker either. 4) No view out the window. No prob for a short stay and if you are gonna be out most of the time or inside staring at your phone anyway.

Nice deco, large room with comfortable bed and have dining table so that you can eat your takeaways easily. In this new norm during covid its better to just eat in your room. The staff were also very polite and even treat me with free lemongrass tea during evening tea. Near to chowrasta and many famous eateries. Just use the grab food or food panda service and the food will be delivered to the lobby within half and hour. Will definitely come and stay here again for sure

Because we stayed at the ground floor, the toilet window are just at the lounge area..people outside can hear us doing our "business" in the toilet The bathroom was very very slippery due to the chemical they used during cleaning. So have to be careful not to fall down. We slipped few times on the 1st night The light outside of our room quite bright and can be seen inside the room so its quite hard to get our beauty sleep

I recently had an excellent stay at the Areca Hotel in Penang. The spacious heritage rooms were a delight, offering a unique blend of old-world charm and modern comforts. The hotel's location was perfect, with easy access to Penang's delicious local food, e.g. we were next to the famous Hutton Lane Roti Bakar. What truly stood out was the exceptional service provided by the friendly staff. From the warm welcome to their attentive assistance throughout my stay (they allowed early-checked-in, very appreciated after a tiring flight), they made me feel truly at home. I highly recommend the Areca Hotel for an unforgettable experience in Penang.

We were on the first floor and I could hear feet thumping from the guest room directly above. This would ordinarily be ok for me, during the day time, but the ruckus happened around mid night. Although this is no fault of the hotel's -- this being a heritage building, I do not expect 100% sound proof rooms. The hotel may want to remind checked-guests of the quiet hours of the establishment.

The interior/design of the hotel was lovely, the sitting area on the ground floor was a nice place to relax. The location was quite good, only a few minutes walk from 'the top' where the rainbow sky bridge is. If you know where you're going then it's only about 10 minutes walk to Armenian Street and a few minutes from the dark mansion and upside down museum. The hotel staff were very lovely and welcoming and more than happy to help with any queries/directions. The Breakfast was very nice, you order from a menu, as well as being able to help yourself to pastries, cereal and juice.

The room was lovely but a little small, not really a huge issue, just that I'm clumsy and hit my leg in the bed when coming out the bathroom a few times. We had no problems with noise overnight, but the walls are quite thin, so it was noisy when they started preparing breakfast in the morning.

Great location right near a lot of excellent food and street art. Chinatown and little India within walking distance, as well as several hawker centres and markets. HUGE room with great AC, super comfy beds, and a nice bathroom. Staff was terrific and very helpful. Breakfast is really good too, although we mostly ate elsewhere because there is so much good street food in Georgetown.

The only problem which keeps it from a 10/10 is the sound insulation with the hallway. You can hear everything out there, people coming back late at night talking or waking up earlier than you and leaving.

We loved the grandeur of this old building and appreciated the modern touches that didn't detract from the ambience of what felt like stepping back in time. The room was very clean, the bed comfortable, the aircon worked well, and the shower had great pressure. We didn't have any problem with noise as mentioned by others, and staff were very helpful.

Don't have high expectations of the breakfast. It's the only thing that let's the place down, but is pretty standard quality for the price and convenient if you are having a slow morning. Skip the stale pastries and the rest is fine.

We took the family suite and it’s very spacious for our family of 5, and it was really clean. The room have heritage vibes to it. The hotel is also just beside Roti Bakar Hatten Road, which makes it easier for us to grab quality street food Penang for breakfast. The location is also fantastic, as it is near to places of attraction (Armenian Road for Penang Steeet Art, Chowrasta market, Transfer Road for food, etc2) within walking distance (5-15mins of walking). What I really like the most is the cold water that was always available to guests at the reception whenever we’re back from our activities in Penang. Really thoughtful for tired travellers. Oh, also they offered free afternoon tea & some meals from 3-5pm.

1. Parking is quite hard, as it does not have designated parking for guests. Need to plan the timing of our activities accordingly if we were to use our car, or we’ll lose our parking slot. 2. The room is big, which I think if they were to install a bathtub would be wonderful.