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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The hotel was really sweet. Staff were friendly, the room was massive, and the welcome drink and free afternoon tea were lovely touches. Beds were pretty comfy and everything was clean. Location was good.

Water pressure bottomed out in our bathroom on the first evening and second day, which was a bit annoying. The bathroom was also down a couple of steps, which was fine but made me a bit wary. Also, not much the hotel could do, but we were woken up very early every morning by the call to prayer from the mosque next door, which wasn't ideal.

The staff made effort for us to check-in when we arrived at the hotel much earlier. We were pleasantly surprised as we had wanted to place our luggage at the hotel so that we could go explore the city before the check-in time at 3pm. Thank you. The complimentary tea-break on the first day was a warm gesture to get visitors like us to have a taste of the local culture. Nice touch. Staff was friendly and nice.

We could hear some workers talking loudly behind the hotel for a brief moment. Other than this, there is nothing we didn't like about the stay.

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.

It’s clean and very pretty just like the photos shown. Very instagramable! Love the complimentary tea break and staffs are very polite and always greet us morning etc. the family room is super huge with 2 queen size bed and many space around.

Lift can only take 2 pax maximum. Garden room is quite small but acceptable. My friend’s family staying in the family room facing the other side of the road has a mosque, they have half an hr prayers around 5am+. Hence not suited to take the family room if you are a light sleeper and wish to sleep longer.