Georgetown's Hotel Penaga

The penchant for boutique residences, holiday lifestyles and heritage restorations all meet at a junction along Hutton Lane in the old quarter of Penang Island's Georgetown. A whole block of early twentieth century double storey terrace houses has been renovated and rebuilt into a unique experience for visitors seeking an alternative to hotel chains that apparently offer more of the same around the world. Low rise in structure, utilising lots of dark coloured wood panelling and suggesting an ambiance of times gone past, the Hotel Penaga infuses and blends both its external and interior decor with memories of British, Straits Chinese and Malay influences - much like this tropical isle itself is.

There are the obligatory bar and dining areas - with names like Tanglong (meaning 'Lantern") and stark white tablecloths. We had martinis, tia marias and cofffee. Also on the bar list were Pims and Bombay Sapphires.

Outside, a south Indian coffee shop was chock-a-block with youths watching intently a football match on the ESPN channel. Light rain moistened the tarred roads outside, matching the rather quiet elegance of the hotel functional rooms inside.

Antique Straits Chinese window frames form the center piece as one checks into the lobby. There is generous use of stained coloured glass, brass knobs, ornamental lamps and carvings inspired by the likes of the Malayan peninsular and Bali. Looking from outside, some of the character of the original British Malaya architecture is retained, although now topped up discretely by hints of southern Chinese roof styles. There may be plumbing issues to over come though - the taps were not exactly user friendly when we visited.

Hotel Penaga has attempted to evoke a time of when tea and pepper merchants crossed paths with colonial government servants, South-east Asian royalty and Australian naval officers. Today it tries to lure bond and currency traders, political brokers, internet professionals and new China hands to its corridors.