To start 2014 with a bang we decided to go to Penang for the night. It was just a short flight away from Singapore so an easy destination to visit for the weekend. As we were only staying one night we treated
ourselves and stayed at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel. The hotel was
owned by the same company as Raffles Hotel in Singapore and
certainly lived up to its name. The hotel was positioned on the coast
and overlooked mainland Malaysia. It was built in an old colonial
style and was grand with numerous restaurants, spa, gardens and two
pools to relax in. Having settled into our hotel we decided to explore
the city. We walked around the UNESCO world heritage city taking in the sites of the old colonial city. On our journey we visited a number
of temples and stopped at the clan jetties to see where the locals lived in traditional huts built on stilts over the sea. We stopped at a cafe for a drink before stumbling across a fascinating art gallery showcasing traditional Malay art. The old town was a mixture of grand colonial buildings and side alleys with walls painted in graffiti. We spent the remainder of the weekend relaxing in the hotel. Regrettably we didn't eat out in town but instead choose to enjoy the different restaurants within the hotel. We certainly ate well and returned back to Singapore full and relaxed.