Yeng Keng Hotel, Georgetown (Penang) Review

I recently stayed at the Yeng Keng Hotel in the historic center of Georgetown, Penang (Malaysia). I wanted to stay somewhere nice the night before my flight to Vietnam, and I thought a boutique hotel on Chulia Street would be a fun experience.

This is a review of my night spent in Yeng Keng Hotel, plus information about my room, the hotel itself, and other things related to my stay.

Note: I paid for the room myself and have not received compensation from the hotel for writing this review. It’s my own thoughts and experiences and I’ve not been influenced in any way! 😉

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Yeng Keng Hotel

Address: World Heritage, 362 & 366, Lbh Chulia, George Town, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Check in: 3:00 pm, Check Out: 12:00 pm

Restored Anglo-Indian bungalow residence from the 1800s and now a boutique hotel with 19 rooms!

Getting to the Hotel

I’d previously been staying in Butterworth, on the mainland, in a (not very good) apartment. It was raining that day so I decided to splurge on a Grab and just go directly to the hotel. From Butterworth to the hotel was about a 40 minute ride and cost something like $7 USD.

If you’re coming in on the train or bus, then from Penang Sentral you can take either a taxi, Grab or the ferry over to Georgetown.

The ferry is fun, and more direct than a taxi, though it can get busy enough you’ll have to wait to cross over until you can get a seat. Once you’re at the Georgetown ferry terminal, you can either walk directly up Chulia St. for about 20 minutes or take the 101 bus to the hotel.

Yeng Keng Hotel is located on Chulia Street, which is one of the main streets in Georgetown and very walkable. You can easily walk to most of the other attractions within Georgetown from the hotel, such as the Esplanade, Fort Cornwallis, the Blue Mansion, Little India, Chinatown etc.

There’s also tons of cafes and restaurants within the immediate area of the hotel! Some of my favorites:

• Wheeler’s
• Gravy Baby
• Junk Cafe
• Bean Sprout Cafe

Check-in & Hotel Staff

I arrived a few hours before official check-in, and the staff offered to keep my bags for me. They were put to the side of the front desk and not in a locked room, but as far as I can tell there’s always a staff member at the actual desk so it should be fairly safe. I was given a ticket as well to show how many bags I left.

The staff was very friendly and professional. They welcomed me into the hotel and gave me a glass of tea (complimentary) and then got me checked in quickly enough. There’s a city tax of RM2, to be paid by cash. I actually got and upgraded room type from what I originally booked, which was great!

After dropping of my bags, I went wandering around town a bit to check on some street art I’d seen last year (mostly all still there) and to get lunch at Wheeler’s.

When I came back to get my room key, they’d actually taken my luggage up to my room for me! I felt SO fancy, lemme tell you. Later on I called down to the front desk to book a taxi to the airport for the next day, and the staff offered to put together a takeaway breakfast for me. Wonderful!

The Lobby and Shared Spaces

The hotel has some nice shared spaces. There’s lots of little nooks where guests can sit, such as at the stairs, an outdoor patio, and in front of the hotel entrance. That area also has a bookshelf which you can borrow books from– though you’ll need a staff member to unlock it for you.

As for other spaces: there’s a pool, a restaurant, and a parking area for guests’ cars. I didn’t use any of those spaces but it’s nice to know they’re there. The restaurant is where the included breakfast is located, but I was leaving very early and didn’t get a chance to check it out.

My Room

I originally booked a Courtyard Room room with twin beds, and was upgraded to a Courtyard Room room with a double bed. It’s VERY nice, clean and modern but with great decor that really continues the theme of the hotel. The area rug, bright accent wall, and decor was much nicer than I’ve seen in other hotels in this part of the world.

The room has air con, hot water, a wardrobe and a nice ensuite.

Included in the room is a hot water kettle, instant coffee, tea, sugar/creamer packets, two water bottles and a thermos!

Bed

The bed was (I think) two smaller mattresses pushed together, but it was very comfortable and not too firm like you sometimes get here in Asia. I didn’t like the pillows so much as they were feather pillows that squished down just a bit too much for me, but other than that I slept great.

Bathroom

Very nice bathroom with a good shower and HOT water! Included were a set of amenities: shampoo, body gel, lotion, toothbrush/toothpaste, a sewing kit, shower cap, cotton buds and a comb.

Really the only thing I missed was a robe; I think it would’ve just completed the whole wonderful feeling of the room, honestly.

View

Okay, this isn’t great. My window looked out onto the back of the restaurant and onto the side of the building next door (I think). I could hear a dishwasher doing his thing and some occasional talking, but nothing bad. It’s not a beautiful view, but then again I didn’t pay for a “beautiful view” room technically.

Misc. Observations

The hotel is right across from a mosque (Masjid Jamek Alimsah Waley, built in 1811!), and you can hear the prayers at certain points. It’s not SUPER loud, but if you’re not used to is then it might be surprising. This particular mosque had beautiful prayers, though, and I highly recommend listening to them when you can!

The takeaway breakfast was a sandwich, two yogurts and two clementines. The sandwich wasn’t good, to be honest. Most reviews online seem to say the same thing about the breakfast which is that it’s generally disappointing. I’d say just get breakfast somewhere else and not worry about having it “free” with the room cost.

When I checked out, the staff gave me a pack of Yeng Keng Hotel postcards!! ♥

Final Thoughts

Overall I VERY much enjoyed my stay at the Yeng Keng Hotel and I’d love to go back! If you’re looking for a comfortable boutique hotel in Georgetown, I highly recommend booking a stay with them.