Hotel Penaga

I have always liked small hotels and B&B's and when traveling, whenever possible, I have tried to stay at unique spots.  The is nothing wrong with Hiltons, Four Seasons, Holiday Inns...etc, but they are kind of like McDonalds. No matter where you are you know exactly what you are going to get. I find the smaller establishments add to the overall travel experience and can be part of the adventure. Sometimes it is great. Castle Stuart in Scotland will always be one of my favourite places; and sometimes it is not so good. There is a B&B on Mantoulin island that I hope is either no longer in operation or vastly improved! We chose to stay at a little boutique hotel called Hotel Penaga. Originally 1940's shop houses, over the years they had fallen into disrepair. It was later transformed into this pleasant holiday hotel, with large rooms, a good restaurant, spa and garden. 

The lap pool. 

Christmas lighting in the garden. 

The garden is very nice and is accented with interesting pieces. 

A view from inside the hotel looking to the street.

Another view of the streets below. 

The hotel reflected in the building across the street. 

I didn't really know what to expect from George Town. It is a UNESCO world heritage site, so I knew there would be lots of colonial buildings, but I think I expected the inner city to be a bit better preserved. However, I have been to Malaysia before so what I found did not surprise me. There are lots of beautiful buildings but what fascinated me was this overall impression of neglect and decrepitude. For every beautiful building there are several more in serious need of work and rather than being disappointed in it, I found it added to the appeal. 

The building below was actually attached to our hotel through an alley way. It gives you some idea of what the hotel might have looked like before the restoration work began. 

Hotel Penaga is on the left. Parts of the hotel extend behind the rundown building to the right.

On every street and around every corner I found fascinating old ruins. This yellow house had obviously been damaged by fire, but I imagine it was once beautiful! 

I know many people would see this and be disappointed, especially those of us from North America. We expect sanitized, Disneyesque holidays but that could mean missing out on something really special.