Georgetown UNESCO Historic Site

What a seriously beautiful place. It is genuinely like stepping back in time with its preserved historical buildings. The Street art is incredible to come across and there was something going on in every corner of the city. There are food options galore whether you want street food, fancy food, modern food, western food, or authentic food from little india or China town. What a beautiful little corner of the world.

Georgetown is a wonderful place to visit. You'll notice old British colonial and Chinese fused architecture everywhere. George Town also has some of the most creative street art I've ever seen that incorporates real objects alongside the murals and you'll find street art everywhere. I basically spent an entire afternoon just hunting for street art. The people are friendly, the food is delicious and the vibe is chill but hip as well. I loved visiting George Town.

For the amount of people that come here from not just all over Malaysia but across the world, all streets are kept really clean. Big thumbs up to the residents and the city government for that. Really nice street art and old well kept buildings and stores that one gets to see here. Bravo also to Escape for letting tourists use their well maintained and clean toilets

We have been here so many time already because their surrounding and delicious food never disappointed us. Penang is managed to retain well-preserved heritage buildings and colonial tradition. No wonder Penang is the most tourist visited destination included us. Will come again to visit this beautiful place.

A must-visit. The most multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural city in Malaysia.

Love the colonial architecture vibe. Definitely have a stay in Georgetown area. The night life and street food is amazing. The cool evenings during the months from around late September thru November and enhanced when an extremely fragrant tree, called the blackboard tree, off gases and releases an extremely sweet fragrance. Lazily walk the streets with some street food mingled with sweet aroma and the amiable down to earth locals.

PEARL OF THE ORIENT (Penang Holidays) An exotic name befitting its multi culturalism, uniqueness and beauty. Penang island, once a duty free port, is separated from the mainland by the 11 kilo meter wide Penang Straits before the 14 km bridge was built over it. Prior to 1986, the iconic ferry was the only means of transport for the masses to go to work, business and pleasure. Now the ferries which are still in operations are used as tourist attractions and by others more of a novelty, leisure and unhurried crossing option. With construction of the Penang bridge, travelling to Penang is made easier and I drove my family of 4 for a short holiday there. Indeed it was an eventful one - my car battery went flat at the Butterfly Park, my son fell sick and lost our way in the “Bermuda Triangle’ of Komtar. We stayed at a less than fashionable seaside hotel with a small swimming pool in Tanjung Tokong. The first thing we found on the beach was a lifeless catfish which my younger son proudly lifted up with both hands for me to take a quick photo shot. Coincidentally, we were surprised to meet a couple from our church who were also there, on holiday, at the pool. Being unfamiliar, we drove aimlessly to find a hawker food haven but ended up at Macalister Road which was patronized more by tourists than locals for our dinner. A Penangite ex-colleague lamented to me that the good ones were hidden from public eyes and only a local could take us to these food gems and havens. The roads were already choked with traffic and holiday makers like us had made the situation worse. But the more painful part was losing our way due to the confusion that many of its formerly 2 way roads had been converted to one way. A moment of indecision, either a wrong turn or missing it, had caused us a delay of at least 10-20 minutes. Some locals even begged holiday makers in the social media to bypass Penang as their choice destination to spare them the agony of enduring thronged roads, eateries, places of attraction etc. We found it so amusing that at the heat of the moment, we jokingly vowed not to drive here again and if we did it was better to stay put and spend our quality time at one of their famed Batu Ferringhi beach hotels instead. With modern technology, one could even use our handphone to access google maps or waze apps with voice aid to take us to the places we have not been before. On an earlier trip, I had a more relaxing time in Penang when I accepted the invitation of a friend whose girlfriend was willing to accommodate the 5 of us in her parents’ home. It was so organized and memorable as our the brother of our hospitable host took us on a round trip to the Botanical Gardens for its sights and sounds, hiked up a hill to view the panoramic scenery below and the iconic Batu Ferringhi beach to admire its beauty.

These prehistoric buildings are Penang’s treasures which cannot be bought with money . It’s nostalgic to walk through these roads as each building tells a story of Penang’s past . Pray that it will be preserved and maintained up till the future generations