More about Bayview Hotel Georgetown Penang
Pleasant staff, great location
by TripAdvisor Member vanilla_bean
Penang was a last-minute addition to our (already too short) Malaysia trip, so we got to stay at the City Bayview for only 1 night. Upon arrival check-in was smooth, and while initially we thought we had to wait for a non-smoking room, the front desk officer was able to find one for us quickly AND he let us check-in before the usual check-in time of 2pm. We stayed in a Standard Room which was huge -- the advantage of staying in an older hotel, as most new hotels have such cramped rooms. The furnishings and amenities were standard and the bed was a bit hard for my liking, but in general, no problems. The breakfast buffet at the hotel could have offered a few more options for the not-so-adventurous diners, but I was more than happy with the freshly made roti canai.
The great thing about the City Bayview is its location. The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (a must see!) and a large food court with delicious (and cheap!!!) hawker food was on the next block, while the E&O Hotel and Fort Cornwallis was a just short walk away.
Overall our stay was quite pleasant, short, but still memorable. I wouldn't mind staying at this hotel again.
Reliable all rounder
by TripAdvisor Member OzRoam
2nd time in 5 years at the same hotel. Still very well maintained and good value. Probably cannot do better than this place in charming Georgetown - besides the gorgeous E & O of course!
Walking distance to good food and shopping. Spacious rooms with decent bathrooms, views to Penang Bridge & Gurney drive seaside. Filling breakfast buffet with reasonable selection including Nasi Lemak (coconut rice with spicy fish and egg
omelette slices).
Friendly and efficient staff from reception to housekeeping. Very popular hotel with tour groups - constantly swarming in lobby area but we did not have issues with long waits during check in or check out.
Not exciting but really nice to return to a place which is so dependable.
Never again!
by TripAdvisor Member joanAzUsa
Was booked for five nights and could not wait until the AM to check out! Up all night feeling sick with the mold smell. Bathroom is filled with mold & under carpet. A/C is located up by the ceiling! Rooms are old, carpet dirty and stained. Restaurant food bearly passable. Buffet food stays out without refrig. for a long time. Area is not near good restaurants & walking difficult as construction all around. Mgr. only comment was to offer me another room. Would never stay here again even for free!
Look at Gurney Rd. for hotels even cheaper when you walk in!
Near a/c malls, nice/clean restaurants & taxi to city only $3.00
Value for money
by TripAdvisor Member HelenTay
Got a standard room with a nice view looking over E&O.
Location is near Cheong Fatt Tze mansion and there are lots of places for dinner across the road.
Furnishing looks old. Aircon filter looks dusty. TV works. ( BBC channel was available ). Kettle was provided.
Reception was great. Breakfast buffet is replenish as tour groups come and go.
Convenient place. Value for money.
A decent choice in Georgetown
by TripAdvisor Member DesertRanger
We thoroughly enjoyed our three-night stay at the City Bayview, although it almost never happened. Having booked a room by phone a few days earlier, we arrived to find no reservation in our name. Luckily, there were rooms available. We paid US$60 per night (watch out for the extra tax). Our superior room was large and comfortably furnished, with satellite TV, a large bathroom and a great view across the water to the mainland. The inclusive breakfast was a bit of a bunfight each morning, but the quality of the food was good. Location-wise, you are right in the heart of Georgetown, and just round the corner from the very interesting Cheong Fat Tze mansion house.
False First Impressions
by TripAdvisor Member dtravelbugUsa
The entrance/lobby of this hotel is most impressive, which is very misleading. The rooms are very basic/average. The bottom sheet on my bed stopped about 6-8 inches from the foot of the bed, leaving the mattress totally exposed. There was a fair amount of mildew on the shower curtain. The furniture is old/nicked/undusted.
Pretty Alright
by TripAdvisor Member wreckoftheday
I stayed in the City Bayview Hotel for 3 days and 2 nights with some friends.
The first thing that really amazed me was the size of the room. Maybe because our room was a corner room. I booked a twin sharing room and it was actually quite big compared to the other rooms that I saw while house keeping was cleaning up.
If you are traveling on a budget with a group of friends, ask for a corner room.
The toilet was pretty clean, and so was the room. Room facilities were alright. All the basic stuff can be found: hair dryer, shampoo, etc etc.
Staff was also very friendly. No complains about that.
Breakfast was alright. Nothing special. But it was adequate. Typical food like bread, fruits, salads, nasi lemak and chinese porridge where all found. You need to order your own eggs at an egg station where they also served sausages and roti canai.
Location was pretty okay. A lot of clubs, bars and mamak stalls are just a few minutes walk away. There is a Hawker center that opens at night nearby [along the road of the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion] And opposite it is a shop that sells famous local produce.
Opposite the hotel is a Taxi Stop where a lot of Taxis wait for customers. So that makes traveling easy. A taxi from the hotel to the air port at Bayan Lepas should cost you about RM32.
For me, because I was traveling on a budget, me and my friends walked a bit further down the road to catch buses. The new Rapid Penang is a comfy bus.
Overall, a pretty alright hotel if you emphasize on cleanliness and location.
Good Breakfast- Average Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member iluvfoodntrips
I stayed at the Bayview Georgetown because my cousin held her wedding there and we thought it would be extremely convenient to get a room at the same hotel.
First impressions the Bayview is great. There are nice valets when you walk through the door, a decent bar area on your left and a board of activities and things to do in Penang on your right. Straight ahead friendly receptionists are waiting to help. However, when we got into our room that was a whole different story. The furniture was old (I think when paint is chipping and you see brown wood on a lacquered piece of furniture, you should replace it), bed linens were older and the room overall just look worn. We were so disappointed with our first room we asked to be changed to another. However, the second room was in even worse condition so we just stayed in our original room.
There were some great points about the hotel:
- First, the view (we had a fantastic view of the Penang bridge). Also the bathroom had modern amenities.
- Second, the breakfast. There was a wide selection of hot and cold items such as porridge, nasi lemak, eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit, noodles, etc.
- Third, the location- it was located right in downtown Penang. Across the street from the Cheong Fatt Tze mansion, a couple of blocks from a renovated night scene and also down the block from the famous E&O.
If you're looking to be in the heart of downtown Penang and don't mind the room at a decent price, the Bayview isn't bad. After all, if you are like us, you are barely in the room anyways.
Forum Posts
Driving to the E & O Hotel
by galianohere
We will be coming from the Cameron Highlands driving a rental car to Georgetown. So we are driving across the bridge and we want to get to the E and O Hotel where we are staying. Is it fairly easy to get to the E and O ? Any driving tips ?
Re: Driving to the E & O Hotel
by ngcsc
Hi,
For driving to the E&O Hotel, it is better to take Ferry rather than the Bridge.... It is closer to the Jetty. As you cross over to Georgetown, turn left to the Esplanade area and Jalan Farquar (the location of E&O, if I not spell wrongly) is just nearby, you can easily find it at the map
Re: Driving to the E & O Hotel
by l_joo
if the day is clear without traffic jam, you can cross the bridge and drive to E&O in about less than 25 minutes. If it rains and bad traffic jam, you can still reach E&O but will probably take you 1 to 1 and half hours. As for the direction, you can follow the 'Ferry' or 'Feri' sign. When you reach the city centre, look for the hotel with revolving top (City Bayview Hotel, the only one in Penang) located at Farquhar Street.
http://www.marimari.com/hotel/malaysia/bayview/penang/
E&O hotel is very near (about 200meters).
Re: Re: Driving to the E & O Hotel
by galianohere
Are you saying that it will take 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours to get from the bridge to the E & O Hotel ?? Man then Penang must have the worst traffic jams in the world !
Re: Re: Driving to the E & O Hotel
by ngcsc
Hi,
The bridge is not really linked to Georgetown directly, it is another part of the island, if there is no jam, you need at least 20 minuteds to E&O Hotel too.
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