Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion Hotel

After a long but pleasant drive from KL, through mountains and verdant scenery, arriving at Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is a step back in time. This is an elegant mansion built by a Mandarin of some great note from another time, so influential during his time that on his death all British and Dutch Colonies flew their flags at half mast.
The place reeks of history, almost all the furnishings are from that period, but the hotel is full of modern conveniences including wi fi. there is an ample breakfast included in the price and the location of the place cant be beat. you can walk everywhere from the Mansion. To call this a hotel would be a shame, it is not one of those "heritage stays" (bogus advertising) that one sees in in Cochin India. this is a genuine honour to be here, to breathe the air of another century. While here met some UN representatives also staying here. very few rooms and very few guests. Mostly Asians living abroad.

Its an amazing place for the amount of money you pay. The staff are very friendly especially Mastoura.

I recommend you book the downstair rooms, the view of the courtyards are more beautiful down there.

I had the best night sleep ever in there, proabably because of the feng shui and energu flows!

Unique Quality: Beautiful Feng Shui architecture.

Directions: 2 mins away from upper Penang road.
In the heart of George Town.

Instead of just visiting the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, why don't you stay there and have an amazing experience?

The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, also called the Blue Mansion or La Maison Bleue, is my favorite place to stay in George Town.

When you arrive, the first thing you hear is "feel at home. Seat on the old chairs, stay in the living room, the courtyard... This house is not a museum!" and actually, you do feel at home! This is the reason why the house is not open to everyone the whole day as they want to keep the privacy of the people who stay there. Maybe, the feng-shui architecture of the mansion as well contributes to make you feel comfortable!

This boutique hotel has only 12 rooms and 5 suites and you really feel like living in the old days. The staff is dedicated to the house and they do all they can to make you feel good here. Most of the time, at the end of the day, the people go to the courtyard to have a beer, a tea, play cards,... Make sure that you spend some time in the house to feel the relaxing atmosphere. The landlord spend also quite some time here and if you meet her, you will see how much she loves the house!

NOTE
* It is often fully booked, so make sure you book in advance. You can specify the name of the room you want if there are some available!
* No TV in any of the room but 1 TV room where you can go anytime.
* Air-con everywhere!
* No swimming pool but the sea in not far away :)
* You can join the guided tour for free.
* Price: RM 230 for 1 double room inclusive of a delightful breakfast for 2 people in the courtyard.
* When you stay there, you are allowed to take all the pictures you want inside.

Unique Quality:
* The chance to spend a night in an old well preserved Chinese mansion is unique.
* Each room has a unique design and unique furniture from the old Chinese period. Each room worths a visit!
* One of the staff member (Eric) speaks French and can organize a tour for you in French if you want (only for the people who stay at the house).

My travel partner recommended this place to stay as he loves staying at heritage accomodation. I was simply amazed by the architecture of CFT. We booked 2 nights of stay there. Upon arrival, we were served a very refreshing nutmeg drink. Our room is called Cheng Yu after the CFT's winery in China. The room is very spacious and I'm really attracted to the mosquitoe netting attached to each bed. That afternoon after arrival was spent exploring the mansion. They have a game room where you can surf net, play table tennis, watch tv. There are 2 identical wings, 8 rooms in each wing. There are a lot of staircases in this mansion. Wooden staircases and spiral metal stairways.
The only trouble i come across while staying in CFT is the shower hose in my bathroom sometimes go crazy due to fluctuating water pressure. Watch out for it because i got hit by the stainless steel shower head when the water pressure is too much for it to hang on to the shower hook.
There are 2 burnt bulbs in our room and they were replaced immediately after we call the front desk.
1st night there, i do feel a bit creepy because the room has a high ceiling, ceiling fan, tall wooden doors, wooden window frames and shutters, cold cement floors, old wooden furniture. These fit most haunted room criterias. Anyway, I was too tired to imagine further and I had a very good sleep.
Breakfast at CFT is very hearty, i had oatmeal, toast, baked bean,sausages and fresh fruits.
Getting food is easy because just next door is a huge hawker centre, if i'm not mistaken it's called Red Garden.
CFT at night has a different feel at night with the dim lighting and the shadows of those antiques, it really transport you into the past.
You've got to go there to experience it.

Unique Quality: There is a cd player just outside the game room for you to play any CD you like, you can also choose from their collection by the side of the cd player. We spent one of our nights relaxing and listening to jazz music. one of the music piece caught our ear and the manager most willingly burnt a copy of it for us to bring home. :)
over at the couch where the tv and dvd player is, you can find a collection of dvds too, when i was there, i managed to watch a movie 'The Holiday'.
you must join their tour of the mansion in order to truely appreciate the place. the walls of the mansion is 22cm thick because it houses water pipes. Why pipes? coz the owner wants rainwater to pass all the rooms before going to the drain. This is part of feng shui. There are many other unique characteristics that you can learn from the tour. However, no photograph taking are allowed in CFT. However if you're a house guest, you can take as many photos as you like. :)
Staying at CFT felt just like home, because there's garden, lots of lounge chair for you to sit and relax, there are even 2 cats for you to play with. :)

We stayed here for three nights this time. Most of all for it's history. We didn't found it worth the money even if the building it self have a lot to tell you. Take a guided tour instead , and you will have the whole history about the building.

Unique Quality: Every room is uniqe and the atmosphere is very special. If you want to pay for that it may be ok, but you dont pay for the comfort, breakfast, rooms, etc. Location nearby the old town is good

Directions: Old town

Did not stay there but made the visit of the Mansion and was very impressed but the place.
Cannot see the room but I guess there are ok.
Not sure there is a pool but the mansion is wireless equipped and the guest seems to enjoy a free expresso machine 24/7.

Unique Quality: Architecture
Unesco Award
Location
Wireless

How would you like to stay in a UNESCO-awarded heritage house in Penang? It won't be everyday that you can tell folks back home that you've stayed in a 100-year old mansion that was owned by China's last Mandarin and Asia's first Rockefeller. Sure beats staying in one of those characterless and expensive hotels off the coast of Penang. Not only does this place have loads of character, it's also just opposite the clubbing area and in the heart of town. You can walk to the civic district from your hotel. It's just a lane away. I'll stay in this joint the next time I'm in town.

Unique Quality: Honestly, Cheong Fatt Tze did not like look a hotel at all from the outside and we only discovered the 'homestay option' when we toured this blue-coloured mansion . Just before the tour ended, the caretaker told us that this mansion was also an 'upscale b and b' and showed us one of their many charming rooms . She also added that this joint was also opened to weddings that for RM14K? or more the whole mansion could be rented. Like the E and O, Cheong Fatt Tze has loads of character - gold awnings, ancient wooden shutters, ceremic relief and the works. Stay here if you dig history.

Cost: RM 250 per room, including a "really heavy" breakfast (quoted from caretaker)

Other good qualities:Located in the heart of town, near the clubbing and eating areas.

A true gem. Each room has it's own name, we stayed in Fragrant Poem. When staying at the Cheong Fatt Tze mansion you feel like part of the family. The breakfast is homemade and divine! They even made it earlier than normal for us, as we had to catch our ferry to Langkawi island.

Unique Quality: The Mansion, dazzling in its original indigo-blue, incorporates 38 rooms, 5 granite-paved courtyards, 7 staircases and 220 windows. Master craftsmen were imported from China, in the 1880's and again in the restoration in the 1990s. The paradigm Chinese Courtyard House has been embellished with Chinese timber carvings and porcelain cut & paste decorative shard works as well as Gothic louvred windows, art nouveau stained glass panels, Stoke-on-Trent floor tiles and Scottish cast iron works. It is an edifice of impressive delicacy, awesome in its "feng shui" subtleties and is an extraordinary tribute to the construction and design skills of the past.

Directions: very central

Restored Chinese mansion.
Not luxurious but very true to the original style.
The restoration was carried out using the same materials used in the original construction.
Rooms are all different and have themes (mine was motoring in Malaysia in the 1950s).
VERY romantic.

Unique Quality: Completely like staying in the past!
Lovely breakfast.
Unlike any hotel you've ever stayed in. Almost like a home stay in some ways.

Directions: Georgetown

this feng shui perfect mansion belongs to the a famous chinese business man in the 19th century.. there are now 16 rooms available for rent.. come here and have a feel of what its like to live in the luxury of 19th century penang..

Directions: near town centre..