The staff are friendly and professional and the decor of the hotel is in the old English colonial style with lots of plants inside. Spacious and comfortable bed. The air conditioning and fan are very effective with little noise. The bathroom was spotlessly clean and the water piping hot including nice toiletries. There is a fridge which came in handy as I put my water in there to chill but there are many places where you can stock up on drinks for a refreshing drink after a long day sightseeing because you will find that wine bars and alcohol places are somewhat limited around Penang. The location of this hotel was perfect in terms of proximity to two famous eating places; The largest and most popular cendol place (approx 4.50 ringgit) and Penang Road Famous Laksa, which in my opinion was the BEST for the famous Char Kway Teow (approx. 9 ringgit). The real winner was the fact that the hotel is around the corner from Roti Bakar Hutton Lane were I ate roti canai every day for breakfast with a cup of heritage tea for 10.50 ringgit. Outside of eateries, the location is perfect for street art and shops and restaurants abound. Don't miss Penang Rainbow Skywalk for gorgeous views over Penang whilst sipping a nice drink in the evening, it is 5 minutes away. Let me know if you found my review helpful.

Nothing, some people mention the disturbance from the Muslim call to prayer in the morning. It is not loud at all and some mornings, I slept right through it. It did not disturb me at all. In fact I find it very comforting. As well as that, I am a morning person when I am on holiday and therefore it served as my alarm clock !

Nice hotel with few little bits that were a bit frustrating really the rooms are also a bit small!!!

Safe stopped working the second day we informed reception but no one did anything about it for 3 days, the room are also rather small we booked the garden room and I expected it to be bigger and there is not much room to move around i would not recommend if you are staying for longer bathroom is also small. Overall the hotel is clean and comfortable in relatively good location however its a small room and staff could be a little more attentive!

It’s a really beautiful building- the long corridor inside is so calm and inviting with nice sofas and spaces to chill out. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful throughout our stay. The location is perfect, really central to everything but on a quieter street. Wi-Fi is great and it is clean and comfortable. The free afternoon tea is a nice touch. This hotel is amazing for its price point and I would highly recommend it if you want a great place to stay whilst saving some cash!

The only one small thing to say was that it could sometimes be a bit noisy- our room was next to the stairs so we could hear people moving around the hotel a bit.

The original heritage building has been preserved about as respectfully as possible. The light that comes through the airwells in the morning and late afternoon is stunning. Room was well presented and clean, and the location is unbeatable for getting around George Town or hopping on a bus to practically anywhere in Penang. But I think the best part is the service. The staff are always smiling and ready to help, and the complimentary afternoon tea in the very comfortable coffee house with local teatime treats was exactly what we needed in the hottest part of the day.

Noisy and inconsiderate guests who don't seem to have internal volume control buttons. I think staff could have applied some polite assertiveness in asking these people to turn it down since we were all sharing the space and their rowdiness was making it a very uncomfortable experience. Fortunately, our stay was longer and it's not every day that we had to encounter rudeness from the other guests.

Location: Great location, just around the corner from an excellent morning food market and famous roti canai place. Aesthetic: Very pretty interior with skylights and plants hanging down multiple levels. Happily spent a few hours on the comfy couches under fans whilst waiting for an early evening flight. Rooms: We had one of the cheapest room types which was nice inside but was located down the end of the hall above the dining area so you woke early (around 7ish) to the breakfast room prep. Additions: the hotel provided both breakfast AND afternoon tea which was a nice surprise I wasn't expecting. Overall: Would very happily stay again. The staff were super lovely, it was perfectly located, and great value for what you got.

Great location for sightseeing, restaurants and street food. The staff were lovely. Breakfast was varied and nicely oresented, and the quirky afternoon tea was an added bonus.

Our room was quite dark and the frosted windows & heavy curtains meant that we couldn’t see out. I could see from the bathroom window that the room overlooked some derelict area, but it would still have been nice to be able to see the sunshine or what the weather was doing. However, we were out most of the day so it wasn’t a huge issue.

We had a wonderful experience at Areca. The pictures are true to the interior of the hotel. Room filled with older objects (wardrobe, chairs, lamp etc.) which give it a unique characteristic. The location is good walking distance from a lot of popular restaurants in Georgetown.

We encountered a case where some other hotel guests (a family with children) yelled loudly at midnight in the hallway and courtyard and woke us up. The yelling went on for a long time, so disruptive that I had to call the front desk to complain. The front desk staff handled my complaint as well as he could, but the yelling continued for a while after. This is not exactly the hotel’s fault and it could happen anywhere, however it was such an unpleasant experience that I hope the hotel can come up with a protocol to handle similar incidents in the future.

The location and aesthetic. I love how its literally near all the viral cafes and restaurants, within walking distance around 5-10mins away. The hotel is also beautiful and rustic. I love how the furnitures are just antique and vintage looking. The staff welcomes you with a nice refreshing drink before you check in. I also didn’t expect that the hotel comes with a free afternoon tea voucher, which i loved!

Probably their lack of parkings? It did not affect us that much as we had luck with our parkings. Some might be annoyed by it. Furthermore, some guests might be disturbed by the noises as its in the heart of Georgetown but I was too tired from exploring that I heard nothing at night, had a peaceful sleep! We had minor issues with their TV and water pressure in the shower but not something you would find irritating I hope.

Location is great, very close to the main attractions in the city centre and easily reachable via taxi/grab. Room was clean, more than many others we visited in Malaysia, staff was helpful and available 24/7. AC worked fine, bed was comfortable and bathroom was nice, with everything working. Breakfast was great, with a good variety of options from local specialties to more "western" solutions.

The only small inconvenience is a little bit of noise in the morning, due to the fact that the room is not perfectly isolated from the outside corridors. Anyway, it is just a minor downside which was absolutely compensated by the overall positive experience of our staying.

The hotel is beautiful, simple outside and super gorgeous inside especially the room. I love how spacious it is, there's an elevator& beautiful courtyard. Good location too. Can hear the prayer from mosque but didnt really affected my sleep. The breakfast serving is generous, love the Nasi Lemak! The afternoon tea ia simple but filling, perfect when you want to take a break from all the walking and exploring. Staff always greeted us with a smile and always ready to help. Our luggages arrived late and instead of just informing us to get it, they delivered it to our room. Super thankful for that.

Not really a big deal but the water gets too warm, I felt like I got burned many times and the temp is hard to control