It is an amazing hotel and great location for exploring Georgetown. The breakfast is out of this world and staff in the dining area could not be more helpful and welcoming.

I was actually disappointed with the check in, there was no real welcome or information given about the hotel itself. I was unaware that the drinks in the fridge were complimentary. Furthermore, paying 600MYR as a security deposit on check in when I had already paid for the accomodation to me is ridiculous. Plus being told on check out the money would be back with me in 7 days is unacceptable! I am used to credit card details being held but not being put through unless necessary. I was actually disappointed with the overall service and friendliness, despite paying a lot for a room.

The hotel itself is a historical building. Its gallery details the history of the hotel from the beginning up to now with lots of photos and interesting exhibits. The location of hotel is perfect , especially if this is your first trip to Penang, because the most popular sightseeing spots and famous local food stalls are nearby. The hotel breakfast is abundant and fresh with both Malay and western food and fruit.

We loved everything about the E&O - it’s now my favourite hotel of all time! The level of service from every member of staff is outstanding and the hotel itself is so beautiful. We stayed in the Heritage Wing with a seaview room and it was perfect in every way. Breakfast in Sarkies was superb and evening drinks and canapés was really sociable with lovely food and drunks. Farquhar’s Bar was also great and we loved sitting outside in the evening after dinner.

There wasn’t one thing we didn’t like.

The decor and ambience of the hotel. The breakfast buffet. The location was convenient

It was quite expensive. Disappointing that there was no access to the pool in the Annexe Wing when staying in the Victory wing. Unexpected additional fees where quite high increasing the overall booking cost by $500 AUD

Waking up on the first morning and viewing from the bed the sun rising on the sea and then able to walk out onto your own balcony and see the great expanse of the ocean. The bathroom was huge and generous in its fit-out. The whole room quietly spoke of a pared back design that still messaged good style and relaxed living. I didn't just "like" this hotel - I loved it.

Hard to find any faults. Price was good. Location excellent. Room was magnificent. The only glitch in the system was when we had encountered such wonderful, warm and engaging staff and then at check-out we had a very cold experience with a staff member (perhaps he was new and lacking confidence but he did border on rude). But this is a tiny, weeny little crack in an otherwise fantastic experience of the E & O Hotel.

This iconic hotel of the “Far East” continues in its traditions. Founded in 1885, it was one of a trio of famous venues which included the Raffles Hotel in Singapore in 1887 and the Strand Hotel in Rangoon, Burma, in 1901. To jog your memory the Singapore Sling was first served (i.e. Invented) at the Raffles. The current iteration of E & O includes the “Heritage” Wing with multiple renovations, designed in the manner of the 1920’s. There is a new section, (Not part of the original) The “Victory wing” which is a multi-story unit. The Heritage wing is more expensive and consists of commodious suites and includes amenities that come with your room, breakfast and evening cocktails and snacks. There is access to a pool reserved for Heritage guests only. The Heritage wing was reopened in 2019, the suites range in size from 58 m2 to a massive 522 m2 with a dining room and butler service. None of this comes at a cheap price, but this is a historic venue and a provides a trip through yesteryear. Worth the stay for those interested in Southeast Asia history. Location is ideal, along the waterfront with easy access to the central George Town and to numerous shops and restaurants. The staff is well-informed and always helpful. The SPA and gym are highly recommended, the view during your workout of the waterfront cannot be beat. There are various dining options, the buffet in the Victory wing offers a massive number of choices, but is very busy and a bit chaotic. I opted for a quiet a la carte dinner at the “Java Tree” having an excellent fish dinner topped off with perfectly made at tableside crepe Suzette. As to be expected, excellent water pressure (Both tub and shower), high functioning Wi-Fi, with in room beverages that are refreshed daily at no extra cost. The daily paper is delivered to your door. Finally, the very helpful hotel staff arranged for an excellent English-speaking taxi driver for exploring George Town.

Location is adjacent to a major roadway that is a favorite for late nighttime venue for muscle cars running at high speed. This might disturb your sleep depending upon whether your room faces the water or the city. Public Health Alert the tap water throughout Malaysia is NOT deemed potable by Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as even after filtered and chlorinated may still be unclean or contain rust and other chemicals. The CDC also recommends avoiding beverages in Malaysia that contain ice made from tap water. So don’t forget to keep well-stocked with drinkable, bottled, filtered water provided at no cost by the hotel…This includes brushing your teeth as well. Your GI tract will thank you.

The location was amazing especially the view from our room. The room was incredibly comfortable and I cannot think if anything that it was missing. It was absolutely perfect. The pool in particular was unsurpassed in anything I have experienced. I could have stayed there all day. The breakfast were superb and I cannot think of anything that could have made them better. I will definitely be recommending this hotel to my friends.

Nice traditional but well maintained hotel. Very charming decor and antiques. Magnificent marble in the bathrooms. Upgrade to sea view was reasonable and lovely room. Room service was good quality, fast and cheap. Maybe some pasta and more Asian choices would be good. Restaurant menus also were excellent and tasty. We ate the fine dining in the coffee shop as more patrons and better atmosphere but the food came from same area so still excellent.

I was disappointed with the tv. Very few channels, old movie channel with 80’s movies. The pool in the old wing was like a hot tub. I know in the Middle East hotels they can chill the pools. This one was quite uncomfortable to use. we tried to,do Chromecast but it was only available with Android. That’s crazy!

The room was very spacious and nice, well furnished. It had a balcony and good sea views. Breakfast was also good, as expected in this kind of hotel: wide variety of good quality Eastern and Western options. Nice breakfast buffet. The gym was well equipped with different cardio machines (2 treadmills, 2 ellipticals, 1 bike) and a good range of dumbbells, I only missed a cable machine for rows :-) Swimming pool is long enough for laps and the setup is really beautiful looking to the sea. It was busier than the gym (empty the two times I used it), and we were unable to get lounge chairs by the pool all taken, so we had to sit by the bar tables. The hotel was within walking distance from all the must see and must eat in George Town which is enough to keep you busy on a weekend (the duration of our stay). Overall we had a very confortable stay.

The small details count... It was my birthday, and the booking was under my name, so they could have noticed (small detail they should look at) when registering with my passport at check in. A small note in the bedroom saying: "Happy Birthday" with two biscuits or two chocolates squares would have been a very nice touch.

Our stay was an experience. A feeling of being welcomed, pampered and wanted. Food was wonderful. When faced with a minor crisis Alison Fraser (hotel General Manager) was there and supported us. We are very grateful. Alison practises ‘management by walking around.’ We bumped into her six times during our stay with only one time being an organised event. The room was beautiful and Georgetown (and its food) easily within reach.

Some rooms can be a little noisy if located on the busy road side of the building. You might want to avoid one of these if this is a concern. However you are right in Georgetown. We considered this minor and the price you pay for staying in a heritage hotel - which are often located in the heart of downtown.