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

A beautiful historic hotel with uninterrupted views across the coast. The pool area and bar areas were just stunning. Great cocktails in Farquhar’s bar. The breakfast buffet was extensive and we were advised what options were vegan suitable. Very friendly staff who could not do enough for you and they did try and sort any issues we had with the room.

Note if you’re staying in the victory annexe you will have specific pool access to the 6th floor pool, not to the pictured pool, which was a little unclear on booking. We also found the cleaning and room upkeep substandard - marked and worn shower screen, broken bath outflow which flooded the bathroom, room floor and rug unclean on arrival and covered in other peoples hair, dusty up-skirts and furniture. 18% service and taxes charged on whole stay on checkout - happy to pay this but should be mentioned at check in when pre-charge is made to card.

We love the location of the property; right on the edge of the waterfront was very nice. We also enjoyed the view from our room's balcony as it had a direct view of the Gurney Drive skyline and waterfront.

Being a five-star hotel, I felt its staff was not as friendly/helpful as other competitive hotels on the Penang island. There was a door staff who spent time playing with his smartphone and ignored us, not opening the door and not greeting us. Even though this is a minor issue, it has a poor reflection on the hotel's image and experience of a high-end hotel. I wished the hotel gym is 24 hours instead of opening from 7 am, which for some of us early birds is not convenient.

The heritage part of hotel

No control of guests entering swimming pool which is supposed to be reserved only for only heritage guests

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.

We were in the Annexe. Beautiful big room with sea views from the balcony and lovely old fashioned bathroom. Excellent breakfast with lots of variety and good vegetarian options. Staff very friendly and helpful. Excellent pool, I think it's actually nicer than the club pool. Interesting historical features and an entertaining hotel museum. A great romantic heritage hotel in a great town. Easy walk into George Town and not far from the CAT bus stops if its too hot to walk.

Only minor things - TV in room was small, old and not much variety of channels. No direct access from Annexe lobby to the street (Lebuh Farquahar) - you had to go through car park and driveway or via the heritage wing entrance.