Hotel Review-Hydro Hotel-Penang Island Malaysia

Ive seen this hotel many years ago when it was named Hydro Majestic Hotel. And since then i promised to myself that i will stay there one day whenever i come to Penang Island. For me it looked so grand standing on the hill overlooking the beach, and true to its previous name....looks "majestic".

Fast forward to the current time, maybe almost 10-15 years since my last encounter with this hotel, i finally got the chance to stay therein moreover i got a fabulous hotel deals from Agoda at the rate of RM 160++ plus breakfast for two.

As it was just a short holiday during the weekend..and my need to have an excursion out of the city, i drove out of the city on Friday evening, after work, for 3.5 hours drive to Penang. Penang is an island state to the north of Kuala Lumpur. It comprised of Seberang Perai, the area within the Peninsular Malaysia mainland and Georgetown, or the island part of the state, connected via the Penang Bridge to the mainland. There are also ferry services connecting the mainland and the island. You may get more info on Penang on this website http://www.tourismpenang.net.my/

We arrived at the hotel around 11pm, the reception area was deserted at that time. But i really love the personal reception desk with proper seating, whereby you''ll be attended personally by the receptionist and your check-in process is done while you're comfortably seated, not standing as in other hotels. As stated earlier, my first impression of the hotel was that i could see the design was of years ago, maybe dated back to the 80's, with sharp vertical cuts of the walls, pillars and ceilings. You will also see those small tilings that were so prominently used during the 80's. Anyway these dated designs surprisingly gave a breath of fresh feeling as they were no longer used in modern designs of new hotels and its originality can easily surpassed those "created" retro looks that some new hotels are trying to portray.

The images below will give you some insight of the lobby area, these pictures were taken the following morning. Notice the retro lamp which i believe have been retained for use since the beginning of this hotel. The lobby is spacious in a simple rectangular area.

On to the room, though originally booked for Standard Room, we were later upgraded to Deluxe room, which comes with a balcony overlooking the sea. The room is spacious. The bed was actually two single beds combined into one, each of this bed was big enough for two people i believe. Even in the room you can see the 80's simple and clean influence in its design and the furnishings of the room. Maybe the carpet had been replaced, but the bed, the single seater, the standing lamp, cupboard and even the fridge were obviously from the past. Not to mention the tv as it was not LCD, but they do have satellite channel here.

 

The bathroom was clean and simple. Mediumly sized, it was equipped with bath tub and shower. Toilet amenities were nothing to shout about, the usuals of shampoo, soap, shower gels.

 Now to the best feature of the room, the balcony. Due to the strategic location of the hotel which was built on the hill side, you will get stunning views of the sea and the hill from here. I can even spend my whole day just sipping coffee and enjoying the seaview and the sunset from this balcony.

Another unique and wonderful feature of this hotel is its "private beach," located across the main street and can be reached from the hotel safely by using the overhead pedestrian bridge, the entrance of which is located at the swimming pool area of the hotel.

i really love the private beach. it was clean and not crowded, just what i needed for my weekend getaway.....

 

i love to sit on the rocks by the beach and just watching the waves come splashing onto the beach...it was a relief to be there and to escape the hustle and bustle of the office............

The breakfast offerings were generous as they offered varieties of local and western dishes. Though our stay collided with the busy school holiday and the cafe was crowded with people, the hotel managed to ensure the foods were replenished and kept to sufficient amount to cater to the crowds. Further, i found the foods to be delicious as well. I really love its Nasi Lemak and it became my favourite dish for breakfast through out my stay here.

There were also a convenient store here (wherein i had a very wonderful chat with the owner, a wonderful lady who had been managing the store since the early days of the hotel), a game room (where you can buy tokens to play electronic games at the machines or play pool with your friends. Not to forget a wonderful swimming pool to take a splash. During our stay it was awfully crowded with children so we stayed away.

general views of the hotel...........

Ive fulfilled my childhood and teenage dreams by staying at this hotel but not that i foresee it would be a pleasant one and memorable too. I will definitely come back to this hotel for a short escape and relaxation out of my normal routine. As far as im concerned this hotel delivered the things that ive wanted for my weekend retreat, a comfortable stay, adequate facilities, good foods, fantastic location and scenery surrounding it and best of all a long stretched of well kept beach side at your perusal...minus the crowds of course-Kay2011

Rating out of 5: 3.5

Hydro Hotel Website: http://www.hydrohotelpenang.com/

Images of Perth 2

Continued from my previous post here Images-of-perth-australia-june-2009

I had the opportunity to visit the wonderful city of Perth again in 2010..and this time it was in Spring season. On this trip as well, i noted something that i never knew before....there are beautiful beaches and crystal blue seas in Perth! It was by accident that we arrived at this sea-side area..on our way to Caversham Wildlife Park...i cant recall its name though.....

and this one is the beach near Round House-Freemantle........

 

a small lagoon in Freemantle...there are houses built around this lagoon...those people are really lucky to have such a view in front of their houses....

so  not  only Perth offers inland attractions...the beaches and seaside are must visit places as well for the tourist...........

as i didn't get to explore Freemantle town extensively previously...i took the effort to do so in this trip...thus we ventured into places such as the Round House.

and walk around Freemantle town admiring the beautiful architectural designs of its buildings.....

 

 Back in Perth City, we visited the Bell Tower........

This tower was built to commemorate the coming of the new Milennium in the year 2000. It houses 18 "change-ringing" bells.

and spent our last days in this wonderful city walking around King's Park and the city. One thing wonderful about visiting during this time was that all the flowers are in full bloom.

 

Spring season starts in September and i believe it's the best time to visit Perth. This wonderful city seems to be alive with multitude of colours from the flowers and plants which made up most of the sceneries of the city.Combine further with wonderful blue sky and turquoise crystal clear sea water, you'll definitely have a memorable vacation that leaves lasting impression and entice you to keep coming back to this wonderful city of Perth-Kay2011

Images of Perth-Australia (June 2009)

Ive been to Perth twice before but never featured any "proper" post of my travel except some bits and pieces about its foods here Perth Foods, flight review of my recent flight to Perth with Malaysia Airlines here Flight Review MH 125 and some pictures of the fauna captured in Kings Park here Flowers-Kings Park.

Now for a proper report on Perth. For me Perth is beautiful and calm amidst its modernity. Thanks to its proper planning, you can see greenery all over the place and sure enough cleanliness is kept at its best. It can be described as a modern city which co-existed in-sync with its nature.

My first trip was way back in the year 2009 and travelled during the winter season which fell in June.

We arrived at the airport around 6pm local time and the weather was freezing cold. The journey from the airport took about 40 minutes.

Early morning in Perth........

My sister's house is located within walking distance to the city centre...as you can see from this picture...

and the best part was...King's Park was just behind the next corner...so we could practically walk to this famous park. Take note that King's Park is like a botanical garden whereby they conserve the plants and wildlife here to retain its habitat. And the best views of Perth City could be found when you are standing at the various look-out points at this park, due to high elevation level.

Here is the bird's eye view of the city centre..........

and the Swan River.........

more images of King's Park......

 you may ride this tram for a small fee to tour around the park area.......

downtown Perth with its British influenced historical buildings............

As Perth is famous for its natural wonders, no visit to Perth will be complete without visiting these 2 places-Perth Zoo and Caversham Wildlife Park. The former is located near to the city centre but the latter is located outside of the city centre-which require some proper transportation planning to reach the same.

Perth Zoo....the birds' area is an enclosed area but the animals were left free to roam and fly within the enclosure. Of course the birds of prey such as eagles and owls are kept inside cages.

Caversham Wildlife Park...here you can have close encounters with many local animals especially the kangaroos and Koala. Koala is kept in an enclosure and you may touch it by using the back of your hand only. They also have an area which depicts the local farms with many farm animals such as donkeys, all types of chickens and turkeys, horse, rabbits, pigs and even donkeys and goats.

Another place which should not  be missed by anyone visiting Perth is Freemantle Town. Freemantle is a port city whereby there are many historical buildings still stands strong forming the scene of the city. Visiting Freemantle is like visiting a small town in England due to heavy influence of  colonnial English designs of its buildings.

 

We also visited the Maritime Museum here........they even have a full-scale submarine on display here...very impressive....

Those who are looking for souvenirs to take home, do drop by E-Shed Market, which is only open during the weekends to buy many types of souveniers from tshirts to caps to key-chains at bargain prices.

Do look up for my next installment of my second visit to the wonderful city of Perth, with more detailed pictures of the attractions therein-Kay2011.