Walking around Penang is a delightful experience full of museums, temples, mosques, bustling markets, rich smells and wondrous sights. Articles to buy, barter and talk about. It’s almost like going to several countries at the same time as you stroll by Chinese temple shops, Bangladeshi horse-chestnut sellers, English bookstores and everywhere diverse inexpensive food.

For the more serious walker the jungles and beaches of the island offer a treasure trove of natural sites, ancient colonialism, an old lighthouse at Muka Head and fascinating wildlife everywhere. Put on good footwear, sunscreen, mosquito repellent, pack a widely available map and off you go. Many people like the guided tours which are advertised all over the island and are inexpensive and informative.

The visitor can walk through the reserve forest in Teluk Bahang at the Northwestern cape of Penang Island encountering spectacular fauna and jungle sights and sounds. Not only can one observe the jungle on this trek but also staggeringly beautiful beaches and like walking in the multi cultural Georgetown there is so much to see here compressed into a lovely compact island paradise.

Here one can also see miles of quiet beaches with a safe and gorgeous horizon. If the jungle trip sound too much for you or you don’t like the creepy crawlies you can take a boat from Kampung Nelayan, situated 1km from the small roundabout located at Teluk Behang, to the beaches of Pantai Kerachut, Muka Head and Teluk Kampi.

Malaysia with over 200 golf courses is fast becoming a mecca for the enthusiast and with well designed inexpensive courses set in tropical paradises it’s easy to see why. Penang offers some of the best here are details of two extraordinary places to play. Bring your clubs or use theirs. How can you resist?

Penang Golf Resort: This wonderful sprawling tropical five hundred acre course set in the heart of Kepala Batas in northern Seberang Perai, providing a haven for the seasoned golfer, this 36 hole course is a must. The course was designed by Former Malaysian and US Senior Open champion Graham Marsh. The resort provides beautiful real estate set in striking greenery. Penang Golf resort is also perfect for families with swimming pools, tennis courts, karaoke, children’s playgrounds and computer room

Kristal Golf Resort: is a little smaller located in 287 acres of tropical fauna, this 18-hole international standard golf course, is simply perfect, crafted around the natural undulations of a scenic valley. This Malaysian-Japanese joint-venture is situated in Sungai Bakap, 24 km from the Prai end of Penang Bridge. Designed by the Japanese Firm Eiwa Sekkei, and assisted by 1973 Malaysian Open champion Hideyo Sugimoto, it combines natural climbs and drops in the hilly terrain. The first few holes are relatively simple but become more challenging. Watch out for the water-lined stretch from Hole 14 to Hole 17.

Kristal offers two clubhouses – the main Golfer’s Clubhouse which is the golfing focal point, and the Family Clubhouse, located at the highest point of the resort some 100 metres above sea level. Facilities are excellent at both serve delicious Oriental, Western and Japanese cuisine.

Malaysia has 4800kms of exotic beaches offering a terrific variety of water sports to the active and non-active visitor.

The small island of Penang is a major water sports centre offering safe waters exquisite beaches. The water sports which are famous in Penang are wind surfing swimming, angling, boating, Banana boat rides, canoeing catamaran sailing, jet skiing, deep sea fishing, parasailing, kayaking, sailing, scuba diving, kayaking, snorkelling, water skiing and speed boating.

Although safety and supervision are paramount to hotels and beaches on the island water rafting is not allowed for kids, however, all of the other beach activities should keep them busy and make for an unforgettable family holiday.

Water sports like boating, angling, sailing, catamaran sailing, swimming, speed boating and can even be attempted by small children. While the other activities offer a little more danger and thrill seeking courage.

Sailing around Penang is a little less touristy for those used to sailing around nearby Singapore with remnants of the old Straits Settlements and its glorious old colonial buildings. Many hotels on the island hire boats and the area is easy to navigate. Penang Batu Ferring beach is the most famous on the island and offers the visitor the most beautiful of Asian beaches and great facilities.

Penang is a great place for the seasoned sailor and those wanting to learn the craft. Its waters are among the safest and most beautiful in Asia and well worth visiting by young and old alike.

Visitors to Penang will find many educational courses to do and there are also many English affiliated universities on the island.

The most popular courses for the visitor to take on the island are diving and cooking.
For a diving course you need to be in good physical health and a strong swimmer. A doctor’s certificate is also required before you start. Courses offered are PADI or SSI and are spread over three days for a beginner’s course. Tuition, transport, lunches equipment are all provided and after you have learnt the basics of the buddy system(communicating with other divers underwater)how to put on the suit and breathing equipment and confined water dives you are already for your first dive supervised by qualified teachers at the glorious marine Park reef. More advanced course taking four days are also offered many people get hooked, do further courses and go all the way to becoming diving teachers themselves.

Penang offers the visitor many cuisines from around the world from Indian to Chinese from Singaporean to Malay and you may be interested in learning to make some of the delicious fare on offer yourself. Great tuition by English speaking tutors and you can choose from general home cooking course learning everything from basic salads to curries and desserts. Or, perhaps you are wanting something a little more advanced and specific when top master chefs give their hard learned secrets of Asian cooking too you. Course run form simple daily course to three days and beyond all abilities are welcome offering an unforgettable hands on experience and a great gift for your dinner quests when you get back.

Penang has a wide range of sports and activities to suit every taste.

Although to murky for scuba diving and too calm for surfing, water sports are very popular on the island especially on the northern coast where the international hotels keep the beaches and water clean. Baru Ferenghi beach offers jet ski and paragliding.

Shopping is great here in three malls Gurney Plaza, Prangin Mall and Queensbay mall offer the usual fare from Body Shop to Department store. There is an excellent flea market at Lorung Kulit between 10 and 2pm and the night market at Batu Ferringhi.

Food tasting is everywhere on Penang where one can sample such local delights as Char Koay Teow, Penang Laksa, and Nasi Kandar.

Golfing
Pearl Island Country Club 8 Persiaran Kelicap, Tel: +60 4 642-7888, Fax: +60 4 646-6999 Course design: Pacific Coast Design (Aust)

Bukit Jawi Golf Resort Lot 414, Mlk6 Jln Paya Kemian Sempayi Sungai Jawi, Seberang Prai Selatan, Tel: +60 4 582-0759, Fax: +60 4 582-2613

Bukit Jambul Golf & Country Club 2 Jalan Bukit Jambul, Tel: +60 4 644-2255, Fax: +60 4 644-2400,
Jungle trekking & camping – Forest walking through Teluk Bahang,wander on to the northwestern cape of the island to enjoy fantastic beaches and a functional lighthouse!

Boat Rides
Kampung Nelayan for boat rides to beaches like Muka Head, Pantai Kerachut, and Teluk Kampi. Kampung Nelayan is located less than 1km down the road northwest of the small roundabout located at Teluk Bahang

Visitors to Penang will find lots to see and do in one relatively small and negotiable island.

High above the city is Penang Hill easily scaled by R2 railway affords visitors a terrific view of colonial Georgetown and the islands beaches.

Temple lovers will find a pleasant treasure trove in Thee Kong Tua (Jade Emporers temple) in Air Itam built by Taoists and recently renovated, for Thee Kong who they believe to be the supreme ruler of Heaven. There is also Chor Soo Kong Temple (Snake Temple) guarded by vipers which have had their venom removed…..fortunately for us.

Lastly there is Key Lok Si Temple (Temple of Supreme Bliss) the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, overlooking Air Itam, it is perhaps the best known temple in the region.

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Chayamangkalaram was built in 1845by a Buddhist monk. Situated in the old town of Pulau Titus it is 33 metres high and covered in glistening gold.

Penang is host to the Penang Toy Museum containing 100,000 exhibits of toys, dolls and games, making it the worlds largest.

Nature lovers will enjoy The Butterfly farm which is home to many species of fluttering butterflies as well as scorpions and other fascinating insects.

The Tropical Spice Garden is a great place for an afternoon drink and view over 500 different types of tropical fauna.

Penang National Park (Muka Head) in Pantai Acheh compact but with many eco exhibits including a salt and fresh water lake, as well as a fully functioning lighthouse making it the perfect location for a picnic or a relaxing rest in the tropical sunshine.

Penang needs little introduction for the Malayan visitor, famous for being one of Southeast Asia’s finest destinations. Penang’s beautiful beaches and exotic sighteeing have made it one of the most popular destinations in the region.

Gorgeous as the beaches are, Penang’s deeper mysteries should also be experienced. Local folklore decries that the Snake Temple, dedicated to a Buddhist healer-priest, was inhabited by snakes who came out of the jungle on the night of the temple’s completion. The snakes are still living there today. The Kek Lok Si temple, at Air Itam is thought by many as the most beautiful and largest temple complex in Southeast Asia. Its seven-story pagoda, over 90 feet high, is a harmonious blend of Chinese, Thai, and Burmese architecture and craftsmanship.

Always worth a visit are the Penang Bird Park, the peak of Penang Hill, Fort Cornwallis, the site of Light’s first landing, and the Pantai Acheh Forest Reserve with its breathtaking beaches. A trek through the reserve’s interior reveals unique flora, scampering tree monkeys, hunting sea eagles investigating their prey, and if you are lucky a glimpse of a Hawksbill turtle sea bound journey. Some hotels organize early morning treks through the forest.

Malaysia’s most established beach holiday destination is the compact island of Penang with its rubber plantations, rice fields, sumptuous beaches and tranquil atmosphere.

The perfect retreat from the frantic pace of life in Kuala Lumpur but only an hour away by air, Penang provides rejuvenation for the weary traveller, with luxurious beach resort hotels as well as historic shrines, monasteries and many small temples.

The island has enjoyable and entertaining nightlife, as well as plenty to do during the day when you have spent enough time soaking up the sun, and want to explore.
Penang is the perfect peaceful twin to Kuala Lumpur, and the laid back beaches and gardens are the perfect counterpoint to the vibrancy and pace of the city. The flying time is only around an hour from KualaLumpur or Singapore, or you may choose to hire a car and drive through the Cameron Highlands in the centre of Peninsular Malaysia, and take a few days experiencing the traditional tea gardens before finishing in Penang.

You can always get cheap flights to Penang throughout the year, and coupled with excellent value accommodation available along the beaches makes visiting this exotic destination far cheaper than people often imagine.

Penang is a beautiful island, which offers the traveller a combination of relaxation and a unique culture that retains much of the British Colonial influence, fine examples of Asian deco, and of course the endless influence of the Chinese people who live there. A dazzling Oriental jewel glittering in the tropical sun, which so many people fall in love with and become frequent visitors.

Facts for the Traveller:
Name: Federation of Malaysia
Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Area: 329,750 Sq KM
Population: 23 million
Language: Malay, English, Tamil
Flight Time: 13 Hours from London
Currency: Malaysian Ringgit

Penang is a great destination for families providing lots to see and do, however, it is more challenging than travelling alone.In Penang, one can shop, eat delicious local food, visit heritage sites, ascend Penang Hill by cable car, explore Little India, take a trishaw ride, visit the Butterfly Farm, Tropical Spice Garden, Tropical Fruit Farm and much more.

The Park Royal is a 309 room five-star deluxe resort with three restaurants, two friendly bars, swimming pools – a 70-foot waterslide, a tennis court, relaxing Spa, watersports centre, a supervised kids’ club for pre teens, teenage area for the over twelves, lobby shop, traditional wooden massage huts, limousine counter and self-service laundrette.

This resort and spa offers various accommodation types including 30 family rooms with multiple bedding, with either two large beds or with one king and two singles and 134 interconnecting rooms as well.