Sorry to any Malaysians out there, but Penang sucks. I have been forced to go there for the past 10 years or so at least once a year and I absolutely hate it. I was once a content writer for Agoda and was given free reign on my travel topics as long as they pertained to beaches. I was reprimanded for saying almost nothing good about Penang because Agoda has like 600 hotels listed there. They made me change the article so if you are ever reading an article on Agoda looking for journalistic integrity - they don't have any.
I honestly don’t know why anyone desires to vacation in Penang because it is my understanding that a lot of people do. Of course it has it’s redeeming qualities, but for the most part if I never ever have to go there again, I will consider life a success.
Beaches:
Penang is an island, so obviously it has quite a few beaches, all of which are terrible. Again, my apologies to any Malaysians but they are covered in trash, the only wildlife in the water is jellyfish, and I believe you should probably make certain your tetanus shots are up to date if you ever dare go for a swim. There is a Hard Rock Café on one of the beaches, and I can’t imagine why they chose to locate themselves there. I’m not really a fan of beaches anyway, but ones covered in trash can suck it.
jump in kids! don't forget to wear sunscreen and a jellyfish protection suit
Roads:
I am primarily referring to Georgetown, the main city area in Penang. The roads are awful. There is a sidewalk of sorts in some places but the individual property owners have for some reason decided to make them unusable via gates, benches, or simply building a wall. Therefore, you have to walk in the street for the most part and get honked at and have multiple near-death experiences if you are trying to get around.
now imagine if it was full of cars and trust me, it is
Sanitation:
Just awful. There is garbage everywhere and no one really seems to mind. I was once sitting somewhere having a taco or something and saw a rat dragging a bottle of ketchup down the street. Seriously, they have some mutant rodents there which are probably thriving because of the garbage that is all over the place.
awesome
Food:
This is actually ok. I really like Indian food and well, they have some incredible Indian here at what is bound to be the lowest prices outside of India. I never eat anything but Indian food when I am forced to go there because well, why change something you really like? The last time I was there (and I sincerely hope it was “the last time”) I paid less than $3 for a Tandoori set. Awesomeness.
Booze:
I am guessing this has a lot to do with the fact that this country is still ruled by Sharia law but booze is extremely expensive here. It is more expensive to get a beer at a minimart in Penang (and the rest of Malaysia other than Langkawi) than it is to bet one at a rather posh bar in all the surrounding countries. Except Singapore – that place while awesome is too expensive for just about everything.
Sure, you can get beers and wine and really whatever you can imagine in the liquor department while in Penang, but you are going to pay a lot for it.
I want to say again that I am not trying to badmouth Malaysians, I just feel as though this place had potential, but once again greed and over-development has lead to destruction. I suppose this is just the way of the world now. Also, my position is tainted because I have been forced against my will to travel there for many years.
It was very disappointed for me,my plan to go to malaysia and i think malaysia was very beautiful.
i have heard good things about the islands on the north east coast, particularly good for diving. I have enjoyed my time in Kuala Lumpur as well because it is very modern and if they have integrated Grab / Uber the ubiquitous taxi scams can be eliminated. The Cameron Highlands are meant to be wonderful also.
My opine was not meant towards the country as a whole, just towards Penang.
yes,I think penang should be in surgery.hopefully penang will change sometime and i will surely go to malaysia not to be curious for me anymore
I do understand your point of view because you like to party and drink sometimes. However, the culture in Penang is a little quiet- Penang lacks the vibrancy compared to Hanoi. Also as a predominantly Muslim country, alcohol and beer are highly taxed and expensive. All these sandwiched with the bad roads,the hot weather, and many others.... it's no surprise you do not like the location.
The cost of living in Malaysia seem pretty high compared to Vietnam and Thailand. Is it only like this in Georgetown? or the rest of Malaysia is like that too?@gooddream
I have only been to 4 different cities in Malaysia (well, i've passed through some others but not spent a night there.) I find accommodation to be overpriced as well as booze in all of the 4 places i went. I have not been to the east coast at all - I hear good things. Perhaps i will give them a look this "summer" because their weather is actually quite nice on the east side during that time of year.
What sadness, to look at those images immediately comes to mind my country Venezuela so are their streets surrounded by garbage with rodents everywhere is not fair that a country reaches so much
Hi gooddream. In the future if I am travelling in Asia I am going to ask you. What you don't know is not worth knowing. Unfortunately most people have to find out the hard way. It looks disgusting from your photos. You would think thy would clean up their beaches at least. Hope you still having a good time in Hanoi.
Sorry to bother you, but if you can complain about Malaysia in this manner, you won't be able to stay a sec in most part of Nigeria.... Just kidding
Maintenance is a key factor to keep anything at it best. Those beaches would have been better than they appeared if they are properly maintained and managed.
What used to annoyed me about place like this (Nigeria included) is that we will prefer to go to places where they have good maintenance culture and pay lots of money to enjoy what they have than to spend the same amount of money in developing ours.
The street up there also look like one in Nigeria, no wonder we ended up destroying properties each time we think of expanding the road.
Whoa this is amazing and a very informative post. I had been insisting my dad to take me along to Malaysia and after seeing these sights, i would definitely not want to go there. Thanks for opening my eyes.by the way i too like indian food. It is similar to what we eat here in pakistan.
You should still go to Malaysia. Just don't dedicate too much time to Penang... if you think like i do.
is that true,what are you talking about malaysia @gooddream??
i have never been to malaysia but my friends are there and they say malaysia is very beautiful,i can not imagine if malaysia is true as you say,hope it is not true,because i have a plan to go there..
again, i am not referring to the entire country; just Penang... and this comes from over 10 years of experience traveling there. I have friends who like Penang, but I simply do not.
There are lots of lovely spots in Malaysia for sure. I just don't think Penang is one of them.
you like german????,you should go to germany
I agree with you, I do not want to pay to visit this place is very dirty. garbage piles everywhere make a very dirty beach scene in the world! whether it is garbage shipment?
How sad that they force you to go somewhere you do not like ...
hi steemians dont go anymore anywhere there booze is a rare thing...every thing else can be adjusted...:D better stay in home...nice article.just enough to understand penang.thank you
We can see that in the aspect of health, this place has much to be desired to see so much garbage spread everywhere, like walking in the middle of the street I guess it is a very annoying topic, nothing pleasant.
I imagine that it will also have its strong points.
I actually expected more from a malaysian state. Poor management and sanitization is the problem civilization faces. These countries and authorities should look into this things. Why will mother nature be this unkept? Its so sadning...
A lot of Nigerian guy are crazy about Malaysia. Who knows, maybe where they go is Penang. I don't think I will want to go there with all this
ah don't just take my word for it. I am not trying to ruin other people's travel plans. This is just my experience over the course of over a decade. I really have tried to like it, I have altered my plans many times and really really tried to enjoy it but I just don't. I have friends who love it and I have a hard time relating to them.
Ohhh. interesante...
From what I can read, that place is pretty boring, I understand when you say it's crap hehe.
Wow! Really interesting post. I'll definitely keep this in mind when we go to Malaysia.