“Seeing the infinity pool view blended perfectly with South China Sea
brought an amazing feeling.”
After 18 hours stressful land rides from Phuket, resting was the first thing appeared in my mind. I was sleep deprived for weeks due to endless party in Phi Phi and Patong Beach, yet I could not resist staying near the sea. From Komtar Central Station, I continued my journey to The Gurney Resort Hotel & Residences, four star hotel overlooking the tourist belt of Gurney Drive and few minutes’ walk away from Gurney Drive hawker centre.
At the lobby, classic music and receptionist’s smile welcomed me. They had been waiting because I told them I would do early check in at 11 AM, however I just arrived at 4 PM. While waiting for the receptionist to check me in, I managed to quickly eat a slice of Pistachio Cake and Chamomile Tea on their café corner. A tender cake and balance sweetness can be tasted on every single bite.
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| Receptionist warmly welcomed the guests with smile |
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| Yummy Tea Time at The Gurney Café Corner |
I was booked into Studio Suites, luxurious spacious 515 sq ftroom at 35th floor. I was a bit acrophobic (scared of height); but when I opened the door, my worries were melted away. A glimpse of Gurney Drive and beautiful sea view were so mesmerizing. Earthy tones dominated the room and completed with white king-size bed. The dining space has been complemented with a fruit basket, ranging from apple, kiwi, plum, even mango! The bathroom was not only having a bathtub but also a Jacuzzi. All the elements of the room balanced each other and made me feel well-rested. I dragged myself to gym for a while. Luckily, it opened until 7 pm, so I had some time before travelling around Georgetown.
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| Sumptuous Tropical Fruits Bowl |
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| Spacious Rooms with King Bed |
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| View from My Room at 35th Floor |
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| Jaccuzi time, anyone? |
The Gurney Resort was located nearby many tourists’ attractions (Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram or the Reclining Buddha Temple, Gurney Drive Hawker Center, Gurney Plaza & Gurney Paragon malls and many beach clubs). By only 20 minutes’ walking distance, I have arrived at Penang Street Art, mural collections made by Lithuanian artist – Ernest Zacharevic. Other famous objects such Fort Cornwallis, Church of the Assumption and Chocolate Museum were also very easy to reach. After I became exhausted, I came back and visited Gurney Plaza to buy some souvenirs. If you come to Penang to have medical checkup, Gleneagles Hospital was only 500 metres away. The hotel also provided free shuttle service to Gleneagles, Loh Guan Lye, Adventist and IslandHospital which departed three times a day every two hour.
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| Shuttle Bus Schedule |
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| Gurney Hawkers Centre |
The next day, I woke up feeling refreshed. I was well-rested and directly went to the pool at 7th floor. Seeing the infinity pool view blended perfectly with South China Sea brought an amazing feeling. The hotel lent animal shaped floaties as cheap as 10 RM per 30 minutes. For those who have children, your children could play happily in the kids’ pool where mushroom water fountain and mini slides accompany them. Those who wanted to sunbathe can sit at the colorful bean bag or –after- headed to Samsara Spa to relax their body and soul.
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| Recreational Park near the Pool |
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| Let your Children Splash and Slide |
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| Floating on beyond Beautiful Infinity Pool |
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| Good Morning, Sunshine! |
My diet plan was ruined when I arrived at the Buffet Breakfast Restaurant. For in house guest, it only costed 25 RM and all the delicious dishes would be yours. I did not expect the food would be lovely, but it was tremendous! Even my friend who worked as hotelier admitted the flavor was great. The restaurant served huge ranges of food from egg station, cereal station, traditional Penang dishes e.g. char kway teow and spring roll, British big breakfast, and so on. I could not decide what to eat, so I just picked small bite from each. I was drooling over its yummy maple pancakes.
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| Huge Ranges of Food in Beautifully Design Cafe |
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| Various Ranges of Cereal |
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| Where else you could find Laksa Corner? |
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| Yummy Maple with Butter Honey & Omellete to Start the Day |
As the sun risen up, it was time for me to leave Georgetown and Penang. I returned the key to the front desks who wore stylish uniform. Very helpful concierge guy named Mortiurhelped me open the door and put my luggage on the trunk without being asked.
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| Stylish Employess |
This 200+ room’s hotel may seem antique from outside, but its strategist location, room quality and fabulous view invited me to stay here again on my next visit. So if you ask where to stay in Penang, The Gurney Resort Hotel & Residences would be my first preference because they were ‘Providing Services with Heart’.
XOXO,
Na
Address: 18, Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Georgetown, Penang
Website: http://www.gurneyhotel.com.my/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Thegurneyresorthotel
