Penang Hotels

Penang is an island off the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is also the name of the Malaysian state which is made up of Penang Island and the facing strip of territory on the mainland called Seberang Perai (formerly Province Wellesley). Penang is one of Malaysia's main tourist draws. Its beaches are nice, though a little lackluster when compared to those in some other Malaysian states, but this is more than compensated for by the island's rich multicultural history which is full of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and European influences. Penang is also well known for being the "food paradise" of Malaysia. Penang was part of the Malay sultanate of Kedah until 1786, when Captain Francis Light built a fort at the site of present-day Georgetown and managed to get the island ceded to the British East India Company, along with Malacca and Singapore. The island was one of the three British Straits Settlements. The name Penang comes from the Malay word Pinang, means the betel nut .The name Pulau Pinang translated literally from Malay means "betel nut island". The original name of Penang was Pulau Ka-satu or "First Island", it was renamed to Prince of Wales Island on 12 Aug 1786 to commemorate the birthday of the Prince of Wales, later, George IV. During the early and middle part of the last century, Penang Island was also known as "The Pearl of the Orient". The capital, Georgetown, was named after King George III of Great Britain. Today, Penang has the highest population density in Malaysia and is the only state where the ethnic Chinese are the majority. Penang state is today the third-largest economy amongst the states of Malaysia, after Selangor and Johor. The cargo trade has largely shifted down to Port Klang and Singapore since Penang lost its free-port status in 1969, but now Penang makes a good living off tourism and electronics factories. The multi-national corporations that operate factories in the Free Trade Zone include Intel, AMD, BBraun, Dell, Flextronics, Agilent, Osram, Motorola, Seagate, and Jabil Circuit. Penang was granted Cyber-City status on 21 June, 2004. At the World Heritage Committee Session in July 2008, Georgetown, along with Malacca were listed as [UNESCO World Heritage Sites]]. Orientation:The state of Penang is made up of two parts, Penang Island and Seberang Perai (formerly Province Wellesley). The island lies in the Straits of Malacca, just 8 km off the north-western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The island is shaped like a turtle which is swimming north, while Seberang Perai is a rectangular piece of land to the east of the island. Georgetown is Penang's largest city. Development of the eastern coast of the island is slowly linking Georgetown and Bayan Lepas (in the south-east) into a single large city. The island's best beaches are on the northern side, particularly at Batu Ferringhi, so this is the location of most of the beach hotels. The northern coast, which was a tranquil part of the island just ten years ago, is now being heavily developed. At the north-western end of Penang island is Teluk Bahang, a quiet little fishing village. From here, you can explore the secluded beaches of Pantai Kerachut, Muka Head, and Teluk Kampi. There is an old lighthouse at Muka Head beach. You can reach these beaches by either hiking (1 - 3 hours) or by hiring a fisherman's "sampan" (boat). The village itself has a kilometer-long beach and a small Scout campsite. The island's western side is still relatively quiet and undeveloped, with a peaceful "kampung" (village) feel about it. The island's international airport is located at the south-east corner of the island. Climate:Penang, like the rest of Malaysia, has an equatorial climate. This means temperatures of between about 22°C/72°F (night) and 30°C/86°F (day), between 70% and 90% humidity, and an annual total rainfall of about 2400mm. The driest months are usually January and February. The wettest period is usually from September to November; frequent thunderstorms can be expected in these months.