Room with a View
The view from the living room balcony (Zoom to see the edge of the island)
During out trip to Penang, Malaysia we stayed in a service apartment instead of a hotel. Having stayed in hotels I knew that the size of the room was rather small and it would certainly be a tight squeeze for our family of 5 with the extended family to fit into two rooms.
I chose to stay Gurney Residence which was located near the famous Gurney Drive eating/shopping strip.
The service apartment wasn’t as posh as a hotel but it was certainly more practical as we the kids had more then ample space to move around.
The view at the other side of the balcony
We had an apartment on a high floor and the sea view was certainly magnificent. Just look at what greeted us from the balcony.
The view on the other side of the balcony.
Even though it rained and the sky looked ominous the view was still breathtaking. Looking out to the vast ocean really makes one feel calm and at peace.
The living room of the apartment
The sofa in the living room was really enormous. It can easily accommodate 10 adults. The only drawback that the television set was really tiny at 21 inches wide. It would have been superb if it was a 50 or 60 inch set as we were all straining to see what was being shown on television seated at the sofa. In the end we shifted some seats of the sofa nearer the screen to be able to watch more comfortably.
The kitchen
The kitchen was sparsely equipped and we didn’t cook as the cooking utensils that they provided were not in good condition. There were many nice restaurants nearby and we ate out after spending the whole day out at the various attractions.
The Master bedroom toilet
The kids were thrilled to see the huge bathtub and couldn’t wait to try it out. Unfortunately the jacuzzi function didn’t work so they were only able to use it as a normal tub.
One of the bedrooms which had it’s own balcony.
There was a queen size bed in each room giving ample space for the kids to roll around in bed
The other bedroom
We were upgraded to a 4 bedroom suite for a night when we checked in as the 3 bedroom one that we booked was not ready for occupation. The kids went wild running from one bedroom to another playing hide and seek.
Another bedroom.
There were bathrooms in each bedroom so we did not need to take turns using it.
Do you choose to stay in a hotel or a service apartment when you travel?
January 5, 2015 @ 5:18 pm
A beautiful apartment! The enormous sofa is a 11 seater. Wow!!
The kitchen looks nice. So are the rooms.
How much did you pay for the apartment?
January 6, 2015 @ 5:23 pm
Wow, that place looks amazing. We are trying to decide where to go next (thinking about March or April) and Penang is on our short list. If it ends up being our choice, now we know where to stay.
January 6, 2015 @ 5:43 pm
Hari OM
WOW that is plusher than any place I have ever stayed!!! The view is ‘killing’… YAM xx
January 6, 2015 @ 5:44 pm
beautiful apartment and a very beautiful view too…
Its good to have spacious rooms when visit other places.We have experience with small rooms and this is a tip for me for our next holiday….
January 6, 2015 @ 9:31 pm
That is a very nice apartment, seems like choosing the apartment over the hotel was a very good idea.
We wish you great things for this new year, may your dreams come true.
January 6, 2015 @ 9:53 pm
Now THAT’s a room with a definite view! Lovely…
January 6, 2015 @ 10:58 pm
Looks amazing. I could do with that massive sofa.
January 6, 2015 @ 11:28 pm
Super cool. I love the views. Great pics.
January 7, 2015 @ 2:44 am
Beautiful room indeed, love those beds!
That is a spectacular view. Too bad it looks like it was about to downpour.
January 7, 2015 @ 5:21 am
What a beautiful view! The apartment looked like a wonderful place to stay. Too bad about the tiny TV, but everything else looks great!
January 7, 2015 @ 6:35 am
That is an amazing view. I love those beds to.
January 7, 2015 @ 7:25 am
I think it’s way better than a hotel. The place is huge and the view outside is amazing! 🙂
January 7, 2015 @ 10:07 am
Ohhh, why such a small TV for such a wonderful looking place? Happy WW
January 7, 2015 @ 5:02 pm
I’m glad you had a great holiday. I guess there wasn’t too much time to watch TV, although the small screen size did sound like a bummer. 😉
January 7, 2015 @ 7:32 pm
Such a beautiful place. I love the bathroom. too bad the jacuzzi function didn’t work 🙁
January 7, 2015 @ 8:13 pm
The view is lovely and it looks like a good place to stay.
From WW: http://linorstorecom.blogspot.com/2015/01/wordless-wed-2015-cat-calendars.html
January 7, 2015 @ 9:54 pm
I like that each bedroom had its own bath! I can see how this would be way better than a hotel for holiday visiting!
January 7, 2015 @ 11:09 pm
I’ve never heard of a service apartment. The closest I can think of is a suite in a hotel, but those can be really expensive (two or three times as much as a hotel room with two king beds in it).
That was a beautiful view from the balcony.
January 7, 2015 @ 11:56 pm
Awesome apartment! The views are stunning.
January 8, 2015 @ 1:19 am
Beautiful place to stay.
January 8, 2015 @ 1:33 am
Where I stay has to do with the purpose of my trip. I like that tub though!
January 8, 2015 @ 2:59 am
Beautiful space to holiday in and gorgeous views!!
January 8, 2015 @ 4:41 am
This is a great travel tip. I have lived in China, but I hope to get to see more of the Asian world.
January 8, 2015 @ 3:49 pm
What a huge apartment! looks awesome, and the view is stunning too.
January 9, 2015 @ 3:27 am
That view looks awesome! 🙂
I hope you had a great time! Best wishes for 2015!
January 12, 2015 @ 4:51 am
Beautiful view and room to move, you picked a great place to stay. The last few vacations we’ve rented condominiums rather than stay in hotels. There’s more room and fewer people, so it’s worked well for us.