High rise apartments and condominiums in George Town
Here are some useful tips in choosing the right location to stay in Penang. Having decided to make Penang your home, whether for just a couple of years or longer, your first, second and third consideration is location, location, location. You will definitely enjoy a more pleasant stay in Penang if you make a right choice on location. That choice depends to a certain extend on whether you are coming to Penang to work, to study or to retire.
The following map indicates four choice locations for you to consider. The properties in these four areas range from medium cost to luxurious, as these are the choice of foreign retirees, expatriates as well as medium to top level executives. If you are seeking to buy or rent a low-cost property in Penang, refer to the table on this page for an estimated price, and then use the Google Map above to consider its location. Be aware that some of the lower class areas of Penang can get very crowded, coupled with traffic congestion and noise.
Properties Map of Penang
1. Working in Penang
There's more places to choose if you are coming to work. It all depends on where your workplace is located. By all means, you definitely do not wish to spend more than an hour on the road each way. Take into consideration the distance between your home and your workplace. Also, while it may not appear immediately apparent, the number of traffic lights between your home and workplace should also be considered. Choose poorly, and you'd spend much of your time at the red light - and there are plenty in some places. Despite the improvement of public transport through the introduction of Rapid Penang buses, most people in Penang still prefer to drive. Hence, at rush hour, many of the main roads in Penang can get heavily congested.
If you are working in George Town, you might want to consider a home in Areas "B" and "C". Area B comprises Green Lane, whereas Area C comprises Gurney Drive. Of the two, Green Lane property and rental prices are within the middle-income range whereas Gurney Drive is in the upper-income range. Green Lane slows to a crawl during rush hour, compounded by quite a number of traffic lights. Living in Green Lane, you would likely do your grocery shopping at Tesco Penang, or at the wet markets in Jelutong and Batu Lanchang.
Area C comprising Gurney Drive is prime real estate in Penang. The seaside promenade is lined with a wall of skyscrapers, every unit priced in the seven-digit range. You won't entirely escape traffic jams. However, you would be pleased to know that many of the roads within inner George Town have been converted into one-way streets. This has eased traffic flow somewhat. It has also reduces the number of traffic lights in the city. Nevertheless, at rush hour, traffic flows at glacial speed through the one-way streets. To avoid traffic lights in the city, avoid Perak Road and Jalan Dato Kramat. Shopping for groceries can be at Cold Storage in Gurney Plaza or at the Pulau Tikus wet market.
If you are working in the Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone, unless you wish to plough through the traffic jams every day, you should not consider living in George Town or farther north. Instead, a home in Area "D" would be more convenient for you. On the middle and upper range are landed homes as well as condominiums in Batu Uban and Pantai Jerejak. Places such as Sungai Ara and Relau are favored by many. However, there are numerous traffic lights and junctions to negotiate.
Many people who work on the mainland still prefer to live on Penang Island. If you wish to do the same, be aware that both the Penang Bridge as well as the Butterworth-George Town ferry can get very congested, especially during the Friday evening rush hour. The expressways on both Penang Island and the mainland are all clogged up during rush hour, losing their "expressness". Should you work in the mainland, you might want to consider a property there. Price and rental is definitely lower, and size is bigger. On the other hand, be prepared to spend more on fuel, as distances on the mainland is farther apart. Also, air quality is likely to be better on Penang Island. And you might not entirely escape from traffic jams, as the roads on the mainland can get quite congested too.
2. Studying in Penang
Penang has several excellent colleges as well as Universiti Sains Malaysia, one of the foremost universities in the country. If you are coming to Penang to study, you would most likely prefer a place within the vicinity of your campus (Area "D" on the map). Students of Universiti Sains Malaysia will find places in Gelugor the most convenient. This includes Sungai Dua, University Place, Taman Pekaka, Taman Lip Sin, Minden Heights, and to a certain extend, Green Lane and Jelutong. If you are studying at TAR College, then your choice is further north (Area "A" on the map). Look for a room in Tanjung Bungah, Vale of Tempe (Jalan Lembah Permai), Mount Erskine and Fettes Park. Students of city colleges such as KDU and Stamford College should consider an address within George Town (choose a place in areas "B" and "C" or anywhere in between).
3. Retiring in Penang
If you are a senior citizen planning your retirement in Penang, you would want to live somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of the traffic, and yet be within arms reach of life's conveniences. As a foreigner on the Malaysia My Second Home program, you are allowed to purchase a property in Penang, on condition that it costs at least RM250,000. With that in mind, I recommend looking for properties in the area marked "A" on the Properties Map on the right. Addresses to consider include those in Tanjong Tokong, Tanjong Bungah, Fettes Park and Batu Ferringhi. The advantage of living here is that it has better panoramic view and seascape than elsewhere on the island. It is also away from the industrial zone, which can get highly congested. You will be away from the noise and crowd of George Town, but still be close to it. For shopping and groceries, you can go to Island Plaza in Tanjong Tokong or to Gurney Plaza at Persiaran Gurney. There is also a wet market in Tanjong Bungah.
Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?
The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!
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Penang Travel Tips is researched and written by Timothy Tye, universally known as Tim. The text is the copyright of Timothy Tye, and may not be copied for commercial use or re-published in another website without the author's permission. Information provided is in goodwill and is believed to be correct and up-to-date at time of writing. Photographs on this website are the copyright of the author and may not be reused without prior permission. For commercial licensing of photographs, read the licensing terms.
