Penang! It was a short 1.5 hour of drive from Alor Setar, after dozing off for a snooze in the taxi we hired, the next thing we know, Penang Bridge has come in sight. It was somewhat a surreal experience, as the only time I have seen the bridge was on the telly, or from school textbooks from (obviously) many years ago. Penang is located almost way up north (northwest to be exact) of the Malayan Peninsula. It shares its borders with (the other small) state of Kedah and Perak. Despite being the second smallest state (by land mass) in Malaysia, it is the second largest city by population. Yup , that is how dense this little state is. Penang also holds the esteemed recognition from UNESCO as a World Heritage Site (the other 4 in the country being Lenggong Valley in Perak, Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Kinabalu Park in Sabah and the historical town of Melaka). Can you believe that this is my first visit here! So close to home and yet it took me many years to find myself landing in this fascinating place steeped in years and years of rich history. I am such an ardent fan of anything old, and judging by the sheer amount of "oldness" within the vicinity of where I chose to bunk in for a 2 nights, I am thrilled beyond words and cannot wait to share what Rara and Reddy been up to in the city also known as the Pearl Of The Orient.
What more appropriate a choice than a charming boutique hotel housed in a compound of refurbished old shophouses. Simply lovely :)
Muntri Grove (16 bedroom property) was originally a row of 10 shophouses built sometime during the 19th century as living quarters for the servants to the wealthy families living around the area. Restoration works began in 2013, and took 2 years to come to completion. Each unit of the shophouse is now each broken up in 2 separate rooms - one on the ground floor and the other on the upper level. The 10th shophouse which was destroyed in a bombing during World War 2, is now rebuilt to house a swimming pool on the upper level and reception area on the ground floor. Muntri Grove is part of a chain of boutique hotels (the others being Muntri Mews which was converted from a row of stables and garages, Seven Terraces which was then a row of Anglo-Chinese terrace houses and Jawi Peranakan Mansion which was acquired as a dilapidated Anglo Indian mansion, now restored to its former glory if not better) with the concept of harmonizing the old and new in spaces of rich historical and cultural charm.
Clear blue sky, not a single puff of cloud to be seen.
Well that also translates to scorching heat...
Dining hall? Reminds me of such.
The reception desk sits just directly behind this beautiful long table
This is where you navigate your way up this flight of stairs that connects the lobby/reception area to the upper level rooms.
The room is expansive (oh, this is a room on the upper level. The rooms downstairs opens up to a small garden area in front of the building) and is decorated with vintage furniture, like that handsome writing desk in the far left corner of the picture. FYI, Penang is a treasure trove of vintage items for those who has a penchant for anything old.
Dreamy four poster bed with a touch of local - batik fabric.
There is a spacious chillout corner in the room where you can lounge the day away with a book or simply channel surf. There is a telly in the room, not too big, but sizeable enough for a telly-fix (for those who are not ready to have a tech detox)
Pleasantly surprised with a welcome package that consisted of a hot pot of chrysanthemum tea, some candies, and traditional Chinese bean pastry - tau sar piah.
All ready for sleep Little Adventurers?
How cool is this dresser!
One small "hmm" though. There isn't an actual bathroom. What there is, is a "cubicle" each for shower and the toilet. And. The wash basin is outside. Well this set up reminds me of what a typical wash area of an old local home would be (my Grandma's was similar), where you would have the 3 essential areas separate - the bath, toilet and wash basin. Either the layout of the water/plumbing system did not allow for all 3 areas to be holed up in one single space, or, they simply wanted to recreate a nostalgic experience for guests...
Feel free to help yourself to some printed guide maps of the local area. The hotel has them available at the reception area.
A small personal touch, how very thoughtful! Cool water on hand for guests on a scorching hot day.
A moment of tranquility
I wouldn't call this a swimming pool, but more of a lap pool. This was where the 10th shophouse once stood but was ravaged by the war.
This would be the view from the lap pool if you took a peek of the edge
Resident kitty. Love the tiles :)
Although there is an option to have breakfast at the hotel, we chose not to. We are afterall in Penang, where some of the best makan places are. Breakfast is served at a small area next to the pool, simple fare of eggs, toast, juice, coffee or tea. You can also walk down to Muntri Mews, its sister property just a stone's throw from Muntri Grove, if you would like heartier breakfast. Or, be adventurous and venture out for local breakfast. There's a local kopitiam (coffeeshop) a few minutes walk from here, we shall get into that a bit later on. But for now, let's just say that our stay at Muntri Grove ticked the boxes for all the right reasons - heritage building, convenient location, beautiful setting, comfortable, stylish.
127,129, 131A-F, Lebuh Muntri,
10200 Georgetown
Pulau Pinang
Malaysia
Tel : +604-2642626
Reservation Tel : +604-261 8888
Email : info@muntrigrove.com
Rates : RM300-RM450
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