I was looking for a hotel around UNESCO World Heritage Zone of George Town that offers free parking and came across a few that met this criteria. After some deliberation I settled for Chulia Court The Tavern. I guess what swayed my decision was the professional photos in its official website which make it look really nice.
Chulia Court The Tavern are 3 old shop houses along Chulia Street that have been converted into a guesthouse. It is located at the edge of the Core Zone of George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site diagonally opposite Love Lane. The guesthouse has its own open air car park behind the premise.
The car park is surprisingly very spacious considering the guesthouse is quite small.
We were looking for a reception counter to check in when we arrived but there was none. Checking-in was done over the bar counter which is located right in the centre of the guesthouse sandwiched by the restaurant and the lobby lounge.We had to pay a RM100 refundable deposit but strangely no receipt was issued. This guesthouse is manned mostly by non-Malaysian staffs. The manager is from Bhutan.
There is no elevator and we had to walk up a flight of stairs to get to our room on the first floor.
Chulia Court has 12 guest rooms and a dormitory with 21 beds which are all located on the first floor.
Inside the dormitory (Air-cond. and fans are available)
There is a lounge on the first floor furnished with a very long table and benches. Lots of reading materials are available here. There is a ceiling fan but this area is extremely humid as it is not air-conditioned.
Some rooms are without windows but we opted for one with windows.
Our Superior Double Room is air-conditioned and has an ensuite washroom.
Furnishing and room facilities are very basic. The floor is just plain cement. There is a flat TV, a small working table, a chair, a wall shelf and a collapsible luggage stool. Apart from a stand fan, a few hangers and bedroom slippers, nothing else is provided. There is no safety box, wardrobe or water boiling facilities. Bottled water is not provided but WiFi is available.
The washroom looks clean. It is fitted with a rain shower head on one end, a sink and mirror in the middle and a toilet on another end. Water heater is available. The washroom is very humid in the afternoon unless the sliding door to the bedroom is left open to allow cool air from the air-conditioner in.
Other than towels and toilet paper, the only other bath amenities provided is bath gel/shampoo in a dispenser.
Drinking water is available at the pantry area just outside the dormitory. Dormitory guests have to use a common washroom (one for male and one for female). A hair dryer is available in the common washroom.
The guesthouse restaurant looks vibrant with a vivid yellow wall and a plethora of wall paintings. We didn't opt for a room with breakfast & neither did we dine here as we have our own long list of famous Penang Street food stalls that we wanted to patronize.
The lounge is quite a cozy place.
Chulia Court is conveniently located and there are a lot of attractions within a 1km radius around it. We walked to all the places that we had in our itinerary which include Wonderfood Museum, the street arts, Upside Down Museum, Chowrasta Market, The Clan Jetties and most of the street food stalls we wanted to patronize.
The downside is the lack of facilities in the room. Our room rate does not commensurate with the facilities provided and I would probably not come back here to stay for my next trip.
Gallery
The bar at night
A small lounge near the back entrance
The lobby lounge
A nice lantern near the back entrance
At the first floor where you can look down to the bar. On the right hand side is the dormitory and on the left hand side, the pantry.
Books and magazines at the upstairs lounge
The Restaurant
View from the first floor.
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