Things to do in Peninsular Malaysia – West Coast
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Old Town Kopitiam
This more upmarket coffee house facing the padang seems to be forever crowded. Simple chicken rice dishes prevail.
reviewed
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Kek Lok Si Temple
The largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia was founded in 1890 by an immigrant Chinese Buddhist. To reach the entrance, walk through arcades of souvenir stalls, past a tightly packed turtle pond and murky fish ponds, until you reach Ban Po Thar, a seven-tier, 30m (98ft) tower. The design is said to be Burmese at the top, Chinese at the bottom and Thai in between.
In another three-storey shrine, there's a large Thai Buddha image that was donated by King Bhumibol of Thailand. Presiding high above all the temple structures is a striking bronze figure of Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy. The temple's name translates, quite delightfully, as 'Temple of Supreme Bliss'.
reviewed
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Padang Brown Food Court
Everyone in town knows that this is the spot for delectable popiah (spring rolls) although the won ton mee (egg vermicelli served with pork dumplings or sliced roast pork) and bubur caca (it's pronounced cha cha - don't be so childish - and it's a delicious dessert porridge made with coconut milk and banana) is another good reason to try the food in this area. In the afternoons try the yong tau foo (clear Chinese soup with fish balls, lettuce, crab sticks, cuttlefish and more).
reviewed
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Honky Tonk Haven
A great new addition to the Melaka drinking scene, this music bar is run by Kiwi jazz pianist Joe 'Itchy Fingers' Webster and his singing wife Jill. Jazz memorabilia photos line the walls and spontaneous sessions of live music are performed by Joe, Jill and their collection of talented friends. It's a place to make fast friends, grab a quick meal (including real New Zealand-style burgers, and all-day breakfasts) and find out how funky you really are.
reviewed
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Putuo Traditional Chinese Medical Therapy Centre
The original, and still one of the best reflexology centres, is Putuo Traditional Chinese Medical Therapy Centre, which offers straightforward, excellent-value services. If you have specific ailments – anything from migraines to water retention – the owner will create a special treatment for you. There are also ear candles, fire cupping, body scrubs and more. The centre’s ambience is no-frills Chinese institutional.
reviewed
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FMS Restaurant
Upstairs from the FMS Bar, though under separate management, this is a popular Chinese restaurant in an old colonial building adorned with antique prints, porcelain, and a large portrait of the young Queen Elizabeth II. Seafood and beancurd dishes are particularly good, but prices are high. Wave away the 'complimentary' peanuts if you don't want them added to your bill. You'll also be charged for your paper napkin.
reviewed
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Cooking Courses with the Chef Association
Penang has no organised cookery courses but you can contact the Chef Association to see if any of their chefs would be interested in giving a lesson or two. The earlier you get in touch with the association, the more likely you are to find an instructor. Prices are not set and will need to be agreed upon by you and the chef and will depend on the venue, menu, group number and number of lessons.
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Bonda
Self-styled 'retro' restaurant with a vaguely '60s/'70s décor scheme, including orange plastic chairs and Lonely Planet covers on the walls. Chicken and chips-style dishes are served, alongside the usual rice and noodle options, and there are piles of English magazines to flick through.
reviewed
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Langkawi Cable Car
Heading inland from Pantai Kok you’ll come across the station for Langkawi Cable Car, which will take you on a vertiginous 20-minute trip to the top of the majestic Gunung Machinchang (708m). There are some incredible views along the way.
reviewed
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Medan Selera Dato Tawhil Azar
Better-known as the Children’s Playground, this large food centre has stalls arranged around a small square filled with slides and swings. It’s a popular place for Malay food in the evening, it’s open late and, of course, kids love it.
reviewed
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B@92
Hip bar with a laid-back attitude that features some live acts and hosts a pretty large – and mixed – expat and well-to-do locals crowd. Has an atmosphere somewhere between a British pub, American chain bar and small music venue.
reviewed
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Geographér Café
This ventilated, breezy bar with outside seating and late hours, in a prewar corner shophouse, is a godsend. A tasty choice of local and Western dishes (meals around RM8) and laid-back, but professional, service round it all off.
reviewed
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Pulau Payar Marine Park Snorkeling Tour from Langkawi
by Viator
Catch a glimpse of the wonders of the deep and sail on a catamaran to West Malaysia's only Marine Park, located South of Langkawi Island. Discover the beautiful…
Not LP reviewed
from USD$110.67 -
Monkey Beach Excursion including BBQ Lunch from Penang
5 hours (Departs Penang, Malaysia)
by Viator
A white, sandy tropical island off Penang is today's calling. Take a short boat trip to an uninhabited island for a day of fun in the sun, sand and sea. Enjoy a…
Not LP reviewed
from USD$62.66 -
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Monde Brasserie
This upmarket Western-style restaurant, with its white linen and fussy waiters, serves reasonably authentic pasta dishes, steaks, fish dishes and so on. It also has a pricey wine list.
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Old Town White Coffee
This upmarket coffee house facing the padang seems to be forever crowded. Simple chicken rice dishes prevail, and unsurprisingly, the coffee is pretty good.
reviewed
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Tomato
There are some great tomatoes along Cenang beach. This one serves excellent rotis and a standard curry-rice Indian/Malay menu at all hours – take note, nighthawks.
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Pusat Makanan Majestic
This crowded Chinese food court has a noisy, boisterous atmosphere, and is a good place for a couple of beers.
reviewed
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Fat Mum’s
Fat Mum’s serves up Chinese dishes. It’s cheap, cheerful and can get pretty boisterous come the evening.
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Ipoh Parade Shopping Centre
You'll find some smarter restaurants and a food court in the Ipoh Parade Shopping Centre .
reviewed
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Eastern & Oriental Hotel
The Eastern & Oriental Hotel dominates the seafront end of Jln Penang. Originally built in 1884 as the Eastern Hotel, it became so popular that the following year it was expanded and renamed the Eastern & Oriental Hotel. The stylish E&O was the archetypal 19th-century colonial grand hotel, established by two of the famous Armenian Sarkies brothers, Tigram and Martin, the most famous hoteliers in the East, who later founded Raffles Hotel in Singapore.
In the 1920s the Sarkies promoted the E&O as 'The Premier Hotel East of Suez' (a catchy phrase the brothers later used to advertise all their hotels) which supposedly had the 'longest seafront of any hotel' in the world, at 8…
reviewed
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Bukit China
East of Little India is Bukit China, which, besides being the largest Chinese graveyard outside of China, is also Melaka's best jogging track. More than 12,500 graves, including about 20 Muslim tombs, cover the 25 grassy hectares. Since the times of British rule until today there have been several attempts to acquire Bukit China for road widening, land reclamation or development purposes. Fortunately, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, along with strong community support, has thwarted these attempts.
In the middle of the 15th century the sultan of Melaka imported the Ming emperor's daughter from China as his bride, in a move to seal relations between the two countries. She brought w…
reviewed
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St Paul's Church
St Paul's Church is a wonderfully breezy sanctuary reached after a steep and sweaty climb up a flight of stairs. Originally built by a Portuguese captain in 1521 as the small Our Lady of the Hill chapel, St Paul's Church is a sublime testament to Catholicism in East Asia and offers bright views over Melaka from the summit of knobby Bukit St Paul.
Inside the decaying stone interior are hefty, intricately engraved tombstones (of the Dutch nobility that are buried here) that lend an eerie air to an otherwise light atmosphere. The church was regularly visited by St Francis Xavier, who performed several 'miracles' in the church, and following his death in China the saint's bod…
reviewed
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Sungai Pinang
Winding and farting through the heart of Georgetown before spewing into Selat Selatan (South Channel), Sungai Pinang is considered the filthiest river in Malaysia. Over the years it's become a drain for a 50km urban spread of factories, markets and tightly quartered residents who have freely dumped whatever they've wanted into the flowing sludge. Today it not-so-proudly bears a Class V classification, which means it is unable to sustain life and contact with the water is dangerous for humans.
In December 2005 a clean-up project began with goals of turning what many consider to be a sewer into a clean Class II river for swimming and boating. Optimists imagined fish flutte…
reviewed
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Cookery Course - Hotel Equatorial
The best souvenir you can bring home from Melaka is the cuisine. The Hotel Equatorial runs the only cookery course in town, which is available both as part of a hotel package and as an independent course. Instruction in Nonya cooking is given at the hotel's Seri Peranakan Restaurant by its head chef, Bong Geok Choo.
The hotel package, the 'Wok and Walk', includes a one-night stay in a 'superior' room, one buffet breakfast, one Nonya set lunch, one buffet dinner, two cooking workshop sessions, a walking tour of historical Melaka and a souvenir cookbook. It's quite a bargain when you consider that the published price of a one-night stay in a superior room without all the ex…
reviewed
