Penang with a Toddler: Chinese Lunar New Year

On our latest trip we prepared some ideas on what to do and what not to do when traveling to Penang with a toddler. We arrived in Penang with another family from Hanoi right around lunchtime. We had our driver pick us up and drive us to the Double Tree Resort, just north of the city of George Town. Since our rooms were not ready yet we ate lunch in the restaurant. After unpacking in our rooms we headed for the pool. The hotel had a large pool with sun chairs and a few cabanas located in the sand, poolside, as well. There is even a splash park pool for kids, with slides and a dump bucket. It even had sand at the bottom for soft landings.

The Top

The next day we took the hotel shuttle down to George Town to go to an area that housed many attractions. It’s located at The Top. Guests can go to the Jurassic Research Center, 7D motion theater, Boutique Aquarium, Dino Gym, Carousel, Zombie Outbreak, and much more. We opted for toddler-friendly activities such as the carousel, playground, aquarium, and Jurassic center. The great part is most of it is indoors so whether it is raining or scorching hot outside there are enough activities to keep you busy indoors. Definitely a must do in Penang with a toddler.

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Another attractions at this place, you can also go to literally The Top of the building for panoramic views of the city and then go up even further to the skywalk, which as a clear view bottom of the city below. I opted out of that while Lily and Matt took their chances on the scary view. I don’t think this should be a recommendation on something to do in Penang with a toddler!

After all the time spent at the top we headed outdoors to walk to an area where there are lots of shops selling souvenirs, but since it was Chinese Lunar New Year week, a lot of the shops were closed. We shopped around for a little bit and then we all started to get hot and the toddlers were getting fussy. We walked to the Eastern and Oriental Hotel to have a drink in their bar. The hotel is right on the water and has gorgeous colonial architecture. Charlie Chaplin is one of the most famous guests to stay there. This ended our day in George Town and we took cabs back to our hotel.

In the evening we went to the Batu Feringghi Night Market, located a few kilometers from our hotel. After walking around and looking at the typical night market goods such as t shirts, bags, and sunglasses, we stopped at a “food court” type area for dinner. This food court had many types of dishes from western to Indian all made fresh from their stalls.

Entopia Butterfly Farm

The next day we went to the Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm. This was pretty cool for the kids to play and run around while all the butterflies flew around. They even had some exhibits for spider and lizard habitats.

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Some of exhibits they had many different bugs and where the butterfly cocoons are housed. This was a bit too much education for our children as they just wanted to run and play, which was okay because there was a part of the bug exhibit where they crawl into and put their head up into a closed exhibit of cockroaches. I think this is a definitely recommendation to do when visiting Penang with a toddler.

Once we were finished with the Butterfly Farm we Matt wanted to climb to the top of a dam that was adjacent to the Entopia so we waited and talked outside while he went to the top and took picutes.

We then headed over to Tree Monkey restaurant to have a nice lunch. This restaurant was really cool, literally, as it is nestled in the trees across from the beach so it is much cooler up there than on the road level. It was a nice place to cool down and have some lunch while enjoying the views. We even saw a few monkeys on our way down the hill after lunch.

360 Restaurant

That evening for dinner we used the hotel’s babysitting services and the adults went to eat at a rooftop restaurant, Three Sixty at the Bayview Hotel, for a friend’s birthday. The food was mostly local food buffet and the view was great so I think it was a good night out for the parents.

Wat Chaiyamangalaram

The next day we took the hotel shuttle to the Gurney Paragon mall and then we walked to the Reclining Buddha Wat Chaiyamangalaram a couple blocks away. It was so hot and the sun was shining on us so we hurried in to see the Buddha, take some photos, and get a fortune before heading out.

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Since we were so hot from the walk and it being hot in the Wat we headed back to the mall, but stopped at Harriston Signature Chocolate shop. They give you little samples of everything to try before buying. We ended up buying a variety bag with all sorts of different chocolates. Since it was so hot outside Matt hurried to the mall with Lily in the stroller before our chocolates melted! After eating lunch we let the kids play in one of the mall’s play areas. Once we got back to the hotel we let the kids play in the pool

Our last day in Penang with a toddler, we went back down to old town George Town to look for some of the street art, which is famous in Penang. It was already pretty hot so we took our time wandering around aimlessly while seeing a few of the art murals. We stumbled upon one park that was decorated really pretty for the new year so we let the kids run around and play in the shade. We stopped and ate at Holy Guacamole in a trendy part of town that probably had a massive night life scene. Here are some pictures from that walk around town.

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Once we returned to the hotel we let the kids play in the pool one last time before packing up and going to bed early for our 4 am hotel pickup. Overall I think we had a great time in Penang with a toddler. There is much to do and see within the city, we just wish it wasn’t so hot and our hotel was closer.

Don’t Forget to Pack: In this case, what NOT to pack. Any kind of pork products you will have to throw out at customs once you reach the airport. Malaysia is a Muslim country and you will not find pork on the menus there either.

Food:  Besides being deprived of pork products at breakfast time, the food was pretty good. Penang’s food seemed almost similar to a little bit of Indian and then some Chinese flavors as well.

Observation on Penang: I think we went to Penang at the wrong time of year. We were trying to escape the Hanoi city shutdown during the lunar new year, but in Penang it was overly busy and it didn’t help that the hotel was not within walking distance so we waited in traffic a few times. I don’t think we got to experience much of the culture, much like visiting KL, they try to modernize so quickly that it looses the local touch.

Hotel Review: I was not impressed with the location, the concierge, or the rooms of the hotel. We had something go wrong with our room every day. Breakfast was good and the pool area was nice. The kids club would not allow kids under 4 so we weren’t able to use that service, except for the babysitting. The hotel was not close to anything and I would barely call it a “resort”. If I had to choose I rather would have stayed in George Town city for better access to more things.

Check out more blogs about our travels here.

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