After our 5D4N holiday in Langkawi, we headed straight to Penang once we rolled off the ferry. This was my second time visiting Penang. I had a great experience the first time, so we decided to stay for 3 days and 2 nights before moving on. Honestly, even after this trip, I still feel like I haven’t explored enough.
Once we arrived we checked into our Penang hotel.
Penang Heritage Hotel – Muntri Mews
I booked this hotel because it can accommodate six people in one room and it looks very spacious. But I didn’t expect the hotel to be this nice. It’s a heritage hotel, something different from what I usually book. Initially, I was afraid my kids would disturb other guests because of the wooden flooring, but my worry was unnecessary as the rooms are far apart.
Level 1 is the common area where you can see a Peranakan home setup and decorations. There are also tables, rocking chairs, and a water dispenser for guests to use. Our room is on the second floor.
Everything about the hotel is good, the water pressure is strong, the toilet is clean, and the staff are very friendly. The only downside is the limited parking space. We were lucky to get a designated parking slot for guests, otherwise, you will have to park along the roadside near the hotel.
Family Friendly Activities in Penang
TeddyVille Museum
TeddyVille Museum is a small museum located inside DoubleTree Resort Penang, but it’s the first and largest Teddy bear collection in Malaysia. The tickets comes with discount vouchers that you can spend in the Teddy Bear Museum.
At the start of the museum, they showcase the history of the teddy bear, which is very interesting. We got to learn how the teddy bear started, who created it, and how it has evolved over the years.
The rest of the exhibition is about Malaysian culture and history, as well as Penang. All very cute and can take a lot of photos.
It’s a very small museum, good to visit if you have spare time and are nearby.
Teddyville Museum
Address: 56 Jalan Low Yat Puncak Ria, Batu Ferringhi, Penang Island 11100 Malaysia
Operating Hours: 9am to 6pm, Last entry 5pm
Ticket: https://pelago.pxf.io/POXZXR
Penang Fishing & Grilling
After our Teddy Bear tour, we went on a fishing and grilling trip. I actually found this activity on Xiao Hong Shu. It’s a Chinese app, but super popular with Malaysians too. You can contact me via my social channel to get the uncle contact if you are keen to do this.
We parked at the open car park and walked down to the beach for the uncle to pick us up. He drove the speedboat out to the fishing area and started teaching us how to fish for our lunch. The whole fishing takes almost 2hours.
All my kids managed to catch their own fish for lunch, but my number 2 caught the most. So amazing!
After we finished fishing, the uncle rode the boat to the nearest island, called Monkey Beach. There’s a small shop there that sells food and drinks. While the uncle cooks our fishes, we ordered some drinks and relax.
The three younger ones were playing with the sand and busy picking seashells, while the eldest just wanted to stay on the boat and watch how the uncle cleaned the fish.
The fish was really so good maybe because it was so fresh. My kids wanted to go back out and catch more, but we told them time was up for the tour.
On the way back, the uncle also said we can stick our feet out to play sea water. It was really a good experience!
Tips:
🎣 The boat can take max 8 people, but for a more comfortable experience, 4–6 pax is ideal.
🎣 Bring a big bottle of water and a towel to wash off the sand, as there’s no washing area at the beach.
🎣 Dress in loose and comfortable clothes.
🎣 You can buy food from the stall at Monkey Beach in case the fishes you caught aren’t enough.
HamCup Mini Zoo And Cafe
This is actually an animal cafe with free entry and no minimum spend. Even though no minimum spending, we still ordered fries, cake and drinks.
The animals don’t roam around and it’s separated from the main cafe space. The first floor has a mini play area, and in the animal section they have cats, birds, ducks, etc. The second floor also has a dining area, and it’s where they keep their geckos, which you can touch and feed too!
By the way, the geckos are also for sale unfortunately we can’t bring them back to Singapore, otherwise it would be very tempting to keep one as a pet.
Hamcup Mini Zoo and Cafe
Address: 86, Jalan Irving, 10400 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Opening hours: Weekday 11am – 9pm, Weekend 1030am – 930pm
Food We Ate In Penang
Kedai Kopi Soon Yuen
We came here for breakfast and it feels a bit like our Singapore coffeeshop, just more squeezy and crowded. Luckily there are seats outside. I really recommend sitting there. Inside is a bit stuffy, although you can see all the “happenings” and how the stalls prepare their food
Parking can be quite a problem here, so I suggest reaching early if possible so you no need to park too far away from the shop.
Kedai Kopi Soon Yuen
Jalan Kuala Kangsar, George Town, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Opening hours: 6am to 12pm, closed on Wednesday
Cherita Manik
Our dinner is at Cherita Manik, which is walking distance from the animal cafe. It’s a It’s a Muslim friendly cafe in Penang serving Peranakan food.
The vibes really on point, food is good, cafe pricing and even though service is a little slow but the staffs are very friendly & patient.
I really like their otah, must order when you are there. Even though the food portion is a little small, but it’s still manageable for us since we had snacks and cake earlier on. Their odeh odeh shaved ice is also very good and very interesting dessert.
Cherita Manik
Address: 17, Jalan Kek Chuan, George Town, 10400 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Opening hours: 11am to 10pm, closed on Tuesday.
Free School Market Stone Stove Coffee Stall
Came here for their popular charcoal coffee and bread. It’s in an old estate under a big tree, with a morning-market vibe and an open-air coffeeshop. There are designated tables for each stall, so do check before you sit down.
The barley drink is really very nice, even my kids also want second servings. The charcoal bread is also equally good.
Free School Market Stone Stove Coffee Stall
Address: C836+H6M, Taman Free School, 10150 George Town, Penang, Malaysia