This story about Lone Pine Hotel in Batu Ferringhi, Penang is written by one of our contributors, Mimifara. Some parts of the article may have been edited for length and clarity.
Workcation cum Staycation In Penang (4D3N)
Where: Mainly Georgetown & Batu Ferringi
Duration: 4D3N
Travel with: My partner (he prefers to be anonymous, haha)
When: 19 to 22 July 20
Why: As part of the Malaysia Economic Stimulus Package we are entitled to a tax relief up to RM1,000 for domestic traveling! Hey, you should grab this opportunity, at least.
P.S: I still haven’t maxed out the tax relief!! More domestic holiday coming soon!
Other than that, my partner needed to fly to Penang for some family matters and workcation/ staycation for me as well. (Definitely I needed to have a different environment to work in… hahaha).
Everyone knows Penang is one of the best places for food! Do hide your weighing scale before you visit Penang, please! This is not my first time in Penang. The difference with this trip was that we targeted our food hunt and avoided crowded places. Always be conscious of your surroundings during this pandemic.
Food hunting was mainly in Georgetown, from breakfast to lunch to tea and finally ending the day at The Top in Komtar!
Next day, hibernation i.e working in the room in Batu Ferringhi, also allowing the food intake from the previous day to be digested. Lol. Sounds boring, but believe me, it is so relaxing and peaceful, while having the sound of waves crashing in the distance. Must be the age factor I guess!
P.S. Check out our 3D2N foodies' itinerary of Penang!
Ambience at Lone Pine Penang Resort
Located in Batu Ferringhi, 30 mins drive from Georgetown. It is a boutique hotel situated by the beach. Instagrammable hotel!
The hotel had a very homely yet impressive… je ne sais quoi... feel about it, as you walked in from the parking area to the reception. You can hear the waves even from the reception area!
Make sure you scan the QR code to record your attendance and sanitise your hands at the entrance. The staff were all friendly and helpful during our stay. Don’t be shy to ask for their assistance with your bags!
They have plenty of facilities among others a gym, a spa, a “Gerai” (their local souvenir shop), a games room & a “lepak” corner cum library which I liked the most!
Don’t forget to ask for the facilities' operating hours with the exception of the “lepak” corner which is open 24/7.
Dining areas here are The Bungalow (for breakfast with a fixed menu and unlimited replenishment) and Batubar (I think it’s a bar cum restaurant, which was closed during my visit).
They offer various rooms and suites. Do refer to their website for further details. Before the beach, you will find tall fully grown pine trees standing in line decorating a lawn and look for a hammock tied between 2 of the pine trees. Try sitting in it. You might just doze off in the breeze.
If you are in the lawn area at dusk, you might just find yourself in the path of flying bats. Don’t worry. Bats have a tremendous sense of direction, what with their high frequency built-in ultrasonic guidance system (No they aren’t vampire bats).
The gate to the beach opens at 7AM and closes at 10.30PM. There are water sports available at the beach, mainly banana boat and jet ski. The hotel is also just walking distance to a night market, roadside restaurants and mini-marts.
For those who love the beach and have a relaxing and serene time, this hotel is meant for you! I love everything about it!
What I liked most about it, I would say the seaside facing private balcony with an external built-in tiled bathtub and…. metal sliding ceiling height sunscreens!
View from the balcony
P.S. Check out more of Penang's best beachfront resorts here!
Rooms at Lone Pine Penang Resort
There are various room types and it depends on your budget. All rooms are facing the sea, but some are blocked by the pine trees.
For couples’ room, I would suggest the Deluxe Sea Facing Room.
This room was fantastic, spacious, has a two sliding door entrance to the bathroom and major love for the vanity mirror. (do request for the room away from the swimming pool if you want privacy).
Price range
RM250 to RM1,300. I managed to secure my booking at RM250 per night including breakfast.
P.S. Check out Penang's most Instagrammable spots here!
Halal food at Lone Pine Penang Resort
Alcohol is served in the hotel, but we were told that the food is sourced from Halal certified food suppliers.
Batu Ferringhi is slightly further away from all the town eateries and street food. Around a 5 minute walk from the hotel, you will find a McDonalds, KFC and Subway restaurants. 10 – 15 minutes’ walk, and you will find a Starbucks with beach access (this is actually quite a famous spot in Batu Ferringhi). Don’t forget to try the Mee Udang across the road from Starbucks. There are a few other restaurants you can go to such as the Golden Thai Seafood Village, The Grand Lebanon, The Ship and Hardrock Café.
Do take note during the RMCO, a lot of the shops, stalls and small restaurants will close early.
Useful tips for other travellers
- Exclude the hotel breakfast from your package because you can easily find food outside the hotel.
- Look out for their room promotion (in their official website) and you may get a great bargain.
- Avoid school holidays, long weekends and year-end. Too bad, during my stay it was the rainy season, so there were mosquitoes outside the room. Make sure you close the windows and doors before dusk. By the way, don’t despair, the hotel provides you with mosquito repellent in the room
- The room is spacious, and they even provide a ‘kain pelikat’ for the guest in the room. There’s an old masjid (about 300m from the hotel)
- Always ask the receptionist to give you the room with the best view.
- Special perks for celebrations – nothing comes for free. Hehehe
- They have plenty of facilities like swimming pools, jacuzzi in the pool area, a gym, a spa, a games room, a “lepak” corner, a mini library and a lawn with pine trees - I would think a group trip would be great fun.
- Other than utilising the facilities, do join the available water activities such as jet ski and banana boat.
Note: For all the above, some facilities may not operate / may operate under restricted hours during the RMCO. Do check with the hotel prior to booking.
You can find more of Mimifara's travel adventures on her Instagram @mimi_fara.
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