Best Boutique Hotel in George Town, Penang – The Edison George Town

Over the recent long weekend holiday, Big Teddy and I ventured to Penang for a 3D2N getaway as we longed for some rejuvenation away from KL city. So we drove 4 hours north to George Town, Penang in search for pleasures and also some good food. Where to stay in George Town is always the big question for those who want to have a great time in Penang, and my love for boutique hotels had led me to The Edison George Town, a relatively new and revamped mansion hotel on Leith Street opened since mid-July 2016.

About The Mansion – All That It Was – Tycoon’s Residence, Opium Den, Brothel

Located on Leith Street, which was once known as the Hakka Millionaire’s Row, where the affluent Hakka Chinese businessmen once lived, this European inspired mansion was the residence of local tycoon Yeo Wee Gark back in 1906 designed by architect David Nathaniel. The mansion was later used by the Japanese army during the World War II as the Japanese administrative centre during the Japanese Occupation. After the war, the mansion was used as an opium den before it was converted into a budget hotel, Cathay Hotel, which also offered dubious massage and “health” services on the hotel grounds. After Cathay Hotel fell into disrepair and closed down in 2013, ET Group took over the lease and transformed the mansion into a boutique hotel, The Edison George Town. Still, its unique features such as cast iron columns from Scotland, a dragon fountain, wooden shuttered windows, intricately wrought metal grilles were preserved through all these years and further enhanced by The Edison George Town.

Now, The Edison George Town offering 35 modern contemporary and tastefully designed rooms right in the heart of George Town, Penang, after restoring it to its full glory while complying with heritage regulations due to George Town UNESCO Heritage status.

First Impression of The Edison George Town

It was an easy drive from KL to The Edison George Town, with plenty of car parks available at the front of the mansion. The white coloured mansion with pale green windows looks refined and tasteful in appearance. Right in front of the mansion, the dragon fountain (some called it skinny dragon) was probably the most Chinese element that we encountered throughout our stay here. Once we entered the hotel lobby, we were greeted by an elegant space that I wish I could call it my home. The front desk manager was quick to check us in and offered us a tour of the mansion to get familiarised with the hotel’s amenities, as well as informed us of the hotel’s complimentary tea time (3-5pm daily) and pre-dinner wine hour (6-7pm daily). Continental breakfast is also included in the all-inclusive room rate.

I absolutely loved the personal tour and detailed explanations provided, which gave me a more intimate feeling and appreciation towards the hotel and the mansion’s rich history over all these years.

The Room

The Edison George Town has 35 rooms ranging from Deluxe, Deluxe Premium and Suite categories with 19sqm to 61sqm in size to choose from. We checked into a Deluxe room, which was extremely spacious and tastefully designed to maximise functionality. It has a fashionable sofa at the corner and a large double bed which was very comfortable. A big flat screen TV was hung on the wall with a capsule coffee machine nicely sat on the study table across the bed. Meanwhile, the washroom and wardrobe area was designed to be separated by a thick curtain.

No bathtub in the room but the rain shower and luxury, cruelty-free natural skin and hair care products from APPELLES Apothecary, were good enough for an enjoyable wash after a hot day out in Penang. I personally do think that bathtub is quite a big waste of water so I don’t mind just the rain shower. Overall,  I love the design of the room which has ample of space, and very functional too. If I were to pick 1 small thing for improvement, that would probably be the limited amount of TV channels (only 8 available), but I wasn’t complaining as we were not there to watch TV.

The 24 Hours Lounge

One of the unique features of The Edison George Town is the Lounge, which opens 24 hours a day. The hotel created a common space for all the hotel guests to come and grab some snacks or drinks (coffee, tea, soft drinks or juices), anytime of the day. Breakfast, tea time and pre-dinner wine are also serve in the Lounge. The staff were attentive and always made sure we were served whenever we stepped into the Lounge.

Breakfast selection is simple, with a choice of local favourite (we had Nasi Lemak and fried noodle/Mee Goreng during our 2 nights stay at The Edison George Town), few choices of bread with local artisan jams, as well as your choice of eggs (either scrambled, poached, soft boiled etc).

The afternoon tea and pre-dinner wine hours were great too. Simple and no fuss, hotel guests just have to pop in the Lounge to enjoy some local delicacies during afternoon tea, or unlimited of red/white wine with 3 types of cheese and condiments, just before dinner hours.

The Other Amenities

Apart from the Lounge, The Edison George Town also features a few welcoming spaces within the mansion. The center courtyard which is an open space in the middle of the mansion has the original blocks of granite slabs that were used for the floor, as well as the original Scottish cast iron pillars and gables surrounding the space.

Upstairs, The Library is a comfortable space where guests can use for some quiet reading or even daydreaming.

There is also a 25-metre pool added to the side of the main building where the former “health centre” was located. This lap pool is long enough for a few good laps before relaxing at the shallow water with the bubble jets functions turned on. We even had our pre-dinner wine hour right next to the pool after a few laps of afternoon swim.

If you fancy a nearby wandering around, the hotel provides free vintage bicycles too.

Final Word

Being the 1st Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s property in George Town, Penang, The Edison George Town is definitely a welcoming addition to the luxury boutique hotels scene in Penang. This is also one of the most charming places I’d stayed in Malaysia. I love The Edison George Town for their great service standards, attention to details, and the warm human touches (whenever needed appropriately) that made our stay a little more special. Room rate per night is starting from RM600 and all inclusive with all the fantastic features mentioned above. So I’d highly recommend The Edison George Town experience if you are looking for a luxury yet affordable stay in George Town in an elegantly restored mansion. Don’t you want to stay here too?

The Edison George Town Official Website here.
Address: 15 Lebuh Leith, George Town, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Phone: +60 4-262 2990
TripAdvisor reviews please click here.

Check out my other posts on Penang here.
Check out my other posts on Malaysia here.
Check out my other hotel reviews here.

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A big thank you to The Edison George Town for hosting our stay in Penang. As always, all opinions are my own and I only recommend services that I’d personally use.