Luxury Hotels in Gurney Drive, Penang Island

Gurney Drive or known as Persiaran Gurney is one of the most well-known places in Penang. Also referred to as ‘The New Esplanade’, Gurney Drive was named after Sir Henry Gurney, a Malayan High Commissioner who was assassinated by the guerrillas of the Malayan Communist Party during the Emergency period in the early 1950s. Gurney Drive is a famous for hawker delights and exciting restaurants that come alive at nighttime, giving the unique experience of dining by the sea. The road is also one of Penang's most popular tourist destinations, famous for the street cuisine at the seafront hawker centre, and has been listed as one of the 25 best streets worldwide to visit by the Australian travel magazine, The Traveller. Gurney Drive is home to many prominent pre-war houses, colonial bungalows and the College General Complex, which was once used to train Catholic priests in Thailand, India, China, Japan and Myanmar. The construction and development of high-rises and shopping malls have also led to Gurney Drive being proposed as the second central business district of George Town and one of the most expensive areas to live beside Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bharu.

How to Get There

By Car

It consumes around 3 hours and 50 minutes to Gurney Drive from Kuala Lumpur by using North-South highway.

By Plane

From Kuala Lumpur International Airport or Subang Airport, the flight takes approximately 45 minutes to 50 minutes to Penang International Airport. From there, you can grab a cab or rent a car to Gurney Drive for another 35 minutes via Sultan Azlan Shah road.

Tourist Attractions

Gurney Drive Hawker Centre

Gurney Drive Hawker Centre is one of the largest and most well-known local eateries in Penang. It located at the northern end of Gurney Drive, just before the Gurney roundabout, between Sunrise Tower and Gurney Plaza. The Gurney Drive Hawker Centre has been around since the early 1970s and is probably the best-known place for visitors to Penang to savour the local hawker fare. The hawker centre has both a halal and non-halal section. The hawker centre has a cafeteria concept, so visitors have to come early to find a place. Food sold at the hawker centre include Char Koay Teow, Hokkien Mee, Jiu Hoo Eng Chye (spinach with cuttlefish), kuey teow, Lok Lok, Mee Goreng, Jawa Mee, Mee Rebus, Pasembur, Rojak, Satay, Soya Beancurd (Douhua), and much more. The opening hour for this centre is between 6.00 pm to midnight.

Gurney Plaza

Gurney Plaza is a waterfront shopping mall in Penang that opened in 2001. It is situated at central of gurney drive and it has three anchor tenants which are Parkson Grand, the 12-screen Golden Screen Cinemas and Cold Storage supermarket. This is the second-largest mall on the island and nine-storey mall houses over 380 stores with brands such as Coach, Fossil, Versace and Popular Book Store, Toys R Us, Aster Spring, Timberland, Cold Storage, Mango, Mont Blanc, Fossil, Topman, Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, FCUK, Calvin Klein, Origins, L’occitane, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Crabtree & Evelyn, Toy Watch, Dragon I, Kim Gary, Swensen’s cafe. This mall opens at 10 in the morning and closes at 10 at night.

Hotels

G Hotel

G Hotel offers luxurious rooms with excellent amenities of flat-screen TVs with satellite channels and high-speed internet access. There are facilities include a well- equipped gym, outdoor pool, and a business centre including Gurney Plaza and popular eateries such as Gurney Drive’s legendary hawker’s food enclave. All rooms have dining options are plentiful with a choice of three restaurants all serving wide menus of international and Malay cuisine and snacks.

Vouk Hotel Suites

Vouk Hotel Suites is the perfect choice for travellers and with its convenient location, the hotel offers easy access to the city's must-see destinations. Offering hotel guests superior services and a broad range of amenities, Vouk Hotel Suites offers free Wi-Fi in all rooms, 24-hour security, convenience store, daily housekeeping and taxi service. The Balinese-inspired accommodation features its own in-house C'est Si Bon Restaurant that serves up an array of local and international delicacies including Penang-style and Thai-inspired dishes from the à la carte menu and in a buffet. Other than that, all rooms come with a flat-screen cable TV, safety deposit box and a minibar, as well as en-suite bathroom, comes with a bath or a shower along with free toiletries, slippers and a hairdryer are provided. The friendly staffs at the front desk are available always to assist guests with concierge services and luggage storage.