Batu Ferringhi | Penang | Review & Photos

Penang Airport to Batu Ferringhi

Batu Ferringhi is on the northern coast of Penang in Malaysia. The island is just off the mainland and accessible by bridge, ferry or plane. The flight from Kuala Lumpur is a very short 45 minutes.

Upon arrival, we went straight to the taxi desk to arrange our taxi to Batu Ferringhi. The cost was RM69 and fitted in the four of us as well as our two large suitcases and hand luggage. The fares are set and paid for at the airport counter in return for a voucher to give to the driver. The journey took about an hour but it was scenic and our driver told us a bit about the island.

Batu Ferringhi Beach

The beach itself isn’t as nice as other beaches we have been to. We also decided not to swim in the sea due to the pollution from the number of water sports and jellyfish. The area is still a great place to stay though due to the beautiful ocean views and resort like hotels. Also, there’s a night market which stretches along Jalan Batu Ferringhi.

Night Market

The night market comprises of lots of stalls all selling very similar goods. Think typical souvenirs, fake goods, clothes, pirated dvds and home decor items. They open around 7pm each night until late. You will need to barter with the stall owners and I recommend looking around first as many of them sell the same thing.

Eating out

The food is excellent, probably the best food we’ve tasted in Asia. We’d recommend The Boatman (the Rendang is amazing) and Long Beach, which is a collection of food stalls. It’s great value and the satay sticks are delicious. The Living Room Cafe Bar and Restaurant is also a great option for dinner. We didn’t like Bora Bora but maybe were just unlucky with our meals. It’s a great place for a drink though and watch the sun set.

Weather

Penang has an equatorial climate, which basically means it is warm and humid throughout the year.

Humidity rarely drops below 75% during the day and 65% during the night. September and October the most humid months when the humidity rises to the low 80’s%.

We went in October and found it hard with young children getting around in the humidity. Even what we thought would be a short stroll up the road from the The Park Royal to The Hard Rock took a long time in the heat. We didn’t experience much rain though and, when it did, it was late evening.

Sightseeing

We spent most of our days by the hotel pool for half the day and sightseeing or shopping the other half. We hired a driver a couple of times to take us to Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang Hill, a tour around Georgetown and shopping at Gurney Plaza. The rates are very reasonable and our driver was very knowledgeable and reliable. His car was also new and had air conditioning which a lot of the taxis don’t!

Have you been to Penang? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments.