Hotels in Pulau Tikus

Pulau Tikus or literally translated as Rat Island, is a suburb northwest of George Town, being located on Penang Island, Malaysia. It is somewhere between George Town proper and Tanjung Bungah, being named after a rock that is merely off the Penang Island coast. The actual Pulau Tikus rock is 770 metres away from the Tanjung Bungah suburb that gets its name from the arrangement of the islet’s rocks and dunes which is said to look like rats during low tides. This upper class suburb is home to Eurasians, Thais and Burmese minorities as well as famous place where some of the good food in Penang could be found here. As such, there are magnificent places of worship built by these communities that can be a common sight in Pulau Tikus. Its rich history can be traced as early as after Francis Light’s founding of Penang Island in 1786. The early settlers of Pulau Tikus are the Eurasians fleeing persecutions in Siam whom arrived in 1811, following another group which has already settled earlier in George Town. Upon arrival, they build their village, the Eurasian Village, which is concentrated around the Church of the Immaculate Conception. Later in the 19th century, the Burmese came over and settled in Pulau Tikus as well, and built Dhammikarama Burmese Temple in 1803 before proceeding to build two more. The growth of George Town capital eventually swallowed Pulau Tikus into a city suburb. In modern days, a lot of upscale condominiums and some of the high-market commercial centres are built around Pulau Tikus in the vicinity of the Gurney Drive.

How to Get There

By Plane

There are flights to Penang Island from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) which are provided by both Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia. Upon touchdown, from the airport, guests can go to Pulau Tikus using public transportation or ride-sharing services.

By Car

People driving from Kuala Lumpur may drive via North-South Highway/E1 for immediate access to Pulau Tikus. The journey could take up to four hours depending on the current traffic situation.

Tourist Attractions

Penang Botanical Gardens

Penang Botanical Gardens is Penang Island’s very own version of its botanical gardens, being its green lung. Occupying a 29 hectares in a valley of greeneries, it is also known as the Waterfall Gardens due to a waterfall located close nearby. The history of the garden can be traced all the way till 1884, back then it was still an old quarry site. The modern day gardens are established by Nathaniel Cantley with Charles Curtis as his assistant. Curtis had devised a strategy to develop and building appropriate foundations of the botanical gardens. After the independence and formation of Malaysia, the garden administration is handled by Penang government under the Botanic Gardens Department.

Gurney Drive

Gurney Drive or often called as The New Esplanade is a popular seafront promenade of Penang Island. It is one of Penang’s most visited tourist destinations, with the street hawkers located alongside the seafront selling delicious street cuisines. As a testament to its popularity, The Traveller, an Australian travel magazine, had Gurney Drive listed in one of the 25 best streets worldwide. It is also nicknamed as the second business district of the island following George Town. This is due to the rapid construction of high-rise buildings and shopping malls. There are also many prominent pre-war houses, colonial bungalows and the College General Complex at Gurney Drive in which many of them now have been converted to commercial purposes as well as being used for government and corporate buildings.

Hotels

Penang Inn VIP

A more established hotel located in Codrington Highway. A four-star hotel that offers comfort and elegant atmosphere. Hotel services include early check-ins, late check-outs, room services, medical services and tour services.

Tropics Eight Service Suites

A neat and decent hotel situated in Jalan Gottlieb. A clean and wonderful three-star hotel with ample facilities such as satellite cable television, shower, WiFi, fitness areas, lobby tea and coffee with close proximities to grocery shops, ATM and supermarket.