Penang Hotels Review – Cititel Express Penang
After checking out of Hotel Excelsior in Ipoh, we were back on the highways and onward to Penang. I was very excited as I have heard a lot about Penang – the arts, the culture, the beautiful temples, the awesome attractions, and of course the delicious food! In a few hours, we reached George Town, and checked in at one of the Penang Hotels. This time, we chose the no frills Cititel ExpressPenang.
These days, many people look for such hotels. After all, when we visit a city, most of the time we are out exploring her. The hotel is just a space to shower, rest and sleep. I believed we found such a hotel to suit our travel needs. Read on to find out what this hotel offers, and how it may be the choice for your next visit to Penang.
Penang Hotels Review – Cititel Express Penang – The Overview & Rankings:
Hotel: Cititel Hotel Penang
Room Rates: US$89 and above (depending on room type) per night. I got a great deal at Agoda – US$41 per night only!
Cheapest Place to Book: Agoda
Location: No. 123, Nordin Street, Georgetown, Penan, Malaysia, 10300
Rooms: Standard, Superior, Family
Service: Friendly, Helpful
Value: At the price offered at Agoda, definitely worth it! Great value for money!
Sleep Quality: As good as it gets for a no frills hotel. Not fantastic but good enough for the price
Cleanliness: Very clean.
Asia Travel Gems Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0
Penang Hotels Review – Cititel Express Penang – The Video:
Would you like to see what you will get when you stay here? I have a made a short video below to help you get a feel of what to expect for Penang Hotels Review – Cititel Express Penang.
About Cititel Express Penang
Cititel Express Penang is one of the many Penang Hotels located in the heart of George Town. As such, it is within walking distance to the World Heritage Sites, streets featuring Colorful Mural Art, and best of all, the many famous and popular Penang food such as Chendol, Fried Kway Teow, and more.
The ‘Express’ part of its name indicated to guests that this is a hotel with the bare minimum of facilities and amenities. It is like a slightly higher end of a budget hotel. Currently, as of writing this review, the hotel is still relatively new. As such, the furnishings and fittings are still contemporary and up to date.
It is about 5 minutes from the Penang Ferry Terminal. So, if you are arriving by ferry, it is very easy access back and forth. The Penang International Airport and Penang Bridge are both just about 20 minutes drive to and from the hotel. Going to Tanjung Bungah and Batu Feringghi? That is just a 30 minute drive.
Amenities
- Common Ironing Area on each guest floor
- Express check-in and check-out service
- Travel and Tour Desk
- Car Rental
- Shopping Arcade
- In-room takeaway menu
- Complimentary 2 bottles of water, coffee & tea in room
- Electronic Safe
Facilities
- Enoshima Japanese Restaurant
- Cloud 9 Viva Karaoke
- HH Health Therapy
What Good Food to Enjoy in Penang?
One of the main reasons to travel to Penang is to enjoy the wonderful and delicious food. There are certain stalls that sell really great food.
Before arriving Penang, I had heard about all the awesome food but only at certain stalls. As a tourist, I had no idea which were these stalls and where they were. Thankfully, the hotel provided a map to show where each of these stalls are located and what were their specialty.
In the coming days, I will share with you more details about each of these gastronomical pleasures. Meantime, here is a list that are near this hotel:
- Chendol – Teochew Chendol Penang Road
- Fried Kway Teow – Kafe Ping Hooi – Carnavon Street
- Bak Kut Teh – Restoran Cheng Heong – Air Itam
- Assam Laksa – Coffeeshop at the Foothill of Ayer Itam Dam
- Curry Mee – Hot Bowl Rangoon Road & 50, Lorong Seratus Tahun
- Hokkien Mee – Ah Soon Kor Stall, Kim Sin San Coffee Centre, MacAlister Road
- Lor Mee and Wan Tan Mee – Ipon Lane (next to Jelutong Market)
- Lor Bak – Kheng Pin Coffeeshop – Sri Bahari Road
- plus many more. Ask for entire list when you are at Cititel Express Penang
Attractions Nearby
There is a lot to see and experience in just George Town alone. With its rich history and culture, the place has earned the award of being one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. This is because of the many original colonial and chinese-style shophouses. Here are a few that are near this hotel.
- Blue Mansion (Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion) – Leith Street
- Khoo Kongsi (Khoo Association Clan House) – Cannon Square
- Arts & Crafts – Armenian Street
- The Chew, Lee, Tan and Lim Clan Jetties – Weld Quay
- Kek Lok Si Temple
- Penang Hill
- Street Mural Art
There are many more interesting places to visit and see in Penang. These can be found in Tanjung Bungah and Batu Feringghi, and many more. For example, there is the awesome and delightful Entopia. Do take time to explore this amazing city.
Where is Cititel Express Penang?
As mentioned, Cititel Express Penang is located in the heart of George Town. It is within easy access to many of the local attractions, famous food places, ferry terminal, airport and the Penang bridge. Below is a map of its location.
Address: No. 123, Nordin Street, Georgetown, Penan, Malaysia, 10300
Phone: +60-4-259-1188
How To Get There?
By Road
The Penang Bridge connects the Malaysian mainland to the island of Penang. We drove, by car, along the Malaysian Highways, cross the Penang Bridge, and to George Town. This route can be taken by bus, cab or Grab.
By Air
There is a local Penang International Airport. There is a select number of airlines that you can take to fly to this airport. From the airport, you can call a cab or use Grab to get transport to this hotel.
Getting Around
By Train
This is a small town. There are no train services.
By Bus
There is a Free bus service operated by Rapid Penang. It can bring you to major attractions, shops and city events. It is called the Central Area Transit (CAT). Get a map from their website, and simply board their buses at any specially marked stops on specified routes. The only concern here is that you will have to travel within their bus schedules.
By Car
If you drove to Penang, you are at an advantage. Traffic is not as heavy as cities such as Kuala Lumpur. Navigating around is easy, especially if you have Waze app.
Plus, parking is usually not a problem because there is ample space almost everywhere.
By Taxi
They rarely go by meter.
Tip: Negotiate and agree on a price before you take the taxi.
Better Tip: Do not take the cab, go by Grab (see below).
By Grab
This is my preferred option. One reason is that there is no need to negotiate. Another is that the price is usually reasonable and affordable. No hassles.
It is so easy to travel around in cities now because of Grab. Just download the app, state your destination, a driver is assigned to you, take the transport, and you arrive at your destination. Comfortable and easy.
I have switched to Grab for my travels within a city ever since this option became available.
Cititel Express Penang – Asia Travel Gems Final Word
From the start, it was clear that we were looking for a no frills hotel on a low budget. With these expectations, we truly should not expect a fine hotel with top quality stay experience. So, to be fair, while this hotel received a 3.0 rating, this hotel did very well as it lived up to the expectations.
The room was very clean. Housekeeping did a good job keeping the room tidy, neat and clean.
Also, we wanted a room just for shower and sleep. We intended to spend the days exploring the city. The room was never meant to be a space for rest.
So, while it was small, it was designed to have everything just at the right amount for what we wanted – decent bathroom facilities and a good bed to sleep on.
If you are like us, and travel to explore. Plus, a room is just to store your luggage, return to shower, and a bed just for a good night’s sleep. Then Cititel Express Penang is just right for you. At the prices offered by Agoda, it is definitely great value.
We have come to the end of this article. I hope you enjoyed reading this.
If you have ANY questions about Penang Hotels Review – Cititel Express Penang, ANY at all, please submit your questions as comments below. I will be happy to help you out.
Wishing you and your loved ones safe and happy travels.
Timotheus
Hey everyone, I am Timotheus. When I am not giving lectures, I love traveling and visiting cities and towns all over Asia. It is a thrill for me to find and share awesome places to see, great tasting food to eat, and restful rooms to get a good night’s sleep.
Timethous, I’ve read over your review of this hotel and enjoyed learning about it. I especially liked the video you prepared and the list of dining spots (they sound delicious) and things to see in George Town. Your information will be very helpful to visitors to your website. Also, I learned about Grab – which I have never heard of before. Nice Review – shirley
Thanks Shirley! Glad you like the review and the video. I do find that it is so useful and helpful for people to see what the rooms look like. This is so that they know what they are getting when they book a room at this hotel.
Very happy to know that this information will be very helpful people planning to visit Penang.
Grab is like Uber. The only difference is that Grab is successful here, and Uber has failed. Uber has left this region. So, now it is best to use Grab.
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This hotel in Georgetown sounds amazing. I want to go now, just to eat the amazing food. As well as, take in all of the beauty and culture, you so elegantly described in your post. Not to mention, I now know where to stay when I visit to have an enjoyable experience, the Cititel Express Penang. Thanks for the info
You’re welcome Sean. Penang is truly a wonderful place to visit. So many hidden gems. I plan to visit this beautiful city again soon, and enjoy more food and more places to see. I missed the museums the last time. Maybe the next time I will visit them.
Glad that you now know where to have a good night’s rest. Cititel Express Penang is truly good for those who take the hotel room as simply a place to rest for the nights while in Penang. After a long day and evening of exploring and enjoying all the city has to offer, it is simply a room to shower and hit the sack. 🙂
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Penang hotels and attractions are very impressing, I was wondering if you happen to be able to give me an idea what a vacation to Penang might cost someone from the United States?
Jeff
Hi Jeff. Glad you like the Penang hotels and attractions. The cost varies, depending on the hotel you stay at. Some are pricier. Some are mid range. And there are budget hotels like the Cititel Express Penang. I would advise to book via Agoda because you can get very good deals. For example, the offer rate I got was a total of SGD$99 for 1 room, 2 nights. That is about USD$72 (based on rate as of today, 12 Aug 2018).
Flights will have to depend on the airline you book, too. I am sure there are affordable flights. You can book flights via Agoda too.
As for food, it is very affordable in Penang. A meal for 1 adult usually costs less than RM$10. For example, the Assam Laksa at Air Itam only costs RM$5! That is USD$1.22! (based on rate as of today, 12 Aug 2018).
Due to changing rates, I suggest plan a period that you would want to visit Penang. Then go to the links I provided to check out the hotel and flight cost. For meals, if you estimate about USD$5 per meal per adult, you should be very comfortable. As for getting around Penang, it all depends on the mode of transportation you choose.
I hope the above gives you an estimate of the cost of a vacation in Penang?