Street art, sky walks and stir fries in Penang

George Town itself might be enough to occupy your clients for days, but make sure they spend time outside the city too, advises Marco Ferrarese, who has lived on the island for 10 years, over a coffee. “Don’t stop at Chulia Street and explore outside George Town,” he says. “It’s a very easy touristic trap, but there’s so much more to be discovered and experienced here. Penang has many layers, and it takes time and courage to unveil most of them, but it’s always an incredibly rewarding travel experience.”

One easy way is to spend a few hours away from the city’s clamour at Penang Hill, a spot 800 metres above sea level, reached by either a long jungle hike or a trip on the funicular railway. I opt for the latter, hurtling up the steep tracks to the upper station and stepping out into temperatures pleasantly cooler than the humid 32°C below.

Feeding change into a rickety telescope reward me with panoramic views of the island, before I head up the steps to David Brown’s eponymous British restaurant to enjoy the view with strawberry jam-filled scone in hand. Then it’s a quick drive up winding mountain roads to Habitat, a rainforest experience where I stroll along a manmade nature trail through the jungle, play on giant wooden swings and clamber up the circular Sky Walk for an even more spectacular view.

For a more extended break, advise clients to spend a few days based at Batu Ferringhi. Despite being just 30 minutes from the city, my taxi weaving around scooters and bikes on beautiful coastal roads, this part of the island couldn’t feel more different. A beach resort of sorts, lined with high-end hotels and market stalls selling swimming trunks and sunglasses for a few ringgit, Batu has a relaxed, holiday feel that will appeal to clients ready for some downtime.

I spend the days lazing by the pool at the Shangri-La, the hotel backing onto the white sandy beach and the bar serving cocktails with a perfect view of the pink-hued sunset.

For my last night, it’s a 10-minute wander down the road to the Long Beach Cafe, another of Penang’s famous street food centres, to finish right where I started – sharing steaming bowls of noodles, sweet and sour fish curry, and cheesy roti in the midst of the heady mix of cultures that make this island so unique.

Book it: If Only... has seven nights’ B&B at the Shangri-La Golden Sands Resort, departing 1 September 2019 from £1,109pp, based on two sharing. The package includes flights and private transfers. ifonly.net

Flights: There a variety of indirect routes from London. The most common stopovers include Doha, Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur with Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Fares start from about £600.
Language: Hokkien, Malay and Mandarin are all spoken, along with English.
Weather: Penang has a tropical climate, with temperatures and humidity remaining similar year-round. Mid-March to mid- November are slightly cooler.
Visas: Not required for British nationals, who will be given a three-month tourist visa upon arrival.

Smarter: Tell clients to avoid local red and yellow taxis and, instead, download and sign up to the Grab app before departure. The equivalent of Uber (in fact, the US-based company sold its south-east Asia operations to its rivals as part of a deal), Grab taxis are plentiful, cheap and efficient. And there’s no haggling required.

Better: For a unique stay, book clients in for a night or two at The Blue Mansion. A popular tourist attraction by day, this beautiful indigo blue heritage building is also a boutique hotel, with spacious rooms, a stunning inner courtyard and excellent service.

Fairer: Clients can help to conserve the jungle that covers much of the island by staying on marked trails on hikes and not disturbing local wildlife. Feeding curious monkeys is also strongly discouraged.

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