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4.5
#7 of 77 small hotels in George Town
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Islander Lodge is an excellent choice for travellers visiting George Town, offering a family-friendly environment alongside many helpful amenities designed to enhance your stay.
Rooms at Islander Lodge offer a flat screen TV, air conditioning, and a desk providing exceptional comfort and convenience, and guests can go online with free wifi.
24 hour front desk, 24 hour check-in, and express check-in and check-out are some of the conveniences offered at this small hotel.
Nearby landmarks such as The TOP Penang (0.3 mi) and Chulia Street (0.3 mi) make Islander Lodge a great place to stay when visiting George Town.
Travellers looking to enjoy some lobster can head to The Book Sandwich Cafe, Ocean Green Seafood Restaurant, or Sarkies Corner. Otherwise, you may want to check out an Asian restaurant such as China House, Kebaya, or Tek Sen Restaurant.
Should time allow, Upside Down Museum, Pinang Peranakan Mansion, and Armenian Street are some popular attractions that are within walking distance.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Business
Family
Languages Spoken
English, Chinese, Malay
Location
25-27 Jalan Transfer, George Town, Penang Island 10050 Malaysia
Island Guesthouse
70 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Once in a while you come upon a hotel that is very special. Well Islander Lodge is exactly that. We came for four days for Thaipusam and stayed for 18 days. We felt so comfortable here we didn't want to leave and could think of no place better to go. We have never been so cared for at any hotel that we have stayed. Fong-Lin, the manager, was so kind and sweet. She knew everything, about buses, places to see, not just in George Town but on the whole island. We broke our eye glasses and she knew exactly where to send us to get them fixed at a great price, she recommended great places to eat, she knew absolutley everything. If she didn't know the answer she quickly found out. I was sick for a couple of days and she was so kind and concerned, she took care of me so well. The girls Han and Hon were a bright light when you entered the hotel. The door was always opened for you and you were greeted with beautiful smiles and friendly talk about our day. All the staff made you feel you were very special.
The hotel itself is very nice, extremely clean and very comfortable. There is always a friendly face to greet you. We had the room with a double and a single bed. Very comfortable. There was plenty of room for all of our stuff. A place to hang clothing above a small counter with room under to put suitcases out of the way. There was also a small desk with a stool, 2 bottles of water everyday and tea with cups and saucers. At the top of the stairs was a water cooler with cold and very hot water for making tea, what a great idea. The bathroom was small but modern with a great shower and was spotlessly clean. It also had one of the few hotels with a good sized tv and a couple of English stations. Wifi is also very good.
Many buses go right past the hotel, The Penang Free Bus (CAT) stop is a couple of blocks up the street or over a couple of blocks to Jalan Penang in front of the 7-11. Something we didn't know was that tourist can get a bus pass called "Tourist Passport". It allows you to travel on any bus on the island of Penang and even some buses on the Butterworth side. It costs 30 ringgets for 7 days. It is such a deal. Even though bus fare is so cheap this is easy and you don't need to have the correct change as the buses do not give change. You take your passport into the office. Apparently there are 5 offices I read but one is at the Komtar and another at the Jettys. They do close for a couple of hours during the day and are only open Monday - Friday. You must take your passport or we had pictures of the inside of our passport and there was no problem with that.
When we come back to George Town there is no other place we want to stay. A big thank you to you all for making our holiday unforgettable.
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Date of stay: March 2017
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We really enjoyed our stay and we highly recommend this place to all who is visiting Penang for it's heritage.
The rooms are very clean, owner & staffs are very friendly and accommodating.
Location of Islander Lodge is amazingly near-by to shops, public transport & awesome Penang food ..we enjoyed our walks around town, public bus-route-stops is just around the corner and yummylicious food stalls just across the road & beside.
We loved every-moments of our stay at Islander Lodge! Mgt & staff of Islander Lodge ..keep up the good work!!
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Date of stay: April 2017Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pros: + very helpfull and nice staff! + clean rooms with a very nice design + fast wifi + comfy bed + nice location
Cons (very small ;) ): - some rooms are without windows so it’s a bit difficult in the morning (but it was in the offer) - quite small bathroom
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Date of stay: February 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The strong point of this hotel is the staff: very friendly and extremely helpful. Also, you can pay by credit card which was quite rare during our stay in Malaysia. We stayed there for two nights, in two different rooms. The rooms looked exactly the same. There is a good bed, A/C, wifi and a good bathroom. Everything was very clean. No windows... The first room was on the first floor and at night, you could here the A/C working pretty loudly... Our second room was on the ground floor and it's not more quiet since you are close from the reception and can hear people talk. I definitely recommend to book a room that's not on the ground floor.
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Date of stay: June 2017
Rooms
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Not the ground floor
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just had 6 nights at this very tidy family style modern lodging off Jalan Transfer, within walking distance to most amenities and short cab ride to all others (download GRAB taxi app for your smartphone - best way to book a cab in SEA thesedays).
The staff really do make this place - they are totally LOVELY and I'd definitely stay again given the chance. When I found my trusty shorts had a hole in them they even had them patched up at no cost within a few hours - great service all 'round.
Ms Fan on front desk was a real sweetie - perfect English - chatty & engaging - she couldn't help enough - I'm a definite fan of Ms Fan!
The room I had was a family room - 1x dbl + 1x sgl bed - do go for a room with windows always wherever you stay - none of that wondering what time/day it is, aka 'submarine fever' (!)
Bed was very comfy, aircon & compact shower/WC spick & span... impeccably clean.
I would certainly rate this place higher if they provided the following, which for me are essential req's when travelling:
a. In-room bolted down compact safe for valuables - security is pretty good with CCTV covering all communal areas though b. Mini fridge to keep drinks & snacks cool c. Suitable bedside light for reading
There is no wardrobe storage but there is a clothes rail in the room. Upstairs rooms at Islander Lodge are accessed via fairly steep stairs off entrance foyer so I'd say those are not suitable for anyone with mobility issues.
On the plus side, there's a laundry across the road which will wash & fold all of your washing and return it to IL for MYR4/kg, a 24 Hrs shop if you're craving chocolate at 3am and an Indonesian restaurant which is very popular with locals open mornings and lunchtimes - well worth a visit.
Thank you again for a great stay!
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Date of stay: January 2017Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Me and my friends spent time for one night here. This place is new and so comfortable for us. It's not far from bus stop. We can easily find a lot of excellent local food around the hotel. Thank you for good thanking care from staffs here and Thank you so much for all recommendations! We feel like home.
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Date of stay: October 2016Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I hve been there for 3 nights me and my friends, we booked 2 rooms 516 and 517 and both were amazing except mine had a narrow bathroom but it was ok for me... Anything else was really great.. Sure we will be back to this hotel in out next viait to penang
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Date of stay: October 2016Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We love the friendliness & helpfulness of Islanders' counter staff - Ah Fang, Mr Koay & Bee Har. Ah Fang was ever cheerful in showing us where good local food is & how to go there. It was nice chatting with them & getting to know about Penang.
The lodge is within walking distance to good local eateries. The room for 3 of us is spacious & clean. Hot, warm and cold drinking water is available outside our room through the day.
The people there make our stay a very pleasant & memorable experience.
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Date of stay: September 2016Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nice small hotel. Clean. We stayed in a family room of 4 with windows stayed there for 2 nights. Little noisy from traffic. Every thing is nearby. Uber freely available. Bus stand is also nearby. Helpful staffs. Recommended.
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Date of stay: September 2018Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had a family room with two queen size bed. Spacious and cool with 2 air cond in the room. We had room 519 which is situated at the back, away from the front busy road. The room is clean, quiet and with window. Uncle William and the Chinese Lady at the reception are very nice and helpful people. They provide free parking at the back of the lodge. Will definitely come back
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Date of stay: March 2019
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â rooms nearer to the main street can be noisy with the heavy traffic
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the George Town area.
PRICE RANGE
RMÂ 129 - RMÂ 159 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Islander Lodge
LOCATION
MalaysiaPenangPenang IslandGeorge Town
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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ISLAND GUESTHOUSE: See 52 Reviews, Price Comparison and 51 Photos (Penang)
Frequently Asked Questions about Island Guesthouse
Which popular attractions are close to Island Guesthouse?
Nearby attractions include Cheong Fatt Tze - The Blue Mansion (0.4 km), Chowrasta Market (0.3 km), and David ST Loh Gallery - Visit by appointment only (0.2 km).
