Dusk was setting fast as we re-entered the sprawling grounds of the Lone Pine Hotel. We washed our sandy feet—a result of watching the sunset along Batu Ferringhi’s golden beach—wanting to have a quick swim at the resort’s saltwater pool before having dinner. Surrounded by casuarina trees and without any swimmers to contend with, we slowly slid our bodies down the glowing green waters and found it to be surprisingly warm to our skin. Exactly the way we liked it.

LONE PINE HOTEL’S HIGH-CEILING LOBBY

The Lone Pine Hotel at the resort town of Batu Ferringhi became our second home in Penang after transferring from E&O Hotel at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Georgetown. We purposely divided our Penang trip into two parts—one historical and the other, err, beach-ical? Lol.

TWILIGHT AT BATU FERRINGHI BEACH

Anyways, what we really wanted to do was… Nothing. We wanted to simply laze around the stretch of beach in Batu Ferringhi—swim during the mornings, nap during the afternoons, and drink on the evenings. We wanted to relax and we wanted to do it right by the beach. This is Beach Hop Asia, after all.

MORNINGS AT BATU FERRINGHI

And Lone Pine Hotel fitted our needs to a tee. Situated right on the main road on one side where a score of cheap hawker places and night markets are located, and the sandy beach at the other. It’s even near a McDonald’s!

THE BUNGALOW, LONE PINE’S AL FRESCO RESTAURANT

It is one of the oldest resorts in Batu Ferringhi (which by the way, translates to Foreigner’s Rock). It’s humble beginnings started in 1948 when a family bungalow was converted into a hotel. That said bungalow still stands right at this very day on the resort but it has now been converted as a restaurant, aptly named The Bungalow.

OUR ROOM FOR THE NIGHT

SLIDING WALL PANELS FOR THE BATHROOM

We were billeted on their Deluxe Rooms which has a balcony overlooking the sea. The design is stylishly restrained; white walls, parquet floors, slatted windows, dark-wood furniture, non-descript lamps, and minimalist paintings. The effect is a cross between retro and modernism. It works quite well.

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REALLY DIGGING THE TILEWORKS

AND WHAT ABOUT OUR VERANDA!

The toilet and bath with its moving wall panels was also quite refreshing, design-wise. And, of course, what about that outdoor private tub right by our veranda! This place is sweet!

I’ve been reading about Lone Pine Hotel Penang being haunted, but during our stay, we encountered none of this. And there’s also no creepy feeling whatsoever in our room. I’m not sensitive to ghosts or spirits, so I really can’t be a hundred percent sure about this.

CUTE WILD MONKEYS HAVING THEIR BREAKFAST FIX OUTSIDE OUR VERANDA

After a fitful first night of sleep—the relaxing massage at their Pure Energy Signature Spa definitely contributed to it—we had our morning coffee fix right by the balcony and was surprised by a group of white-faced monkeys eating and swinging along the trees right in front of us! Mind you, these are not domesticated animals, but rather, a family of daily visitors to the resort from the nearby mountains. They look really adorable!

HMMM… I NEED MORE VEGGIES

BREAKFAST DIMSUM DELIGHTS

Breakfast was set at Lone Pine Hotel’s open-aired in-house restaurant right by the beach. The selections are halal, but they do have lots of meat, including beef bacons! They also serve Penang’s famous char kway teow, freshly cooked, along with other soup variations.

INCHI KABIN ~ MYR30.00

We heard that this restaurant has been winning awards left and right, so we were quite curious what they really have to offer aside from the food being served at the complimentary breakfast buffet.

FOO YONG CRAB ~ MYR24.00

On our last meal in Penang, we decided to try the offerings at the Bungalow. Besides traditional Malaysian cuisine, the restaurant’s specialties are Hainanese dishes, so we dug deep into their menu and came up with Foo Yong Crab, Inchi Kabin (deep fried chicken), Penang Mee Mamak Goreng, and for desserts, Sago Gula Melaka.

PENANG MEE MAMAK GORENG ~ MYR28.00

Serving time was quite fast and we were soon digging into our foo yong crab, inchin kabin and mee goreng. The crabmeat egg omelet went really well with our favorite fried noodles, this particular one, cooked Mamak-style with prawns, veggies, egg, cuttlefish, potatoes, and bean curd. The Inchi Kabin, on the other hand, was typical of marinated fried chickens, but we loved it no less—you really can’t go wrong with fried chickens.

SAGO GULA MELAKA ~ MYR18.00

The dessert, Sago Gula Melaka, was a surprise. We were kinda expecting something with tapioca, sago, being the Filipino term for such, and indeed a whole mound of palm-sugar sweetened mini-tapioca pudding was set swimming in the middle of coconut milk. This was the first time we’ve tried such a dish and we both were bowled over it—considering we’re not even into sweet stuff.

LAST LOOK AT PENANG’S BATU FERRINGHI BEACH

Our tummies filled to brimming, we headed out to the beach to walk and burn off our lunch. It was the perfect way to spend our last few hours on the island of Penang and our last day in Malaysia.

~ BIG THANKS TO LONE PINE HOTEL FOR HOSTING OUR STAY AT BATU FERRINGHI. ALL VIEWS AND OPINIONS ARE DEFINITELY MY OWN.

Lone Pine Hotel Penang
Address: 97 Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia
Contact Number: (604) 886-8686
Email: style@lonepinehotel.com
GPS Coordinates Map: 5.475841, 100.250118

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