Eastern & Oriental Hotel

I’m a big fan of both history and literature and this hotel has been at the Malaysian epicentre of both for over 150 years. I believe it was the first hotel to establish the Sarkies brothers’ brand of accommodating the colonial elite in Asia and Maugham, Kipling, Hesse, Coward and more recently Burgess all stayed there. If this hotel doesn’t fire your imagination you probably need to read more. :) To be honest I would have enjoyed it if it was a decaying dump but it isn’t, it’s lovely and stylish, the pools are great and the breakfast outstanding. Only misses out on 5 stars because our bathroom roof leaked (ac drip duct apparently) and wasn’t rectified properly first time so dripping kept us awake for 2 nights! Would have expected better or at least a partial refund for quite serious disruption. None forthcoming. Other than that a great experience and lovely staff!

We spent three nights in the Victory Annexe at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, and overall we had a fantastic stay. This is a beautiful hotel full of history and charm, and we’d happily return. Our rooms were exceptionally spacious, beautifully presented and extremely comfortable. As we were travelling as a family, the hotel was unable to provide interconnecting rooms, but they thoughtfully allocated us two rooms directly opposite each other with a private corridor between them. It worked perfectly for us, and we really appreciated the effort they made to accommodate our family. The staff throughout the hotel were warm, welcoming and genuinely friendly. Breakfast was one of the highlights of our stay, with an incredible selection catering to both local and international tastes. As someone who loves Malaysian food, I would have loved to see an even wider selection of traditional kueh and local sweet delicacies, but that’s very much a personal preference rather than a criticism. The sixth-floor infinity pool is excellent—it’s a great size, has a lovely atmosphere and is a wonderful place to relax. We also enjoyed lunch by the pool, which was very good. One of the chicken satay skewers was unfortunately a little undercooked, but the chef came out personally to apologise and immediately prepared a fresh serving. That level of service was very much appreciated and demonstrated the hotel’s commitment to looking after its guests. If I had one area for improvement, it would be the attentiveness of the food and beverage service. At breakfast, we were rarely approached to ask if we’d like tea or coffee, and the poolside waitstaff were a little too relaxed considering the standard expected of a five-star hotel. A little more proactive service would elevate the overall experience even further. We also had a very early 4:30 a.m. departure, and the hotel kindly prepared continental breakfast boxes for us to take away. It was a thoughtful gesture that was greatly appreciated and a lovely way to end our stay. Overall, the Eastern & Oriental Hotel is a wonderful place to stay in George Town. The spacious rooms, beautiful setting, excellent breakfast and genuinely caring staff made for a memorable visit. With just a little more attention to service in the dining areas, it would be close to perfect. We would certainly stay here again.

Wonderful characterful hotel with great rooms and facilities, great staff that are always happy to help. Amazing breakfast, chef MK. Kalimuthn looked after us and made us tasty vegan food, with something different every day. Location is good, overlooking the sea and 15 to 20 mins walk from the tourist spots in George town. We used the Grab service when places were too far to walk or it was too hot/humid/raining. Grab is really affordable and efficient. Would highly recommend staying here.