Sorry to any Malaysians out there, but Penang sucks. I have been forced to go there for the past 10 years or so at least once a year and I absolutely hate it. I was once a content writer for Agoda and was given free reign on my travel topics as long as they pertained to beaches. I was reprimanded for saying almost nothing good about Penang because Agoda has like 600 hotels listed there. They made me change the article so if you are ever reading an article on Agoda looking for journalistic integrity - they don't have any.

I honestly don’t know why anyone desires to vacation in Penang because it is my understanding that a lot of people do. Of course it has it’s redeeming qualities, but for the most part if I never ever have to go there again, I will consider life a success.

Beaches:

Penang is an island, so obviously it has quite a few beaches, all of which are terrible. Again, my apologies to any Malaysians but they are covered in trash, the only wildlife in the water is jellyfish, and I believe you should probably make certain your tetanus shots are up to date if you ever dare go for a swim. There is a Hard Rock Café on one of the beaches, and I can’t imagine why they chose to locate themselves there. I’m not really a fan of beaches anyway, but ones covered in trash can suck it.

jump in kids! don't forget to wear sunscreen and a jellyfish protection suit

Roads:

I am primarily referring to Georgetown, the main city area in Penang. The roads are awful. There is a sidewalk of sorts in some places but the individual property owners have for some reason decided to make them unusable via gates, benches, or simply building a wall. Therefore, you have to walk in the street for the most part and get honked at and have multiple near-death experiences if you are trying to get around.

now imagine if it was full of cars and trust me, it is

Sanitation:

Just awful. There is garbage everywhere and no one really seems to mind. I was once sitting somewhere having a taco or something and saw a rat dragging a bottle of ketchup down the street. Seriously, they have some mutant rodents there which are probably thriving because of the garbage that is all over the place.

awesome

Food:

This is actually ok. I really like Indian food and well, they have some incredible Indian here at what is bound to be the lowest prices outside of India. I never eat anything but Indian food when I am forced to go there because well, why change something you really like? The last time I was there (and I sincerely hope it was “the last time”) I paid less than $3 for a Tandoori set. Awesomeness.

Booze:

I am guessing this has a lot to do with the fact that this country is still ruled by Sharia law but booze is extremely expensive here. It is more expensive to get a beer at a minimart in Penang (and the rest of Malaysia other than Langkawi) than it is to bet one at a rather posh bar in all the surrounding countries. Except Singapore – that place while awesome is too expensive for just about everything.
Sure, you can get beers and wine and really whatever you can imagine in the liquor department while in Penang, but you are going to pay a lot for it.

I want to say again that I am not trying to badmouth Malaysians, I just feel as though this place had potential, but once again greed and over-development has lead to destruction. I suppose this is just the way of the world now. Also, my position is tainted because I have been forced against my will to travel there for many years.