Penang

[statnerd]

I recently took a 7 day trip to Penang and enjoyed it, especially the food. There wasn't anything I ate there that I didn't love. The Tom Yum Soup with the shrimp in it made my nose start running, it was so spicy, but I couldn't stop eating it as it was wonderful.

Penang is rather developed with a nice bus system and it seemed to be a notch above Thailand as far as the infrastructure goes. The people there were also very friendly towards the tourists, and I didn't experience anyone trying to rip me off.

The Kek Lok Si temple was amazing, as well as the giant Buddha on top of the hill.

The beaches were okay but the water was not very pretty. I certainly wouldn't visit there just for the beaches.

Trying to stay out of the way of the cars while walking around Georgetown was a bit scary as there is a lot of traffic and people wandering around everywhere, and the sidewalks are often full of stuff so you have to walk in the street.

Overall, I enjoyed the trip but it really can be done in 4 or 5 days, as I was bored the last couple of days.

Penang is one of those places that I enjoyed visiting, but I don't really see any reason to return unless I were living in Thailand and maybe taking a weekend trip there. I can't see moving there.

[Yohan]

In Penang you have to go outside of the city to the beaches, just a little bit, at least to Batu Feringghi. Better to go around the island, but you should rent a small motorcycle for doing that.

About beaches be careful, as the Indian Ocean can create powerful waves coming in unexpected.
Language is no problem, English is OK almost everywhere.

For beaches, better go to Pulau Langkawi, north of Penang.

If you are in Penang, you should also move around a bit on the mainland - however Malaysia has often very little public traffic outside the few cities and you will have to rent a car to go around by yourself.

Yes, there is some sightseeing around Penang, but 5 days or so are enough. Short stay up to 3 months is no problem. Good for vacation.

However I agree that Malaysia is not really a place for long-stay - and if you are not a golf freak, it is getting boring there, and you need to drive your own car - real estate is not cheap there - various restrictions for foreigners, visa regulations for long-stay are costly and complicated etc.

I have my second home in Thailand, for longstay, pricing, air-links etc. the better choice, just my opinion.