My Stay At Evergreen Laurel Hotel In Gurney Drive

Posted by : foongpc | Friday, July 11, 2014 | Published in

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During my trip to Penang last year, I stayed at the Evergreen Laurel Hotel in Gurney Drive.

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I normally stay in budget hotels during my travels as I prefer to spend my money on food and sightseeing instead. Besides I only need the hotel to sleep. But this time, I decided to splurge a little and stay in a 5-star hotel.

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There are two types of rooms in this 18-storey hotel. The first type faces the city of George Town, and the second type which is more expensive, faces the sea. Naturally, I chose the room that has a sea view!

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Although this hotel is quite old (built is 1997 and last renovated in 2007), it was pretty well maintained.

When I checked in at about 1pm, the staff at the counter asked if I wanted to upgrade to a Premier room by paying an additional RM5++ per day. I thought why not? So I was given a Premier room on the 10th floor facing the sea.

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The room was spacious and clean. I loved it!

Here's an environmental message from the hotel.

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There's an alarm clock to help wake me up and a phone for me to call for assistance.

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Three red apples on a plate. But they looked rather old and wrinkly. The hotel should have provided fresh fruits instead!

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I did not really bother about the apples though. Who cares about the apples when you have so much yummy food out there in Penang? I did not even bother to dine in the hotel's restaurant. It would be quite silly to eat in the hotel when so many good food could be found in the city of George Town.

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This is the chair which I liked to sit and read my book, or tweet or checking out Facebook or simply to take a short nap!

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As expected from a 5-star hotel - a TV with multiple local and satellite channels. Although I must say I hardly watched the TV during my stay there.

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Coffee and tea making facilities.

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And as usual, there's a mini fridge, safe deposit box, bathrobe, iron and hangers.

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One of the many photos hanging on the wall.

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And most important of all, complimentary broadband internet and wifi. I really can't stand hotels that do not provide free and good wifi service! What about you?

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I have to say though that the best thing about my stay in Evergreen Laurel Hotel was the sea view from my glass window.

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I spent many moments looking out to the sea and enjoying the view. Imagine if I had been here on that fateful Boxing Day in 2004 when the tsunami hit Gurney Drive! I would have had a first hand view of the disaster!

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The fountain and car park below.

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Of course, to ensure I had a comfortable stay in this hotel, I made sure I checked out the bathroom and toilet!

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I was glad that it was clean, although I would not go so far as to say that it was spotless.

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Since I seldom use bathtub, I still prefer a shower inside a cubicle that would separate the shower area from the toilet bowl. And I really missed those nice rainforest shower that I enjoyed in many other hotels.

Some house rules...

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Essential toiletries like toothbrush, toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo, body lotion, shower cap, hand soaps, hand towels, and bath towels as expected in a 5-star hotel.

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Did I take some of the toiletries home? Of course I did. I always do, either as souvenirs or to be used in future travels where the hotels do not provide such amenities.

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A hair dryer was also provided.

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This is how my room looks like during the night with the TV switched on, and the curtains drawn.

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Every morning during my stay in Penang, I would wake up to a beautiful sunrise over the ocean.

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Here are a few snapshots of the early morning skies viewed from my hotel room.

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If you choose to stay in Evergreen Laurel Hotel, make sure you choose the room that faces the sea! It is definitely worth it!

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Although the hotel offers facilities like swimming pool, gym, spa and tennis court, I never had the chance to make use of them.

But I did love strolling outside the hotel along Gurney Drive.

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I had an enjoyable time walking and enjoying the cool breeze from the sea.

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I even composed a song during my walk here and named it "A Relaxing Afternoon At Gurney Drive". You can listen to it HERE.

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One thing good about Evergreen Laurel Hotel is the location. It's a short walking distance to Gurney Paragon Mall, Gurney Plaza Mall, the (overrated) Gurney hawker centre, and to the famous Thai and Burmese temples.

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Although not as trendy as G Hotel located further down (or is it up?) Gurney Drive, Evergreen Laurel Hotel is still to me, a good place to stay if you do not mind paying a little bit more for comfort and luxury, and of course the sea view!

Comments (38)

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Top Flight review of a really nice hotel! I would love to go to Penang and stay at the Evergreen!

ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^= <3
1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
Wow...The hotel room looks so high class and nice. Great scenery too ! I thought you are at feringgi beach initially.
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1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
wow.. very nice hotel!! looks so comfortable.. :)
My recent post 2014.07.11 | 生日餐點
1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
i can see you have two big beds in there.. who's sharing room with you?? *wink wink*
My recent post 2014.07.09 | 生日早餐
1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
nice room and the view from your room is so beautiful!! wow, i like~~
My recent post 2014.07.07 | 生日賀禮
1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
Such a big room for one person? I enjoy my stay at Flamingo Hotel though I get the creeps walking past the ironing room. I also find Gurney Food Centre over-rated. Didn't like the Penang Char Kway Teow at all.
1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
Big room!!!____

Nice view too!____

How much for a night?

Mana tau I wanna consider it when I visit Penang ;)
My recent post Twelfth Day Of Ramadhan : So Far So Good
1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
Bananazஇ's avatar

Bananazஇ · 576 weeks ago

Yeah wanted to ask 'how much' same as lina219.
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1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
Bananazஇ's avatar

Bananazஇ · 576 weeks ago

The extra RM5++ not quite enough to buy you better apples haha
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1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
This hotel is the best and comfty one before G hotel...
1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
wow really nice room eh? u should throw the apples to me! I'm an apple freak LOL
My recent post Griffiths Cafe @ Kampung Baru, Bukit Mertajam, Penang.
1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
Wow, such a beautiful view from the room. What's the difference between the premier and the original room that's RM5 less?
My recent post Delicious, Bangsar Village II, Food Review
1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
Beautiful sunrise! Choosing the room that faces the sea is the best option for this hotel. :-)
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1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
Very lovely room and sea view. I love the night view of the room at night. So dreamy. :)
1 reply · active 576 weeks ago
I stayed in this hotel many years ago and I can see they still maintain the standard.
My recent post Transformers &quot;Age of Extinction&quot; Review
Wah, this time "kam tarn sai kai" this time ahh, splurge "a little" and stayed in 5-star hotel? Your "little" means a lot also wor, hehehehe..
I'm very particular about wifi only when the area has no LTE or 3G coverage as I seldom work on my laptop on holidays. I only need to be connected via my phone. If I'm overseas, I'll always get their data bundle so still no working on laptops unless really necessary. But of course, if the hotel can provide free wifi will be great.
Wah what a great view!! Eh but if tsunami, dangerous leh! >_<
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:p ;)
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Wah how come splurged on 5-star hotel suddenly? Good la.. indulge yourself once in a while! B)
My recent post Hotel Novotel, Monte-Carlo *
Ha ha of course la must bring home toiletries..abuden! :$
My recent post Sightseeing in Monte-Carlo
For only RM5 extra a day, they should have just given u the upgrade for free kan? ;)
My recent post For a Comfy Flight!
Def love rooms with a view, yours is gorgeous! :*
My recent post Hotel Novotel, Monte-Carlo *
Gorgeous sunrise! The best choice for this hotel is to pick a room that faces the sea.
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