Hard Rock Hotel, Penang

We spent a lovely weekend in Penang, the Pearl of the Orient, and indeed an insland Malaysia is very lucky indeed to have.

(and word on the street is that the Federal Govt under the ruling BN coalition should treat Penang with more respect/ wisdom and give them a larger funding allocation, and not penalise them financially just because they are presently under Opposition rule!)
Anyway, back to happier non-political topics (ie. hopeless despairing topics).

We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel this trip, our first time there. It doesn't disappoint. HRH rocks with lively music, serves good food, lots of activities, comfortable rooms, friendly and energetic hotel staffers. There are lots of music memorabilia everywhere.The kids enjoyed the hotel pool with its 3 slides, and made lots of sand castles. We had a faulty basin plug which needed to be fixed and we found the maintenance staff to be efficient and pleasant.

In my mind, one outstanding encounter was with a HRH staffer who came to deliver the keys to our 2 other rooms. After I took the key cards from him and thanked him, he looked me straight in the eye and with a very straight face uttered these very memorable words (well to me, at least, they were memorable!), "Have a rocking day!" Is that Hard Rock or what?!?

The rooms are comfortable and clean with cosy lighting that isn't too dim. Some hotels are hell-bent on not wanting you to see very well at night in your room, but the lighting in HRH was just right.

Of course there were the foam parties that are on every weekend. We didn't join in the foaming fun. I told hubby that it was free for ladies, as one staffer approached me at the pool, urging me to join the foam party. Hubby didn't think it was free as it was not stated anywhere in the hotel. "Maybe HRH lets the nice-looking women into the foam party for free to drum up attendance," hubs said. That's the kind of understated compliment one gets from the husband after 12 years of marriage!

Of couse we ate and ate! A Leng Char Koay Teow (not very nice I thought), assam laksa and char kwoay teow (Gurney Drive and Joo Hooi Cafe), chee cheong fun with prawn paste and koay teow theng (Gurney  Drive, no 88 for koay teow theng which had excellent soup), chendol (lane outside Joo Hooi Cafe), O-chien and wan tan mee (Yi Garden), nyonya food at Mama's (Lorong Abu Siti), Hokkien Food at Ang Hoay Lor (Jalan Perak). Buuurrpp!