Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Family Getaway- Stay at Corner Suite, Victory Annexe @ Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E&O Hotel), Penang.

The new wing of Eastern & Oriental Hotel Penang, named Victory Annexe; house a total of 122 sea-view suites which include 117 superior suites (55 square meters) and 5 corner suites (123 square meters). I was invited to a complimentary 2 Days 1 Night stay, together with my parents at their Corner Suite of Victory Annexe for a family getaway. It was indeed, an enjoyable and memorable stay for the three of us.

About Eastern & Oriental Hotel Penang:
Established by the famed Sarkies Brothers in the year of 1885, the E&O Hotel is a hotel of old, colonial charm with the finest traditions of comfort and service. Located strategically in the heart of Georgetown, along Farquhar Street intersecting with Penang Road, the E&O Hotel is 20 kilometers away from Penang International Airport. Food havens, shopping and entertainment belts are all conveniently located near the hotel. Over its century-and-a-quarter history and myriad of travelers' precious memory , the hotel has come to represent Penang itself; the name of the hotel is a synonym to this beautiful island once known as 'The Pearl of Orient'.                                     - E&O Hotel.


The front office staff were very friendly and helpful to us, we were invited to have a seat some where at the lobby while they were checking in and getting the documents ready. All you need is your booking confirmation number and deposit.  Check in time for the hotel guests will be 3pm and the check out time is 12pm. 


A separate and spacious living room is one of the unique features for Corner Suites. If internet is primal for you of your family, worry not; all suites come with complimentary Hi-Speed Wifi connection to get you stay connected with your friends and family.


The comfortable King sized bed has certainly served my parents well. Both of them had a soothing quality sleep.


It was heartwarming to see that the hotel has prepared some Spa Salt for us beside the long bath for us. The spacious long bath and the soothing Spa Salt were just good enough for the three of us to rejuvenate ourselves after a long and tiring day.


All the Suites come with a mini fridge bar with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The non-alcoholic drinks (namely Coca Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite, 100 Plus etc) are complimentary however, the alcoholic drinks (Tiger/ Carlsberg) and the snacks (Potato Chips, Sneakers) are not. The prices for the alcoholic drinks and snacks can be found beside the mini fridge bar. Guests can find themselves some complimentary Coffee/ Tea too.


We were excited to find a coffee machine hidden in the rack but amusingly, we had no idea how to operate it and lucky us, we have found ourselves an instruction sheet which taught us step-by-step on how to make a cup of coffee using the machine. It was indeed a memorable moment as we were bursting out with laughter the moment we were trying to play with the machine. Ann from Constance-Ant was there too.


There were 2 balconies in our suite, one at the living room while the other at the bed room. I would not say the balconies are big nor the views are great. In fact, I was rather disappointed that I couldn't get to shoot any sunset since my suite wasn't facing the sea.


We were pleased to see all these mouth-watering colorful fresh fruits displaying on the table and the best part? They were all complimentary! We had some Seedless Grapes, Bananas, Orange, Apple, Green Apple and a Dragon Fruit. Yes, those fruits were very fresh, especially the grapes, we just couldn't get enough of those.


Together with Ann, we have decided to check out the facilities in the hotel, particularly those in Victory Annexe. Located at 6th floor of Victory Annexe, the fully-equipped gym has all the equipment that fulfill your needs. I have managed to find myself sometime after the buffet dinner to at least, burn some calories off. I was impressed by the equipment particularly the treadmill which comes with a personal TV that connects to more than 15 channels from Astro (AFC, Discovery Channel, Local News etc). I wish I had more time to spare around though.... Guests are more than welcome to grab a towel and complimentary drinking/plain water from the rack after a hectic workout.


On the same floor as the gym, guests can head to their Infinity Swimming Pool for a swim. Privacy-assured as only hotel guests of Victory Annexe have exclusive access to the pool (gym and Planters Lounge as well). The depth for the adult poolside is 1.2 Meter so it should be pretty fine even for those who are not a good swimmer.


When the clock strikes 5pm (available until 7pm), exclusively for Victory Annexe hotel guests. Guests will be flocking in the Planters Lounge for the complimentary evening Cocktails with Canapes. White Wines, Red Wines, Beers, Soft Drinks, Hard Liquor, Fresh Fruit Juices, Milk, Coffee or Tea; you name it, you got it.


The sophisticated and elegant setting at Planters Lounge. Guests can either opt for the cozy air-conditioned or al-fresco dining which accompanied by the breath-taking sea view.


The delectable choices of Canapes available at the evening cocktail at Planters Lounge. I had some Turkey Ham, Smoked Tuna and Brie Cheese to go with my chilled White Wine considering the flavor of Brie Cheese is more intense than other types of cheeses. My parents and I spent some quality time together while enjoying the sumptuous complimentary meal.


We had our dinner at Sarkies, the buffet themed Wine & Dine Buffet Dinner. Thanks to Ms. Eileen Chong and Mr. Jaya for the arrangement of the Wine & Dine Buffet Dinner review which can be found here


I have somehow managed to take a picture of the night view from the suite we were staying at. Love the vibrant colors of my island- Penang.


After a relaxing and restful sleep, I have decided to go for a quick swim at the pool and managed to meet up with Ms. Eileen Chong for breakfast. At this point, hotel guests have two options for breakfast, they can either go for the buffet breakfast at Sarkies or Planters Lounge. More options available at Sarkies but I would personally prefer the classy setting of Planters Lounge. Hence, I have decided to opt for the latter one. The complimentary buffet breakfast includes some of the usual Beef Pastrami, Smoked Salmon and Cheeses which can be found during the evening cocktail session too.


Fresh Fruit Juices such as Pineapple Juice, Orange Juice, Honeydew Juice were available that morning, as for me, I have opted for their sweetened Soya Milk but unfortunately, it was slightly too sweet to my liking. Other options include Low Fat Milk and Full Cream Milk.


Breads are essential for a breakfast, I enjoyed my lightly toasted wholemeal bread spread with their home made Pineapple Jam and Strawberry Jam which were just perfect for me. Not too sweet nor sour. Peanut Butter Jam and Honey were some other options to substitute the Strawberry and Pineapple Jams.


I had some Beef Bacon, Sauteed Mushrooms, Chicken Sausages and Roasted Potatoes. I thought the Beef Bacon and Sauteed Mushrooms were way too oily to my liking although they were reasonably flavored and delicate. I don't intend to savor their Pastries but I thought it might be great to just to try at least one of them which I had opted for their Chocolate Au Pain which turned out to be rather sweet. Nevertheless, the generous amount of Chocolate was great but still, too 'heavy' to be enjoyed for breakfast.


As told by Ms. Eileen Chong, guests are more than welcome to place their orders with any of the staffs. Ann opted for their Omelette and it turned out to be slightly under-cooked. A bit too wet and moist for me.


I was tempted to try their Yogurt (available in 3 flavors: Original, Blueberry and Peach) so I had them topped with some Corn Flakes for the extra crunchy texture. 


We had a short tour around the hotel guided by Ms. Eileen Chong. These were the items which can be found at their Bombay Shop at their Heritage Wing of Eastern & Oriental Hotel Penang.


I like the contemporary design of the heritage wing. We were very pleased and grateful during our stay as the staffs were very helpful and kind. Eastern & Oriental Hotel Penang is definitely the place you are looking for when planning a family getaway particularly for their luxurious setting and extraordinary services, not forgetting to mention about the satisfying sumptuous meals available too!

*Picture of me and my parents enjoying the evening cocktails at the Planters Lounge*

We wish to thank Ms. Eileen Chong (Communications and Public Relations Manager) for extending the invitation and Mr. Jaya (Director of Food & Beverage) for arranging the buffet dinner review for me and my family.

For more information on their room rates, kindly hop over here.
For the Wine & Dine Buffet Dinner review, kindly click here.

Additional Information:
Address: 10, Lebuh Farquhar, Georgetown, Penang.
Contact: 604- 222 2000
Website: http://www.eohotels.com/

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