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Macalister Mansion Hotel Penang

January 14, 2021

Hello to all heritage hotel lovers and travel enthusiasts. It’s been a while since our last Penang visit, and we can’t wait to return. In case you missed our E&O Penang Hotel review, don’t hesitate to check, and see why we crowned the E&O Hotel as the best heritage hotel in Malaysia. No matters what, grab your seat; not so far from Eastern & Oriental, there is another fantastic heritage hotel. The former mansion is now a boutique hotel with only eight rooms and, on top of that, it is one of two design hotels in Malaysia. We are talking about Macalister Mansion, and here is our presentation of this lovely boutique hotel.

Contents

  • About Macalister Mansion
    • First Design Hotel In Malaysia
    • Who Was Macalister?
  • Macalister Mansion Design
  • Macalister Mansion Rooms
  • The Food at Macalister Mansion
    • Macalister Mansion Afternoon Tea
    • What Else They Serve Here?
  • Who Should Stay at Macalister Mansion?
Macalister Mansion Penang
A huge Macalister statue will welcome you before your arrival

About Macalister Mansion

More often than not, heritage hotels are involved in cool stories; hence it is interesting to learn about the building’s past. It would be a pity if there would be only an Eastern & Oriental Hotel with a rich history in Penang’s UNESCO protected city, Georgetown. To be exact, Macalister Mansion was built in 1880, only nine years before the first Eastern Hotel.

Macalister Mansion room 4
When they were building this mansion, back in 1880, they haven’t even dreamed about this will be a hotel one day.

However, at that time, the mansion was owned by an Indian moneylender but only for a short while. Rich Straits Chinese were rapidly settling on Penang island, and one rich Nyonya named Choong Lye Hock bought the mansion. At that time, the estate had 41 rooms and an iconic spiral staircase that led to a watchtower on the third floor (This staircase is still a part of room number 4).

Macalister Mansion heritage hotel
Staircase from the Late 1890s.

Did they need that many rooms? I think yes, where else could you put 20 servants from China, they had at that time. After Choong Lye Hock’s death, his two sons took over the mansion. One bought others’ share and leased the whole estate to the Consumers Association of Penang for about ten years, followed by the Arredo furniture showroom and Crystal Brides, a bridal house.

tower at macalister
This is the tower at Macalister Mansion room number 4. A more comfortable chair would be a much better option.
Local art at Macalister
I like the idea of supporting local art at Macalister Mansion

First Design Hotel In Malaysia

Finally, in 2010, local businessman Datuk Sean H’ng and his wife Datin Karen H’ng undertook the restoration that took about 20 months. With the refreshed looks, Macalister Mansion was opened to the public. Now guests can choose among the eight guest rooms, in addition to the Living room, Dining Room, Bagan Bar, The Den and The Lawn took places. After our visit, they facelifted the Dining Room and even all eight guest rooms. To be exact, the hotel is evolving all the time and excites guests with its aesthetics.

Room at Macalister Mansion
I can imagine myself sitting and reading some good book here at Macalister Mansion
book holder
Nice details are all over the hotel

Who Was Macalister?

Macalister Mansion’s name honors Sir Norman Macalister, one of Penang’s (Penang was formerly called Prince of Wales Island when the Malay States were a British colony) first British Governors from 1808 to 1810. In Penang, the present brick structure of Fort Cornwallis was built by convict labor in 1810 during his term as Governor of Penang. In August 1810, Sir Norman Macalister was lost at sea, in the South China Seas, while traveling back home to Scotland. His successor was his good friend Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles.

Colonel Norman Macalister
The picture of colonel Norman Macalister. Source: sites.rootsweb.com

Macalister Mansion Design

The main idea is to keep that old English mansion feel and uplift it with a contemporary touch. All heritage details are preserved and well composed with modern design. With this approach, we get a nice balance between nostalgia and a vision of the future.

The cellar
This is the Cellar at Macalister Mansion. Here, you can choose from one of 300 wine labels.

The interior came from architect Colin Seah from the Ministry of Design (MOD), a Singapore-based interior design company. I should point out that Macalister Mansion is decorated with many local art pieces. So, this place is not only stylish but also artish.

Decorations at Macalister Mansion
Art decorations are all over Macalister Mansion

Through the site, you can see bespoke furniture pieces and bold carpets that merely round every room. If you think the design ends at the bathrooms, you are wrong. Both mosaic tiles and mirrors as a centerpiece are features that will shine to you.

wooden modern stool
Modern design at Macalister

Macalister Mansion Rooms

At Macalister Mansion, one can find eight unique spacious rooms designed with an idea of a glamorous lifestyle and functionality. Every room has its unique art pieces and luxurious amenities. All this will give you a feeling of staying at some private mansion rather than in a typical hotel.

Macalister Mansion Room
Rooms at Macalister Mansion look neat.
Room at Macalister Mansion
A view from the bathroom can be closed with curtains. However, the same design we saw in another contemporary hotel, Hotel Muse Bangkok.

All rooms are equipped with all you need; a Nespresso coffee machine, TWG tea collection, Bluetooth sound system, and well-known Aesop toiletries. The best feature in this hotel, in our opinion, is a tower where you can read a book or enjoy the sunrise before the birds start their morning song. To get to the tower, you will use the original staircase and provoke that colonial feels.

Macalister Mansion Bathroom
This is a bathroom at Macalister Mansion. Minimalistic but yet quite rich. I like the mosaic addition.
Aesop
At Macalister Mansion you will get Aesop toiletries.
Macalister Mansion space layout
Lovely space layout here at Macalister Mansion

The Food at Macalister Mansion

What we truly like is breakfast. At Macalister Mansion, they realize the most significant advantage of being a boutique hotel, and every breakfast is made fresh. You choose from the menu, and the kitchen is right on it.

Restaurant Blanc
This is Restaurant Blanc at Macalister Mansion

Macalister Mansion Afternoon Tea

Not having Afternoon Tea in the English mansion would be Sin! And not only that, Malaysia is all-in when it comes to the high tea tradition, and we can only encourage this. If you are interested, you can check the best afternoon tea in Kuala Lumpur, and you will see how relentless the competition is here.

Macalister mansion living room
The interior design feels uplifting.

However, Macalister Mansion afternoon tea is pure joy. It is served in their chic Living Room or, as they call it, now Guest Lounge, which can be a show by itself. However, not for long. When the afternoon tea set arrives, you will forget about everything. To find out more, please check our Macalister Mansion Afternoon Tea Review, and if you wanna find the best afternoon tea in Penang, click here.

Macalister Mansion afternoon tea
Afternoon tea at Macalister Mansion

What Else They Serve Here?

We haven’t tried any other dishes so we can’t make conclusions about that. However, we can give you the information; their focus is on contemporary French cuisine, which can be paired with selectively curated wines. To show the seriousness of the wines, they opened their Cellar with more than 300 labels of wine. We will stop there for dinner next time we visit Penang.

sigh for Macalister Mansion
MM for Macalister Mansion

Who Should Stay at Macalister Mansion?

Macalister Mansion is a fitting hotel for all heritage hotel lovers, sophisticated people, or simply tourists with high standards. I can guarantee that you will enjoy yourself here and explore Penang Island like a boss. As a matter of fact, the hotel is located in a great location from where one can get around and find all these delicious meals. Penang is known as the culinary pearl of Malaysia where foodies from all around the globe can find their next pleasesures.

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HOTEL REVIEWS

Ian
An artistic soul who catches the beauty with his camera. A photographer with restless feet and wish to get intimate with the unknown.

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