9 JUNE 2022
Like many hotels, Campbell House suffered during the multiple COVID-19 lockdowns, so I was really glad when it was still operating when I made it my three-day homebase in Georgetown in December 2021.
According to the website, the building has been around since 1903. The three-storey building was also an inn back then, though for less fancy clientele — Tai Loke Hotel housed “budget hotel housing pilgrims waiting for vessels heading to Mecca, Hainanese sailors boarding working ships and in the 1920’s, home to upmarket working ladies of the night”.
The hotel was vacant for seven years before Roberto Dreon and Nardya Wray bought it in 2008, before Georgetown received its Unesco World Heritage status. The couple spent years refurbishing the place; at first, from a distance and then as expats when they finally moved o Penang. (Roberto is Italian while Nardya is half Malaysian.)
I have to admire people who leave their corporate lives, invest all their money in a venture as high-risk as operating a boutique hotel. It’s difficult doing it in your home country, but to do it in a foreign country takes a special kind of resolve and resilience!
Fortunately, the couple’s gamble has paid off. The hotel is considered one of Penang’s best boutique hotels; its Italian restaurant, Il Bacaro, is a favourite haunt of the well-heeled and serves really good food.
What I love about Campbell House is the really warm, personal service. The staff warmly welcomes every guest; sometimes even by Roberto and Nardya themselves. Every evening, they will give you a small dessert — a slice of cake. Your fridge will always have drinks, and there’s even a coffee machine for you to use in your room!
I was there to celebrate my birthday and also the end of my time as a digital nomad in Penang. So, I booked dinner at Il Bacaro and was really surprised and maybe a bit abashed when Roberto brought out a tiramisu with a candle and the staff sang happy birthday to me!
As I read a book and enjoyed the tiramisu, my neighbour at the next table leaned over and said, “Now, this is life! Enjoying a good book at a great restaurant!”
I couldn’t agree more!
The Room
I booked the smallest room, Blossom. It may be diminutive, but I found it snug and cosy and gorgeously decorated with vintage furniture, plush bedspreads and a comfortable Queen size bed. There’s an open plan en-suite glass shower room with gorgeous, patterned tiles. But the No.1 thing I love about the room? It has soundproofed rooms! Georgetown can be very noisy (that’s an understatement), so I really appreciated my room’s double-glazed windows.
Location
The hotel is a walking distance away from Georgetown’s heritage attractions, best restaurants and food stalls. A few metres away from the hotel is Macalister lane, which has some of the yummiest street food, cafes and restaurants. You can also battle through the long queues at Hameediyah (established 1907!) to taste its nasi kandar, murtabak and other Indian Muslim fare. People keep telling me that you don’t visit Penang for its dim sum, but Tai Tong was my favourite breakfast place when I was there. There’s one stall I want to recommend. Right opposite Tai Tong, in the evenings, you can get the fluffiest Chinese steamed rice cakes infused with todi!
If you feel like shopping, do drop by at the Chowrasta market, Penang’s bustling traditional market, which includes an indoor area located in a relatively new building and an outdoor area where you can browse for plants, street food, clothes and many goodies. You won’t be bored if you lodge at Campbell House and you certainly won’t be hungry!
Facilities
I love the little writing area on the first floor next to my room, and on the top floor is a rooftop lounging area where you can have a chat and admire the city from the top. I’m not a fan of the heat however, so I didn’t hang out there. But I can imagine guests having a superb time gossiping over wine at the rooftop sitting area.
Final Thoughts
A fantastic place to visit if you want to get pampered and visit Georgetown’s best attractions. This is a luxury heritage hotel, so the prices range from RM350 onwards from the date of writing.
Elizabeth Tai 