We stayed in Cathay Hotel for two nights during a backpackers' trip around Malaysia, and I have to say it was probably the best low budget hotel I visited. The hotel has a really romantic quaint charm. The rooms are huge and well ventilated. The three old Chinese at the reception were always very attentive with us. They helped us... More

The hotel Cathay was built over a hundred years ago, and it shows. What was once a grand and luxurious establishment (appeared in the movie "Indochine") is now sleepy, dusty and rundown to the point of total inertia. This is not a totally bad thing. Its very cheap, about aud$30 a night, and mostly empty. The lobby and staircases to... More

I didn't have high expectations of this hotel having read the reviews - the building is lovely and the rooms are a great size but the bathrooms are terrible - dirty with broken taps / sinks etc and some rooms have no hot water. If only some money could be spent doing them up this would be so much better.... More

This place is a lovely old building but the rooms are old, damp and filthy. We had mice, cockroaches, cigarette butts on the floor and a bathroom that was rotting. Not worth the money at all, lots of lovely boutique hostels around the place for much cheaper. Not to mention the food market over the road that has loud music... More

We were forced to put up one night at this hotel in early August 2011 after an administrative blunder led to the cancellation of our reservations at a 5-star hotel during a busy weekend. We had received a recommendation for this cheap hotel (RM60 or US$20 per night) by a former French colleague about 5 years ago. The room was... More

Georgetown being the epitome of culture and heritage we decide to try out Cathay Hotel since it is also a heritage hotel. The building architecture and the antique look of the facade was really charming and welcoming. We booked a family room which was big enough to suit as a dormitory, with an attached bathroom and aircon. On entering the... More

We arrived in Penang mid-afternoon and visited all the LP budget options by the time we arrived here. Everything was full. When we walked up to the Cathay I thought there would be no way we could afford it as it looks so grand but the rooms do not live up to it! This hotel could be amazing, there's so... More

This hotel has a charm all of its own. The public areas, both upstairs and down, are huge. It must have been a very elegant hotel in times past. The rooms are quite large with quite a lot of furniture. Everything worked. A hot water flask was provided which could be refilled from the urn outside my door. The bed... More

Well, the building is very cool, and walking into it you really want to love this place. At 75 ringits with en suite and AC the price is OK, and I would say the location is fantastic, right in the midst of some of the key historic sights. The charm doesn't really extend into the guest rooms though. And the... More