Stayed in EGL 2 weeks ago .... I used to make fortnightly trips to Penang in the 80s - staying in most of the Batu Ferringhi hotels and lastly at the Equatorial Hotel.

For the price that I am paying - US$100 a nite - there is no reason to complain about EGL.

The check-in was pleasant and the staff greeted me throughout my 2 days stayover.

The room was OK - bathroom was tidy altho the shampoo and bar of soap was "half" the normal size. The water pressure was poor.

Had a city facing room - didn't get much sleep until after 1am as it was the 9th day of the CNY and the Hokkiens were doing their prayers and letting off fireworks (wished we could do the same here in Singapore !)

The lobby's lights were switched off during the day ( evident the hotel is cutting operating costs )

Didn't have time to check out any of their facility or victualling except their coffee house for a cup of coffee whilst waiting for my Him Heang Biscuits to be delivered. It was terrible coffee.

You get much better coffee (and other Penang specialities) at 1/5 the price just 3 minutes outside the hotel.

Another 15 mins walk along the coast to Gurney Drive - u get a hosts of hawker fares in the evening. G Hotel is much nicer n closer to the hawker centre but costs a lot more.

The taxis pricing quoted by the hote was on par with those on-the-street.

The one that I took from Equatorial Hotel to the airport the next day was a rip-off. M$70 for a ten mins ride. Very disappointed as I have fond memories staying at Equatorial - on the fourth floor facing the Penang Bridge.

Heading back to Penang for the Chinese New Year. Decided to book my stay in this hotel as the usual place really up their prices during this super peak season. We're in Penang so there was no need for breakfast. I got a room by the lifts on the 11th floor, and it was really clean and neat. For a superior the room size was very decent with a large king bed. The room has a city view. The bath is indeed clean and no funny 'biological' stains on the walls or basin area. there is also ample parking when we were there. so there was no need to hunt for parking when coming back at night.

There was a concern when house keeping threw away my daughter drinking tub, they most probably thought it was just an empty cup BUT i think house keeping should've known better that nothing is to be thrown away unless its already in the bin. This was definately a minus in my opinion. I reported this to the assistant mgr and she got her people to look for it. 2 thumbs up for effort made by the hotel staffs as they found it. I thought that would've been long gone as i only realised the cup was missing in the evening and they did the cleaning in the morning.

The location of the hotel is ok BUT its a headache getting back to the hotel. As most Penang roads are one way, you may need to sit a jam heading back to the hotel. There are 2 entrances to the hotel, one is the main one along Gurney and the other is at the back of the hotel but both has its fair share of bad traffic. Generally the hotel is nice and quiet but if you are to walk to Gurney Plaza or the hawker stalls at Gurney make sure you have a pair of walking shoes as its a solid 20-25 mins walk. There are coffee shops nearby but if you are looking for great Penang foods, you'll need to head else where. These eateries along Gurney can be a bit pricey and less 'yummy', so always go the distance for better food!

I first stayed at the G Hotel when I came to Penang in April and was most impressed. Despite the temptation to stay at the G Hotel when I returned to Penang full time in July I decided to give the Evergreen a shot, primarily to compare it and write a review. So, that's what I did, stopping at the Evergreen for two weeks from 21 July.

One of the things I had seen written about the Evergreen was the that reception staff were miserable. I have to say, that upon check-in and over the coming two weeks I did find that the staff were generally less smiling and welcoming than the staff at the G Hotel. Checking in though was reasonably efficient and the lobby is pleasant and airy with free wi-fi. Four lifts service the hotel which is enough but at times the wait times can be long. Up on to the floors and it has to be said that the corridors are looking somewhat tired and piped music is played which is unfortunately loud enough that it is audible in your room at times, albeit it gets switched off around midnight.

The rooms themselves are spacious and comfortable enough. I had a superior room with a sea view and I have to say that in terms of the room alone I actually preferred it over the G. The G is very stylish but there is VERY little storage and over time I found the minimalist style somewhat cold. In contrast the Evergreen uses a warm mix of wood, beige, brown and gold to create a very warm feeling. The king sized bed was very comfortable and the room was well equipped. Free internet was provided in the room but wired only. In this case there is ample storage (wardrobe and drawer), large TV and mini bar which, unlike the G, was not free (albeit the G was stocked with soft drinks and snacks only). The bathroom is a little on the small side but was well stocked with toiletries. There is a bath but it is a little on the short side.

The pool area was unfortunately closed for renovations while I was there so I am unable to comment on that. There is a large bar/cabaret room which seemed to be reasonably well used by guests while I was there with live music most nights. I often find these places somewhat overpriced and lacking in atmosphere though so didn't use it myself. The hotel claims four restaurants but those in regular use are the Chinese restaurant which I didn't use and the Cafe Laurel. This is where breakfast and the buffet dinner is served. While both of those are OK they are nothing to get too excited about. Breakfast is OK with a mix of some basic Malay cuisine (which didn't vary much), Western fried stuff, Continental (bread and cheese) and Japanese. Juice and hot drinks are also provided and the is also an egg section for omelettes. The buffet dinner was slightly more so so for me and nothing remarkable. Some of the food lacked taste and much was often luke warm at best. In addition, the restaurant got very busy at certain times and long waits could be expected. For me, the offerings at the G were just better. But then the G has a 'rack rate' of almost RM 200 more than the Evergreen.

Finally, we get to location. I found the G much better in this regard as you could literally walk into Gurney Plaza, something which, because of proximity, I found myself doing most days when staying there. At the Evergreen I often wanted to but couldn't be bothered at it's a good 15 minute walk and with the heat/humidity and/or rain it can make it uncomfortable. Was it a big problem, no, would I rather have done without it, yes. It is of course even further to Gurney hawkers which, from the G, are just a 2-3 minute walk.

Overall I found the Evergreen pleasant enough and I did enjoy the stay. If staying for 14 nights you will likely get a special long stay rate here, just as you will at the G, IF you ask for them in advance. This brings the price of the Evergreen down from around RM 250 ++ a night to around RM 200 ++ (the ++ being +10% service and +6% Government tax). For that the Evergreen will throw in 3 pieces of laundry per day and two dinners in the Laurel. However, given that I got the G for just RM 50 more (250++) per night, albeit there were no free dinners, I just found the location of the G much more convenient which led to a better all-round stay. The extent to which that location, and the style of the G, appeals to travellers will vary according to taste and need but it's worth remembering that the long stay rate at the G gets you RM 200 off the rack rate (a rate which due to demand the G can often command) versus an RM 50 reduction from rack at the Evergreen.

Does everything right. Nothing flash great people spacious comfortable terrific value