Lone Pine Boutique Hotel By The Beach, Penang

We stayed at Lone Pines for 4 nights while celebrating our wedding in Penang based on my wife’s positive experiences 4 years earlier. Unfortunately, we were extremely underwhelmed with nearly everything about our stay. It seems that the property has never had a proper cleaning or maintenance in 4 years. Paint was peeling or mouldy, aircon grilles were stained and mouldy, tile grouting was dirty and nearly every surface had stains or marks. The bed often had ants and dust spiders, likely due to the lack of proper enclosure for the room because of the ventilated wall. We had dinner at the expensive Japanese restaurant at the hotel - food was good, but we sat under a stained brown aircon grille. Breakfast was nothing special and again cleanliness was lacking. We’ve stayed at heritage properties before and heritage doesn’t mean dirty, but it does require more attention to upkeep and cleaning which is obviously lacking. Given the price, we feel there is very little value in staying here compared to the other properties in Penang at the same price or less. Even the room doors were dirty and stained! Would strongly not recommend to those who care about cleanliness which should be a basic requirement of any paid accommodation regardless of price or star level.

The hotel was comfortable and situated in a good location. We arrived after a busy weekend in Kuala Lumpur The hotel had just been taken over and the new manager went out of his way to greet everyone over breakfast. I had read about the hotel prior to booking and noted that the hotel was said to be looking a bit tired. I would agree with some of the comments. The breakfast was plentiful, had a good variety of foods to suit all tastes and nationalities. we used ubers or the frequent buses that passed the hotel to get around. We visited George Town and the National Park where we walked through the rain forest to Turtle Beach (sturdy shoes and plenty of water) I agree with the comments that the jet skis and speed boats directly on the beach in front of hotel were annoying. we enjoyed many foot and leg massages on the beach by the hotel. We did not sit on the beach as there was no sun beds and it could get busy with groups of people hiring the jet skis so we sat around the pool which was nice and quiet. The night markets along the roads were a good place to get bags and watches but be prepared to keep saying no as you will be pestered to buy. Eating out is cheap and the food from the eating places nearby is delicious.

The hotel is old and full of character but our stay was very disappointing. The pool was cloudy and had algae growing along the steps and around the edges. The area around pool had cigarette butts ,lolly wrappers and icy pole wrappers under and around lounges where we sat . We pointed these problems out to staff via emails, talking to staff,feed back forms and eventually ringing the E and O in Georgetown . The pool it seems is just too hard for them to deal with ,so there was no change in the 5days we were there. The rubbish was eventually picked up ,4days after our first complaint. We wouldn't swim in pool and we were never told despite our concerns to staff that we could have got shuttle bus to E and O in Georgetown and used their pool for the day. It was another guest that told us as we were leaving. When checked with management as we were leaving it was said to us that they didn't think of it as thought we would know despite this not written anywhere. The hotel has been sold and I don't think most of the staff really care about the guests . A few positives the location and view are excellent. The breakfast was good and staff in breakfast room pleasant and helpful.

It was our first time staying at Lone Pine Hotel and judging by the price, location and online reviews, we had high expectation of Lone Pine Hotel. However, the experience was underwhelming. Below were a couple of issues which we faced during our stay... 1. Wait time during Check In - We were made to wait after we were done with the documentations although we had arrived later than the usual check in period. 2. Low water pressure - The issue arose during the night and lasted till the next afternoon. We were left either hot OR cold water. 3. Noisy air conditioning unit - There was constant buzzing noise in the room we stayed in and we were told by the engineer that it was ''common''. 4. Faulty TV box - Error message popped up every single night on the TV set. 5. Power trip - There was power trip during the day time. 6. Messy dining hall at The Bungalow - The dining area's cleanliness was under par. Some areas were infested with ants (and some dishes had ants on it!). The floor could do some cleaning while food (breakfast) should be refilled constant especially on weekends irrespective of the time. There were little food left when we were there at 930am.

This is my third stay at this hotel but my first time as part of a couple's short break. Parts of the hotel are newly refurbished and in good condition. However, some parts of it- such as the Batu Bar- is looking a bit tired and in need for some updating. Overall, the service in the bar could be a lot better. Two nights, we had to go find someone to pour us a drink. The bar was simply not manned. We also saw another couple help themselves to drinks behind the bar, knowingly shrugged at us and walked back to their room. I really like the pool as it's not designed as a children's pool like some of the other bigger-name hotels around the area. The room we had- which was large room with a king bed and an adjoining smaller room with a day bed- was fantastic. I particularly liked the layout of the ensuite which was generous and allowed you to move around comfortably. The room service staff was friendly and helpful. The buffet breakfast had a good range and was tasty but just wasn't blow-your-mind excellent, especially when you consider all the amazing food you can find on this little island. We avoided the beach as it just wasn't that great. Not far from the hotel, a we saw a digger digging out what appeared to be an attempt to drain a sewer stream into the sea. That completely put us off from even thinking about going into the sea.