Penang

Penang is one of Southeast Asia's most popular island resorts and with good reason. This Malaysian island paradise has been a trading hotspot for centuries, but these days it is tourists who come to soak up the sun and the history while they explore a varied tropical island. Penang is an oasis of Buddhist temples, warm seas, sandy beaches and excellent cuisine. The capital of Georgetown is the hub of island life, but it is to the hotels and resorts of Batu Ferringhi, Penang most famous resort town, that most holidaymakers head.

Penang is popular with Western Europeans, who come to the resort island to enjoy the year round warmth. Penang suits everyone from 18-35 year-old travellers looking for a relaxed party, through to more mature visitors in search of culture and history, right through to families seeking a beach holiday.

The island of Penang lies in the northwest of Peninsular Malaysia to the north of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. The oblong shaped island lies in the famous Melacca Straits, which are part of the Indian Ocean. The nearest major settlement on the mainland is Butterworth, just across the water from Penang's Georgetown.

Penang is a resort island with beaches spread right around much of its fringes. The most popular beaches are in the north in and around the resort of Batu Ferringhi. You can either just soak up the rays on the beach or engage in the range of watersports, with everything from boat trips through to jet skiing and windsurfing. Quieter beaches are available in the south of the island - there are day trips from Batu Ferringhi or you can hire a car and head south in search of your own beach escape.

Penang's main town of Georgetown has plenty to keep holidaymakers looking for a change from sunbathing occupied. For a bird's eye view take the funicular up to Penang Hill. Back at street level, the Chinese influence is obvious from the ornate old merchants' houses, the excellent regional restaurants and the old houses built on stilts overlooking the water.

Hotels can be a good starting point for finding things for younger visitors to do, with children's clubs and swimming pools. Batu Ferringhi, as a fully-fledged resort, also has plenty to keep youngsters happy with watersports and boat trips. The Penang Butterfly Farm (830 Jalan Teluk Bahang, Teluk Bahang) (website: www.butterfly-insect.com) can also be an interesting diversion.

Batu Ferringhi is home to a range of small shops and stalls that cater for the needs of holidaymakers selling everything from swimming costumes through to sun lotion. Georgetown is where most locals choose to shop with air-conditioned malls and atmospheric old Chinese shops. Typical souvenirs include Buddhist images and traditional wooden handicrafts.

For resort-style nightlife Batu Ferringhi is the place to head with bars, cafes and clubs to suit all tastes. Many holidaymakers choose to enjoy a sundowner cocktail by the beach to kick off a relaxed evening. Georgetown offers more local nightlife where a night consists of flitting between the food stalls and relaxing in the tea houses.

Most of Penang's hotels offer a range of international cuisine, with the big luxury hotels of Batu Ferringhi often offering more than one restaurant. There are also food stalls and more permanent restaurants in and around the beach area. Georgetown is home to more authentic street stalls and restaurants that cater for the taste buds of the locals rather than holidaymakers. The Esplanade Hawker Centre on the waterfront is one of the best places to sample traditional hawker food cooked right in front of your eyes.

There is a network of local buses that serve many parts of the island. In Georgetown a fun way of getting around is on one of the cycle rickshaws. The best way for really getting a feel for the island is to hire a car or motorbike and strike out on a journey right around the island. There are also regular ferries and buses across to the mainland town of Butterworth.

Budding Buddhists and fans of dramatic architecture should make a beeline for Kek Lok Si temple (southeast of Georgetown). This remarkable religious edifice lies high up in the hills near Georgetown. You have to negotiate both the hill and a phalanx of cheesy souvenir shops en route to the temple, whose 30m (98ft) tall tower is an unmistakable sight. Regular travellers to the region might be able to make out the various architecture styles at play from Chinese to Burmese.

Head into Georgetown and slip back down the years to the days when the British Empire presided over Penang. The Eastern and Oriental Hotel (10 Lebuh Farquhar) (website: www.e-o-hotel.com) in those days was the hub of the action. It all feels very colonial and to complete the experience you can have a gin and tonic on the verandah, before retiring to the plush The 1885 restaurant for a sumptuous dinner.

Penang Airport (PEN)