A Visit To Penang & Malihom

If you are like the majority of people on the Island of Penang then you would remark "Malihom , Never heard of it, Where is that?"

Well, Malihom is an almost secret retreat up in the hills of Penang above the town of Balik Pulau (or Back of the Island) . It was originally the private retreat for a local family. Two years ago they opened their doors to paying guests. You approach the Resort via a single track road with many sharp bends. A bit of an adventure to start this your stay in the hills. Not to worry as the Resort will pick you up in Penang and deliver you safely to your 'home from home'.

There are only a small number of rooms at the resort


To preserve natural resources many of the facilities are constructed from recycled materials. An example of this is the barns used as the guest accommodation. They were in a past 'life' rice barns in the paddy fields of Thailand. As these are no longer part of the modern rice farming requirement they have been transported to this site to provide a somewhat different structure for a guest room.

Another example of the recycled materials is the decking used in the hotel are old railway
sleepers.

The views from the resort are spectacular and are of an area of Penang that we, and many others had never seen. A viewing gallery had been constructed on top of the resort water tower. This allowed a panoramic view of the Island , with the bridge and Georgetown on one side and the town of Balik Pulau and the seas of the Straits of Malacca to the other. Sunsets are spectacular.

I enjoyed relaxing by the pool and watching the swallows feed , drink and bathe all in a graceful swoop over the surface of the pool. Some larger birds tried to copy them but they were definitely less than graceful in their 'splash and dash'.

The peace and quiet was great as you are remote from traffic and other pollution generators. The air was fresh and the water from the Resort's own wells was sweet tasting

The Resort served us well with food and wines. The food was very good and varied with local , European, and Oriental flavours.

One unusual but enjoyable facility was the bath with the magnificent view. Please note that the 'window' has no glass. One could enjoy the bath while the White Bellied Sea Eagle glided past level with the window.






One thing that was missing was a television in the room. Did we miss it?. Not really as we so enjoyed the peace and quiet and the good food. All food was presented 'al fresco' at different areas within the main Resort complex. A TV with full satellite coverage was available in the lounge area. Also there was a computer for web access. Wireless web access was also available.

We really enjoyed our short break there and will no doubt return on our next visit to Penang.
Here is a link to their website

http://www.malihom.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=1