Penang"s Lebuh Chulia Backpackers Street - Hostels for Your Consideration
Lebuh Chulia is one of George Town, Penang's original four streets, and it retains plenty of the character it accrued over the past few centuries. Today, Lebuh Chulia is George Town's central backpacker street, its shophouses and mansions having been taken over by cafes, bookstores, travel agencies, and the hotels and hostels listed here. Travelers can also enjoy Chulia's nighttime street food scene near its intersection with Lorong Love, or walk to attractions like the Peranakan Mansion and Khoo Kongsi.
For other accommodation options, check out our lists of hotels in George Town, Georgetown hostels, and budget hotels in Penang.
A former shoe store on the corner of Lebuh Chulia and Lebuh Leith, Syok stands at the very western end of Lebuh Chulia but is no less accessible to everything this street has to offer. (It's also across the street, practically, from Line Clear Nasi Kandar; bon appétit!)
Funky artwork and interactive displays perk up the Syok's dorm rooms and private rooms; the lounge at the third floor combines kitsch and modern amenities like a flatscreen TV, foosball table and all the coffee you can drink. For a closer look, read our review of the Syok @ Chulia hostel, or our image gallery of the hostel and its amenities.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 458 Lebuh Chulia, George Town, Penang (Location on Google Maps)
Contact details: tel: +60 4 263 2663, chulia.staysyok.com
The Red Inn Heritage was opened in 2011 within a century-old two-storey townhouse constructed in the Early Straits Eclectic style. Inside, guests enjoy a surfeit of comfort and retro charm: 2- and 4-bed dorm rooms and private rooms (13 in total), and the Lanna common lounge with a snooker table, movie lounge, and two computers free for use for guests.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 55 Lorong Love, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: tel +60 4 261 3931, www.redinnpenang.com
A repurposed pre-war shophouse on Lorong Love, the 80s Guesthouse's owners have retained as much of the 80-year-old structure as possible, as can be seen in the exposed beams and the crooked staircase.
Comfort levels stay high nonetheless, with comfy air-conditioned hostel rooms, a cozy common area with a beer-stocked cooler and a BluRay deck, and free WiFi.
For more on this quaint but modern hostel, read our review of the 80s Guesthouse in Penang.
Address: 46 Lorong Cinta, George Town, Penang, Malaysia (location on Google Maps)
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Contact Details: tel +60 4 263 8806, the80sguesthouse.com
The Cintra Heritage House is actually four linked shophouses built in the latter half of the 19th century; part of the complex served as a hair salon throughout the 1940s to the 1960s. The current renovation retains most of the complex's Anglo-Chinese character, including V-shaped terracotta tiles and wooden shutter windows that use no nails.
13 rooms include these historical details (wooden beds, antique teak furniture) plus modern amenities like air conditioning and WiFi.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 1, 3, 5 & 7 Lebuh Cintra, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: +60 4 262 8232, cintrahouse.com
Set in a renovated two-storey Anglo-Indian bungalow, the Chulia Heritage Hotel is separated from Lebuh Chulia by a driveway and parking area, insulating it somewhat from the noise on the street. The rooms are somewhat small, but the interiors have a sort of brassy old-world charm balanced by the modern amenities like flatscreen TV, air conditioning and hotel-wide WiFi.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 380 Lebuh Chulia, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: +60 4 263 3380, www.chuliaheritagehotel.com
The Yeng Keng Hotel occupies an ornate 19th-century structure once owned by a prominent Indian Muslim family. After changing hands several times over the past decades, the mansion was remade into a 20-room boutique hotel in 2010.
Unlike other shophouses, the Yeng Keng's façade is set some distance back from the street, allowing some breathing space from the noise. Guests can choose private rooms with views of a bamboo garden or the courtyard. Period-style furniture, bathrooms en suite, and cable TV increase the comfort level in every room. Relax after exploring George Town at the in-house Yeng Keng Café and Bar.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 362 Lebuh Chulia, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: +60 4 262 2177, yengkenghotel.com.my
A value-for-money hostel set up in a refurbished "Straits Eclectic" shophouse, Roommates offers dorms (Premier and Standard), with each bunk getting its own power outlet, reading light and locker space at the ground floor. The hostel has recently expanded, with new bunks at an annex across the street. Do note the location - Lorong Chulia (Chulia Lane), which is just off Lebuh Chulia (Chulia Street).
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: Lorong Chulia, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: +60 16 384 8828, roommatespenang.com
Super K Hostel's dorm rooms come in 4-, 8- and 16-bed variants, all air conditioned. The common lounge even has a piano for music-minded guests to play with. Other hostel amenities include free WiFi, an in-house café and bar, and 24-hour grocery.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 324 Lebuh Chulia, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: +60 12-403 3803, superkhostel.com
This budget hostel comes with a range of accommodations - dorm rooms with four bunk beds each, standard rooms (without windows), deluxe rooms (with windows) and superior rooms (with bathroom en suite; guests staying in other rooms use shared bathrooms). All rooms are air-conditioned; all private rooms have TV and DVD players.
Cocoa Mews is located on the eastern end of Lebuh Chulia, well within Little India and just a few minutes' walk from the ferry. Maps of the local area's sightseeing and food scene available upon request at the front desk.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 101 Lebuh King, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: +60 16 477 8482, www.cocoamews.com
For other accommodation options, check out our lists of hotels in George Town, Georgetown hostels, and budget hotels in Penang.
Syok @ Chulia Hostel
A former shoe store on the corner of Lebuh Chulia and Lebuh Leith, Syok stands at the very western end of Lebuh Chulia but is no less accessible to everything this street has to offer. (It's also across the street, practically, from Line Clear Nasi Kandar; bon appétit!)
Funky artwork and interactive displays perk up the Syok's dorm rooms and private rooms; the lounge at the third floor combines kitsch and modern amenities like a flatscreen TV, foosball table and all the coffee you can drink. For a closer look, read our review of the Syok @ Chulia hostel, or our image gallery of the hostel and its amenities.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 458 Lebuh Chulia, George Town, Penang (Location on Google Maps)
Contact details: tel: +60 4 263 2663, chulia.staysyok.com
Red Inn Heritage
The Red Inn Heritage was opened in 2011 within a century-old two-storey townhouse constructed in the Early Straits Eclectic style. Inside, guests enjoy a surfeit of comfort and retro charm: 2- and 4-bed dorm rooms and private rooms (13 in total), and the Lanna common lounge with a snooker table, movie lounge, and two computers free for use for guests.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 55 Lorong Love, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: tel +60 4 261 3931, www.redinnpenang.com
80s Guesthouse
A repurposed pre-war shophouse on Lorong Love, the 80s Guesthouse's owners have retained as much of the 80-year-old structure as possible, as can be seen in the exposed beams and the crooked staircase.
Comfort levels stay high nonetheless, with comfy air-conditioned hostel rooms, a cozy common area with a beer-stocked cooler and a BluRay deck, and free WiFi.
For more on this quaint but modern hostel, read our review of the 80s Guesthouse in Penang.
Address: 46 Lorong Cinta, George Town, Penang, Malaysia (location on Google Maps)
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Contact Details: tel +60 4 263 8806, the80sguesthouse.com
Cintra Heritage House
The Cintra Heritage House is actually four linked shophouses built in the latter half of the 19th century; part of the complex served as a hair salon throughout the 1940s to the 1960s. The current renovation retains most of the complex's Anglo-Chinese character, including V-shaped terracotta tiles and wooden shutter windows that use no nails.
13 rooms include these historical details (wooden beds, antique teak furniture) plus modern amenities like air conditioning and WiFi.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 1, 3, 5 & 7 Lebuh Cintra, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: +60 4 262 8232, cintrahouse.com
Chulia Heritage Hotel
Set in a renovated two-storey Anglo-Indian bungalow, the Chulia Heritage Hotel is separated from Lebuh Chulia by a driveway and parking area, insulating it somewhat from the noise on the street. The rooms are somewhat small, but the interiors have a sort of brassy old-world charm balanced by the modern amenities like flatscreen TV, air conditioning and hotel-wide WiFi.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 380 Lebuh Chulia, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: +60 4 263 3380, www.chuliaheritagehotel.com
Yeng Keng Hotel
The Yeng Keng Hotel occupies an ornate 19th-century structure once owned by a prominent Indian Muslim family. After changing hands several times over the past decades, the mansion was remade into a 20-room boutique hotel in 2010.
Unlike other shophouses, the Yeng Keng's façade is set some distance back from the street, allowing some breathing space from the noise. Guests can choose private rooms with views of a bamboo garden or the courtyard. Period-style furniture, bathrooms en suite, and cable TV increase the comfort level in every room. Relax after exploring George Town at the in-house Yeng Keng Café and Bar.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 362 Lebuh Chulia, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: +60 4 262 2177, yengkenghotel.com.my
Roommates Penang
A value-for-money hostel set up in a refurbished "Straits Eclectic" shophouse, Roommates offers dorms (Premier and Standard), with each bunk getting its own power outlet, reading light and locker space at the ground floor. The hostel has recently expanded, with new bunks at an annex across the street. Do note the location - Lorong Chulia (Chulia Lane), which is just off Lebuh Chulia (Chulia Street).
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: Lorong Chulia, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: +60 16 384 8828, roommatespenang.com
Super K Hostel
Super K Hostel's dorm rooms come in 4-, 8- and 16-bed variants, all air conditioned. The common lounge even has a piano for music-minded guests to play with. Other hostel amenities include free WiFi, an in-house café and bar, and 24-hour grocery.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 324 Lebuh Chulia, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: +60 12-403 3803, superkhostel.com
Cocoa Mews
This budget hostel comes with a range of accommodations - dorm rooms with four bunk beds each, standard rooms (without windows), deluxe rooms (with windows) and superior rooms (with bathroom en suite; guests staying in other rooms use shared bathrooms). All rooms are air-conditioned; all private rooms have TV and DVD players.
Cocoa Mews is located on the eastern end of Lebuh Chulia, well within Little India and just a few minutes' walk from the ferry. Maps of the local area's sightseeing and food scene available upon request at the front desk.
Star rating: ????? (buy direct)
Address: 101 Lebuh King, George Town, Penang (location on Google Maps)
Contact details: +60 16 477 8482, www.cocoamews.com
Source...