Macalister Mansion

On my second day in Penang, I decided to treat myself with a bit of luxury. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very disappointing choice. We were welcomed with coconut drinks upon our early arrival, which was a nice gesture, but the experience quickly went downhill. The main issue was the breakfast it was à la carte and NOT mini buffet or buffet with very limited choices, something that was never indicated on the online travel agent’s listing. The options were neither appealing nor worth the value. The interaction at the front desk also left a poor impression. Tracy, the staff, came across as rather unfriendly and gave off the feeling that her politeness was forced. It made the whole stay uncomfortable right from the start. After much back-and-forth with the operations manager and the online travel agent, we finally managed to get our booking cancelled — but not before wasting a couple of hours in the process. Overall, this was an unpleasant experience. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this property. This place should closed for good !!

I stayed here for three nights and was so sad I wasn’t here longer. Everything about this hotel was top notch, I had Room 1 and it was so spacious, comfortable, and lovely. Air conditioning worked very well, complimentary mini bar had a nice selection. Housekeeping was wonderful and I was well restocked every day. I had breakfast included in my stay and the meals were flavorful and filling, I loved that you ordered them from a menu instead of a buffet. As beautiful as the hotel is, the service stood out the most. Everyone was so kind and helpful, but Kemala who checked me in and out was particularly wonderful and an absolute delight to talk to. I can’t wait to return to Penang and this hotel.

Did not stay here. Came for event and ate at the cafe. Nice small boutique hotel. Well maintained grounds and easy to get to by Grab. Cafe is small and nice with interesting fusion like food. Portions were small though.

My family and I stayed here for one night. It’s a beautiful mansion and service was good, the room was also lovely, a good mix of modern comfort and colonial vibes. ||I would rate it 5 stars if not for the bad experience at night. My family and I were bitten by bugs in the bed while sleeping and my forehead was covered in bites when I woke up. Very disappointed in the hygiene of this place as it is not a cheap accommodation. |I have complained to the manager on duty the following day but nothing was done except for a verbal apology.

Macalister Mansion was fantastic! With just 8 rooms, the place feels exclusive and inviting. The rooms are comfortable, spacious, and impeccably clean, while the bathrooms are huge and flawlessly maintained.

Pass by to check out Dior's pop out. 90% go for the Instagram selfies moments. Installation is cool. But nothing much to enjoy. Reservation is attentive and vigilant. No info display at registration.

Went for Dior's prestige & ambiance - left utterly DISAPPOINTED. Service worse than a HAWKER STALL! Pretty setting, but zero comfort - only frustration and disrespect. ❌ Reservation Useless: Arrived on time - NO table! Waited 30 MINUTES! Reason? "Previous guests won't leave" (staff did NOTHING!). Their excuse? "People won't leave." EXCUSE ME? What's the point of reservation then? ❌ Unreasonable Arrangements: After 30 mins of suffering, got a "sauna experience ticket" 🥵 - 1:30pm forced to sit in the BAKING outdoor area. Staff promised indoor seats "soon" but NEVER delivered. Horrible experience! ❌ Hypocritical Management: They claim "NO walk-ins" 🙄 but FAILED to protect booked customers' rights! WE got punished for THEIR failure: Still have to “Leave ON TIME" after wasted 30 mins waiting. It's not that we can't afford it - it's ABOUT VALUE & RESPECT. This place offers NEITHER.

I recently visited the hotel's cafe with two close friends for lunch. The ambiance and decor were stunning, with a lovely sunny garden vibe. However, the air conditioning could have been cooler. I opted for the lunch set, which offered great value with an appetizer, main course, and coffee. The salad and chicken I chose were both delicious. My friends ordered à la carte, trying the Konichiwa fish and chips, as well as the beef stew. The fish and chips had an innovative Japanese twist and tasted great. Unfortunately, our experience was marred by poor service. Despite our waiter repeating our orders, the beef stew was forgotten, and we waited for a considerable time. When we inquired about the dish, the staff showed no apology or sincerity, which was a major letdown. Due to this disappointing experience, I wouldn't plan to return.

If you've ever wanted to live in a mansion, Macalister Mansion will let you experience just that. With only eight rooms on the property, you may never even run into another guest, letting you keep up the ruse that it's yours for a moment. It's an absolutely stunning hotel. Part of the Design Hotels series, the rooms are just gorgeous. Comfortable beds, complimentary minibar (juice, soft drink and snacks only) and an enormous glass lined bathroom...albeit with absolutely no privacy. Seriously, even the toilet has clear glass and looks directly into the shower and room. There had to be some negotiation as a couple of toilet breaks. We were on our honeymoon and weren't quite ready to be 'that' couple yet. The hotel itself is what we really enjoyed. The staff and service was terrible. With so few guests (16 max really!) there were more of them than us, yet every interaction was so laboured. We got off on the wrong foot from check-in, with staff being extremely unhelpful in trying to rectify any problem, opting to fight us instead. There had been an issue with the web site when booking that kept defaulting to 1 guest instead of 2 - which we counteracted by including notes about travelling as a couple on our honeymoon. They kept insisting that we would only get breakfast/mini bar/water supply for 1 person because of the booking...but then there was a cake and congratulations note on our honeymoon for when we arrived. My husband asked how exactly they thought he was celebrating his honeymoon solo and the staff still insisted it was our fault. There is a pool outside that promises a swim up bar - but don't get excited about that. With so few guests around, it's never manned and we had to go back into the hotel to find someone to help us with a drink. They got us one and then never came back. Location wise, it's a fair distance from the action in town and it's on a one-way street, so cabs will need to take a longer round about route to get there (many didn't know where it was so bring the address in Malay and be prepared for this). If you opt to walk, there are some food vendors along the way and it's worth doing once, but the roads aren't very secure so you'll mostly need to cab around. Overall, a stunning hotel but that's where it begins and ends. We enjoyed our stay but were happy to leave and wouldn't return.

Macalister Mansion is an internationally renowned luxury hotel that is housed within a beautifully restored heritage building. It has eight rooms, each has its own design and character, supposedly inspired by the life story of Sir Norman Macalister. The story and heritage definitely adds to the charm of this property, and staying here was truly an amazing experience. Being a 5-star luxury property, its service, staff, comfort, and room conditions all exceeded expectations. What I found to be the most captivating thing about the stay was the interior / art decor, which is world-class. The design and fittings of the rooms sit nicely within the sweet spot between authentic heritage charm and modern / chic design - one thing so many heritage / boutique hotels strive for but don't get right. The exterior of the mansion when lit up at night is rather magnificent, while its pool and garden look like a scene out of a movie. Definitely worth a stay, but rooms don't come cheap.

Macalister Mansion is a really good hotel in Penang. The rooms are very spacious and are very clean. Also, they have a really big bathroom that's unfortunately see-through, but still is really nice. They provide you with a free snack bar consisting of a lot of things like muesli bars, crisps, cookies and so on! The staff are very helpful and friendly and there's also a bar for you to smoke and drink in. The only let-down was the restaurant where they served breakfast, which didn't taste so good and we had to wait a long time for our breakfast to arrive. My father wanted some nasi lemak to eat as he saw a packet on the cashier table and he asked how much the price was. It turns out that it was actually the staff's nasi lemak that he bought for himself, but the staff agreed to give it to my father for free, but in the end, my father paid him some money.