Research things to do in Penang and you’ll inevitably stumble upon the heritage gem that is the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, famously dubbed the “Blue Mansion” for its eye-catching indigo-blue facade. Steeped in history and built with extreme attention to the principles of feng shui, it is a sprawling architectural marvel that encompasses 38 rooms, 5 courtyards, and no less than 220 windows, not to mention a stately collection of heirlooms and antiques that decorate the halls and walkways.
Impressively, it’s been turned into a gorgeous boutique hotel. Not at all in a kitschy way, but in a way that subtly marries old-world charm with modern comforts while still respecting the history of the place. You’ll find your room decked out with all the necessary touches to make your stay enjoyable. Air-conditioning, linen, towels, bathrobes, tea/coffee making facilities, and the rest. Don’t worry, it’s not 19th-century living… you can just pretend it is.
At a glance: Top 3 reasons to stay
Location
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Georgetown. This gives you good access to Penang’s best food spots, famous street art, historical sites, and temples in the area. You can travel to many of these locations on foot.
History
You get to stay in one of Penang’s most iconic heritage buildings! Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion exhibits the best of Straits Settlement eclectic architecture. Free guided tours offer guests the chance to learn about its peculiar history.
Value
Surprisingly affordable for a boutique heritage hotel. Rooms are spacious and fitted with most basic modern necessities: air-conditioning, en-suite bathroom, shower, towels/linens, etc. The hotel maintains a private atmosphere outside of guided tour hours.
That Crazy Rich Asians scene
Fun fact for movie buffs! The mahjong scene in Crazy Rich Asians (2018) was filmed here, in the beautiful courtyard dining room. It was pretty awesome to find out on the last day of our stay that we’d been having breakfast every morning in the exact spot Rachel Chu did battle with Eleanor Young. The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion has also been featured in the Oscar-winning French film Indochine (1992).
You won’t regret the Cheong Fatt Tze guided tour
Guided tours operate thrice daily — 11am, 2pm, and 3:30pm — and the mansion is open to the public only during these times. The mansion doubles as a heritage hotel, and hotel guests are free to join the tours at any time. Even if you are not staying, we highly recommend popping into the mansion to learn more about the history of this building, its fascinating Peranakan-style architecture, and the cultural value it brings to the UNESCO World Heritage site of George Town in which it sits.
Hotel guests get to experience more
While the tour gives walk-in visitors a chance to see the mansion, only hotel guests get full access to the whole estate, including the upper levels, the back gardens, and the private courtyards with the koi ponds.
We stayed three nights and were very lucky to partake in the Friday morning guided tour. The owner of the mansion was around that day to personally lead the tour, and it was a pleasure listening to her talk about the restoration efforts with so much passion and insight. She made the tour very engaging, peppering it with funny anecdotes and personal stories. The project of taking over and restoring the mansion from a run-down squatter’s paradise into the masterpiece it is today wasn’t without its hiccups, according to her!
A Georgetown landmark, a stay to remember
All in all, the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion proves that it is not just an everyday boutique hotel furnished with pretty relics. It is an unforgettable 19th-century landmark that has survived the test of time and it is certainly well-deserving of its reputation as a heritage gem. We are sure it will continue to tell its story for many more generations to come.
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
14 Leith Street
Georgetown
10200 Penang, Malaysia
cheongfatttzemansion.com
The above is a revised article. The original version can be found on the author’s personal blog.
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