100 Cintra St
Guesthouse · George Town
Is 100 Cintra St worth it?
100 Cintra Street is a community-style heritage guesthouse and art residency in George Town, Penang, in a house the owners date to 1819. It has private rooms and a six-bed dormitory, all with fans and mosquito nets and shared bathrooms, with breakfast and free laundry included. It sits in the UNESCO World Heritage zone, 200 m from Komtar bus station and about 300 m from Chulia Street and Love Lane.
Area
George Town
Price
Type
Guesthouse
100 Cintra Street is a community-style guesthouse and art residency inside a heritage house in the middle of George Town's UNESCO World Heritage zone. The property describes the building as around 200 years old and dates its construction to 1819, as the home of a wealthy Thai aristocratic lady; a Penang travel-history site instead puts the mansion at around 1881, noting that the building itself has elsewhere claimed 1897, so the exact date is unsettled. Both accounts agree on a long and mixed life for the house: the property's own timeline records an entertainment house from 1850, a photo studio between 1900 and 1950, and a supermarket from 1970 that burned down in 1986. It was restored with UNESCO help by a Singapore architect and reopened in 1999 as an antique shop and museum, then became a hostel in 2012. Rooms today are plain and old-fashioned, with fans and mosquito nets rather than air conditioning, and showers and toilets are shared; there is also a six-bed dormitory. Breakfast of coffee or tea and a sandwich is included with every room and the laundry machine is free to use. Guests can also use an outdoor kitchen for cooking their own meals, a rooftop, a terrace with a round table, and a self-service arts and games cafe. The house is on a quiet street 200 m from Komtar bus station, with Chulia Street and Love Lane about 300 m away and Little India about 500 m.
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Nearby Landmarks
- transportKomtar bus stationabout 3 min walk (200 m, estimate)
- foodCintra Street night food marketabout 1 min walk (20 m, estimate)
- attractionKapitan Keling Mosqueabout 4 min walk (300 m, estimate)
- attractionChulia Street and Love Laneabout 4 min walk (300 m, estimate)
- shoppingLittle Indiaabout 6 min walk (500 m, estimate)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is 100 Cintra Street?
The address is 100 Cintra Street, 10100 George Town, Penang, in the middle of the old town inside the UNESCO World Heritage zone. The guesthouse gives the distances as 200 m from Komtar bus station, 300 m from the Kapitan Keling Mosque and from Chulia Street and Love Lane, and 500 m from Little India.
What kind of place is it to stay in?
It is a community-style guesthouse and art residency rather than a conventional hotel. The house has private rooms and a six-bed dormitory, and shared spaces including a rooftop, a terrace with a round table, an outdoor kitchen and a self-service arts and games cafe.
Do the rooms have air conditioning and a private bathroom?
No. The guesthouse states that rooms come with a mosquito net and a fan, and that showers and toilets are shared. If you need air conditioning or an en-suite bathroom, this is not the right place for you.
Is breakfast included?
Yes. The guesthouse says breakfast of coffee or tea and a sandwich is included with all rooms and with the dormitory.
What is the history of the building?
The guesthouse's own timeline says the house was built in 1819 for a wealthy Thai aristocratic lady, became a Chinese entertainment house in 1850, ran as a photo studio from 1900 to 1950, was converted to a supermarket in 1970 and burned down in 1986. It was restored with UNESCO help by a Singapore architect and reopened in 1999 as an antique shop and museum, then became a hostel in 2012. A Penang travel-history site gives a later construction date of around 1881, and also records the house as a pre-war inn, later a communal home for black-and-white amahs, and acquired by the Lim family in 1938.
Can I use a kitchen and do laundry?
Yes. There is an outdoor kitchen guests can use to cook their own meals, and the guesthouse says its laundry machine is free to use.
Is there Wi-Fi?
Yes, though the guesthouse notes the Wi-Fi is available downstairs rather than throughout the house.
How do I book?
The guesthouse asks guests to contact it directly by phone, email or Facebook, and also says it is listed on Booking.com.