Spotlessly clean with comfortable bed and warm welcoming owners. The key card entry is a nice touch. It's a little way out of the main tourist areas but Grab is readily available so not really an issue. Highly recommended.

Stayed in August 2025

A great place where you can chat with the friendly and helpful hosts and fellow travelers at the dinner table. Location near the beach, shops and restaurants at walking distance.

Stayed in August 2025

The shared bathroom is cramped and can have wet floors for long stretches. Local neighborhood is not great but food court 5 minutes away is awesome and the great Penang National Park is not far away.

I like the managers. They were patient with me. And helpful. I liked the room, the shared areas, and the fully functional amenities. I appreciated the quiet and private space of the guesthouse. The terrace was a nice icing on the cake.

Stayed in July 2025

Nil

Good location. Clean. Nice decorations feeling home. Nice planting garden. Full facility including oven, microwave, huge fridge and washing machine.

Stayed in July 2025

While nothing could be done about the fact that loud Trash turcks came twice, early morning during my four day stay. The location may be a concern for some if you don't like walkng, or taking the bus, or renting a scooter from the hosts.

It was spacious room with balcony and partial sea view with private bath. I was very comfortable and enjoyed my time there. The Hosts were very friendly and informative and really made the stay even better.

Stayed in July 2025

The room is big and comfortable. The bed and shower are really nice. Host is really nice and helpful, they can tell you a lot about different places to visit. Shops, restaurants and markets are really close by. There is a beach, but we didn't visit it, so can't say anything about that. Living room and kitchen are shared but really nice. We met some nice people because off it.

Stayed in May 2025

the owners are the most kind and helpful people you can find. they make you feel you are home ☺️☺️ they are the best. and last but not least “Buddy” their cat is so beautiful!!

Stayed in July 2025

super clean

Stayed in July 2025

Very noisy at night with main road noises. Was a public holiday weekend so maybe not usually as busy on the road.

Awesome set up with big room, shared kitchen, close to walking beach (not swimming), safe feeling area, little new restaurant/ cafe area and food markets super close. Lovely owners and cute cat!

Stayed in June 2025

My only complaint is that the bathroom set up is a little weird, with the shower head between the toilet and the sink. Whenever someone takes a shower the entire bathroom ends up soaking wet which can be annoying. Other than that, everything was perfect and I’d definitely stay here again!

Really enjoyed our stay here! The owners are such friendly and helpful people, any request or question we had they would help us out. Location is good, you can rent a scooter via the owners or there’s a bus stop just a few minutes walking that can take you to George Town or along to Batu Ferringhi. There are many restaurants close by and a night market (JJ’s) with a variety of affordable and tasty food. Also a morning market next door to JJ’s to buy fresh fruit or grab some breakfast, I had what might be the best coffee of my life there. This place would also be great for people looking to stay long term, I’ve managed hostels for years and never seen such a well equipped hostel kitchen!

Stayed in May 2025

Everything really excellent. If you need something just ask, the hosts are available in person and via messages. Highly recommended.

Stayed in April 2025

Location

Value

Stayed in March 2025

The Sea Lion by the beach is a fantastic hotel located in Tanjung Bungah, in a neighborhood away from the hustle and bustle of George Town. The rooms are tidy and clean, with a double bed, desk and a shelf. We had a shared toilet, which was always available when we needed it. The pillow were a tad hard! There is a lovely shared patio area, living room and a kitchen, equipped with anything that you need. There are also laundry facilities that are very cheap to use. The local area has several great restaurants, food courts, food markets and supermarkets. We extended our stay, and got to know the hosts Alex and Jo, as well as Kevin and Nalidsa. We enjoyed their company and had lots of nice conversations with them and other visitors. We loved the company of Birdy the cat too! This was our favourite place to stay in Malaysia. It was one of those rare places where everyone in the house was open and friendly and wanted to explore the area together. We made some great friends here and enjoyed our time so much. Thank you!

Stayed in February 2025

Definitely the best place I’ve stayed in Penang. The owners are very kind and helpful, it’s a pleasure to chat with them. The house feels like a home. It’s very convenient, quiet and clean. I wish I spent more time there. Hope I will come back!

Stayed in March 2025

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It was wonderful! Very friendly and familiar. Lots of great and helpful local tips! Highly recommended for people who want to have contact with others. There is also a lovely cat. The house is lovingly decorated and very neat and clean. Beach, food market, restaurants, public bus and much more just a few minutes walk away.

Stayed in February 2025

You have to enter the room through the owners living room, but was no big issue. The beach nearby is not really suitable

Big and spacious room, very clean, AC worked well, wifi worked well, own balcony and solid bathroom, great value for money, I could check in even earlier. Very nice and polite host

Stayed in January 2025

What really makes this property are the hosts Jo and Alex. They were incredibly helpful from start to finish. They helped us with various things during our stay. For the price you pay (it’s a budget accommodation) visitors receive a great experience.

Stayed in January 2025

Very homely place, the local hosts are super friendly and easy going. They’re around enough to chat and also are happy to share recommendations :) and they have a really cute cat 🐱 there are some shared areas, like the 1st floor balcony (good for yoga) and also a garden where you can chill, read a book. Also easy to meet other travellers. They even have some give&take items, from previous guests. Like books, shampoos, etc. Kitchen and fridge are good and clean, we used it for breakfast and that was perfect. Location was close to a busstop that takes you into georgetown (but we didn’t go there as we wanted less city energy). And through batu ferringhi and past the waterpark towards the national park (2 ringgit, about 20-30 min). Of course grab is also easy. Good base for a relaxed couple of days in Penang.

Stayed in January 2025

Its a safe, clean, relaxed and comfy place that feels like home. The owners are very nice and thoughtful and made sure their guests had everything they needed. They give nice recommendations on places to visit and how to get there. The place is convenient: local market nearby everyday selling fresh veggies and serving diverse authentic food, 2 min walk to bus that brings you to attraction places, its close to pharmacy, medical clinic in case of need... I recommend this place to anyone who likes calm and still able to access by bus or Grab main attractions in Penang

Stayed in September 2024

There isn’t anything to dislike about the property!!!

Everything was Great, the owners are very nice and kind and great hospitality. Very comfortable feels like being at home. Great Location and def. A lot better than a regular hotel. I couldn’t be happier and if I ever travel to Penang again, this is the only place I will stay no need to search around when you got everything you need right here. Also meet very great people that’s traveling and stay here as well. It’s very humbling and plenty of phenomenal food. I’m very thankful and quite blessed to have been able to stay here.

Stayed in October 2024

Everything was great.

The owners were very nice to welcome us and gave us useful information on where to eat and what/when to visit. The beach is not far and it's very nice because it's not too busy.

Stayed in August 2024

Everything was good.

We had an amazing time at Sea Lion. Not only were the hosts friendly and made us feel at home, but the house itself was very clean, and had everything we needed. Birdy (the resident cat) was also very sweet. The location was nice and quiet, being a bit out of town (but only a 20-40 minute bus ride away, depending on traffic). There were quite a few popular restaurant areas near the house. Great place to stay, would 10/10 recommend!

Stayed in August 2024

Stayed seven days. Everything was perfect.

Stayed in July 2024

I was embarrased by carelessly eating a take away snack in bed which stained a spot of the white sheet with yellow turmeric. The owner allowed me to pay for the sheet at my siggestion. I promised him never to eat in bed again unless maybe a hospital bed. This was a good lesson for me in taking care of others property. Crossing the main street on foot was dangerous, a problem of traffic congestion in crowded Penang. Fortunately the airbnb is far removed from traffic noise. Some outside light filtering into the room through an uncovered transom wondow slightly stressed this light sleeper but I adapted with eye pads This was a problem with room 6 but not room 3. A small curtain could fix this easily

I enjoyed a very satisfactory quiet stay of four weeks while revovering from cataract surgery. I only went out once or twice a day to get a favorite meal of nasi khandar white rice with a couple of cooked vegetables, perfect for my vegan diet. There was a shared kitchen on the main floor but I did not have to cook anything thanks to the nearby Indian cafe. Sometimes I used the microwave to make instant coffee. The room air conditioner and overhead fan and wifi access were excellent. The owner Alex was very helpful by referring me to a taxi pickup service at 5 am to make an early flight, otherwise I may not have succeeded in calling grab at that hour because the location is far from most tourist activity downtown. City bus 101 was convenient although time consuming for visiting an optometrist in George Town a few times.

Stayed in June 2024