Have Perut Will Travel...: PEN Day 1 │ AEROLINE: KL to Penang • Here We Go Again!

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Tuesday, 24 December 2024

PEN Day 1 │ AEROLINE: KL to Penang • Here We Go Again!

Christmas Eve

As mentioned in our previous videos, we planned to spend Christmas in Penang again — our third year in a row.

We booked our Aeroline bus tickets online for RM72.00 (≈ USD16/EUR15) each, and were fortunate to know someone in our condo who runs a taxi service. We arranged for Din, our neighbour one floor below, to meet us at the car park on the fourth floor at 8:00am.

True enough, Din was already waiting. Once we loaded our luggage, he drove us the short distance to Corus Hotel. We were embarrassed when he refused to accept any fare, and thanked him sincerely for his generosity.

Breakfast at Corus Hotel

With time to spare before our 9:30am departure, we decided to try the buffet breakfast at Dondang Sayang Coffee House for RM34.80 (≈ USD8/EUR7) per person. We spent a relaxing hour enjoying breakfast and chatting while waiting for the bus.

At 9:30am, I went to settle the bill and checked with the Aeroline ticket office — the bus to Penang was delayed by an hour. So, we continued waiting comfortably at the coffee house.

The bus finally arrived at 10:00am and departed at 10:30am.

The Journey North

We feared a repeat of last year’s nightmare 10 hour drive, but despite the government declaring toll free days, traffic along the North–South Expressway was surprisingly light.

At 2:00pm, we made a short pit stop at the Simpang Pulai rest area before continuing the journey.

We crossed the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge at 3:00pm and arrived at Queensbay Mall half an hour later.

We alighted, thanked the crew, collected our luggage, and headed inside for a quick restroom break.

Grab to Hutton Central

We booked a 6 seater Grab, but the first driver, Teh Ah Mong, cancelled on us. The second driver picked us up at 3:40pm for RM24.00 (≈ USD/EUR5) and drove us to Hutton Central Hotel.

What’s Next

Be sure to catch our next video as we check into our two bedroom converted shophouse apartment.