Old Penang shophouse turned backpacker inn, decorated with big red lanterns reminiscent of Taiwan

Photos & Text /Xiao Sheng

In my travels over the past two years, I’ve mostly stayed in backpacker hostels. Staying in hostels is the best way to have firsthand interactions with locals and meet fellow travelers with similar interests. Each place has its own unique hostel style, so today I want to introduce the one we stayed at in Penang—Red Inn Heritage.


Penang and Malacca’s historic architectural complexes have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Therefore, strolling through Penang’s alleys allows you to soak in a rich historical and cultural atmosphere. Love Lane (Lorong Love) is one such street filled with history. There are many backpacker hostels in Love Lane that are converted from old shophouses, attracting travelers from all over who come here to explore this historic town.


The Red Inn Heritage, where we stayed for three days in Penang, is also a hostel converted from an old building. Since many of Penang’s residents are descendants of people who migrated from the Chaoshan region hundreds of years ago, the architecture of Penang’s old buildings is particularly similar to that of Taiwan’s older structures. Coupled with the decoration of big red lanterns, it feels like stepping back a few decades to Taiwan, evoking a nostalgic ambiance that contrasts with the more vintage-looking exterior.




Inside Red Inn Heritage, aside from the original building structure, there aren’t many old-style designs. But then again, this is just a budget-friendly backpacker hostel, so it doesn’t need to be overly stylized. The first-floor lobby has a TV and sofas, making it a very comfortable space to hang out with a homely feel. It’s also a great spot for backpackers to chat and exchange travel stories.




Our room was on the second floor. The bathroom facilities are shared and located outside the rooms. Even so, the hostel is kept very clean, so there’s no need to worry about hygiene.


Our hostel room had only four beds and cost just 22.5 MYR (about NT$210). You can tell the room was recently renovated because the furniture is still very new. Although the beds are cheap, the hostel offers all the essentials.

The beds were quite comfortable, and the room had air conditioning. The hostel also provides breakfast for guests in the morning. Getting all this at such a low price is really great value (many hostels don’t even offer air conditioning or breakfast).


The bedside table design is clever—it can be opened to hold a laptop, and it includes lighting and power outlets. It’s a very thoughtful feature, and I’ve never seen any other hostel use this kind of setup.


Red Inn Heritage also offers simple breakfast options. In addition to coffee, toast, and fruit, they also serve Indian pancakes and fried noodles. For a backpacker hostel, Red Inn Heritage is really excellent, and the breakfast spread is surprisingly generous. However, since we knew friends would take us to eat until we were stuffed in Penang, we didn’t eat much of the breakfast.

Red Inn Heritage is truly a fantastic backpacker hostel in Penang. Aside from the very affordable price and being set in a converted old building, the hostel serves a hearty breakfast, the rooms have air conditioning, and there’s space to socialize with other travelers. If I return to Penang, I’d definitely stay here again—such great value for money.

P.S. Special thanks to Mika for providing photos to help this lazy photographer complete this article. Only two of the photos were taken with my own camera XD


【Red Inn Heritage】

Address:Add:15, Lorong Love, Georgetown, 10200 Penang, Pulau Pinang
Xiao Sheng’s Wandering Journey http://rt009211.pixnet.net/blog
Every journey, every trip is about seeking something—even if I’m not entirely sure what that something is. But in the end, what I gain is often more than I imagined. So my wandering journey will continue, nonstop.