Penang Countryside & Heritage Afternoon Tour

excellent private tour. itinerary could be customised. covered many places by car. ate laksa, buns, curry puff, coconut, and msw durian. special mention to the wong durian house which is a must attraction for durian lovers. visited local hawker centre, penang hill (by vertical tram), and lotus hypermarket.

Mandy drives very steadily and efficiently, taking us to all the places without any rushing or urging. Her Chinese explanation throughout the trip was perfect. My mother and I were very happy to meet such a conscientious, responsible, and patient driver-guide.

Our original itinerary was from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM, but the day before, we were informed it had been changed to 9:00 AM, which required us to alter our plans for the day. The next day, when we met the tour guide, she had no knowledge of this itinerary and stated that the agent had made a mistake. After reviewing the scheduled itinerary, the guide began visiting the attractions. Chew Jetty, Armenian Street, and Khoo Kongsi are all historical sites, but the guide provided no commentary at all. She even said there was nothing much to see at Chew Jetty, and that parking was difficult, telling us to go look ourselves. We booked this tour because we saw online reviews praising the guides' extensive commentary, but we ended up with this situation! Fortunately, I had already read up on these attractions before the trip; otherwise, I wouldn't have known what to look for. Although the guide didn't introduce any of the attractions, she did add some unscheduled stops to compensate for the cancellation of the Batu Ferringhi Beach portion of the tour. This was not an 'cultural' tour at all; it felt more like a 'private car charter' tour. Had I known this, I definitely would not have booked this tour.

I want to start my review by praising my driver and any critisim is not aimed at her. She adapted and problem solved on the spot BUT she was clearly not briefed by the company about our tour. When she picked us up she asked where we wanted to go and did not know about the tour as outlined. She ended up picking up a friend who joined us and tanslated for the day. Basically we ended up with a private driver who took us to the spice farm, butterfly farm, tropical fruit farm and a great little coffee spot on the beach (we requested this as we didnt know what spots the tour was meant to go). If you are booking this expecting to see what is promised in the discription you may get lucky or be disappointed e.g. we didn't send time in georgetown or any plantations in the countryside. Buyer beware BUT thank you Gina for your attention and care.