Batu Ferringhi Beach | Famed beach in Penang, Malaysia

Copyright (c) 2009 Nowal Khan

Batu Ferringhi Beach is by far, the most popular beach in Penang, Malaysia. It's whole stretch is composed of small coves and sandy beaches with resorts ranging from small to large scale, 5-star ones. The main street of Batu Ferringhi is amply lined with more hotels, tourist shops and restaurants.

Since Batu Ferringhi is popular, tourist never failed to visit the site each time. Mostly during holidays, the beach gets crowded with travelers and backpackers from all over the globe hence luxury hotels offer great deals and other budget-friendly options. Aside from its beautiful beach, Batu Ferringhi is a prime location for shops, restaurants and its famous night market. The main road, which is more or less 3 km, runs along the coast of the beach. You can find internet cafes for instant internet access and shops that rent out motorcycle for touring the whole area. The post-office and police station can also be found within this stretch. All throughout the country, Batu Ferringhi is the most heavily developed stretch since there are plenty of recreation facilities within the area.

Within the main road, restaurants such as House of Kampong, Deep Sea and The Last Drop provide comfort to hungry locals and tourists. For hungry Indians, there is a place called Jewel of the North or you can dine al fresco while dipping your feet in Batu Ferringhi's sandy shores at Sunset Bistro. The Yahong Art Gallery, on the other hand, sells wide range of Asian antiques including jewelry, painting, wood carving and ivories. Like stated earlier, there are many recreational facilities that were developed in this side of Penang, such as the Tropical Fruit Farm. This 25-acre fruit farm houses 200 types of tropical and sub-tropical fruits that can be found in Penang, Malaysia and its neighboring countries.

For adventurous travelers, check out Adventure Zone which is a 10,000 square foot facility with indoor playground and drop slides. There are also multiple sections of modular equipments to amuse the kids and kids-at-heart. The Butterfly Farm showcases 4000 Malaysian butterflies of different species. It features the famous Malaysian Rajah Brooke's Bird wing. This live museum is also a research center and breeding facility.

The Toy Museum is Asia's first and World's largest toy museum and can also be found in Batu Ferringhi. This museum houses over 100,000 toys, dolls, models and other collections made by its owner Ir Loh Lean Cheng. It also includes cartoon characters, comics, computer games, sports, movies, novels, shows and music as well as life-size figures that will surely amaze your kids. Also, check out Muka Head Lighthouse which serves as a guide for ships in the region and provides a fantastic view of the ocean.

Large resorts in Batu Ferringhi such as Rasa Sayang, Golden Sands, Park Royal and Bayview provide welcome retreat for weary travelers while guesthouses like Ah Beng, Baba's and Ali's are best suited for backpackers. They are very affordable and they are also facing the sea for a great vantage point. The Batu Ferringhi beach itself is bouy-protected from jet-skis and other water sports activities, but beware of jellyfishes which frequented the area on rainy days.

Nights during weekends are made wonderful by Batu Ferringhi's night market. This affair starts from 7pm until 1am, if not interfered by rains. The whole 2 km stretch of Batu Ferringhi is transformed into a night market which never failed to draw tourists. There are over 1000 stalls which line the main road selling cheap goods ranging from clothes to souvenirs, practically everything you could think of! There are small shops selling Batu Ferringhi souvenirs and beach necessities including sarongs, hats, shorts and bathing suits. There are also money changers if you need to exchange your cash for some local currencies. Also, don't forget to sample local hawker foods while there. They are cheap and freshly cooked every time.