We stayed at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Georgetown, Penang for 3-nights in late-Feb ($192 Can; R654/night). The E&O is a venerable, historic hotel on the Georgetown waterfront, a landmark from the British colonial era filled with the memorabilia that you would expect. Our studio king suite in the Victory Annex was large, comfortably but sparsely furnished with a very firm bed, side tables, an upholstered chair, cabinet with the TV and mini-refrigerator (stocked daily with pop, water), and a desk and chair. The bathroom area, encompassing a third of the suite, had separate sinks and vanities, each with their own clothes cabinets, leading through a second doorway to the stand-alone bathtub flanked by a walk-in shower and toilet. There was a small balcony (chairs and table) with an ocean view. Breakfast, served either in the main restaurant or 6th floor lounge, had an egg station, sausages (generally dry and over-cooked), fresh fruits, yogurt, baked goods, a variety of coffees, and a very large selection of Asian dishes. The annex had an L-shaped pool on the 6th floor, good for laps as well as the view but with limited loungers (almost all in use). The hotel's location was within walking distance to the attractions, albeit it a sweaty walk in the heat, and only a couple of blocks from convenience stores, a hawkers food court, and restaurants. The staff were generally good, but check-in was slow, reception staff generally unhelpful, and the doorman rarely greeted or opened the door (even at our 6 am departure, struggling to get our luggage to the taxi).. When I booked at the E&O, I had naturally assumed that it was a single hotel with two wings or annexes. I was surprised to discover that, in practice, it is managed as two distinct hotels, the Heritage and the Victoria Annex, where the guests of the latter do not have full access to the amenities of the former. For example, annex guests cannot use the heritage pool or its breakfast area, nor are they invited to the nightly canopies and drinks at the Cornwallis Lounge. Had I known this at booking (I booked six months in advance and could have easily had a heritage room at similar price), I would likely have gone with the heritage side. Instead, I was made to feel like an intruder simply walking through its public areas. So, the E&O annex provided a comfortable stay in an elegant, well maintained hotel with all of the amenities, a good value for the price paid. Its two tiered policy, however, was a surprise for one who found himself in the lower tier.…