Penang, a sun-kissed island floating on the north-west corner of the Malaysian peninsula, has long been celebrated for its mix of extant colonial architecture and lively food scene. The newly opened 162-room The Prestige in the city’s old quarter only adds to the allure.
Careful not to detract from the area’s fin de siècle urban footprint, architect KL Wong’s imposing white pile of high arches and grillwork opens into a playful interior by Singapore-based Ministry of Design.
Here, the mood riffs off Christian Bale’s Victorian magician flick The Prestige with long corridors camouflaged with dizzying Escher-ish black and white cubed floor patterns, Art Deco chrome lattices, bathrooms behind hidden doors, and desks that seem to float over chrome spheres.
The rooftop saltwater pool looks over the port and the Strait of Malacca, though the attention is pleasurably diverted by head chef Shafiq Rizhar Rozali’s Peranakan-inflected nasi ulam, and fried chicken marinated in a honey gochujang paste.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
8 Gat Lebuh Gereja
Georgetown
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Think small, think electric, as Hyundai attempts to revolutionise the classic Indian three-wheelerHyundai’s Micro Mobility strategy, in collaboration with Indian manufacturer TVS, has revealed two conceptual takes on small electric urban transport in a bid to cut the country’s crushing pollution issue
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‘Just beneath the surface there’s another world’: How David Lynch used hair and make-up to create his singular universeFrom Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive to Twin Peaks, David Lynch used hair and make-up in his films as a narrative device, writes Laura Havlin
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Burns Night 2025: where to celebrate in LondonIt is time to raise a wee dram to Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns on Burns Night (25 January). Here is our pick of places to enjoy an evening of generous speechmaking, toasting, and drinking around London
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2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this yearFrom the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
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Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
Kerry Hill Architects designs the One & Only group’s first Asia property — Johor, Malaysia -
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland -
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia -
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China
