Seven Terraces – Hotel

Argus Apartment

Room : based on 4 occupancies additional person charges at RM100 – max 5 occupancies (per room)

Room Size : 120sq m of spacious lounge, sleeping area, balcony and 2 separate bedrooms

Bed : 1 king-size bed upstairs 2 single beds in a separate room

Bathroom :

• Long bath, separate shower & toilet in main room
• Shower & toilet in the chamber
• Vanity & toilet upstairs in the bedroom

Breakfast and afternoon tea : 4 pax

Tech gadgets : 50-inch LED TV, international & USB port, charging cable and Bluetooth speaker

Wi-Fi : Complimentary

Stewart Apartment

Room : based on 4 occupancies additional person charges at RM100 – max 5 occupancies (per room)

Room Size : 100sq m include spacious lounge, sleeping area and a separate bedroom with ensuite

Bed : 1 king-size bed, 2 single beds in a separate room

Bathroom : 

• Shower, toilet & vanity in main room
• Shower, toilet & vanity in the chamber

Breakfast and afternoon tea : 4 pax

Decoration : A special complete set of original Peranakan bridal furniture

Tech gadgets : 50-inch LED TV, international & USB port, charging cable and Bluetooth speaker

Wi-Fi : Complimentary

Terraced Duplex Suites

Half the rooms with the main bedroom upstairs with extra toilet & outdoor shower. The other half of the rooms have the main bed downstairs with a sitting area upstairs.

Room : based on 2 occupancies additional person charges at RM100 – max 3 occupancies (per room)

Room Size : 80sq m include spacious lounge and sleeping area over two floors

Bed : 1 king-size bed

Bathroom : 

• Shower, vanity & toilet on the main level
• Wash basin, toilet & outdoor shower for rooms with main bed upstairs

Breakfast and afternoon tea : 2 pax

Tech gadgets : 40-inch LED TV, international & USB port, charging cable and Bluetooth speaker

Wi-Fi : Complimentary

The architecture of these shophouses, with classical decorative details imported from England, was similar to the traditional urban house models common in southern China. The five-foot-way, a covered walkway that connects these shophouses on the ground floor, was another feature at Seven Terraces that is characteristic of most heritage shophouses in Penang. This unique walkway represents a colonial adaptation designed to suit the tropical climate, providing a length of covered space as a shield from the heat and rain.

When you walk into these terrace houses, a distinctive feature of traditional Chinese architecture that strikes your attention and welcomes you was the open courtyards and air wells in the center of the houses. These were open-air spaces that function mostly as natural ventilation for the houses, allowing light and air into the interior rooms to keep the whole house well illuminated in the day and cool the whole day through. Usually, there will also be a second courtyard for the bathroom where rainwater was stored for use in the bathroom. The number of courtyards for each of these houses was relative to the length of the property. There were 200ft longhouses along Muntri Street that have as many as three open-air courtyards. These courtyards were paved with massive granite slabs that add character and warmth to the overall space. These granite slabs were recycled from the ballast carried by trading junks that unloaded the stones at the Penang port, at the end of their return journey.

At Seven Terraces, the shophouses were relatively shorter but still highly functional, with each measuring about 100ft in length and comprising an open-air courtyard, wherein the room proportions project a sense of wide living space. Today, the terrace houses have been cleverly transformed into spacious suites on the first floor, with two suites in each shophouse. The ground floor now becomes a public area where the reception, swimming pool, lounge and Kebaya Restaurant were all conveniently located.

The suites facing the road are strategically shielded from street noise with full width bathrooms acting as a buffer. Most of the 18 suites in the hotel, all of which are spacious and airy, have mezzanine floors as the resting or living spaces.

It is also within a walking distance to stately British colonial mansions that used as public buildings with the Penang state museum right next to the St George’s Church and the Courthouse just across from it. Down the road, the stately City Hall and Town Hall stand proud and tall facing the Esplanade while about 300m from these grand old buildings was the Penang Legislative Assembly building. This was also just across the Fort Cornwallis, a historical monument next to the Esplanade facing the sea.

Two of the early missionary schools, Convent Light Street and St Xavier’s Institution, were also located in the vicinity of the Courthouse and the state museum.

Traditional crafts and tradesmen were plenty in this precinct with a joss stick maker just 10m away from the hotel while a songkok maker and also a signboard carver were all located nearby. Walking down the maze of narrow lanes surrounding the hotel such as Stewart Lane, Muda Lane, Market Street, Chulia Lane and Klang Road will provide glimpses into the local community that still lives in the heritage houses lining these streets.

Art enthusiasts will appreciate the abundance of street art and murals on the sides of the buildings and along the length of stretches of walls near the hotel.

Food, local hawker fare, and cafes were easily accessible along the main roads and narrow lanes all around the hotel. Just a stone’s throw away was Chulia Street, a haven of local hawker fare, eateries and watering holes for locals and tourists.