One of the things that pushes Penang onto my POSH list is the presence of two very extraordinary hotels: The Eastern & Oriental is one of the classics of Southeast Asia, up alongside the Oriental in Bangkok and Raffles in Singapore. Fully restored to an all-suite configuration, the "E & O" sits right on the ocean within an easy walk of Georgetown's historic sights.

The second hotel is quite different. The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion started out as the home of a rich Chinese merchant, dubbed "China's last mandarin and first capitalist." It was in a very bad state when it was acquired in 1990, lovingly restored, and converted into a boutique hotel. Interestingly, both the E & O and the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion were built around the same time, but reflect two very different sides of Penang's colonial past.

There are many more hotels in Penang to choose from, and since becoming a protected World Heritage Site a number of old buildings in the heritage zone have been converted to small boutique accommodations. Some are POSH, some not so much.