This was featured in ParenThots which was later moved to TheStar Online
http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Family/Features/2013/05/20/Babyfriendly-malls-in-Penang.aspx
Not only is Penang famous for its food and culture, it is slowly becoming a
shopping haven with plenty of new malls being built around the
island.
Apart from visiting family and satisfying food cravings, I recently made time to visit some of the malls on the island with my little daughter.
Gurney Plaza
Gurney Plaza is part of the CapitaMalls group. This is the same group behind ION Orchard and Plaza Singapura in Singapore. Gurney Plaza is definitely one of the more crowded shopping complexes on the island.
This mall is located on the famous Gurney Drive promenade. Across the road, you will find the Gurney walkway where you can enjoy a stroll along the sea. However, as traffic tends to be quite heavy around this area, be cautious while crossing the road and keep an eye out for motorcyclists.
Apart from tenants such as Parkson, Cold Storage and Golden Screen Cinemas, Gurney Plaza is also home to Daiso and numerous fashion brands such as MNG, Guess and Dorothy Perkins. There is a variety of outlets that cater to different age groups.
Gurney Plaza has baby changing facilities on every floor, most of which are located next to the rest rooms. There, you will find a clean private room equipped with a sink and a changing table to change your little one. If you are unable to locate the room, there is also the standard pull-out changing compartment that you can use in the disabled people’s rest rooms.
Gurney Plaza is generally a convenient place for parents to manoeuvre a baby stroller through. The walkways are spacious and there are quite a number of elevators available.
For children’s items, head up to the third floor for stores specialising in toys, books and much more. There is Mothercare and Toys “R” Us, to name just two.
For the indoor playland, go up a level to the fourth floor. This play area has rides in the form of miniature vehicles. Each ride costs RM1. For the younger ones, there is a small plastic playhouse that comes with a slide.
Gurney Plaza also has an outdoor children’s play area which holds a simple combination playground structure. This is located on the ground floor next to the New Wing at the Kelawai Entrance.
Apart from great indoor dining and shopping, you can also dine al fresco to enjoy the occasional island breeze.
Pros: Baby changing facility on every floor; lots of baby and children stores.
Cons: Can get quite crowded during peak hours; traffic outside can get heavy.
Prangin Mall
Prangin Mall is located in George Town, which is the city centre. This mall reminds me of Sungei Wang Plaza in Kuala Lumpur. There is just so much to see. There is a whole range of local shops selling affordable knick-knacks.
Prangin Mall comprises of two blocks of buildings. The main anchors are Parkson on one side and Lotus Five Star (LFS), the cinema, on the other. The two buildings are separated by a road on the ground level. When I visited the mall, there was a traffic officer who was managing the flow of traffic and helping pedestrians cross the road. If you want to avoid the busy road, just walk across on one of the upstairs floors (the buildings are connected on the upper floors).
The walkways in the mall are narrow because some shops have their display shelves outside their shops. They are also often crowded with people. It gets a bit harder with a baby stroller but still manageable.
For nappy changes, look for the Baby Care Room next to the rest rooms. Be
sure to have everything ready as the area is best described as a dent in the
wall with a hard top table. It does not provide for much privacy.
There's also a nappy change and breastfeeding room inside Parkson
.
The highlight in Prangin Mall is its play area. Its indoor playground is located at the Dessert and Ice Cream Garden area. This area is located on the connecting floor (that bridges the two blocks) on the first level. It is free to use for all Prangin Mall visitors.
This play area holds a combination playground structure that comes with not one, but four different slides. It is similar to the playground set you find in most outdoor playgrounds. There are also child-friendly paddings on the floor. Also worth noting is that the kids have to leave their shoes outside before going in and it is only open to children aged seven years and below.
For parents with older children in the family, you can spend time with them having a drink or dessert next to this playground while keeping an eye out on the younger kids. There is also free WiFi available.
If you are an avid shopper and wish to explore more malls, look for the connecting sky bridges that will bring you to Komtar and 1st Avenue. Do note that the bridge closes at 10pm.
Pros: Great indoor children’s playground; Parkson nappy change and breastfeeding room.
Cons: Baby changing area lacks facilities; narrow walkways.
1st Avenue
1st Avenue is more up-market than its neighbouring malls. This mall is still fairly new in Penang. Its anchor tenants are Carrefour, Parkson and TGV cinema.
For parents with baby strollers, 1st Avenue has nice wide walkways. You may need to walk a bit to the elevators but there are usually no queues. If you are looking for an easy shopping experience, this is an ideal mall.
The baby changing rooms are private rooms equipped with a sink and even toilet paper. The changing areas are hard tops, so be prepared to bring your own changing mats.
There are not many shops which cater to children in this mall, but there are children’s rides in a small area on the fourth floor. It is not hard to spot the colourful rides while walking towards Carrefour. These rides work on tokens and each one costs only RM1.
1st Avenue is the nearest mall from Trader’s Hotel.
Pros: Spacious walkways; baby changing rooms seem quite well equipped.
Cons: Limited shops for children.
Conclusion
It is great exploring the shopping malls in Penang. To get out of the infamous Penang heat, it is not surprising that these malls are usually quite crowded.
I do enjoy visiting these malls whenever I am back in Penang, especially now with a baby daughter to enjoy the play areas with.
I am sure there will be more malls to come in the future.
Apart from visiting family and satisfying food cravings, I recently made time to visit some of the malls on the island with my little daughter.
Gurney Plaza
Gurney Plaza is part of the CapitaMalls group. This is the same group behind ION Orchard and Plaza Singapura in Singapore. Gurney Plaza is definitely one of the more crowded shopping complexes on the island.
This mall is located on the famous Gurney Drive promenade. Across the road, you will find the Gurney walkway where you can enjoy a stroll along the sea. However, as traffic tends to be quite heavy around this area, be cautious while crossing the road and keep an eye out for motorcyclists.
Apart from tenants such as Parkson, Cold Storage and Golden Screen Cinemas, Gurney Plaza is also home to Daiso and numerous fashion brands such as MNG, Guess and Dorothy Perkins. There is a variety of outlets that cater to different age groups.
Gurney Plaza has baby changing facilities on every floor, most of which are located next to the rest rooms. There, you will find a clean private room equipped with a sink and a changing table to change your little one. If you are unable to locate the room, there is also the standard pull-out changing compartment that you can use in the disabled people’s rest rooms.
 |
Gurney Plaza is easy to manoeuvre a
stroller through as the walkways are
spacious.
|
Gurney Plaza is generally a convenient place for parents to manoeuvre a baby stroller through. The walkways are spacious and there are quite a number of elevators available.
For children’s items, head up to the third floor for stores specialising in toys, books and much more. There is Mothercare and Toys “R” Us, to name just two.
For the indoor playland, go up a level to the fourth floor. This play area has rides in the form of miniature vehicles. Each ride costs RM1. For the younger ones, there is a small plastic playhouse that comes with a slide.
Gurney Plaza also has an outdoor children’s play area which holds a simple combination playground structure. This is located on the ground floor next to the New Wing at the Kelawai Entrance.
Apart from great indoor dining and shopping, you can also dine al fresco to enjoy the occasional island breeze.
Pros: Baby changing facility on every floor; lots of baby and children stores.
Cons: Can get quite crowded during peak hours; traffic outside can get heavy.
Prangin Mall
Prangin Mall is located in George Town, which is the city centre. This mall reminds me of Sungei Wang Plaza in Kuala Lumpur. There is just so much to see. There is a whole range of local shops selling affordable knick-knacks.
Prangin Mall comprises of two blocks of buildings. The main anchors are Parkson on one side and Lotus Five Star (LFS), the cinema, on the other. The two buildings are separated by a road on the ground level. When I visited the mall, there was a traffic officer who was managing the flow of traffic and helping pedestrians cross the road. If you want to avoid the busy road, just walk across on one of the upstairs floors (the buildings are connected on the upper floors).
The walkways in the mall are narrow because some shops have their display shelves outside their shops. They are also often crowded with people. It gets a bit harder with a baby stroller but still manageable.
 |
The nappy changing area in Prangin Mall is
limited. Go instead to the nappy change and breastfeeding room inside Parkson
(below).
|
There's also a nappy change and breastfeeding room inside Parkson
.
 |
The highlight of Prangin Mall must surely
be its indoor playground.
|
The highlight in Prangin Mall is its play area. Its indoor playground is located at the Dessert and Ice Cream Garden area. This area is located on the connecting floor (that bridges the two blocks) on the first level. It is free to use for all Prangin Mall visitors.
This play area holds a combination playground structure that comes with not one, but four different slides. It is similar to the playground set you find in most outdoor playgrounds. There are also child-friendly paddings on the floor. Also worth noting is that the kids have to leave their shoes outside before going in and it is only open to children aged seven years and below.
For parents with older children in the family, you can spend time with them having a drink or dessert next to this playground while keeping an eye out on the younger kids. There is also free WiFi available.
If you are an avid shopper and wish to explore more malls, look for the connecting sky bridges that will bring you to Komtar and 1st Avenue. Do note that the bridge closes at 10pm.
Pros: Great indoor children’s playground; Parkson nappy change and breastfeeding room.
Cons: Baby changing area lacks facilities; narrow walkways.
1st Avenue
1st Avenue is more up-market than its neighbouring malls. This mall is still fairly new in Penang. Its anchor tenants are Carrefour, Parkson and TGV cinema.
For parents with baby strollers, 1st Avenue has nice wide walkways. You may need to walk a bit to the elevators but there are usually no queues. If you are looking for an easy shopping experience, this is an ideal mall.
The baby changing rooms are private rooms equipped with a sink and even toilet paper. The changing areas are hard tops, so be prepared to bring your own changing mats.
 |
The nappy changing room in 1st Avenue and
the children's rides (below).
|
 |
There are not many shops which cater to children in this mall, but there are children’s rides in a small area on the fourth floor. It is not hard to spot the colourful rides while walking towards Carrefour. These rides work on tokens and each one costs only RM1.
1st Avenue is the nearest mall from Trader’s Hotel.
Pros: Spacious walkways; baby changing rooms seem quite well equipped.
Cons: Limited shops for children.
Conclusion
It is great exploring the shopping malls in Penang. To get out of the infamous Penang heat, it is not surprising that these malls are usually quite crowded.
I do enjoy visiting these malls whenever I am back in Penang, especially now with a baby daughter to enjoy the play areas with.
I am sure there will be more malls to come in the future.
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