Well, after seeing all those nice reports here on Penang, I decided to give it a try to escape the dullness of Bangkok during Songkhran
Airport:
Taxi to Airport are expensive. From the Airport to the beach, it's about 600 baht for a limo (the only option). Here there is no meter in Taxi. Traffic is dense on the island, and traffic jam can be as bad as Bangkok to get to Georgetown.
The best exchange rate seems to be next to the customs desk in the Airport.
1 baht = 0.10 Riggit (9.45 baht for 1 riggit)
Accomodation:
I am not in Georgetown, I wanted a beach with a nice hotel, good food and a beautiful swimming pool. I found it through the web, and it's very nice, 5 stars hotel for the price of an expensive guest house in Kho Samui. This is when you realize that Thailand has become overpriced in general.
Food:
Food is alright and there is a small village next to those strip of 5 stars hotel, with everything, ,local Malaysian/Thai/Western restaurants, Internet cafe, Convenient store etc...
Food in the hotel is great and very reasonably priced for a 5 star. In the village, expect 300 baht per person in a KSR type restaurant. Quality of food in general is good. Food in the Hotel is about 1000 Baht NET per person but you have the all you can eat buffet with lambs, rosbeef etc... much better in quality and taste than the similar deals you get in Bangkok in the 5 star hotels.
Shopping:
You can find the same usual arts "crap" in the night market that you find in Thailand.
DVD are great. Here it's 40 baht for each DVD (DVD9, Master, Not Screener) and they have everything. What you get in Patpong as a screener, you get it here as a Master. This is again where you realize that DVD piracy in Thailand is totally overpriced !!! They should be avoided in Pattaya and PatPong at all cost. Penang is the place for great DVD.
Population:
Well, the tourist population is a little bit better than Pattaya, but you have the usual ugly fat westerners, mostly couples (not sex tourists). For some reasons, the hotel is populated by overweighted/obese teenage girls desperatly trying to get the attention of the "cool-looking, skinny, dark-skinned malaysian" lifeguards and staff at the pool. Watching them flirting and screaming with them to get their attention while the fat parents are sleeping by the pool is quite funny. Well, funny until their fat and obese bodies splash next to you in the pool. What a disgusting scene. I miss my Bangkok Ladyboys with scenes like these.
Anyway, a good place to go and enjoy yourself and a good change from Thailand. At least Internet speed here is very decent and faster than anything I saw in Thailand. Another plus to keep in touch with work while you are on vacation.