Reggae Penang Love Lane Hostel
by the TopOfHotel team
Reggae is the legendary Love Lane backpacker hostel in the heart of the UNESCO zone, from $11 a night — it wins on location and the downstairs bar where you meet other travellers, more than Cititel's budget 4-star angle.
Reggae is the legendary Love Lane backpacker hostel in the heart of the UNESCO zone, from $11 a night — it wins on location and the downstairs bar where you meet other travellers, more than Cititel's budget 4-star angle.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Reggae Penang Love Lane Hostel opened in 2014 on Love Lane, in the heart of the Georgetown UNESCO core — Penang's most famous backpacker and party street. It is one of the Reggae Hostel Group properties found in Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Singapore, and packs 56 dorm beds and 14 private rooms into 4 floors. You get 6, 8 and 10-bed dorms (mixed and female-only), private singles and doubles, and a family room, all done in green-yellow-red Reggae street art with Bob Marley walls and travel photography. Beds are steel bunks with foam mattresses, privacy curtains, personal reading lights, USB sockets and big lockers, and the Wi-Fi is fast on every floor. There are 6 shared bathrooms (men's and women's separate) with rain showers, shampoo and soap; towels rent for about $1. Real guest scores are high for a hostel — 8.4 on Trip.com, 8.5 on Agoda, 8.6 on Booking — with most praising the location and how easy it is to meet people, and dinging only the noise and bathroom queue.
Food and amenities
The heart of Reggae is the ground-floor bar and cafe, open 11:00 to 02:00 (to 03:00 on weekends), with Tiger and Carlsberg beers at $2.50-4, cocktails around $5 and mocktails about $2.50. Live Reggae music plays every Friday and Saturday from 21:00 to midnight. Breakfast is $2.50 — Roti Canai, a fried egg and Penang white coffee. The 2nd-floor common room has sofas, Netflix, board games, a Foosball table and a backpacker library. A free walking tour of the street art runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:00 with a backpacker guide. Bikes rent for about $5 a day to ride around Georgetown, and laundry is roughly $3 a load with 24-hour drying. The concierge books Penang Hill and Kek Lok Si tours ($17-32) and an airport shuttle for about $5 (10 people per trip). Note there is no elevator across the 4 floors, no pool and no parking. Overall score: 8.5/10.
Location and getting there
Reggae sits at 57 Love Lane, dead centre in the Georgetown UNESCO core. The Armenian Street and Cannon Street art is a 3-minute walk, Khoo Kongsi clan house is 5 minutes, the Cheong Fatt Tze Blue Mansion is 5 minutes, and The Edison Hotel is 5 minutes. The Goddess of Mercy temple and the Lebuh Chulia food street (famous Char Kway Teow) are both 3 minutes; Penang Road (famous Cendol) is 8 minutes; Komtar mall and the seafront Esplanade are 10 minutes each. Kek Lok Si temple and Penang Hill are about a 20-minute drive. Penang International Airport (PEN) is 18 km away — a taxi runs $11-14 and takes 25-35 minutes, the Rapid bus 401E is under a dollar but takes 60 minutes, and the Reggae shuttle is about $5 (10 people per trip).
Things to know before booking
First, this is a party hostel and the noise runs late — the Reggae Bar is open to 02:00 daily (03:00 on weekends) and Love Lane has 15-plus bars, so request a back-facing dorm or a private room when you book and grab the free earplugs. If you want real quiet, look at The Frame Hostel or Cititel instead. Second, the shared dorm bathrooms queue up at peak times — 08:00 to 09:30 and 19:00 to 21:00 — with 5-10 minute waits, so book a private room with an en-suite if you would rather not wait. Third, there is no elevator across the 4 floors — ask for the 1st or 2nd floor if your bag is heavy. Fourth, prices spike during the George Town Festival in July, Chinese New Year and Christmas, when dorm rates push past $23, so book 4 to 6 weeks ahead.
Our take
Reggae Penang Love Lane Hostel is the best-fit budget choice for solo travellers who want to meet people in Penang. It is a 2-star hostel on Love Lane in the UNESCO core, with 56 dorm beds and 14 private rooms, a late-night Reggae bar with live music on Friday and Saturday, free street-art walking tours, a female-only dorm, and a location 5 minutes from Khoo Kongsi and the street art, starting at $11. If your trip is backpacking, solo or a budget couple's stay in the heart of the UNESCO zone, this is the most natural answer. If you want quiet, full facilities and a proper 4-star, Cititel or the Edison will suit you better. Overall we give it 8.5/10 — best for backpackers, solo travellers and budget couples.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- Easily the cheapest stay on this list, with dorm beds starting at $11 a night and the run topping out around $43 for a family room. For solo travellers counting every dollar in Penang, nothing else in the UNESCO core comes close on price.
- The location is hard to beat — 57 Love Lane puts you 3 minutes from the Armenian Street murals, 5 minutes from Khoo Kongsi and the Blue Mansion, and 3 minutes from the Lebuh Chulia food street known for its Char Kway Teow.
- The ground-floor bar is the whole point: open 11:00 to 02:00 with live Reggae music on Friday and Saturday nights, it is the easiest place in town to fall into conversation with travellers from Europe, Japan and Vietnam.
- Solo female travellers get a dedicated 6-bed female-only dorm with its own lockers and women's bathroom, which makes it one of the more comfortable budget picks for women travelling alone.
- Staff are genuinely helpful and load you up with tour info — free street-art walking tours run Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:00, and they can book Penang Hill and Kek Lok Si trips ($17-32) or an airport shuttle for around $5.
- This is a party hostel and the noise proves it — the Reggae Bar runs to 02:00 every night (03:00 on weekends) and Love Lane itself has 15-plus bars, so ask for a back-facing dorm or a private room when you book, and use the free earplugs at reception. If you want real quiet, look at The Frame Hostel or Cititel instead.
- The shared dorm bathrooms back up at peak times — roughly 08:00 to 09:30 in the morning and 19:00 to 21:00 in the evening — where you can wait 5 to 10 minutes. Book a private room with an en-suite if queuing is a dealbreaker.
- There is no elevator across the 4 floors, no pool and no parking. If you are hauling a heavy bag, ask for a room on the 1st or 2nd floor when you reserve.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
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Insider Tips
- Book a private room if you want quiet — the dorms stay loud until 02:00, while a private room runs roughly $23-43.
- Grab the free earplugs and sleeping mask handed out at reception — most backpackers here use them.
- Have the $2.50 breakfast: Roti Canai with a fried egg and Penang white coffee, which is great value before a day of walking.