GEORGE TOWN, Jan 18 — Just off narrow Muntri Street, right behind a 119-year-old Hainan temple and a Chinese primary school is a row of 10 pre-war shophouses fronted by a stretch of landscaped garden.

You feel like you have stumbled upon a secret due to its somewhat obscure location; the garden itself is quite magical under the shade of majestic trees with a  flagstone pathway leading down the row of shophouses.

Large boulders, some dug up from the site, dot the fringe of the path amidst newly-planted shrubs and plants.

Walking through its ornate wrought iron gate, one can’t help but feel a sense of serenity. There is a peace and quiet here even though you are just a hop, skip and jump from bustling Chulia Street on one side and Muntri Street on another.

Welcome to Muntri Grove, another project by award-winning hoteliers Karl Steinberg and Christopher Ong.

Much of Steinberg’s touch can be seen throughout the new boutique hotel with its clean lines, airy spacious rooms, antique furniture and botanical-themed decorations.

The Grove is located near its sister hotel, Muntri Mews and the newly-opened Muntri Mews Residence. It provides an extra choice for visitors who are fans of Ong and Steinberg’s collection of boutique hotels.

The 10 heritage shophouses in the early Penang style were initially built for workers or used as servants’ quarters more than a century ago.

Ong said most of the walls and the upper floor wooden floors were in a deplorable condition so most of it had to be replaced and reconstructed.

The main structure of the terraced houses were maintained and strengthened in an extensive restoration and one of the buildings which had been bombed and completely destroyed during the war was rebuilt as the hotel’s reception area.

It is also where the main staircase that leads up to the second storey of the hotel is located.

Guests get a view of the city at the poolside of Muntri Grove.

The stylish hotel boasts 16 luxurious suites overlooking either the peaceful front garden or the equally serene backyard full of greenery.

Unlike its sister hotels down the road, Muntri Grove also offers guests a small swimming pool overlooking the tops of neighbouring heritage shophouses and the narrow lane leading to the hotel. Their only other property with a pool is the luxurious Seven Terraces a few streets away.

At the Grove, you get this additional luxury but at a more affordable price range that is close to that of Muntri Mews.

The rooms on the ground floor and the second storey are all equally spacious except for some minor differences.

The rooms downstairs are great for those who do not want to negotiate the stairs and sport cool terrazzo floors with magnificent floor to ceiling folding doors that open out to the beautiful gardens.

A hidden garden behind the ornate wrought iron gate of Muntri Grove.

The rooms on the upper floor have a warmer feel with recycled timber floors and high ceilings with exposed timbers.

All rooms come with four poster beds, high quality linens that include botanical-themed bedspreads and a daybed each for a third person who may be sharing the room.

Like Seven Terraces, Muntri Grove is located right behind a primary school so guests will be forewarned about the sound of children at school and the bell ringing during school days.

“I don’t know why, I somehow tend to build my hotels near schools, perhaps the sound of laughing cheerful children is a good thing for my hotels,” Ong said.

For guests who want to experience a really close encounter with the living heritage of George Town, Ong said the narrow lane leading to the secluded hotel will be blocked off for at least two weeks during the Hungry Ghost month (the seventh lunar month).

“The lane has been used as a site to set up a stage to celebrate the Hungry Ghost Festival for decades so we do not want to interrupt or ask them to leave and I actually feel it adds to the whole atmosphere of the heritage city,” Ong said.

He said the hotel will either be closed for the two weeks during the Hungry Ghost festival or it would offer a special rate for guests who don’t mind living right next to the stage where “live” performances such as Chinese opera and concerts will be held nightly.

Rooms are spacious and sport botanical influences in its decorations and finishing to go with Muntri Grove’s garden theme

At other times, the hotel will be a quiet, secluded getaway amidst lush greenery in the middle of the city.

Muntri Grove 127, 129, 131A – F, Muntri Street, 10200 George Town, Penang. Tel: 04-2615107 Email: info@muntrigrove.com Webstie: www.muntrigrove.com