Penang, Malaysia and Borneo

Along with Raffles in Singapore and the Majestic in Kuala Lumpur, the Eastern & Oriental served from the late 19th century as an outpost of refined British living in the former Straits Settlements. Rudyard Kipling, Noel Coward, Somerset Maugham and numerous celebrated artists, writers and heads of state have passed through its doors, which are still staffed by khaki-clad doormen and bellhops wearing pith helmets. Pass through the soaring echo-dome lobby to reach the original Heritage Wing, with its iconic Moorish domes, and savour the views through the palms to the seafront from your own clay-tiled veranda.