*Image: Eastern & Oriental Hotel (Palm Court)*
> Quick view: E&O in George Town has priced its whole 2026 festive season. Sarkies is the family option, at RM248 an adult for the big dinners and RM198 for the holiday lunches, with children under 6 eating free. Couples get three set dinners between RM228 and RM258. If you would rather eat at home, the hotel roasts a whole chicken for RM168 or a prime beef for RM980. Book by phone or WhatsApp, as the outlets fill early for 24 and 31 December.
We read every page of the hotel's own dining guide, The Echo ed.93 (November and December 2026), on 14 November 2026. It is linked from the E&O dining page. All prices are nett per person and already include the 10% service charge and 6% service tax.
Sarkies: the festive buffets
Sarkies is the hotel's all-day restaurant facing the sea, and it is the only outlet running buffets.
- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day buffet dinner, 24 and 25 December (Thursday and Friday), 6.30pm to 10pm. RM248 an adult, RM148 a child or senior.
- Christmas Day and Boxing Day buffet lunch, 25 and 26 December, 12.30pm to 3pm. RM198 an adult, RM138 a child or senior.
- New Year's Eve buffet dinner, 31 December, 6.30pm to 10pm. RM248 and RM148.
- New Year's Day buffet lunch, 1 January 2027, 12.30pm to 3pm. RM198 and RM138.
For comparison, the everyday international buffet costs RM138 at lunch and RM188 at dinner. The regular lunch is off on 25 and 26 December and 1 January, and the regular dinner is off on 24, 25 and 31 December, so on those dates the festive price is the only buffet price.
The set dinners, for two people at a table
- Palm Court, 3-course Christmas Eve and Christmas Day set, 24 and 25 December, 6.30pm to 11pm: RM228. The same price buys the 3-course New Year's Eve set on 31 December.
- Java Tree, 4-course Christmas Eve and Christmas Day set, 24 and 25 December, 6.30pm to 11pm: RM258. The New Year's Eve 4-course set is also RM258.
- Planters Lounge, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day roast dinner, 24 and 25 December, 7pm to 11pm: RM238 an adult, RM138 a child or senior. The New Year's Eve roast dinner costs the same.
Lighter options
- Festive English afternoon tea, Palm Court, 25 and 26 December and 1 January, 3pm to 5pm: RM128. The normal afternoon tea is RM99 and is not served on those three days.
- Festive salad bar lunch, Planters Lounge, 25 and 26 December and 1 January, 12.30pm to 3pm: RM98 an adult, RM78 a child or senior.
- Festive roast lunch, Farquhar's Bar, 25 and 26 December and 1 January, noon to 3pm. À la carte, so you pay per dish.
- Countdown jazz night, Farquhar's Bar, 31 December, 9pm to 12.30am: RM128 with one glass of bubbly. Seats are limited.
Every festive meal except the countdown night takes a drinks add-on: RM188 for free-flow wine, beer and house spirits, or RM388 with bubbly as well.
Christmas goodies and takeaway roasts (1 to 31 December)
The hotel's festive counter is open daily from 11am to 8pm. Roasts need 3 days' notice:
- Roasted whole chicken, serves 2 to 4: RM168
- Oven-roasted lamb leg, serves 8 to 10: RM780
- Roasted prime beef, serves 8 to 10: RM980
Bakes include Christmas fruitcake 500g and linzer tart 1kg at RM120 each, yule logs and berries cheesecake (1kg) at RM210, stollen and homemade panettone at RM130, mini mince pies at RM22 for 120g, Christmas cookies at RM16 per 100g, and a gingerbread house at RM280. Order through the Festive Desk on +604 222 2000 (10am to 6pm) or fbcentral.resv@eohotels.com.
Worked examples
- Family on Christmas Eve at Sarkies, two adults and children aged 8 and 4: 2 x RM248 + RM148 + RM0 = RM644. The same table on a normal December night costs 2 x RM188 + RM108 = RM484, so Christmas Eve adds RM160.
- Couple on Christmas Eve: Palm Court RM456, Planters Lounge RM476, Sarkies RM496, Java Tree RM516. With free-flow wine and beer, Sarkies becomes 2 x (RM248 + RM188) = RM872.
- Couple on New Year's Eve, dinner then the countdown: Sarkies 2 x RM248 plus Farquhar's 2 x RM128 = RM752.
- Christmas lunch at home for 10: prime beef RM980 + one yule log RM210 + two packs of mince pies RM44 = RM1,234, or about RM123 a head. Ten adults at the Sarkies dinner would cost RM2,480, and as a group of 10 you would pay a RM1,240 deposit up front.
Who it is good for, and who should skip it
Good for: families with small children (under 6 eat free at every outlet), Penang residents who want a heritage-hotel Christmas without staying the night, and couples who want a quiet set dinner rather than a ballroom party.
Skip it if: you want a discount. These are full festive prices. Hotels outside George Town such as Hard Rock Hotel Penang and Amari SPICE offer early-bird rates, and our Penang hotel buffet price guide lists cheaper everyday options.
Fine print that trips people up
- Senior rates are restricted. The lower price is only for Malaysian citizens, residents, permanent residents and MM2H holders. A visiting parent on a foreign passport pays the adult rate.
- The guide does not define "child". It only says children under 6 dine free. Ask for the upper age limit when you book.
- Groups of 10 or more pay 50% up front.
- No stacking. The guide says the offers are not valid with any other offers or discounts, so card or member discounts are unlikely to apply.
- Book with the right outlet. Sarkies and Planters Lounge take WhatsApp on +6016 419 8094 or +6016 419 8438. Java Tree, Palm Court and Farquhar's Bar use +6016 419 8379 or +6016 419 8923. All five also answer on +604 222 2151, and the guide's QR code books through INLINE.
