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I am a younger retired male (early 50s) and am going to be arriving in Georgetown in a few days looking to stay somewhere on Penang for a few months or a few years. I would greatly appreciate any advice anybody has as to the best neighborhoods or even condo complexes I should be looking at. I know that there are a lot of ads on this site, and many of them look promising, but since I don't know anything about these neighborhoods, I was hoping to weed them down a bit so I can focus on the more promising ones. I have read a few travel guide articles, but they are all a bit vague. My budget is to look for good value. So I don't see myself rattling around alone in a multi-bedroom house, but alone in a small apartment or sharing a large house each have their attractions.

My #1 requirement is that I want to be near a swimming pool. Swimming is the form of exercise I like best, and I really want to restart my regime of swimming several kilometers a day. So I would like to look at ether apartments or flat shares in house/apartment/condo complexes that have a good sized swimming pool, or ones near a public pool (say 15 minutes walking or on a bus).

Beyond that, I hope for a nice friendly neighborhood, good bus routes, a nice park or similar green space, flat mates who speak English, something to do - I am not much for the club or pub scenes, but I enjoy friendly games. Are there any communities/clubs/organizations I ought to check before picking someplace?

So anyway, in a few days I am going to start responding to rental ads, and any postings I get that say "don't rent in this neighborhood because...." or "you really should look at this apartment complex because..." would be very helpful. Any advice on finding a good place would be priceless. Any advice would be greatly appreciated,  Thanks!