We've been to Penang Island in 2010, but we stayed in a relatively quieter beach area called Tanjung Bungah. After staying at Golden Sands Resort for four days recently, I am convinced that Batu Ferringhi is the place to be when in Penang. If you stay at Golden Sands Resort which is ideally located at the heart of Batu Ferringhi, almost everything you need to spend a great and memorable holiday with your family is within arms reach.
Okay, there may be a little hint exaggeration there but you get the point. From the cheap and most delectable local food to buzzing night market, not to mention the most happening beachfront, there is really nothing more you can ask for! To give you a clearer picture of what I am trying to say here, I enlisted the 10 reasons why you should stay at
Golden Sands Resort on your next trip to Penang, Malaysia below:
1) INSTANT NATURE RETREAT THAT IS GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL
Right upon entering the resort premises, you'll see a signage at the side of the entrance that states you are entering an environment-friendly hotel. Whenever we go for a holiday, one of our main agenda is to have a relaxing escape from city living so being surrounded by lush greenery at Golden Sands Resort provided us an instant nature retreat. Being an eco-friendly hotel, Golden Sands Resort takes pride in providing their guest fresh and clean air in all public areas and even in their non-air-conditioned hotel lobby. A little gesture to show some love for mother nature goes a long way!
2) AMAZING SEA AND POOL VIEWS FROM YOUR ROOM BALCONY
The first thing the kids check when we enter our hotel room is the balcony (if there is any) and these amazing sea and pool views from our room made them literally gasp in awe and say WOW in unison. During most of our downtime at the resort, we all just lazed at the balcony, basked in the cool sea breeze and watched the beautiful world go by.
3) IMPECCABLE SERVICE, A SHANGRI-LA SIGNATURE
Upon arrival, we were greeted by hotel butlers who took care of our luggage while I proceeded to check in. Upon recognition that our family was there as special guests, I was escorted at the Cool Lounge so that I can check in comfortably. All the staff who attended to me were very amicable.
I was impressed even more when Suleiman, the hotel's Director of Communications came personally to give our family a warm welcome. He gifted the kids each a Polly the Parrot plush toy and gamely took photo with us with the hotel's mascot who came to entertain us while waiting for our key cards and drinking our refreshing welcome drinks.
Minutes later, we finally got hold of our room keys and there were 2 monkeys, 2 love swans and 2 rabbits waiting to welcome us upon entering our room. Not long after, our luggage was delivered along with the welcome fruits with another set of fresh welcome drinks. Aren't we spoiled rotten?
4) THE MOST HAPPENING AND COLOURFUL BEACHFRONT
From water sports to massage services, there is so much to see and do at the hotel's beachfront. Just take note though that all these services were run privately by other operators, not by the Golden Sands Resort management. You have to be cautious in dealing with them as they may take advantage and charge you unreasonable tourist price.
5) AWE-INSPIRING SUNSET VIEWS BY THE BEACH
All of the above sunset photos were unedited, only resized and absolutely no filter applied. We were blessed with breathtaking sunset on our first day at Golden Sands Resort. I took the opportunity to revive my limited amateur photography skills so we could bring home some snapshots worth printing and framing. Of course after snapping to my heart's content, we walked hand-in-hand and barefooted on the sand whilst taking in the awe-inspiring masterpiece of the creator.
6) YOU ARE 10-MIN AWAY FROM ESCAPE, A MUST-VISIT NATURE THEME PARK
Golden Sands Resort is so near Penang's well known nature-themed park, Escape. You can either take a taxi or a public bus, both will take more or less than 10-minute ride. Escape was highly recommended to me by my fellow parent bloggers who have visited the place in their recent trip to Penang. We ended up having a grand time connecting with nature and conquering obstacle courses, ziplines and other exhilarating activities.
The kids literally went wild zip-lining and monkeying around. On our way there, the taxi driver tried to dissuade us from going upon seeing G, who is turning 5y/o this month. He said Escape is only suitable for adults. We were so glad we didn't follow his advise as G ended up having so much fun at their kid-friendly facilities. Escape is definitely a must-do for families when in Penang. If your family aren't the adventurous type, you can opt to visit the Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm which is just a stone throw away from Escape.
7) FREE SHUTTLE BUS TO GEORGE TOWN
We were not able to explore George Town on our last visit to Penang so this time around, I made sure we are going to tick it off from our must-visit places. The best thing is, Golden Sands Resort provides free shuttle bus to Georgetown to their guests so we saved taxi fare and used it instead in renting a family bicycle. We willingly fell on a tourist trap, went on a mural hunt and treated ourselves to yummy street food.
Important note: Book your shuttle bus a day in advance. It stops and departs at Hotel Jen. From Hotel Jen, we took a short taxi ride to Lebuh Victoria where the first mural on the above photos was located. Next to it is the famous Ming Xiang Tai Pastry Shop where you can buy something to eat whilst exploring.
8) GOLDEN SANDS RESORT'S ADVENTURE ZONE AND SWIMMING POOL
We extended our stay for one more day so we have extra time to enjoy the resort's awesome and kid-friendly facilities like the swimming pool area and Adventure Zone. Staying at Golden Sands Resort is highly recommended for families with young children as the resort put so much effort in making sure that the kids are well-entertained. There's a jenga and a giant chess too near the swimming pool. So many things to do with your kids!
9) DELECTABLE AND CHEAP LOCAL FOOD IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
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| Photo by gopenang.my |
We are literally spoilt for choice of local Penang food at the Batu Ferringhi area. There is a hawker centre just walking distance from Golden Sands Resort that offers a plethora of delectable and cheap local food as seen from the collage above collated by gopenang.my. Not included in the collage are the must-eat Penang delicacies and nasi lemak sold in the street. So cheap yet so good!
10) BUZZING NIGHT MARKET
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| Photo by penangtraveltips.com |
When in Batu Ferringhi area, you cannot NOT miss the buzzing and dazzling night market also known as walkway or sideway bazaar to locals. If there are two things Batu Ferringi is well known for, these were the shoreline and the night market. The latter is a must-do, only if you are good with bargaining as the stall sellers mark up their prices when it is too obvious to them that you are a tourist.
BONUS TIP:
You can take a free buggy ride to Shangri-la's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa to and from Golden Sands Resort. The beachfront there is less crowded and it features huge rocks perfect as a backdrop for a family beach photoshoot. G also loved their empty kiddie pool, he had it all to himself for a good half an hour.
Planning a trip to Penang with your family soon? Check out Golden Sands Resort's
Family Fun Package that includes:
- Daily buffet breakfast for 2 adults and 2 children below 11 years old at Garden Cafe
- One complimentary bed for a child below 11 years old
- Complimentary daily dinner (either buffet or set) for 2 adult and 2 children at Garden Cafe with free flowing soft drinks, juices, beer and house wine
- Free admission to the Adventure Zone for 2 children below 11 years old
- Complimentary daily shuttle service to and from George Town
For other offers and promotions, you can check out Golden Sands Resort's Rooms and Suite Offer Page
here.
Disclaimer: Our family's 3D2N stay at Golden Sands Resort is kindly sponsored by the resort management in exchange of this honest and personal review. We extended our stay at our own expense and no other monetary compensation was received. As usual, all opinions and oodles of photos are intellectual property of Sweet Memoirs, otherwise stated.
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It's such a beautiful place to stay in when you're in Penang and it would be nice to have some family time there too. I really like the whole surrounding and the view is breathtaking as well!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a trip of a lifetime! I would have been excited to come back and write a post to share my experiences like you did! We stayed at E&O the last time because I simply cannot resist historical hotels. Maybe will give Golden Sands a shot the next Penang round but I heard disappointing reviews from my in laws. So bad that they had to check out a day a earlier. *sobs*
ReplyDeleteEscape was on my list but the kids we way too young then. I'll definitely give Escape a visit! It looks like fun for myself too!
You can't really go wrong with Shangri-La, can you? The Family Entertainment Centre si right down my alley!! Free shuttle to Georgetown sounds totally awesome too.
ReplyDeleteWe love this hotel too, stayed there twice but didn't even know they provide complimentary shuttle service to GeorgeTown. We took the Hop On Hop Off bus right outside the hotel to get around. I agree it's such a fantastic family hotel for travellers to Penang. Check out our post here and perhaps we can link up: http://www.lifestinymiracles.com/2014/12/golden-sands-resort-penang-review/ :)
ReplyDeleteI stayed at Golden Sands for a work trip before. Loved it although I would love to explore it with the family next time. Love beach holidays!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen growing up in the 80s and 90s, I used to go to Penang to see my maternal grandmother almost every year. In exchange for us visiting, she used to book 2 nights at the Golden Sands resort. In the late 90s when I last went it looked really tired and ready for a make over but this really looks like a great recovery. They've always catered for families and children and it does look like they've kept up the tradition. Looks great.
ReplyDeleteMy girls will enjoy the slide and Escape, worth planning a trip there!
ReplyDeletesmiling here because I enjoyed every word and photo my soon to be very famous BFF 😍
ReplyDeleteI love Penang as it is always the first getaway destination to runaway to. Eurasians like me can't let go of that place, even though its getting too developed. Not been to Golden Sands though.
ReplyDelete