The Shangri-La Golden Sands, Penang is recognized as one of Malaysia's leading family-and-kid-friendly resorts. With a breezy beachfront location, this 4-star resort on Batu Feringgi Beach is filled with facilities for dining, leisure and recreation that will surely keep any multi-generational family happily occupied. An outdoor Jacuzzi in the garden and two swimming pools with water slides are available. Childcare services allowing adults on holiday with their family to enjoy some private time away from their children. At our mini water park, children and toddlers can interact safely, playing on the splash pad, which has a safe floor surface and includes many water features, such as showers and tipping buckets. The 387 guest rooms and suites expose captivating views of the ocean or the rolling Penang hills. Each has traditional Malay touches inspired by Penang’s natural environment.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Nestled along a prime beachfront, the Shangri-La Golden Sands in Penang is lauded for its stunning sea views and easy access to local amenities. The hotel's family-friendly amenities, including pools and a waterpark, receive appreciation from guests, though some feel the property's atmosphere is marred by loud music and outdated decor.
While rooms are spacious, reports of them being unclean and neglected are a concern, and opinions on cleanliness and service vary, with both commendations for staff attentiveness and criticisms for housekeeping inconsistencies.
Location
Beachfront
Atmosphere
Outdated
Rooms
Dated
Value
Inconsistent
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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We stayed in this beautiful resort for two months and we will continue to come here in the future because of all the kindness, courtesy and attention we received at the Shangri la Golden Sands Hotel and Resorts.
From the moment you step in and throughout the check-in process, you will be embraced with their Malaysian hospitality - smiles that can be found on every single staff member.
Thanks to the General Manager, Mr Christ, for the wonderful attention we received every single day from all of your staff.
You will never find a duty manager washing and ironing your pants till 3 am because it was damaged by the laundry service the hotel used - thank you very much Mrs Melanie.
Rooms have old furnitures, it’s a 45 years old hotel, but they are cleaned daily morning and evening with the care you can find in your home.
We were pampered every single morning for breakfast with freshed squeezed fruit juice by Mrs Angeline and Mrs Jalita. A special thanks also to Mr Harun who was thoughtful on checking every single detail of our meal with the chef Mrs Rose.
It’s a family resort so you will find all activities and live music performances.
If I have to find a negative remark I can’t find it even if I push myself.
The massages were fantastic from the incredible foot therapists, Mrs Jessy and Mr Raymund.
The resort manager Mr Jagen will check every single detail before leaving to go back home every day.
Once again thanks for embracing us as a part of this big family called Shangri La.
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
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Response from GSH Team, Owner at Shangri-La Golden Sands, Penang
Responded 6 Feb 2024
Dear vertu1972, Thank you for sharing your wonderful stay at Golden Sands. it has been our pleasure have you with us during your vacation. We look forward to welcoming you back for another exceptional stay. Regards, Markus Christ Area General Manager
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Our booking was for 3 in a room. However when we got to our room, no arrangement had been made to prepare the room for 3 guests: there were only 2 bath towels, 2 slippers, 2 glasses, no extra bed. We made a call to front desk specifically requesting for the specific items that were short. Housekeeping arrived later with the extra bed and the towels but not the other items requested for which a repeat request became warranted.
Found hair (a long strand which none of us 3 sported) on the bathtub floor when we entered the room, raising questions about the level of cleaning done.
A good array of the usual toiletries was provided but no hand or face towels.
The breakfast buffet had a wide selection which was replenished regularly.
Noise from furniture dragging upstairs seemed amplified, perhaps due to the thin floor plates, this being a building dating back several decades. Likewise for noise from the corridor outside.
This is essentially a hotel catering to young families with children. Expect large crowds during the school holidays, with crowding at the small lift lobbies.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from GSH Team, Owner at Shangri-La Golden Sands, Penang
Responded 4 Jan 2024
Dear CasaKemara, Thank you for sharing your review. We appreciate your comments on our continuous improvement to enhance our guests' stay experience, especially during peak periods. We hope to have another opportunity to welcome you back soon. Regards, Markus Christ Area General Manager
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When we arrived the hotel was having issues with key cards meaning check in took a while. This also meant we couldn’t get our key card until the next morning so had to be let into our room by a member of staff. However, the staff were very lovely and apologetic about this. We came in the next day to find some biscuits and an apology in our room for any inconvenience which was very sweet of them.
This hotel has all of the amenities. The room was large (a little old fashioned) but the bed was comfortable, toiletries and water were provided and replenished daily if necessary. The shower was also great and there was plenty of storage space in the room.
There are various pools to choose from and plenty of sunbeds throughout the day.
Breakfast was fine; we had to go to the ‘overflow’ restaurant most days but it was actually a lot more peaceful down there.
There is a bus stop directly outside of the hotel which is very handy and it costs 2.70RM to get into Georgetown.
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from GSH Team, Owner at Shangri-La Golden Sands, Penang
Responded 21 Feb 2024
Dear Anyas016, Thank you for sharing your wonderful stay experience. We look forward to welcoming you back soon. Regards, Markus Christ Area General Manager
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Batu Ferringhi Beach is the most beautiful beach on Penang Island. Surrounded by the sea, Penang Island forms a harbor surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing the sea on one side. Penang Sands Shangri-La is like a pearl inlaid on this most beautiful coast. The sea water here is clear and transparent, and the waves are not big but they keep beating. The beach here is arranged in a straight line on the coastline, and the sand is fine and soft. The mountains here are not high, extending into the sea, standing on both sides and facing each other, verdant and green. It is also a great place to watch the sunset. At around 7 o'clock in the evening, when I was barefoot on the beach, running towards the direction where the sun was slowly setting, I saw the sun was red like a huge fireball, round like a huge red plate hanging in the sky, as if falling into the sea, and the unknown mountain seemed to stretch out its hands to hold up the sun. The clouds in the sky were as red as if they were burned by fire, and the gorgeous sunset glowed against the blue sea and the rolling mountains, which was very beautiful. Tourists in groups of three or two rushed to appreciate the sunset at dusk, some picked up their mobile phones, and some picked up their cameras to shoot the beautiful sunset scenery of the mountains and the sea. In the dusk, motorboats on the sea cut through the waves, banana boats dragged paragliders in the air, and yachts that went out to sea returned to the shore. On the beach, tourists rode back and forth on horses, and the horses' hooves were deeply imprinted in the sand. Couples walked hand in hand, and people of different skin colors enjoyed this wonderful time in this bay. Although there were no seagulls, black crows flew to the sea for a while, and then returned to land on the branches on the shore, flying back and forth, as if to cover the sea and the sky with their blackness. The sun finally set, and I don’t know whether it fell into the sea, fell in the mountains, or fell in a place that people can’t see. The night finally fell, the sea was pitch black, the mountains gradually disappeared, I could only feel the sea breeze caressing my cheeks, and the sound of the waves in my ears. Life is like the sun, no matter how great or small, no matter how rich or poor, it rises and always has a time to fall!
2024.1.23. At Shangri-La, Penang.
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Date of stay: January 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The check in experience was chaotic on a thursday evening when we landed. Noted unlike any other Shangrillas Welcome drink was not offered and there were only 1 or 2 staff trying to cope up with the guests checking in. The staff coud not explain much about the pre purchased items and needs some upskilling training to be at par with Shanrilla Brand. Similarly noted the restaturant Garden Cafe food was completely cold and will recommend anyone to give it a miss and visit the Long Beach Hawker centre for a much better food experience. Rest all positive, my baby liked the pool, other than the reception on day 1 the rest staff were all professional like Dev at the concierge, Shamilma (Not sure I noted the name correctly) was exptremely helpful in getting porrige/fries for the baby (two thumbs up for her attentive service), facilities were all good, location near to night market, food/beverages were priced reasonably compared to any other Shangrilla properties I have visited across Asean in recent years. Btw noted a peculiar isue we did not have a safe deposit vault at the room and it took some 45 minutes to explain the service centre and sort it out. Guess the root cause of all these is their shortage of skilled staff. The property is also getting a bit dated but understnad Covid has caused havoc and this one I will ignore.
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Date of stay: March 2023
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:Check the safe box at the room at the time of checking in
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from GSH Team, Owner at Shangri-La Golden Sands, Penang
Responded 29 Mar 2023
Dear samitdeb, Thank you for sharing your recent stay experience with us. We have taken note on your feedback for our continuous improvement, and we hope to have another opportunity to welcome you back in the near future. Regards, Markus Christ General Manager
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Been staying here for nearly a week and it has been a lovely stay. The location of the hotel has a beautiful view when looking out towards the sea, the food was great from a buffet style of food during both dinner and breakfast. However, if you are like me, wanting to eat lite then you can choose to order from the menu instead too. The service was great with very friendly and helpful staff members especially a staff member named Wind providing assistance during our stay. The room is very spacious with plenty of room to move around and if that isn't enough a sea park for the kids to play or a long walk along the beach with plenty of sun depending on the season you come at. I would definitely come here again as the location is close to Gurney too, roughly 30 minutes by taxi, if you wish to go shopping or you can go to the local shops across the street as they have a wide variety of food selection too if you want to try more local delicacy.
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Date of stay: November 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Remember to bring the proper swimming attire for the pool.
They offer a free shuffle bus at set...
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Response from GSH Team, Owner at Shangri-La Golden Sands, Penang
Responded 14 Nov 2023
Dear Nomad08362268654, Thank you for sharing your wonderful stay. We look forward to welcoming you back for another memorable experience. Regards, Markus Christ Area General Manager
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We will never stay at a shangri la hotel again, I can't understand if this is really a shangri-la hotel or whether they just rent the name, either way, this place is dreadful and has put us off for life. What a disgrace. Our room was infested with tiny bugs, on every surface. There were feces on the balcony, there were clumps of black hair in the bed and on the floor, the bathroom was filthy, there was cigarette ash everywhere. None of the surfaces were truly clean. The wallpaper is damp and peeling off around the skirting boards. This room had just been cleaned apparently, and was ready to welcome new guests. Throughout the resort there was food/plates left on the floor, near the sunbeds, everywhere attracting tons of birds that were defecating on the sunbeds and tables, there were glasses strewn over the floor and it was just simply a dirty, unhygienic place. None of the staff seem to care about cleaning up whatsoever. The music and noise are also unbearable from all angles and there is terrible loud music played around the pool that there is no escape from. There is nowhere relaxing to rest. Not even your hotel room escapes the noise. Awful awful awful.
Anyway, we checked out 2 hours after checking in and demanded a full refund. The manager tried to make us pay for our first night, but we said absolutely not. She assured us we would have a refund in our account in 30 days. Lies! She lied to us. This refund is now well overdue and they are now non-responsive when we try to contact them.
Nightmare, this is a disgusting place that reels you in with the name and fake photos. It's an overpriced hell hole. Don't ruin your holiday by going here (if you end up there and need to escape, there's a beautiful boutique hotel right next door with amazing rooms, food, and for a cheaper price where you will be treated like royalty, rather than someone to scam and lie to.
Shame on you Shangri La! You'll be hearing from us regarding our refund.
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Avoid it.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from GSH Team, Owner at Shangri-La Golden Sands, Penang
Responded 31 Jan 2024
Dear Daydream01104363997, We are extremely concerned about the issues you encountered. We will be contacting you directly to resolve the issue. Thank you. Regards, Markus Christ Area General Manager
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Hotel was beautiful and lots to do if you have kids. I had some work in Penang and took my kids along. Requested for an early check in as I was rushing for my appointment. Staff made us feel welcome and kids could play board games at the kids area while waiting for our room. Shout out to Ms.Cecilia, she was so welcoming and made us feel at home. Excellent service from her 👍👍👍 from the time we arrived till we check out. Also wanna thank staff Umairah and Devi who helped me when we decided to extend our stay. Food was good, rooms clean and hotel also very clean. We ordered slushies while kids were swimming but it was tooo sweet. Hope they cut down on the extra sugar there. Alot of games and kids adventure park was fun. Beach nothing much but lots to do at the hotel. Overall good hotel and highly recommended for family stay.
Will surely plan another trip :)
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Date of stay: April 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from GSH Team, Owner at Shangri-La Golden Sands, Penang
Responded 6 May 2024
Dear Travel19449130396, Thank you for sharing your review. We are pleased to hear about your wonderful stay experience. Looking forward to welcoming you back soon. Regards, Markus Christ Area General Manager
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I had the opportunity to stay at the wonderful Golden Sands Resort in Penang with my family, after staying a couple of days in a city hotel in Penang.
As we arrive early, I tried my luck for an early check in. The whole are is bright and sunny, and the pools are in full view in the front office area while waiting for check-in. The front office team, led by the Duty Manager Ratana could do no wrong. Very prompt in her actions, polite and tries her best to accede to our request. Kudos to her and her team including Sky, who also attended to me.
The room assigned was big and spacious at the corner, and have a wonderful view of the pool area and the sea just in front. While the furniture are dated (normal of an older hotel), but the room is clean. Fault with the sink, is prompted fixed and attended to by their engineering team after a call. The kids hit the pool and had a wonderful time playing there, with one area of the pool thoughtfully shaded. Another thing worth mentioning is that there is a water cooler with cups located just beside the pool that everyone can have access to. The slides are fantastic, and manned by 2 staff at the top. The beach is conveniently located just in front of the resort where all sorts of beach activities can be found with many vendors. You can enjoy parasailing, jet ski and many more. Kids have a wonderful time picking small seashells at the beach too.
Breakfast boast a wonderful variety of food items, and have one small corner for kids. This is what we look forward to the most whenever we stay at a Shang hotel. Service is as usual excellent and could find no fault with the breakfast team.
Importantly, where the hotel is located, serves as a convenient base to visit various places around the western part of Penang. Escape Penang and the Butterfly farm is just a 10mins grab ride away. If you prefer local food, options are readily available just across the road from the entrance a minute away. Get wonderful Char Kuey Teow just across the road, with Mcdonalds further in. There is a food court just 3 mins walk away from the entrance on the right where you can enjoy very reasonable priced local food like BBQ seafood, sting ray, and chicken wings, fried oysters western food, fried rice etc. Durian sellers are all around this area and walking distance from the hotels too.
Overall, it was a fantastic experience in Shangri-La Golden Sands as with all Shang hotels I have stayed, and kudos to the GM Marcus for leading the team to such impeccable service standards. Congratulations! I will certainly be back and this will definitely my hotel of choice at my next visit to Penang!
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Date of stay: June 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from GSH Team, Owner at Shangri-La Golden Sands, Penang
Responded 21 Jun 2024
Dear Jonathan N, Thank you for choosing to stay at Golden Sands Resort and for sharing your wonderful experience with us! We are thrilled to hear that you and your family had a fantastic time at our resort. It's delightful to know that you enjoyed our bright and sunny pool area, the prompt and courteous service provided by our front office team, especially Ratana and Sky, and the spacious room with a stunning view of the pool area and the sea. We are glad that you found our pools and slides enjoyable, and that your kids had a wonderful time playing there. It's also great to hear that you appreciated the thoughtful amenities, such as the shaded pool area and the water cooler by the pool. Furthermore, we are delighted that you enjoyed our breakfast offerings and that our service met your expectations. Your kind words about our breakfast team are truly appreciated. We are also pleased to hear that you found our location convenient for exploring the western part of Penang and that you were able to enjoy the local food and activities nearby. Your compliments for our team's service standards are greatly appreciated. We look forward to welcoming you back to Golden Sands Resort for another memorable stay on your next visit to Penang! Regards, Markus Christ Area General Manager
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Firstly this is not a 4 star resort, 3 star would be more appropriate.
The resort grounds are beautiful, the bedrooms basic with lots of thick dust in corners. We found a scarf pin on the floor on arrival , needless to say the room is not given a good clean. Had there been kids with us that could have proved to be very serious if any child came across that.
This resort during holidays is not suitable for couples at all. It’s literally a crèche for children during Christmas. We had a room facing the pool we did not venture to use the pool as it was full of children , maybe my mistake to assume the kids and adult pools would be separate.
The noise from the pool is ear piercing in the mornings and it stays that way until pool access ends . I am leaving with a headache not relaxed.
They do not replenish the complimentary teas and milk in the room, you literally have to call everyday to ask for this. When they do replenish they give you one English tea bag for two people?
Any request requires you to wait a long time, we waited over 40 minutes for an iron to be replaced As they provided us with a cracked iron telling us housekeeping is ‘busy’. At the end we lost our restaurant reservation and we went out.
The wait times would not be a real problem but it becomes one when you see staff just on their phones constantly and gathering . They have ample time to do chit chat between themselves and check their personal phones but not to actually give their customers a good experience.
The pricing for the rooms does not reflect the stay at the resort. We have been on a tour of Asia and have been travelling a lot. We stayed in a 5 star resort in Malaysia and it was a dream the service was amazing and the ambience and they were cheaper ! Shocking to charge such prices for a below average experience .
The hotel has a staff member called Nizam at front desk who is an asset to the resort, he was professional and gave a good experience .
As a couple this is not the resort to book but a fantastic place for families with kids.
Shangri la, this isn’t half of what I wanted to write and I hope that you invest in your staff and resort going forward.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Avoid Christmas period as a couple
You are not booking a 4 star resort it is a 3 star resort at...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from GSH Team, Owner at Shangri-La Golden Sands, Penang
Responded 4 Jan 2024
Dear 123456zainab, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We apologise for the inconvenience you experienced throughout your stay. We strive to enhance our guests' stay experience and will continue to improve our services and facilities, especially during peak periods. We hope you will provide us with another opportunity to welcome you back for a truly memorable stay at Golden Sands in the near future. Regards, Markus Christ Area General Manager
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Water is offered free in your room. There are taps everywhere and showers by the pool. If you want bottled water in the restaurants then you need to pay!
Yes, hair dryer is in the bathroom or the closet area along with an iron and ironing board. If they aren't in the room, you can request housekeeping to bring them as they are standard.
They also have self-serve laundry and dryer. It's not cheap compared to those down the road but it's a large load and you can wait in your room or in the pool!
Hi there, not that I know.
You can use the facilities at Golden Sands if you stay at Rasa Sayang but it doesn't work the other way around. I'm not sure if they have changed though,
There are more places to choose from in the Batu Ferringhi area.
PRICE RANGE
RM 415 - RM 624 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
golden sands resort by shangri-la hotel batu ferringhi, golden sands batu ferringhi
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Shangri-la's Golden Sands Resort
LOCATION
MalaysiaPenangPenang IslandBatu Ferringhi
NUMBER OF ROOMS
387
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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