Beach hotels in Penang, Malaysia

this hotel is good overall, but when we arrived, they told us that we didn't have a booking with them and they couldn't locate our booking and details. the room was also said to be taken, and they are waiting for a cancellation in order to get our room. There is a lot of confusion among staff. some visitors were told to leave their rooms once they have entered. we waiting 1 hr 30 min to get our room. so check in was at 4.30pm. parking was also very inconvenient, as we had to park at the basement, which was impossible to even get one if you came into the hotel late and a T&G card was also needed to get validated before leaving the hotel if we wanted a free spot. Room was very spacious and clean. the tea and coffee was hard like its never been changed.

The hotel staff were incredibly dedicated and responsive to all our requests. The room was clean and tidy. The beach behind the hotel is a bit small, but it's shared with the neighboring hotels, so you can walk along it, and the scenery is still beautiful. However, the hotel's internal landscaping is fantastic. It's definitely worth another visit.

Overall, I'm satisfied, but of course, there were a few things that weren't perfect, haha. Check-in was good and fast, even though there were a lot of people. There was complimentary juice while waiting to check-in. The swimming pool is great and big, with slides for kids too. The kids' room is amazing, with a ball pit, PS5 games, slides, and more! The kids' room is definitely the best 👍🏻 Breakfast was a bit disappointing because the table I got was hot. Didn't feel the air conditioning at all. The room was great, sea view, and clean. Parking was a bit difficult. It's first-come, first-served, or you'll have to valet park if you want secure parking. The staff were very friendly. Excellent.

Getting to Shangri-La Rasa Sayang from the airport takes about 50 minutes by Grab (around 70+ MYR, 100+ MYR at night). From George Town, it's about a 20-minute Grab ride (around 20+ MYR). The hotel offers two free shuttle buses daily to and from George Town (see picture 5; just book at the concierge desk). Alternatively, public bus 101 stops right outside the hotel and goes to George Town (2.7 MYR per person, cash only). The hotel is huge, connected to the Golden Sands next door. You can explore both on foot or by using the hotel's complimentary buggy service. The breakfast selection is decent, but nothing particularly stood out to me. Room cleanliness, water pressure, and air conditioning were generally satisfactory. The toiletries are Shangri-La's own brand, with that distinctive Southeast Asian scent, and the bedding was very comfortable. The hotel is very close to Batu Ferringhi Beach, within walking distance. It's a great spot to watch the sunset, grab dinner, and then enjoy a fire show after dark – very chill. Across from the hotel, there's a durian shop offering an 88 MYR all-you-can-eat buffet. However, I'd recommend buying individual 'Black Thorn,' 'Red Prawn,' and 'Musang King' durians instead; these Penang specialties are delicious and better value. You can pay with cash (MYR) or Alipay (at an exchange rate of 1.7 to RMB). A special shout-out to the concierge service! We had an early morning flight home and wanted to explore George Town after checking out, but dragging luggage around would have been inconvenient. The concierge proactively arranged for us to store our luggage for free at their sister hotel, Shangri-La's Hotel JEN George Town. Even better, after our sightseeing, we were allowed to use Hotel JEN's gym and showers free of charge (Penang is hot and humid, so you get sweaty quickly outdoors). This meant we could freshen up before heading to the airport. From Hotel JEN, a Grab to the airport costs about 30+ MYR, or you can take public buses 102/401/401E directly from behind the hotel for just 2.7 MYR per person.

I did a lot of research before deciding on Hotel Sentral Seaview by the Beach. Most reviews weren’t favorable however I was willing to take a risk considering my last hotel was horrible. Overall, I was surprised and it has exceeded my expectations. Having said that my expectations were pretty low! Positives: - Rooms were clean. The hardware of the hotel has undergone some major wear and tear. However, the hotel and room has undergone a fresh coat of paint. There is a faint smell of paint, but that for me wasn’t a negative. - Initially in my room was facing the hotel next-door. On the same level I could see the security guards and the neighbor hotel walk back-and-forth. As a female guest, this made me feel super uncomfortable. I went downstairs and requested a room change. The response from the front desk was “Just close your curtains.” In the end I was changed to another room on the other side of the hotel facing the ocean. - The view! Wow. Seeing and hearing the waves from the beach.. all the stress falls away! Because I was given this room, I made the decision to rebook another 2 nights at the hotel! - Wi-Fi was strong. - Hardly anyone using the pool, which made it really peaceful and quiet. Water is cool and clean. On the first day I was there the hotel were doing maintenance and cleaning of the pool area. - The beach is quiet (not many people) - and quite clean. - Right in front of the hotel, few footsteps away is a huge food court with lots of variety of food. It’s fantastic. 10 min walk is Lotus Mall. - There is a bus stop outside. Take 101 to go to Batu Ferringhi Beach. - 200 m from the hotel is the Oceano Symphony cafe. Good food and drinks. - Breakfast - was basic but ok. - Staff are friendly and helpful! Overall, the positives outweighed the negatives. I can understand that this hotel may not be the standard of a lot of international guests. But for peace, little crowds and sounds of the waves, in a quiet spot on the Penang island it’s been great.

The staff were really friendly, and there was Chinese-speaking service available. A special shout-out to the young lady who spoke Chinese, she was wonderful! Maybe because there weren't many tourists, the hotel upgraded our room. For dinner, we just scanned a QR code and ordered directly to our room, and the food was delicious. Breakfast was excellent too. We saw a lizard, and in the morning, monkeys were right below our balcony. It's also very close to the beach for the fire show. All in all, it was a very satisfying trip!

Overall, my stay was quite good. The hotel's location is excellent, making it super convenient for getting around and shopping. The room was cleaned well, and the bed was comfortable. The front desk staff were professional, and the check-in process was smooth. The views were also pretty nice. The main drawback is that the hotel facilities are a bit dated. The bathroom fixtures and air conditioning show signs of wear, and some equipment made slight noises when operating. The soundproofing in the room isn't great, as I could hear activity from the hallway. For its price range, it's about average. It's perfectly fine for a temporary stay, but if you're looking for brand new and fully modern amenities, you might want to compare with other options.

We had a pleasant stay although its just for a night. The downside is the time delay during check in which approximately around 10-20 minutes of waiting since our room has not completely prepared. It is a bit frustrating since we come at 3.30pm which 30 minutes late of the standard check-in time. However, the hotel had prepared extra bed (FOC) which we believe is a nice gesture from them to compensate the bad experience. The room is spacious and got terrace with really nice beach view. The breakfast spread is full of variety and just nice.

Positive -have requested for a connecting room， and hotel arranged the connecting room for us. The buffer restaurant got a nice view, but not our room, Negative - we were allocated the room could see the opposite building closely, means other buildings could see us as well. No privacy at all. Rooms getting a bit dated The rubbish bin not clean up every day We haven't been notified there was a short renovation upstairs in the afternoon, we were taking rest at the hotel by that time. The worse is after we come back from dinner, the light at the corridor and in our room all dark. This is the first time I experienced all night off in my hotel room. The manager told me that because we switched off the main switch, and made both rooms light off. Do you think it is possible for us even turn off the corridor light and another room night? In fact, we never turn off the light.

I really enjoyed my stay at Mercure Penang Beach. It was the perfect place for our little babymoon trip. The staff were amazing - all of them were so friendly, attentive, and the hospitality was outstanding. They made sure we had everything we needed and responded to us very quickly. I also made a special request for honeymoon arrangements, and I was so touched when the staff came to our room with a chocolate cake. It was such a sweet surprise that made our stay even more memorable and happy. The facilities were clean and comfortable, and the overall experience was fantastic. I highly recommend this hotel to couples and families. We will definitely be back. Thank you Mercure Penang Beach for the wonderful memories!`