Shangri-La Golden Sands, Penang

MD RIDZUAN YEE

I returned to Shangri-La Golden Sands Penang after a year and noticed quite a number of changes — mostly positive. The hotel is still great, especially for families, with plenty of outdoor slides and kids-friendly facilities. My children really enjoyed themselves. However, there was one part of the stay that I didn’t enjoy: the breakfast experience. During my visit, the breakfast area was crowded with a large company retreat group. Almost 80% of the seats were taken by them, and many of them were hogging seats for long periods. They were also talking and laughing loudly, which made my family and I uncomfortable. We came to relax and enjoy our morning, but instead felt disturbed. I strongly feel that management should consider separating large retreat groups from regular guests during breakfast. Mixing everyone together affected the comfort and experience for families like us. Aside from that, I still like the hotel overall. I shared my feedback with the duty manager — a helpful Indian lady (unfortunately I didn’t get her name). I hope the hotel considers this for future improvements.

Radyum Ikono

It was a pleasant stay. What we loved most was the location and the pools. Breakfast was okay, acceptable. The only negative thing is the room as it is an old hotel, but i think it is still acceptable. Also, just an input: maybe you can do something about the beach to make it better. Our kids really loved the hotel and said they really want to come back here again

Iris Wong

Lovely hotel with friendly and helpful staff. The pool is very nice with lots of different areas - some for adults only and some for kids, and there are also two water slides. Also lots of deck chairs and tables, and even massage service. The shops inside the hotel also sells swimwear and water toys at a reasonable price. The breakfast buffet has a large and diverse offering. The Adventure Zone with slides was great too for the kids.

MOHAMAD ALIF MOHD KHAIR (Flying Duck)

This was my first and last visit to this hotel. While the breakfast quality was good, the overall experience was marred by discriminatory treatment and poor management. Staff Bias: The staff consistently showed preferential treatment towards foreign tourists. When issues arose, they immediately sided with foreign guests without hearing our side of the story. This included incidents at the pool where complaints were made about our children, and the staff automatically assumed we were at fault. Breakfast Incident: We reserved a table and placed our belongings (including a tumbler) to hold it while getting food. When we returned, a foreign tourist couple had taken our table with their food. Instead of asking them to move, the staff told US to find another table. This was frustrating and embarrassing. Uncomfortable Atmosphere: Throughout our stay, we felt unwelcome and received judgmental looks from some foreign tourists, as if locals didn't belong in this hotel. The staff's enabling of this behavior made it worse. My Recommendation: As a local traveler, I cannot recommend this hotel. If you're looking for better service and respect, go to Park Royal, Penang and by the way Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Sabah is far superior. I hope the management addresses these discrimination issues for future local guests.

Nabila Jailani

I stayed at a hotel for a few days and had a pleasant experience. The check-in process was quick, and the staff were friendly and helpful. The room was clean, comfortable, and well-organized, with fresh towels and a nice view. The hotel was quiet at night, which made it easy to rest. Breakfast was included and offered a good variety of food. Overall, the stay was relaxing and enjoyable, and I would consider staying there again.