Continuing on from my review of our Garden Wing Deluxe Seaview Room at Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort in Penang, Malaysia, here’s where you can eat and what you can do within the resort.
Spice Market in the Garden Wing is the resort’s buffet restaurant. This is open for all guests of the resort. The restaurant has a diverse offering in its breakfast buffet. Various Asian cuisine is present, including the local Nyonya-Baba, as do western and other international cuisine.
The entrance of the cafe looks like a spice shop of yore with its display of spices and sauces. They’re actually more than just decoration — you can actually buy spices here!
Similar to Shangri-La Hotel’s Horizon Club Lounge, the Ferringhi Grill is the breakfast venue exclusive to Rasa Wing guests. Though the buffet selection is much smaller than that of Spice Market’s, there are still enough choices to whet your appetite or craving. You can order from a selection of entrees and order eggs done however you want.
As I’ve been having some mad craving for murtabak, I was delighted when I spotted it in the menu and promptly ordered it. It comes with a bowl of dal, pickled onion, and chutney. Heaven.
The FIP is actually a fairly recent addition to the resort. This is a lounge open the while day, and well into the night. They feature fun items in their uniquely presented menu, like tic-tac-toe macarons, chicken and crab sliders checker board, and beer in solid ice mug.
There are several cushy seats around the lounge, and guests can also borrow board games to play. There is a pool table, a dart arcade game, a trick eye wall, a gorilla popping out of a doorway, and a big screen TV tuned in to the sports channel.
We went to FIP for dessert and drinks, and it’s a really chill and unpretentious place. Since many of the resort guests are families, the vibe is really wholesome. To be honest, I find it refreshing to see parents hanging out with their kids at the lounge and playing pool.
The focal point of the resort is its gorgeous free-form pool. There is a small wading pool for the little ones, and a really deep section for those who, I don’t know, like to dive deep? Like all the other Shangri-La properties I’ve been to, there is also a jacuzzi. Parched? Ice cold water is available for all guests at the towel station.
Like all other resorts in Batu Ferringhi, Rasa Sayang Resort has a third party handling the beach activities. At the beach, you can ride horses, jet ski, or parasail, which is very popular among the beachgoers.
There is also an indoor gym, as well as hair and nail salon (which I guess is popular among guests who are there to attend a wedding).
Shangri-La’s Chi, The Spa is also in a secluded corner of the Rasa Wing. There are 11 spa villas, a yoga villa, and the Chi Boutique, where you can buy the products used in your treatment, including their unbelievably soft cashmere robe.
The resort also offer daily activities like golf putting competition in their Par 3 Pitch and Putt Golf Course, yard games, water volleyball, sand castle competition, and a cooking demonstration at the Spice Market Cafe.
While the main attraction of Batu Ferringhi is its beach, you can also check out some nearby attractions like the Tropical Spice Garden (do have lunch at the Tree Monkey Restaurant!), and the Batik Factory. There’s also ESCAPE, which is an eco-theme park, Penang Butterfly Farm, and the Penang National Park.
If you want to explore Georgetown, Shangri-La offers a complimentary shuttle to Hotel Jen Penang in Georgetown. The shuttle from the resort leaves at 10:10 am, 12:10 am, 2:40 pm, 4:40 pm, and the shuttle going back to the resort leaves Hotel Jen at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:30 pm, and 5:30 pm. This shuttle is shared with guests of the Golden Sands Resort, so seats in the bus needs to be booked in advance at the concierge.
Batu Ferringhi feels like a world away from Georgetown despite being just 30 minutes away. If you have five days to spend in Penang, I highly recommend that you stay at least overnight in Batu Ferringhi. A day trip is fine, but to get the full experience of the town, it’s best to stay a night or two to get you into full relaxation mode.
Once again, thank you so much to the lovely people of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts for this wonderful opportunity!
This post was last modified on Friday, 28 August 2015 01:37
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