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| View from our room at Parkroyal Penang |
As part of my road trip to my favorite Malaysian rest and relax destinations, Wifey and I chose Parkroyal Penang Resort for our stay in Penang. Parkroyal Penang is a 309 rooms 5 star beach resort located at the heart of a popular Penang tourist attraction area called Batu Ferrighi Beach. I have frequented this resort for a long time, in fact since I was a teenager when I was brought there by my parents. Of course, I have tried out other resorts in Batu Ferringhi but there is something special about this resort that kept me going back even until today.
First experience upon arrival...
Having stayed at Parkroyal Penang about 2 years ago, the resort looks exactly how I remembered it to be. Having said that, I noticed instantly that something has improved significantly upon checking in at the reception. It's the Customer Experience. The warm and friendly hotel staff provided us with a map of the resort and city centre as well as walked us through the facilities in the resort. The hotel concierge was very helpful and proactive who approached us to help out with our luggage without even being asked. Most importantly, almost every hotel staff that we met throughout our entire 3 nights stay there has never failed to wish us with a smile.
Grand Deluxe Ocean Room
The room definitely exceeded my expectations. Given the age of the resort, I was pleasantly surprised that the room condition was pretty well maintained. I especially like the lighthing used in the room which makes it cosy, warm and romantic.
Remember about customer experience I mentioned earlier? It is quite obvious that the resort put in much effort to deliver the best customer experience.  |
| This one is the "wow" factor for me...Business magazine, chocolates, local biscuit and drinks |
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| A pair of swan folded from towels. Towel origami is getting more and more popular these days :) |
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| I think it is a brilliant idea to provide the Tambun Biscuit and Nutmeg Juice which are popular in Penang and not to be missed. |
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| At the balcony. |
Little things that count... To be honest I think the resort has done a good job to deliver the service quality that exceeds expectations. I was pleased to find out that they also provide ice dispenser machine on each floor and since they also provide thermos flask in the room, I can keep icy cold water all the time in the room which will be ready to drink anytime I want it. A pleasing relief from the hot and sunny environment in Penang. Tourists may be happy to find out that the resort also provides complimentary self service laundry at the basement instead of just charging exorbitant prices for laundry services.
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Toiletries provided in the room...quite classy actually. It carries the brand of St. Gregory which is the name of the SPA in the Resort.
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The layout of attached bathroom is satisfactory. It isn't that big so resort guests will not be able to enjoy the luxury of having a separate shower and bath tub area. Otherwise, it would have been an added advantage. Not much complaint actually... most importantly it is squeaky clean.
To the F&B Section...
This is probably the reason why I end up choosing this resort as my accommodation in Penang for many times. As far as I can remember, I have always enjoyed having buffet breakfast at this resort. The daily buffet breakfast at Tamarind Brasserie adopts open concept and offers great view of the garden and the sea. To be honest, this is something that I look forward to every morning. Recommend to have the breakfast earlier in morning to beat the crowd and enjoy the morning sea breeze. They also alternate some of the food items on daily basis. I enjoy the local noodles (changed on daily basis) the most which is delicious and the closest you can find to the ones you can get in the city centre. Frankly I find the noodles taste even better than some those served by nearby hawker stalls in Batu Ferengghi.
Tamarind Brasserie: |
| Great environment to start your day.... |
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| Wide variety of food including vegetable juicing station, kids corner and coffee machines. |
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| Mee Jawa. |
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| The resort can get a bit busy at times especially over weekends and holidays, so it is advisable to start your breakfast early :) |
Cool Bananas:
It is actually a poolside cafe which is also close to the garden leading up to the beach hence you do get a nice view from here too. However unlike poolside cafes in most resorts, I like the idea that this one is air conditioned and equipped with access to wi-fi. I spent some time here in the afternoon writing blogs and at the same time have a light lunch since I already had a hearty buffet breakfast earlier in the morning.
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| Freshly brewed coffee. Not sure what type of beans they use but the aroma was pretty strong and those caffeine addict like myself would love it. |
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| For those who wish to sit outside the air conditioned cafe. |
Javana Lounge
To wind down our day, Wifey and I decided to head to the Javana Lounge to chill out as well as to enjoy the live band that performs daily there. If you prefer live band that performs more to the tune of sentimental and oldies this is probably the place for you too. I like this place except that I felt the place is a little warm as there is no air conditioning. This of course depends on where you are seated. If you are sitting nearby a fan it should quite breezy and comfortable enough.
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| I was pretty addicted to the coffee.... |
Relax At St. Gregory Spa
No rest and relax trip is complete without a visit to the in house spa, St Gregory which operates not only in Parkroyal Penang but also in other hotels or resorts under the Pan Pacific Hotels Group. Wifey and I decided to book early for our treatment sessions ie on our very first day we arrived to make sure that we can have our treatments at a convenient time.
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| Entrance to St. Gregory Spa |
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| Wifey waiting for her treatment session over a glass of ginger tea.... |
For the body treatment, we took a promotion package which include a 60 mins massage and a 30 minutes body scrub for only RM280 per person. It's pretty good value for a 5 star resort. I also decided to pamper myself further with the Thalgo Cold Marine Facial to provide some nourishment that my face desperately needs. As the name suggest, Thalgo is the name of the product used for the facial which is imported from France.
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| Couple Treatment Room |
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| A Tub For 2 Person In The Couple Treatment Room |
Surrounding Within The Resort
Simply put it, this resort is just beautiful. Big enough for me to enjoy my daily morning and evening walks. This is exactly what you would expect from a paradise, surrounded by greenery and great view of the ocean.
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| view from my room |
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| You can have romantic dinner here @ Uncle Zack by the beach. |
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| Love the garden layout and landscaping. |
The Gym
A nice workout at a gym is definitely important to burn the extra calories gained. It is worthy to mention that the resort has a fully equipped gym from treadmills to weight machines.
It's Not Only For Couples
While this resort is definitely a suitable place for couples to spend a romantic time, it is also a great place for families with kids.
Parents can have a fun time with their kids in the family pool that comes with water slide. Kids will definitely love it. The resort has 2 pools ie a family pool and an adult pool.
Alternatively kids can spend some time at the Koko-Nut Kid's club where kids can enjoy a variety of games and activities.
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| There is even a kid's corner at the buffet breakfast. |
To Sum It Up...
Wifey and I spent 3 nights here and honestly I was pretty satisfied and even impressed to a certain extent. It is a beautiful resort that offers good value for money. This is especially true for foreign tourist who will be able to enjoy this luxurious hotel at a better bargain given the depreciating local currency (Ringgit). To me, the wow factor for this resort is the emphasis on customer experience as mentioned earlier.
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