5-Star Hotels in Penang, Malaysia

Let me start with the location. -a little bit far from the center, had to drive around 5-10 mins to reach nearest 7e. forget about the other attractions, it needs more than 30 mins from the hotel. Staff. -i dont know but i feel like not helpful enough. they could’ve done better for the so called “5 stars” hotel wannabe. Cleanliness. -well it was clean BUT! right when we entered the room we saw the notice of the charlie ants. we were so scared to touch the floor with bare foot as i lost count on how much we had seen and managed to kill the insects on our own! Buffet. -was ok, not the best. many verities to choose from. well at least they tried. Facilities. -they won this time. my only complaint was the insects on the floor and walls of the toilet.

Stayed at Lone Pine Hotel recently and loved my ground‑floor sea‑facing room. Super clean, comfy, and literally steps from the beach though it is fenced up to demarcate the hotel's grounds. Parking was easy, and the whole area is convenient — hawker stalls, beach bars, and convenience stores all within a short walk. Breakfast buffet was solid too, with a nice mix of local and Western stuff. Great way to start the day. Only complaint? The 3rd party water sports guys clutter the beachfront with equipment, and an excavator on the sand ruins the sea view. There was also an excavator parked on the beach, doing who‑knows‑what, which disrupted the otherwise serene beachfront setting. Despite these external issues, Lone Pine itself delivers a comfortable, convenient, and enjoyable stay. I would return — hopefully with a clearer sea view next time.

The room is as pictured however the soundproof is poor and overall in room cleanliness need improvement. We were locked out from one of our room due to the door lock not functioning, it took some time for them to unlock. Hotel management need to put in more effort for regular room conditions check up. Public areas and facilities requires better maintenance especially after rain, spa (fully booked) and shuttle service need more consideration to accommodate in house guest needs. Food and beverages from in house restaurants are acceptable, the cooling station is very helpful in this hot and humid weather. Their staffs are friendly and try their best to assist.

How do I put this? I looked at so many beachfront hotels when planning a few relaxing days by the sea in Penang, and almost none of them seemed perfect. The photos looked good, but reviews often mentioned they were old or that the sea wasn't great. I booked this Parkroyal after much deliberation, canceling my previous bookings at Shangri-La and Hard Rock. I had a good impression of the Parkroyal from my previous stay in Langkawi, so I booked a family room here, hoping for more comfort. Perhaps my expectations were too high. When I arrived, it was okay, but not amazing. However, there was a lovely Chinese lady who greeted the kids with welcome drinks, which immediately brightened my impression. But then, once in the room, I found the sliding door wouldn't close. I called for help right away, but after a long wait, no one came. Since there were monkeys and insects outside, not being able to close the door was really uncomfortable – I couldn't even go out for a walk. I went downstairs myself to the front desk, and still had to wait for maintenance to come fix it. I honestly couldn't understand why there was a gap in the door; it seemed impossible. I ended up having to use a lot of force to get the door closed myself. On the bright side, the room provided a generous amount of drinking water. Also, the sunset was truly beautiful, visible right from the balcony. And I didn't hear the mosque's morning call to prayer, unlike on a certain Indonesian island where it started at 4 AM. There are two pools: one is 1.5 meters deep and open until 9 PM, but since I don't swim, the lifeguard wouldn't let my child in. The other is 1 meter deep with a slide, where my child could play safely even if I didn't get in. My daughter didn't want to get out until they closed the pool. I didn't go on the swing because I saw grass and was worried about insects. Conveniently, there are Starbucks, 7-Eleven, Coffee Bean, Bora Bora, Japanese restaurants, and Coco Nana nearby, so dining options are plentiful. Overall, aside from the little mishap with the balcony door, everything else was satisfactory.

The sea-view rooms are indeed beautiful, and the entire hotel complex boasts a large lawn with very relaxing recliners facing the sea, which is incredibly comfortable. However, some sea-view rooms can have their views obstructed by trees. It's worth asking the front desk if they have other available rooms for a potential change. The room size was comfortable, but the shower water had a slight chlorine smell. The TV was an older model, unable to play any external media. Privacy on the balcony was quite poor, as there was only a low wall, meaning you could easily chat and exchange fruit with your neighbors. The hotel breakfast looked plentiful, but many of the options were local Malay dishes, which might not suit everyone's palate. Western options were available but relatively few. If you exit the hotel and turn right, it's about a 10-15 minute walk to a few convenience stores where you can stock up on supplies. There's also a Thai restaurant called SOi55 that's quite good, and more convenience stores on the side of that building for restocking.

Location: Straits City, about 1.5 km from Penang Sentral. You can take a Grab or use the hotel shuttle (ask the front desk for details). Both the train and ferry are very convenient. The area around the hotel is still under development, so it's very quiet. There's a 7-Eleven downstairs! Cleanliness: The air conditioning and vents were dusty and really need cleaning! The power outlets were also very dusty! Still giving it 5 stars though. Facilities: As a new hotel, the facilities are quite modern! The ceiling light in the room kept flickering! There weren't enough power outlets in the room; as a traveler, I had to take turns charging my devices! The sink design isn't very practical; water splatters all over the counter when you wash your hands! One thing I really want to mention is the tissues – they ran out after just a few pulls. I guess housekeeping only restocked about 10 sheets. The pool was nice, but I didn't have time to use it.

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.

It is a beautiful place to stay, we love it, especially the bathtub and the swimming pool, but there are some things that we really regret, the first menu for breakfast is the same menu on saturday and sunday please change it, the second its buggy not provide for our, who parking car far from the lobby hotel, the third its towel you don't provide for extra , l'm with three people in one room 2 adults and 1 children, we had to share towel..please considered it..this is my second time staying here..

The front desk offers luggage storage, and the location is quite convenient. The room has two separate bedrooms, so you won't disturb each other while sleeping; one bedroom is larger than the other. There's a convenience store in the lobby on the first floor. If you're staying for consecutive nights, there's no cleaning service in between. The price is quite reasonable.

The room was beautifully vintage and spacious, leaving an amazing first impression. However, on the first night, the sheets had stains as pictured, and after reporting it, they were changed the next day. On the morning of the third day, I found what looked like mouse droppings on the balcony floor (pictured in image 4). I recognized them because I used to own hamsters; otherwise, I wouldn't have thought it. But the hotel denied it was mouse droppings, suggesting it might be bird droppings, as they had just disinfected a few days prior. Additionally, at breakfast, a middle-aged female server roughly cleared our plates without asking, making a lot of noise. This contrasted sharply with another younger, seemingly Indian male server who was smiling and polite when offering service. The hotel's response to these issues was just an apology and cleaning the balcony, which felt very perfunctory.