Tim Roxborogh with 2-year-old Austin at Batu Ferringhi Beach. Photo / Tim Roxborogh
With its delicious hawker food, white-sand beaches and family-friendly attractions, Penang is the perfect spot for a cheap and cheerful getaway, writes Tim Roxborogh.
Sometime in the late 80s – probably 1989 – I snuck into the Shangri-La Golden Sands in Penang. I can still remember the squinting glare of the midday Malaysian sun off Batu Ferringhi Beach. Walking with my parents and sisters along one of Southeast Asia’s most popular stretches of sand, we bumped into a friend from my school in Kuala Lumpur. Cedric and his family were holidaying at the Shangri-La Golden Sands, and I was promptly invited to join them in their pool. Or should I say, “multiple pools and waterslides”.
Some days from childhood blur together or fade away, while others are tattooed to your brain. This was the tattooed variety. The blue of the sky. The searing tropical heat. The glare of the sand. The sea breeze in the palms and casuarina trees. And a hotel so wondrous it felt like the best kind of fever dream.
But in 1989, just as it was in 1987, 1988, or in any of the other eight years we visited Penang while living in Malaysia, we weren’t staying at the Shangri-La. Instead, we were inland at a modest hotel with modest rooms and a modest square pool in the courtyard.
And so it was that Cedric’s suggestion to swim at the Shangri-La was eagerly accepted. Walking past the “Guests only” sign at the beachfront entrance, my 8-year-old eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Centred within the crescent-shaped, seven-storey complex was a series of enormous, curved pools. Everywhere there were palm trees, cabanas and sun loungers. And waterslides. Waterslides at a hotel.
I must’ve gone down those slides 30, maybe 40 times. Over and over. This was heaven, even if my goody-two-shoes tendencies had me on edge, worrying I was about to get busted for being a beach-waltzing, non-guest. To think Cedric and his family were actually staying here!? Finally accepting parental pleas that it was time to leave, we drove back to our hotel, and I vowed that one day I too would stay at the Shangri-La Golden Sands.
Fast-forward 30-something years, and I’m fulfilling a broader lifelong dream to bring my wife (Aimee) and children (Riley, 6, and Austin, 2) to Malaysia to show them the country that will always be my second home. To make things extra special, we’ve also got Aimee’s parents, Kathy and Alan, along for the adventure, making this a three-generational holiday.
Penang had to be on the itinerary. Known for centuries as the “Pearl Of The Orient”, this 295sq km island, just five degrees north of the equator, was founded as a British trading post in 1786. Located in the Straits of Malacca – still the world’s busiest shipping route bar the English Channel – Penang’s Unesco-protected streets reflect that multistrand heritage. Alongside Malay, there are Chinese, Indian, Arabic and European influences everywhere. And the fusion of cultures and religions that Malaysia so proudly shouts from the rooftops is evident in everything from the places of worship to the museums, vibrant street art, and headline-grabbing food scene.
Oh yes, we ate well in Penang. From piled plates of Char Kway Teow (stir-fry noodles), roti canai, satay, or even humble fried rice that has you scratching your head that something so simple could pack so much flavour, you’re never in any doubt as to why Penang developed its foodie reputation. Add to that the tropical fruit like watermelon, mango, rambutans, mangosteens and starfruit that just taste better here, and half the point of coming to Penang is to eat.
A bit like a mini-Singapore but at a fraction of the cost, Penang combines historic buildings with towering condominiums and mega malls. And also like Singapore, the streets are clean, there’s a comfortable standard of living, and there are trees everywhere. Indeed, despite a population of 800,000 people, no less than half of the island remains virtually untouched rainforest.
We learned all about Malaysia’s rainforests – said to be Earth’s oldest and most biodiverse – at The Habitat atop the 800m Penang Hill. Accessed by one of the steepest funicular railways in the world with a gradient of 27.9 degrees, what used to be a 30-minute, two-stop journey to the summit now takes about five minutes in the sleek 2010-built carriages. Rising through the jungle with the skyscrapers of George Town (Penang’s capital) below, getting to the top of Penang Hill is an attraction in and of itself.
From the lookout where you disembark, the temperature is noticeably cooler than sea level. Still hot – late 20s rather than early 30s – but this is what we’ve abandoned a New Zealand winter for. That and the opportunity to experience one of Malaysia’s greatest calling cards: its near-unbeatable eco-tourism. Take The Habitat, for example. Established in 2016, this is a conservation project in a broader slab of protected forest that forms the Unesco Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve. Think riotous, tangled jungle with raised walkways, including a record-breaking 230m long stressed-ribbon bridge, 45m above the forest floor.
No fewer than 2500 species of plants and animals can be found in this reserve. More than that, it’s been said that one 10sq km section of Malaysian jungle contains more biodiversity than all of Europe and North America combined. With our excellent guide, local Penangite Avvi, revealing the secrets of the jungle, we saw everything from dusky leaf monkeys to vampire crabs to countless native birds. It was magic.
Magic was also the feeling back down at sea level at Entopia. If Singapore has Gardens By The Bay, then Penang has the equally must-visit Entopia. Part zoo, part butterfly farm, part educational facility and definitely part fantastical indoor garden, Entopia had the grandparents as delighted as the grandchildren. “Must-visit” is a cliche, but when you’re standing behind a man-made waterfall with a shock of colourful butterflies and flowers in every direction, you’d likely agree.
Located in Teluk Bahang in northwestern Penang, there’s another reason to visit this part of the island. Both a waterpark and a dryland adventure park, Escape Penang isn’t just another theme park. This was rammed home as I rode a chairlift in my togs up a jungle-covered hill over the top of people zip-lining, climbing ropes, luging, skiing, being flung on bungy cords and yes, splashing their way down sensational waterslides.
And the point of that chairlift is to get you high enough to ride the Guinness Book of Records-certified longest tube slide in the world, appropriately named “The Longest”. At 1.1km in length, you’ve got time to really appreciate the awesome absurdity of what you’re doing and enjoy the jungle as you snake your way back down the hill and even over a road. Bonkers.
I guess I’ve always had a thing for waterslides. But beyond Escape and Entopia, there’s yet another reason to stay on the northwestern side of the island. Teluk Bahang is close to Batu Ferringhi, and Batu Ferringhi houses a certain Shangri-La Golden Sands.
What can I say? The childhood dream came true, and after all these years, the Shangri-La didn’t disappoint. From the moment we checked in and saw that open-air lobby out to the precisely manicured central gardens with all those pools, cabanas and yes, waterslides, there’s a terrific vibe about this hotel. I felt it as an 8-year-old, and I felt it again as a 43-year-old catching my grinning daughter as she came careening down the slides just like her Daddy did that day back in the 80s.
And this time I hadn’t snuck in off the beach.
The journalist travelled courtesy of Tourism Malaysia and Malaysia Airlines and was a guest of Shangri-La Golden Sands.
For more about Malaysia Airlines and its new A330neo aircraft, visit malaysiaairlines.com.