Batu Ferringhi Getaway

This was rather quite a spontaneous trip. We were initially planning on going to Da Nang but backed out when ticket prices are about $700 per pax. So looking at quick, cheap weekend getaways, we narrowed down to 3 places: Krabi/ Phuket, Penang or Langkawi. All for about an hour’s plane ride away from Singapore.

Throughout the decision making process, we though Phuket isn’t really for kids and there was a recent plane crash near Langkawi so we took that as an omen. I then remembered the last time we stayed at Trader’s Hotel in Georgetown, just beside Komtar tower, that it used to have a free shuttle bus going to the beach so that gave us an idea where to head to next.

Batu Ferringhi is quite a long far from both Georgetown (40 mins away) and the airport (about 1 hour away) but we didn’t mind as there’s was no traffic jam so it’s a pleasant ride and you get to see most of countryside. The places kind of reminds me of Philippine provinces; very chill, relax, empty towns and not much tourist. It gives me a nostalgic feeling which honestly I don’t like (I blame it on the book “100 years of Solitude” which I read when I was in uni).

Alas, we reached Shangri-La Golden Sands after an hour’s journey and I can say it’s a good hotel with pleasant staff. Not the typical Shangri-La hotel experience you would get though as the room is very basic but hey, the price is also not your typical Shangri-La price! Case in point: our room just cost S$190 with breakfast, they served bento meals for 45 MYR ($15), a meal costs about 40 MYR ($13) and you get 20% discount if you are Circle member, free lime juice, free shuttle bus to Georgetown, free lime juice and free UV umbrella.

Hotel facilities is meant for families with young kids. You get 2 pools, 1 water slide, 1 water play, an arcade, toddler playroom and access to the public beach. Yes, public beach. Shangri-La Rasa, which is right beside Golden Sands, has it’s own private beach which you can access as well.

Food wise, there’s really not much around. During lunchtime, restaurants around the hotel are all closed and open only from 6pm. So it’s either you go down to Georgetown after a heavy breakfast or eat at the hotel restaurants which we did; unless you want to eat at McDonalds which is right across the road.

Dinner time you get some few options which are mostly seafood restaurants. First night, we ate at Power Up restaurant. Food is ok but a bit pricey. It’s slightly cheaper than Singapore but food is not that great at all.

The next 2 nights, we ate at Long Beach hawker centre which is a bit further down the road. Food here is cheap and amazing!!! I bet all these delicious food were cooked with chicken fat.

Transportation wise, we took Grab most of the time. It’s convenient, more reliable and price is transparent compared to local taxis. Going to and from the airport is about 40 MYR which is very reasonable.

Overall, we enjoyed our quick getaway. Maybe we will try Langkawi next time.