Stayed here for seven nights in november.
This has to be one of the nicest hotels i have ever stayed in. The service is excellent as are the rooms and the pool areas are magnificent. Sit round the pool and you stick a flag on the ground
next to your sunbed and a man on a bike comes and takes your order its brill.
Even though it is quite expensive i believe its worth every penny and would thourghly recomend it.

We stayed at the Rasa Sayang in a Rasa Wing Premier Room (the one with the bath on the balcony) from 4-14 June following a wonderful stay in September 2007.

We arrived at the hotel very late due to huge traffic jams clogging up all roads as petrol prices were increasing the next day. Upon arrival, we were assisted with our luggage by the very helpful doorman (Jaz) and greeted by reception with a flower gift and checked into the same room we had previously (2402) - middle floor room nearest the Rasa Wing lounge. The only change noticeable was that there was no champagne or photograph taken on arrival but there was a pot of tea in the room instead.
With regard to the photograph, we understand these were put into the staff room to enable staff to learn your names and greet you by name wherever you were in the Rasa Wing. As this no longer happens, it has taken some of the personalisation out of the stay (you are now a number). It was also nice that they presented you with the photograph in a Rasa Sayang brown leather photo frame for you to take home as a mememto.

The next morning we had breakfast in the Ferringhi Grill which was lovely and Narizha recognised us from the previous year and welcomed us back. We then spent the day around the Rasa Wing pool which is very peaceful as no under 16's are allowed in the pool due to the close proximity of the spa treatment rooms.

We were advised that there had been some changes to the way the Rasa Lounge operated and in particular high tea and cocktail times. In September 07, all drinks (including alcohol) were served from 11am-7.30pm. High tea was served between 4-5.30pm and cocktails (inc Moet champagne) from 5.30-7.30pm. The changes from 1 June 2008 meant that no free alcohol was served until cocktail hour. High tea was for 1 hour only (3-4pm) and cocktails for 1 hour too (6-7pm). Champagne had turned into sparkling wine and canapes were changed every evening with a theme (eg. Japanese; seafood; Indian).

We had high tea on the first day and noticed the difference in how the staff were - they were very rushed trying to get everything done in 1 hour as people came in for 3pm instead of spreading arrival times over a 1 1/2 hour period. The same thing happened at cocktail hour. The staff were great but you could see the difference in the way they worked - they were extremely rushed and sometimes going at a virtual run to keep everyone happy in that shorter 1 hour time period . We felt so sorry for them as last year, they were friendly, happy to talk to the guests but still worked very hard - now they are just rushed off their feet. One member of staff said they called it "rush hour".

I did complain to management about the changes saying that no notification had been sent to us by email and that the website was showing incorrect information. Speaking with a few other guests, I understand they were not informed of the changes too as people had travel agent printouts of what was included in the Rasa Wing lounge, only to find lots of additions to their final bill upon departure! Management apologised and asked if there was anything they could do. They kindly removed the drinks from our bill which we had taken with high tea.

We still love the hotel and consider it is the best in the area but also feel that the changes are cheapening it, instead of making it feel special.

I feel as if it's not somewhere we will rush back to but may return in 4-5 years time. We will constantly be monitoring trip advisor to see what others are saying about the hotel before booking as there are lots of other places to go to which can offer what the Rasa Wing used to offer - eg Shangri La Valley Wing in Singapore.

Overall - a very relaxing stay, the pool area was so nice and the staff around the pool were fantastic. The Rasa Wing lounge staff were excellent, Emma, Chan, Hidiyanti and Angeline, even in light of how much they had to do in a short time. We wish them all the best and hope they don't fall ill due to stress. Take care.

I haven't had such a good time in a hotel/resort for ages. We felt relaxed as soon as we arrived and were offered a drink and canapes. We booked the cheapest room type (Rasa Hillview) in the Rasa wing which was only slightly more expensive than the Garden Wing and at least US$100 cheaper than the other rooms in the Rasa Wing. The room was at the back of the hotel and faced the road, however it was spacious enough and very nice. The bathroom and bed were huge and plenty of water bottles and a fruit basket were delivered daily to the room.
As part of the Rasa Wing we enjoyed the private pool area where no children under 16 were allowed. We had breakfast daily in the Ferringhi Room which was lovely. We tried to the Spice Market one day but found the atmosphere and buffet style selection not as nice as the Ferringhi. We had afternoon tea everyday (3-5pm) and then drinks and canapes every evening (5-7pm), which included champagne and cocktails The lounge area also had free wi-fi which was great. Eating the afternoon tea and canapes (which they constantly give you seconds of) meant that we spent very little on food and drinks as we were never really hungry. The food was incredible and some of the best hotel food I've had. We had hawker food up the road from the hotel one night (about a 5-10 minute walk) into the village and we did have a posh dinner in the Ferringhi Grill one night which was great but very expensive. The Pinang Restaurant by the beach was nice for sitting outside and having a burger and cocktail or beer when the sun went down. We also took the free shuttle bus into town one day but spent the rest of the time eating, drinking and sitting by the pool.
All the staff were incredible and would chat with you whilst serving your drinks in the lounge. They really seemed to enjoy their jobs.
I would definitely recommend the Rasa Wing. It may cost a little more but you save in the end and the extras are what makes it feel so special.

This is the worst managed Shangri La I've ever stayed at. A complete waste of money - poor food, inept staff, dreadful managers - and completely overpriced compared with nearby hotels and restaurants.

It doesn't deserve to be a called Shangri La - it's not heavenly, it's ropey and unpleasant to stay in but the most unforgiveable thing for a supposedly five star hotel is the poorly trained staff and incompetent managers. The Spice Market restaurant where breakfast is served in the Garden Wing is a complete joke. If you can get a seat, you'll end up getting half the cutlery and crockery yourself, rarely get the tea or coffee you ordered and eat bog standard food. You can stand around for ages waiting for eggs while the rest of your breakfast goes cold, or find that the trays are empty and no matter how often you ask, things aren't replenished - so each day you have to figure out how to get what you'd like and make sure all your hot food arrives at the same time on the same plate - no mean task. It is a complete lottery as to if and when you'll get what you'd like and not the sleek, swift and efficient standard of any other Shangri La.

It was a huge waste of money and a massive disappointment after the huge refurbishment they are so proud of (I last visited in 2003). Superficially it looks lovely but when you're used to the pleasant and welcoming atmosphere in the east, this place feels really uncomfortable. I've travelled all over Malaysia, to far more basic hotels and met far more warm, welcoming and thoughtful staff. And Shangri La should really rethink their policy of customer recommendation of staff for a monthly prize because all the client facing staff badger you to fill in cards for them while the hard working gardeners, for example, don't get to speak to you, let alone ask for recommendations.

Oh, and the room cleaners are pretty poor. The bathroom was dirty and dusty, sometimes the towels weren't changed, the cleaners appeared anytime up to 6pm to clean, we were locked out on our balcony twice - as were our neighbours, the same fruit rotted in a bowl for a fortnight as did the crumbs and dirt on the balcony which was there from the day we arrived until the day we left.

We were also given the hard sell to upgrade our room on arrival. After hours of travelling we were dragged round the hotel looking at rooms we didn't want when a drink and a quiet seat was what was in order (and what I'd have expected from a 5 star hotel).

Stay away. There are far better Shangri La's in Malaysia and you'd be better spending your money on fun things and staying at the Pacific and Oriental or one of the cheaper hotels on Batu Ferringhi.