After months of being cooped up at home, I realised I’m totally burned out and needed a break from the city. So my husband and I agreed to take on a short trip nearby. The borders just opened up and people are flooding everywhere especially to the Islands. That’s why we thought of having a pre-beach vacation in Sepang, to be specific at Bagan Lalang Beach. We stayed at none other than Avani Sepang GoldCoast Resort.
ABOUT
315 Polynesia-inspired overwater villas with private beachfront location, Avani Sepang resort takes a form of a palm tree, extending out from the water’s edge at popular Goldcoast beach. It is about 40 minutes drive from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
67 Jalan Pantai Bagan Lalang, Kg Bagan Lalang,
Bagan Lalang, 43950 Sungai Pelek, Selangor
FACILITIES
This 5-star hotel offers various services and facilities such as :
– Air conditioning & ceiling fans
– En-suite bathroom (some comes with bathtub)
– LCD television
– Private balcony / terrace
– Wi-Fi service in room & public areas
– Mini fridge
– Personal safe
– Yukata robe & slippers
– Iron & ironing board
– Prayer mat
– Room dining service
– Room cleaning service
– Hairdryer
– Buggy service (available 24 hours)
– Front desk assistance & e-concierge
– Outdoor activity packages
– Infinity pool
– gym
– Kids play area
– Spa
– 5 food and beverage outlets
– 2 bars
– 1 lounge
– Meeting conference rooms
SERVICES
As much as I want to praise their services and hospitality, I am left somewhat disappointed to be honest.
We arrived at 4pm, just an hour after the check in time. Instead of getting the keys to our room, we were made to wait for an hour at the holding room. The check in process could be more systemic in my opinion as the current procedure is that you check in, and wait for the front desk to call you again to collect the keys while they prepare the room. Shouldn’t the rooms be ready by 3pm? And, what really got to me was that when I was called to the front desk to collect the keys, I had to wait another 20 minutes standing like a fool because no staff were there to attend to me as they were busy checking in other guests.
When we finally got our keys, we also had to queue to wait for the buggy to send us & our luggages to our room. That took awhile too as you could actually count how many buggies were available for service. Altogether, it took us almost 2 hours from arrival to our room.
Then, the hotel also has this weird system where they check out EVERY single room at 12pm every, single day — regardless how many nights you’re booked for. So yes, that means we had to revalidate our keys everyday at 12pm else, we’d be locked out of our rooms.
Getting around the resort is supposed to be via buggy because, this resort is relatively big. It is even quite a distance to get from the lobby to the centre of the overwater palm (where some of the restaurants, spa and pool are located), about 500 metres. With the hot & humid tropical weather, it can be quite tiring to be walking on foot. And as I mentioned before, the buggy services, though available 24 hours, are not as readily available as there are limited buggy services with close to full house guests.
The infinity pool is located right in the centre of the palm, facing the outdoor seating of the main house cafe. Available for use from 7am to 7pm daily. Unfortunately due to the location, there isn’t much privacy, as you’d always have a bunch of spectators enjoying their meals while you take a dip. That being said, the view over the pool during sunset is spectacular.
Breakfast is also served daily at the main house cafe at the overwater palm. The variety is commendable and the pastries especially the croissants and Pain Au Chocolat are just to die for. The rest however taste pretty average.
Dinner buffets are also served at the same place, with different menu each night (Seafood BBQ, Mongolian grill, etc). Price is about RM 160 for 2 pax which is relatively reasonable.
AvaniSpa provides various massages and I opted for the Swedish Massage, priced at RM 250 per person for an hour. Like usual, I was served a welcome drink upon my arrival and hot ginger tea after the session. I was asked to fill a couple of forms, including specification of areas to concentrate on and areas to avoid. The massage itself was very relaxing and pleasant for me, with the perfect amount of pressure. My therapist was friendly and soft spoken, overall it was a satisfying experience.
We did encounter a problem with our mini refrigerator, it was not cold to say the least. Called the reception and they sent over a technician but he insisted that it was the normal fridge temperature for every rooms. When I pointed out that even mineral water placed in it remained warm, he told me off telling me not to compare it with a larger fridge. HELLO, this is not my first time staying in a hotel with a mini fridge! Even my mum’s cosmetic tiny fridge is colder than this one. Avani, please take note.
ROOMS
The Superior Rooms are located along the main trunk of the palm. It is pretty spacious at 52sqm, perfect for solo travellers, couples or small families. My son was obviously contented with the spaces around, loads of room for him to play with! Also has a high ceiling with black decorative linings which gave us a cottage-like feeling.
Each room also comes with SUPER comfortable bed(s), like ones where you could just bury yourself in a fluffy cloud of heaven. I could sleep all day long in their bed! I honestly had the urge to jump on the bed like a 5 year old. Ah, probably the best part of the resort!
Oh, and don’t worry about the heat outside as every room is air conditioned and has a ceiling fan. It was absolutely satisfying to come back to the room after a long day outside at the beach under the sun.
The TV comes with live local channels and a selection of movies. Which is pretty sufficient for a stay in. It comes with an e-concierge where you could order a buggy or dining services through it. I initially had some trouble ordering cause sometimes I’m too slow for technologies but it was definitely handy to have.
The bathroom is average sized, with decent shower (also with a huge window overlooking sea, you know, if that’s your thang) and toilet comes with bidet. If Im not mistaken, the villas come with a bathtub too. Hairdryer is also available in every rooms, however the rest of the amenities were just a-okay.
There is also a big balcony/terrace attached to the room, with sea views of course. It’s definitely pleasant to sit outside, enjoying the sea breeze without being directly under the sun (hewhew).
Quick note, due to the pandemic, room dining services are served in a recyclable plastic containers with plastic cutleries. Though it felt like we tapao-ed our food, we understood it had to be done to ensure the safety of every guests.
HYGIENE/CLEANLINE
Overall the resort is well kept, we didn’t see rubbish anywhere. The room however, was a tad bit dusty. My sinuses (and my husband’s) did not appreciate it. The balcony was a little dirty too, so wear your slippers. We also found dirt and dusts on the table and chairs outside which was inconvenient to clean.
We somehow did not get our rooms made up daily, not sure if it’s due to the pandemic but times like this I thank God for my husband’s OCD.
OVERALL
Well, we enjoyed our stay at Avani Sepang, for the most part of it. Would we return? Maybe for the Pain Au Chocolat pastry — to be honest that’s about it.
I personally think the staff could be more friendly and courteous towards the guests since this is a 5-star resort. Oh except for this one buggy driver and the man that greeted us upon arrival (he manages the flow of the lobby) — they were helpful!
The check in procedure could be more systemic too since check out only takes a second for them.
If you need a break from the city, for just a quick getaway, it’s pretty decent.
Agoda Avani Sepang
Booking Avani Sepang
Tripadvisor Avani Sepang
Avani Sepang Goldcoast Resort – website
Avani Sepang Goldcoast Resort – Instagram
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