Taman Ara Hotels from S$32

"Upon arriving at the hotel, the first impression was very positive. The property is beautiful, well-presented, and the staff were welcoming. Check-in was smooth and efficient with no issues at all. The room itself was well-appointed, clean, and comfortable—exactly what you would expect from a hotel at this level. Unfortunately, this is where things began to go wrong. That evening, I discovered there was no hot water. I contacted the front desk, and to their credit, they responded quickly and sent an engineer within a short time. I was told the issue had been resolved after about 30 minutes. However, the next morning, the hot water was once again not working. When I called down, I was informed that no engineer was available at that time. I was then offered a room change, despite the fact that I was checking out within four hours—so it wasn’t a practical solution. As a result, I had to take another cold shower. To make matters worse, while I was in the shower, the engineer arrived and repeatedly knocked on my door, despite me having already declined further assistance. Shortly after, my room phone also began ringing. It was frustrating to be interrupted while dealing with an issue that should have been properly resolved the night before. The front desk staff clearly tried to help and were polite throughout, but the failure ultimately came down to the engineering side not fixing the problem correctly the first time. At this price point and standard of hotel, when something"

"We had a very pleasant stay at this historical hotel."

"Great staff and property"

"Property is in a great location close to shopping and restaurants. Staff very friendly and helpful,"

"The AC was out when I arrived and did not come back on until the middle of the night. Went to bed hot and woke up a few hours later freezing. No compensation was offered for this inconvenience"

"Great location, clean rooms, well-maintained premises. Most importantly, observant and proactive staff. From front desk to security staff, everyone we met was friendly and helpful. Highly recommend!"

"Our arrival was good given top floor level 8 so fair to good views of the sea ( paid for extra when booking the ticket price) The hotel is ‘mature’ lets say. Seasoned not old.. it requires some updating but not to lose its heritage feel. Rooms smaller than expected but has most modern features you need. Perhaps a duplicate of usb or c-2-c ports beside both sides of the bed would be useful for couples having similar technology that requires charging! Food was good - we chose b&b as local food is great, fresh & cheap too so saved lots of ringgits! All staff pleasant friendly & professional and happy to help. Pool is small and family friendly no shouty children thank goodness but small families enjoying the precious quality time spent together in sunshine & luxury. Grab taxis were a blessing and cheap enough to get you where you need to be so used them daily. Recommend using @GetYourGuide tour with G-Shen for the Penang Hill tour - worth every penny & learned so much from him! We stayed 8 days and loved everyday even the exhilarating lightning storms across the sea in front of our balcony! They were alternating evenings after sunset in April. Shangri la hotels are good.. would like to experience all their hotels around the world eventually! *if they’re reading!!😀"

"The pool wasn’t open, otherwise it’s a beautiful hotel right in the centre of the old town."

"Great stay Great food Helpful staff"