Hotel Review: AVANI Sepang Goldcoast Resort, Selangor, Malaysia

In May this year, I was invited to stay at AVANI Sepang Goldcoast Resort, which is located about 45 minutes’ drive from Kuala Lumpur International Airport and 90 minutes from Kuala Lumpur city centre. I have previously stayed at the resort back in 2013 (although it was under a different management and name at the time) but it was a rather brief stay whilst competing in a Tourism Selangor’s blogging competition. I was therefore rather looking forward to this stay because it’s going to be a more relaxing one, with the opportunity to try out the resort’s full facilities as well as experiencing AVANI’s hospitality for the first time at its 5* resort in Malaysia.

Below is my review of AVANI Sepang Goldcoast Resort following my overnight stay at the resort.

1. The Resort

The AVANI Sepang Goldcoast Resort is a 5-star resort under the AVANI Hotels & Resorts group, an upscale brand with a “fuss free approach that leaves a great impression”. The resort has a mainland beachfront setting and a “palm structure” built on stilts that extends over shallow waters of Strait of Malacca and houses 315 water villas across 8 “fronds” and 1 “trunk”.

1a. The Reception

The lobby of the resort is located in a beachfront building that replicates a big hut. The reception area is quite spacious and there’s a lobby lounge called Bayu Lounge located on the left hand side of the building.

Check-in process was smooth and I was assigned Villa 603, a Family Villa that is located on the “topmost right frond” of the palm tree structure. Resort guests are transported to their villa using a buggy service from the reception.

Ready for the ride to your villa?

1b. The Room/ Villa

The Family Villa that I stayed at was similar to the one that I had previously stayed in back in 2013. So it was kind of a walk down the memory lane for me. Needless to say, the villa, at 82 square meters, was very spacious. There is one en suite king-bed room with the bathroom having separate bathtub and shower areas and with its own balcony; one twin-bed room with its own bathroom (shower only, no bathtub) and its own balcony too; and a living room with sofas, coffee table, working table, TV (cable channels, movie channels however cost extra), coffee/tea-making facility and a minibar.

Each room has its own wardrobe but the king-bed room has a sofa, an electronic safe box, an iron/ironing board.

The main bedroom with a king-size bed

The second bedroom with a twin-bed

View from my balcony

A fruit platter and another plate with some local & western snacks and desserts were waiting for me in the living room when I arrived – these were very much welcome after the journey from Kuala Lumpur. The resort is quite generous as well with the complimentary bottled water – there were 8 bottles in the villa that is meant for 4 guests.

The mattress and bed are very comfortable, just as I remember it. There are plenty of pillows on the bed, which is just the way I love it. Linens and towels felt fluffy and luxurious. Each bathroom comes with a hairdryer as well. There are two sets of toiletries in each bathroom – I suppose a set per guest. Umbrellas are provided too in the villa, just in case it rains. It did rain when I was there but it was already past midnight.

Overall, the villa and the rooms are well furnished with a combined touch of modern and old days feel (especially the sofas in the living room – sorry, I forgot to take the photos here after seeing what was on the plates!).

Apart from Family Villas, the resort also has smaller rooms (Superior Room – 52 square meters) and bigger villas as well (Two-Bedroom Villa - 122 square meters, and Three Bedroom Royale Villa – 232 square meters) so the resort does offer plenty of options for guests, whether for a leisure stay or even for business travellers as they also do offer MICE facilities.

Tips: If possible, request for a villa that faces sunset. Otherwise, an early dinner at Perahu Restaurant by the beach at sunset could be a romantic idea too.

Sunset as seen from Villa 624 - a Three-Bedroom Royale Villa

1c. Breakfast

Breakfast buffet is served in Bila Bila Restaurant, right at the “top” of the “trunk”, just next to the infinity pool. The selection is quite good and fairly balanced between local and standard international breakfast fares. One thing of note is that it also offers a selection of fruit smoothies, something which you don't see offered everyday even in 5-star hotels.

1d. Internet Access

Internet access is available for free via Wi-Fi throughout the resort. This is an improvement from 2013 when I could only get free Wi-Fi at the resort lobby only while access to internet at the villa was via land line. There are also 2 paid options for a faster Wi-Fi connection. I just used the free option and it worked just fine.

1e. Other Facilities

Infinity pool and the gym

The resort has plenty additional facilities, both free and payable ones. There is a small gym in one of the villas facing the infinity pool, if you fancy doing some working out. If you’d rather do your work out outdoor, you can always go for a jog or a ride on a bicycle along the “fronds” and “trunk” of the resort – completing this alone means you’d already cover 7.5 km. Bicycles are provided for free for use around the resort, by the way. (I sure had fun cycling around from my villa to the lobby and beyond, something I haven’t done in years!)

There is AVANISPA (charges apply, and advance appointment advised), where you can experience their signature massages and therapies, perfected by their well-trained masseurs. I tried their reflexology massage when I was not feeling well throughout my body. However, by the time the massage was finished some 30 minutes later, I felt totally refreshed and the fatigue was totally gone. I was told that their signature Malay massage is the most popular of all massages offered there. The prices are competitive for a 5-star resort. However, do be on the lookout for their special offers. At the time of my stay, they had a 40% discount offer for second person or treatment.

There are also land and water sport activities which are complimentary to all in-house guests. These include yoga sessions, Zumba, bicycle tours, windsurfing, kayaking, stand-up paddle, beach volleyball, beach football, and ping pong, among others.

If you want more extreme activities, there’s Extreme Park at the front of the resort that offers activities like go-kart, ATV, archery and paintball. Charges apply and you can opt for these activities a la carte. However, I do recommend their Combo Package, which costs just RM45 per person for 5 minutes of go-karting, a round of ATV ride, and some archery session (12 arrows) plus a paintball target practice (20 pellets).

In terms of entertainment, the resort holds their evening entertainment from 8 p.m. every night at Bila Bila Restaurant with a different theme every night.

Have kids? Fret not, the resort has AVANIKIDS, a centre for children where there are both complimentary and chargeable activities. The former includes beach and pool activities, drawing, colouring, movies and games, among others; while the latter includes art & craft activities like batik painting (photo above), henna tattooing and sand art colouring.

AVANI Sepang Goldcoast Resort also offers several tour packages if you’d like to venture further out of the resort. I went on their Mangrove River Cruise using the resort’s boat and crew/guide, and explored the flora & faunas along Sepang River whilst watching eagles and airplanes flying above to/from the nearby Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

It was quite interesting and different despite the fact that I’ve been on 3 other mangrove cruise tours in different locations around Malaysia. Of note was when we some saw blue-coloured crabs and ikan belacak (mudskippers), picked up some lokan (a type of clam), and planted a mangrove tree each to help further conserve the area.

2. Where to Eat

Apart from Bila Bila Restaurant and Bayu Lounge which have been mentioned earlier, there are 6 other eateries at the resort, offering a variety of options to cater to different palates. They are Perahu Restaurant (seafood and western), Stimbot (Chinese), Hai Sang Lou (fine dining Cantonese and dim sum restaurant), Sepoi Sepoi (local cuisines), Buloh Bar (poolside bar) and Selat Bar (a beach bar with a game room – billiards and pool).

I had lunch at Sepoi Sepoi (literally 'gentle breeze' in Malay) and it was quite good. The restaurant’s signature dish/meal however is their big burger, which is definitely not meant to be eaten alone.

The restaurants and cafes at the resort however are not Halal-certified by JAKIM, the local halal certification authority, as all of them serve alcoholic drinks.

3. Getting Around

3a. How to Get There

The best way to get to the hotel is probably by taxi, whether from Kuala Lumpur or Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). The resort doesn’t offer any shuttle service to the airport but they do have a daily shuttle service to Mitsui Outlet Park (near KLIA) and Sunway Pyramid, a shopping mall with a popular theme park, Sunway Lagoon, located in the outskirt of Kuala Lumpur.

3b. Interesting Places Nearby, if any

With all the onsite facilities and activities on offer, the resort is meant for some relaxing time away from the city. Its location however, means that guests would also have easy access to sample a Malaysian kampung environment and experience. The resort is also a popular option among F1 Grand Prix fans during F1 Grand Prix weekends at Sepang F1 Circuit.

4. Location

5. Further Information

Address:	No. 67, Jalan Pantai Bagan Lalang, 43950 Sg Pelek, Selangor, Malaysia
Telephone:	+60331823600
Email:	sepang@avanihotels.com
Others:	Website | Facebook | Instagram
Check in 3 p.m. / Check out 12 noon.

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* * *   Check Room Availability & Rates HERE   * * *

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A Thank You & Disclosure Note

I would like to thank the management of AVANI Sepang Goldcoast Resort and Izzati Ghafur of Kisah Tatie for the arrangement to stay at the resort. The sponsorship however has in no way affected my review of the resort.

For blog entries on Malaysia, click here.