5-Star Hotels in Terengganu, Malaysia

The experience at Perhentian Marriott was a rollercoaster. Firstly, the initial service and welcome we received was excellent. The clean private jetty,  clean and comfortable ferry, baggage handling and the buggy service straight up to our room in the hotel was a very warm and pleasant welcome. The hotel staff explicitly told us to buggy everywhere in the hotel.  Next, came the troubles. The room was beautiful (don’t get me wrong) but poorly refreshed for our stay. The usual menu/file was empty with nary any instructions or introduction on how to call for a buggy or the breakfast timings etc. usual stuff you’d find upon reaching the hotel room. The fridge was unclean and bath essentials not topped up. We called for housekeeping not wanting to let it spoil our vacation. After a sumptuous dinner (the hotel dinner buffet is actually really good sans the fact that they don’t tell you that the drinks counter is payable), we returned to dirty linen right outside our door (they removed the towels provided and did not replace we were left without towels) and opened water bottles in the cupboard. That’s not all, the water heater was down and there was no communication from the hospitality staff when the engineering team is fixing the heater or if it has been fixed. (We only found out they restarted the heater after we initiated a follow up with the team). The next day, as I attempted to take a bath I turned on the bath water and out spurted 100% hot water that scalded my knee. I called for burn cream and the hotel reception told us they did not have a first aid kit and instructed us to head to the store to purchase. No follow up on the matter and no acknowledgement of the issue is made from the team. It was a constant issue of us turning on the water (right in the middle, not hot not cold) for the taps and showers to spurt 100% hot water and us avoiding it.  The only redeeming point is that every restaurant, every in person staff we encountered from the buggy services to the pool side staff to the restaurant waitress everyone was lovely and warm.   (P.s. the route to long beach is fret with rubbish and flies)

1. Cleanliness: Truly impressed! Despite being surrounded by trees, the resort is spotless—no fallen leaves, even in the hammock and gazebo areas. Many resorts offer similar setups but lack this level of cleanliness. Big applause to the team—10/10! 2. Service: Exceptional! While casually chatting with staff at the beach, they recognized my name just by hearing the room number. It happened multiple times—amazing memory and attention to detail, especially during a full-house stay. I was honestly wowed. 3. Private Dinner – South Sea Experience: Our waiter, Bayu, was outstanding. Friendly, proactive (offered to take our photo), and full of integrity. He even apologized for a minor food mix-up we didn’t notice—rare to see such ownership. Truly commendable. 4. Surprise Gesture: After dinner, we returned to a beautifully arranged bathtub with bubbles and flowers—completely unexpected. Another thoughtful “wow” moment.

Very scenic and beautiful beach with nice rooms but getting there is a pain and once there, you are on your own as there is no taxi or grab and food at hotel is 5 times normal price. Buffet breakfast is very limited for a 5 star resort and pool is old and sub par standard for price but beach makes up for it. Staff are hit and miss with some excellent and some don’t care and just look after certain group of guest and ignore others. Monkeys can come in room so wuss to keep door locked. Transfer arranged by hotel is expensive and if arranging own can be tricky with sea conditions and overloading of passengers. Overall ok but expect more for price or better just go to Maldives.