we had been traveling around s.e asia and were looking forward to a nice relaxing break in Penang...
When we turned up at the hotel my heart sank. It was absolutely crowded, mostly with kids running around screaming. The reception area was also very packed, both with hotel guests and visitor coming to see the 'Hard Rock' hotel. The breakfast was very busy and crowded so we upgraded to the Kings club breakfast, which is much better and you have a nice view. It was a struggle to find a sunbed around the pool for a family of four, and there are no sunbeds on the beaches (apparently it is not allowed in Malaysia - something i was unaware of) so you have no option but to sit round the pool. We found the grassy area to be a bit quieter, but again there was a problem that there was so many trees youd struggle to find sun, and then if you closed your eyes for a minute you'd wake up with bits of tree and bird cr*p on you!! Also, they have lunch time entertainment where the staff boom loud music and put on a cringe worthy show..dancing around the pool to cheesy music trying to get everyone involved...not the relaxing holiday i was hoping for!!

other than that the rooms were nice and clean..nice bathroom and nice shower. think this hotel is more made for families with lots of energy to run around screaming...not a family who wants to relax and have peace and quiet...

It's was my 1st time to this hotel though have heard very much of this Hard Rock Hotel. It's a renovated hotel with new brand name. Some old furnitures still intact in the room eventhough with interesting decoration of rock stars! Have a good beach & a cool pool! Nothing really special but they have friendly staffs. If you stay here, must get into the Hard Rock Cafe with good live band.

Stayed in Oct 12, with my young family (6/9yo boys) on a pay 5 stay 7 deal with breakfast. Also got a free upgrade to a seaview deluxe room. Having heard about the on-going music, we requested two interconnecting rooms as far away from the lobby as possible, which allowed us to cope pretty well with the nightly bands. The interconnecting rooms were large and modern, with a nice view of the pool and the beach. Beds were very comfortable, we had a king size double, and the kids both had king singles.

Breakfast was pretty good, with the usual asian fare, as well as indian! . My kids loved having chicken nuggets/samosas/curry for breakfast. No bacon to speak of, the turkey bacon(?) was not to my liking, and the omletes/eggs weren't the best either, but plenty of fresh fruit etc.

The pools are fantastic for all ages. The water slides were hugely popular with my kids, as well as many adults. The water park is great also. There is plenty of room away from the main section of the pool for people to get away from the noise and children if required. My two boys spent 5-6 hrs each day in the pool. There plenty of other activities on offer as well. Volleyball in the pool was popular. The beach is relatively clean, water quality was OK, but don't expect crystal clear seas. Hardly any surf, which suited our young children.

Beach activities: HKM water sports seems to have the monopoly at this end of Ferringhi. We hired a jetski for 30 min(150 MYR), no problem with sharing it amongst the entire family. My wife and 2 young boys went parasailing(150MYR ea). I was impressed with the safety measures that HRM took. An "instructor" went with everyone to make sure the beach landing was safe. I would happily recommend HRM, not only for the resonable prices, but they did not hassle us with a hard sell, just explained what they offered, and let us get back to them when we were ready.

The pools bar(s) had lots of happy hour promotions, usually 2 for 1 offers. Service around the pool was good, prices aren't too bad either.

We hired a taxi to do some sight seeing around Penang. George Town, Reclining Budda, Fort Cornwallis, Penang Hill, and across the ferry to Butterworth then back to Batu Feeringhi. 30 MYR per hour, which was very good value. Contact either MR Choo (016 452 5737), or Mr Ho (016 490 4756). They both have very good knowledge of all the sights, and have very clean new taxis.

The night markets down the road offer the usual shirts/watches/DVD etc. The nearby Lone Pine hawker centre has lots of cuisine choices, all pretty cheap. One disadvantage to staying at the far end of Ferringhi Beach is the lack of ATM's. There are 2 located opposite the Shangri-la Hotel, about a 10 MYR taxi ride from the HRH. One is at the bank on the corner, the other is inside the small 7/11 store behind the bank. These are very popular, and if you find yourself short of cash, especially on a weekend, it can be a problem. The ATM's don't get topped up on weekends, and are often closed due lack of funds. We were lucky at the 7/11, but the machine only allows 30 notes the be dispensed at one time, with the largest bill being a 10 ringit note. Cash up Fri morning is my advice.

Monkey Beach: This seems a popular day trip for most visitors. Boat trip, fishing, BBQ lunch, a couple of hours at Monkey Beach: 350 MYR. If you are not too fussed about fishing and the BBQ, a cheaper less time consuming option is the bus. Catch bus 101 from outside the HRH to the national park entrance (1.40 MYR for adults) It takes about 15 min. Got to the rangers office near the bus stop and register, it is free. You can then walk through the park to Monkey beach (takes about 1.5 hrs). Alternatively, directly opposite the rangers office, you can hire a boat to take you to Monkey beach (about 15 min), they wait about an hour for you to have a look around, then back to the rangers office. Costs 80 MYR for the entire boat which would cater for around 10 pax. To be honest, it's not worth it. The beach is nice, but there aren't that many monkeys, and they can be agressive and angry. Don't get too close!

Overall, a great family holiday and the HRH is a fantastic place to take your family, with plenty to keep young kids occupied, while you lounge by the pool with a few drinks.

We bought a groupon deal with 3 days 2 nights seaview room, 30 mins foot massage and breakfast and it's our very first hard rock hotel experience.

Service - people are really friendly there..always ready to assist in anyway...
Room - clean with nice decoration. But no bath tub in the toilet. Bed is comfortable. We expected a bigger room though.
Hard Rock cafe - nice experience
Swimming pool - awesome place for kids...but can be noisy as from the room you can hear their excitement
Food - better to go out and eat as it's really not that nice. Breakfast - variety is there but it's really hotel food - nothing to shout about
Hard Rock shop - we love this...and for those who dont know..check out their website and print the coupons to get some discounts

Have a rocking day !