Name: Bayu Emas Apartments
Address: Jalan Batu Ferringhi, 11100 Batu Feringghi, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, Batu Ferringhi, Batu Ferringhi, Batu Ferringhi, 11100, Malaysia
Rating: 6

Family room

Rooms

English

Chinese

Languages Spoken

Swimming pool

Outdoor pool

Pool and beach

Family/Kid Friendly

Kids

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the apartment

Penang International Airport

Bayu Emas Apartments

Batu Ferringhi

We stayed in The Whale House, 10C-3-4 Bayu Emas, Penang, Malaysia and were extremely disappointed with our stay.  Firstly, none of the photos are current on any website, they are all taken a long time ago.  The building is now stained black and green and is unsightly.  The pool was not blue, it was green and unusable.  The apartment itself had many maintenance issues - the plumbing made a loud clanking noise , the sink was falling off the wall, the curtain rail was only just hanging on, the pressure in the ensuite bathroom was so low it was unusable, the cistern in the ensuite bathroom was broken (you had to take the lid off to force the ballcock to stop flowing or else the water overflowed onto the floor), there was a problem with cockroaches coming in via the many gaps in the suspended ceiling.  There were more issues but I'm going to run out of characters.  We asked for a refund on sight but were refused it.  We had had to pay 100% for the two week stay before we arrived to secure the booking.  This was paid in good faith only to find the property and the apartment sorely misrepresented by its profile.  We could not afford to lose that kind of money so had to stay.  After a battle with the owner we were given pool passes to a local hotel but the whole stay was hardly the rest and relaxation we had hoped for.  In fact was incredibly stressful and has left us feeling we had been duped and scammed.  Don't make the same mistake.  I didn't give the apartment a "terrible" rating, merely "poor" as it was clean and the handwash smelt nice.

The Whale House, Bayu Emas Apartment 10C-3-4

Returning from lunch at the Hard Rock Hotel to this dump is like trying to compare fois gras with pork rinds. I made the mistake of trusting the cleverly-staged photos for an Airbnb listing here. To say this place is rundown is an understatement. Units appear to be individually-owned and perhaps some units are better cared for than the unfortunate one I rented for a month, but one look at the peeling stucco, moss-covered water- stained exterior should be enough to make even a not-so-picky potential customer run the other way - fast!

Your experience may be different but this was mine:
I don’t know how old these units are, but I’m not sure they looked good from a distance even when they were new. A guard presides over a lever-arm gate that wouldn’t stop an ant.  There are three towers, A, B, and C. A has 8+ floors and two elevators the size of an old phone booth. How they’d fit 10 people in each one (that’s the capacity) is behind me. What to do “when this elevator breaks down” is prominently displayed inside each of the rickety rockets and inspires no confidence. B and C each have fewer floors than A. Heaven help anyone living here during an actual earthquake. I don’t want to imagine how poorly it was constructed, based on how the environs are left to rot. There’s rather a neglected and decrepit energy about the place as if it, and it’s residents, long ago forgot to look up and see the sun. 

There is a “recreation area” on the ground floor, probably for Tai Chi classes - I saw it being hosed down one afternoon. The pool looked surprisingly clean and is not heated. There’s a shower you couldn’t pay me to step foot in, and a children’s pool area. The pool surround has seen better days (no surprise there) and instead of lounge chairs, they have sets of concrete benches that look like something out of a Flintstones rerun. 

Each unit has a lockable iron gate, a small foyer, and a front door. There is NO INSULATION in the unit I stayed in (A-6-6). Light can be seen under the front door and if you’re hoping for a good night’s sleep, good luck. Every little noise echoes through walkways and comes in through the windows and walls. Construction was happening during my stay: no mention of that in the listing. 

There is no hot water. Let me repeat that: no hot waterl If you like lukewarm showers dribbling on you, you’ve found the right place. The sinks spit out a tiny trickle of cold water. The shower areas are dirty with chipped tile, mold, and a mildewed shower curtain for their only companion. 

These units are SMALL; I wouldn’t recommend them for a family (or anyone really). The layout is like a box the kitchen/dining/living room as you in, and with a master + “ensuite” and guest bath and another bedroom off to one side and a storage room by the dining area. One of the two  toilets wasn’t working; another clever listing omission. Who thinks to ask: does the toilet work? when booking a place? Every time someone flushes, you can hear the water running down the pipes. How special.  Maybe the only generous proportions are the ceilings, which makes no sense given that this place is HOT and cooling down high-ceiled rooms must cost a fortune. The A/C units drip water which sounds like an electrical snort waiting to happen. It took multiple emails to figure out how run the darn thing: turn the transformer switch on, press the green button on the switch box, press the on/off button on the remote control and select a temperature. 

The unit I rented had IKEA  furnishings that had seen better days, and apparently no one told the owner that washcloths aren’t meant to be used as hand towels. The kitchen contained a small-ish fridge, an on-the-counter microwave that reeked of some long-forgotten meal, and a sink - plus all cleaning implements (that evidently don’t get much use) sitting proudly on display, mocking the tenants with their sturdy Swedish posture. 

If there is a plus, the owner at least had the foresight to add decent (not 3G) internet, a rarity, I’m learning, here. His listing made much of Netflix capabilities, but without bothering to leave instructions as to HOW to operate the appliances. 

There is NOTHING homey or appealing about this place. And please don’t make the mIstake of walking across the street to the higher-end Bayview or Hard Rock hotels. You’ll just be as sad as this complex is when you return.

If you seek relaxation, look elsewhere!

There are many apartments within the Bayu Emas complex. Many are available on Agoda and such like, others you can actually just pick up there. The complex is very tired looking and I can imagine some of the apartments could vary a lot. The one we had, Homz, was fine. Very clean, beds just about comfortable, terrible WiFi. Located on ground floor so easily accessible. Location of the apartments is OK, about 15-20 mins walk to Night market and Long Beach food centre. Directly across from Bay View beach resort with easy access to the beach.  A much quieter end to the beach. Easy to get out to Escape park from here on 101 bus.

Could depend on individual apartment

One nite stay here. Apartment with two bedrooms. Comfortable. Extra bed n pillow provided and suitable for family with kids. Air conditioning ok . Kettle provided. Room very clean. Furniture quite old. Bathroom no hose but they provided u a pail. Water pressure very low n difficult to flush the toilet. Apartment just opposite Bayview & Hard Rock Cafe. 

Good

I was here on March 2016 till October 2016, everything was good. The view also very nice but some of it need to be repaired such as the air conditioner and the water heater.
This apartment has a pool that i can enjoy day during weekend, but need a routine cleaning.

Bayu Emas Apartments

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