Resorts World Awana turns a typical Genting Highlands day trip into a relaxing family holiday with nature, dining, and easy access.
When the school holidays roll around, Genting Highlands becomes one of the Klang Valley’s favourite family getaways thanks to its cool climate, family-friendly attractions, and easy driving distance from Kuala Lumpur. But squeezing theme parks, meals, and sightseeing into a single day often leaves the trip feeling more exhausting than relaxing.
During a recent media stay, Resorts World Awana showed me a different side of Genting. Rather than simply being a convenient place to stay near the attractions, the resort makes a strong case for turning a typical day trip into an overnight family holiday. Here’s how it completely changed the way I experience Genting Highlands.
The grass is always greener from a balcony view
The first thing that caught my eye as I entered my Superior Deluxe Room was a glimpse of the surrounding greenery peeking through sheer curtains.
The room itself felt surprisingly spacious. While I did have the room to myself (lucky!), I am notorious for being a tiny bit (don’t fact-check that) chaotic and a perpetual over-packer. But still, even as I let my things take over the place, there was still plenty of room to move around without feeling like it was in the way – which I’m sure is a small detail families with small children will appreciate.
I was greeted with some sweet treats from the very hospitable resort team as I checked into my hotel room. 
But even with the cosy atmosphere of the room itself, the real highlight was the view. As someone who has to check every nook and cranny of a room before settling in, it wasn’t long before I discovered the glass door to the balcony.
Soon, what was supposed to be a quick inspection turned into me unknowingly sitting out there for a solid 10 minutes, soaking in the views of misty green hills with nothing but the sound of birds and the occasional golf cart. If it weren’t for the group itinerary, I could have easily found myself spending the rest of my time out there, much to the dismay of the staff who might’ve had to escort me out for the next guest.
Zafigo tip: There are bigger rooms available for larger families and even rooms equipped with appliances catered towards long-term stays.
One less thing to plan: a picky eater’s haven
One of the biggest challenges of travelling with family, especially multi-generational groups, is finding somewhere everyone wants to eat. Having to travel back and forth between the resort and town for every meal can quickly sap the holiday mood.
That was one thing Resorts World Awana got right. With several dining options within the resort, every meal felt convenient, and there was enough variety that I never felt the need to venture elsewhere.
Village Fresh
Operating hours: 12pm-2.30pm & 6pm-9.30pm
Pork-free
Our first meal upon arrival was at Village Fresh. After about an hour of being on an enclosed van ride, I immediately savoured the open-air dining hall overlooking the green golf course.
The well-spaced tables made our noticeably hungry group move around with ease. It struck me as the kind of layout that would make moving around with a stroller or young children a lot more comfortable.
Chilli Sauce Grass Prawn (L), Chinese Herbal Steamed Kampung Chicken (R). 
Mapo Tofu (L), Choy Poh Steamed Patin (R). 
Vegetable Curry (L), Spinach with Century Egg in Superior Soup (R).
The restaurant specialises in familiar dai chow-style dishes with rice, making it an easy crowd-pleaser for groups with different tastes. We were served the Family Set Package (only RM199 for hotel guests), which comfortably fed our table of six despite being recommended for four.
Ayu Awana
Operating hours: Sunday to Thursday at 11.30am-11pm & Friday to Saturday at 11.30am-1am
Pork-free
We ended our first night with dinner at Ayu Awana.
After a long day out, it was a relief knowing that we could comfortably return to the resort, have dinner, and immediately retire to our rooms before the wave of exhaustion and food coma set in.
Completely different from lunch, the tropical poolside lounge served everything from smash burgers and pizza to mee mamak. Just as I thought we had thoroughly overindulged with a second pizza arriving at the table, I was pleasantly surprised to find fresh, locally sourced, farm-to-table salads on the menu — a welcome balance to the richer dishes.
But beyond the delicious spread, what stood out the most was the restaurant’s flexibility. During our meal, the head chef stopped by to check on us and shared that accommodating dietary requests had become second nature, as their guests range from toddlers to older guests with different preferences and dietary needs. It was a brief talking point, but one that spoke volumes about their thoughtfulness towards making every diner feel cared for.
Zafigo Tip: If you’re visiting on a Friday or Saturday, it’s worth timing your stay around the resort’s barbecue pit sessions from 5.30pm onwards. Diners can choose from a selection of meats before watching them grilled over charcoal, for a freshly cooked and shared experience.
Jom Makan Awana
Operating hours: 7am-10.30am
Halal-certified
My favourite part of any hotel stay is the continental breakfast.
While you’ve got your usual buffet-style options at Resorts World Awana too, there’s something about eating with a panoramic view of the sky that makes getting out of bed in the morning totally worth it.
More dining options around Resorts World Awana
With only so much room in my stomach, I unfortunately couldn’t try all of the resort’s on-ground dining options. But from greenhouse hot pot at Awana Garden to grab-and-go coffee at Cheeky Grind, it’s safe to say you could easily enjoy every meal at the resort without getting bored.
A resort you don’t need to leave (AKA I ran out of space on my to-do list)
Genting Highlands is already pretty well-known for being a place with never-ending things to do. However, Resorts World Awana seems to have taken that essence and injected it into the stay itself. I, for one, felt like a two-day, one-night stay wasn’t enough to experience everything the resort had to offer.
I can’t possibly talk about the resort without mentioning its well-known (and recently renovated) Awana Golf Course. I’m not going to pretend I know much about golf, but the beauty of it made me wish it was a public park so my non-golfer self could come back and wander through it.
What I appreciated most was how seamlessly the course blends into its surroundings. Rather than dominating the landscape, it sits among preserved forest, which felt to me more like a retreat immersed in nature.
A fun detail I noticed was how the golf course had views of main Genting right from the green. (Peep Chin Swee Temple in the distance).
If golfing isn’t your thing either, you can follow my lead and try a leisurely game of croquet at The Great Lawn instead. One of the staff described it as “a much slower version of golf”, and after a few rounds, I couldn’t think of a better comparison. With simple rules and gentle gameplay, it was the kind of activity that encouraged plenty of conversation in between turns rather than fierce competition.
After warming ourselves up with croquet, our group picked up the pace with a few rounds of pickleball at their open-air court. Just like croquet, equipment was readily available with staff on hand to guide the many first-timers among us. As one of them, I can vouch that it made trying a new sport far less intimidating.
Zafigo tip: While the climate is much cooler than your usual Malaysian weather, temperatures still rise going into the afternoon from around 10am-4pm. If you’re planning to book any of the outdoor activities, I’d recommend opting for an earlier morning or late afternoon slot when the weather is more comfortable for everyone.
Beyond racquet sports, for those who prefer a more laid-back stay, the resort’s temperature-controlled swimming pool (operating hours: 8am-8pm) offers separate spaces for adults and children, with a slide to keep little ones entertained. Meanwhile, fitness junkies can head over to the gym (operating hours: 7am-11pm) to stay on top of their daily workouts.
Little ones never forgotten
As an adult, I had to acknowledge and respect the resort’s efforts in creating spaces and running seasonal programmes for children as well. From baking workshops to nature-based activities, younger guests have plenty of activities to keep them occupied during the school holidays.
Complimentary shuttle makes exploring Genting easy
Now, while I love how this particular resort felt secluded from the thrills of main Genting, it was nice knowing that you had the option of going uphill with ease if you wanted.
I mean, you could easily drive there yourself, but for anyone who’d like to avoid Genting’s winding roads (like me), I’m happy to inform you of the complimentary shuttle service that takes guests between Resorts World Awana and Genting Highlands Premium Outlets (GHPO).
As much as I appreciated having the complimentary shuttle, it wasn’t without its trade-offs. Like most public transport, convenience comes with a little patience, and for this service, that meant an hour wait time before the next bus. Thankfully, I found that wasn’t much of an issue.
All I really needed was to get to Gohtong Sentral. From there, the cable car connections made it easy to continue further up Genting Highlands and explore the different attractions before returning to GHPO for the complimentary shuttle back to the resort.
Gohtong Jaya stop is directly connected to Eufloria Gardens & Sculpture Park, where you can immerse yourself in different species of flora from flowers to even endangered species. 
The same stop is connected to Genting SkyWay, a cable car system that takes you uphill to SkyCentral. 
From there, you are connected to the Awana SkyWay cable car system that can take you to multiple different stops until you reach GHPO.
For me, day trips to Genting usually mean watching the clock for the most optimised single-day itinerary since you need to drive back home. Knowing that I could conveniently get around, and most importantly, be assured that I have a ride back made exploring a lot more relaxed. And knowing that I still have another day ahead of me allowed me to be present at every new experience the highlands have to offer.
A getaway within a getaway
On the final day of my stay, the lethal combination of the blackout curtains and soft comforter almost made me miss breakfast. And the final view of the green from my little balcony almost made me extend my stay (I even downloaded the RWG app for this).
It definitely wasn’t my first time in Genting, but it was the first time I’d experienced Genting without feeling the need to rush.
Resorts World Awana strikes a balance between feeling like a peaceful retreat while still being able to stay connected to everything people visit Genting for.
For families, you could still wander Eufloria Gardens & Sculpture Park or get on a roller coaster at Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park. Yet, what surprised me most was how little pressure there was to constantly be out exploring. Between the resort’s dining options, recreational activities and peaceful surroundings, there was always something to enjoy back at the resort for everyone.
For families visiting during the school holidays, that means the resort doesn’t just serve as a place to sleep—it becomes part of the holiday itself.
All photos are by and courtesy of the writer, Aida Riyad.
