(From left) Andrew and Sarah with Karlstrom, Eva and Anthony revelling in Christmas camaraderie at Shangri-La Rasa Sayang. — Photos: LIM BENG TATT/The Star
CHRISTMASES away from home are no less joyful when there is “family” halfway across the world to celebrate with.
Tourists who frequently spend holiday seasons abroad often create new traditions and form strong bonds with fellow travellers and locals.
Such connections make festive seasons feel just as warm and memorable.
Several long-staying European visitors who have spent many Christmases in Penang can attest to that.
StarMetro caught up with couples at Shangri-La Rasa Sayang in Batu Feringghi, where they are staying until early next year to escape frigid winters back home.
Among them are Andrew Howard Young, 72, and wife Sarah Jane, 60, from Worcester, England.
They have returned every year since their first visit in 1997, except during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Alan and Shirley checking out Christmas goodies at Shangri-La Rasa Sayang’s giant gingerbread house.
Andrew said they initially visited Penang due to the island’s British colonial past, but were soon enamoured by the warmth of its people and weather.
“Everybody has been very hospitable and the food is great. There aren’t many destinations around the world where you can enjoy everything in one place.
“Penang is definitely our shangri-la. Our daughter was just four during that first trip.
“As we came here every year-end, she grew up thinking Christmas was hot, and only experienced her first wintery Christmas much later,” said Andrew, who used to work for a utility vehicle supplier.
Sarah, a housewife, noted that their daughter, now in her 30s, flew out to join them for the festivities.
Many other families with whom their daughter grew up with also came to spend the holidays in Penang.
“We’ve all become one big extended family.
“When you’re far away from home, it’s nice to be in a welcoming place and have familiar faces to celebrate with,” she said.
Another long-term returnee is Sven Gunnar Karlstrom, 92, a Stockholm, Sweden, native who has accumulated over 2,000 nights at the hotel since 1985.
The former general manager of a computer services firm said his love affair with Penang began when he decided to stop by for a weekend during a business trip to Kuala Lumpur.
“I love Malaysia’s multiculturalism. The weather is also much less drastic than Sweden, and almost everyone speaks English.
“Staff at the resort have become my friends, and there’s so much for me to do, whether swimming, working out in the gym or enjoying the gardens.
“I particularly like the cheerful decorations that pop up during the festive season,” he said.
Karlstrom and his late wife were notably the only guests at the resort during the movement control order at the end of 2020.
His daughter Eva Levinson has continued her father’s tradition of spending Christmases in Penang, and was holed up in a rented condo across the road.
“Dad’s birthday falls on Christmas Eve. So we’ll always celebrate it with a nice dinner,” said the 63-year-old partner readiness specialist, adding that her mother passed on last year.
Eva also met her husband, Anthony Levinson, 70, at a New Year’s Eve countdown party at the resort in 2011. They tied the knot the following December and hosted a small reception there.
Alan, 76, and Shirley Fletcher, 74, from Swindon, England, remember how lush and idyllic Batu Feringghi had been in 1988 when they first visited.
The area as well as the hotel have changed a lot since then.
But one thing they say has remained constant is the friendliness of locals and the laid-back atmosphere.
The couple enjoy checking out nearby eateries and the stretch of night markets down the road.
“We have spent so many Christmases in Penang that our families back home no longer expect us this time of year.
“We typically head back in mid-January,” said Alan, a retired engineering manager.
The couple have returned to the resort every year except during the pandemic.
This familiarity is particularly helpful for Alan, who has lost sight in both eyes.
“Over the years, I built up a mental image of where everything is, so I can still get around easily,” he said.
