Today let’s take alook at the new Genting Skyavenue mall and plaza with an exploration visit. It is touted to be a highland shopping paradise above the clouds. It is also more than just retail therapy with an indoor theme park, bowling alley and an indoor snow park to boot too. Let’s check out Genting Skyavenue mall with an exploration.
Furthermore, the mall is a highland one, located at 6,000 feet above sea level in Malaysia. Genting Skyavenue plaza mall is part of Resorts World Genting. It touts to be a premier integrated resort that offers entertainment, dining, shopping, and hospitality options. Genting Skyavenue plaza mall is also connected to Genting SkyWorlds, a brand new world-class theme park which recently opened. You can read more of the Skyworlds theme park in its own post here, featuring nine worlds, each with its own theme and ride attractions.
Getting up to the Mall via Awana Cable Car
Getting to Genting Skyavenue plaza mall from Kuala Lumpur city involves taking the Awana SkyWay. It is one of the two cable car systems that serves the Genting resort. In a nutshell, Genting Skyway operates between two stations- Gohtong Jaya Station at the lower end, and Resort Hotel Station at the peak, where the mall sits.
SkyAvenue Station, positioned at the top, is the final stop and located within the Resorts World Genting complex. There are no intermediate stops, which means on a 10RM skyway pass, you get a non-stop journey straight to the Skyavenue mall destination.
Unlike the westward running Genting Skyway cable car, which is another cable car route and not to be confused with this Awana line, the Awana operates south bound across three stations. The first is Awana Station, located beside the vast Genting Highlands Premium Outlet mall with a huge carpark and a connecting bus terminal where most coach buses will drop you off. The other 2 stations are Chin Swee Temple Station, and the top-most SkyAvenue station.
Interestingly, you can drop off at the mid-route cable cars station, such as Chin Swee. It is conveniently located near the famous Chin Swee Temple, renowned for its stunning pagoda and picturesque scenery. You can detour and explore the temple without an entry fee.
Great views up to the Skyavenue complex
Moreover, the cable car ride up offers great views of the rainforest and the mountains. The ride was pretty smooth and comfortable with a cool breeze and sunshine on your climb. Also, the surrounding air does get increasingly cooler as you ascend up into the mountains. The mall sits at about 6000 feet (1,800 meters) high above sea level. Also, the temperature up here typically hovers about 25°C air-con-like temperature. Temperature rarely falls below 10°C up here, especially on raining seasons or at night.
Entering into SkyAvenue offers a bird’s eye view of Genting SkyWorlds theme park awaits you. It is sort of a welcome spectacle, beckoning you to visit the theme park as you cruise overhead over the rides and park guest as you enter into the Skyavenue plaza mall cable car building.
Additionally, you can still drive or take a private bus up all the way to Genting Skyavenue which still has a bus terminal and carpark at the top. However, it is also notable that all large tour buses and shuttle services have to stop at the lower part of the mountaintop take the cable car up. The last stop and exit is the Skyavenue mall. Also, a large portion of the mall’s top floor is made for the cable car loading station, presumably to cater for large crowds by the bus loads.
Exploring the Genting Skyavenue Mall
The main atrium of the four-storey Genting sky plaza complex shopping center greats you at the top floor. It is a vast atrium spanning 4 floors with walls lined with large and bright LED advertisement screens. The screens are impressive, but can get rather distracting after awhile with the constant bright flashing lights. This is so if you are dining at one of the many F&B outlets at the atrium.
Notably, Genting Skyavenue plaza mall opened in 2023, after several years of development and renovation. On some history, it was previously known as First World Complex, which was closed in 2013 for a major overhaul. Piror to this, the idea of Genting highlands came as an idea from to build a hill resort near the capital city of Kuala Lumpur by late Malaysian businessman, Lim Goh Tong.
Attractions in the SkyAvenue Complex mall
The mall is pretty much an all in one with food and beverage, entertainment all under one roof. Also, the mall offers a mix of food and beverage. Moreover, the mall touts to offer more than 100 brands and shops. This ranges from beauty and wellness, fashion and lifestyle, food and beverages, leisure and entertainment, services, snacks and confectionery, to telecommunications, IT and banking.
Moreover, I found the food options pretty good, with food courts, small eateries and even a supermarket. They are mostly located on the mall’s ground and top floors. Also, you be fine with the eateries and pubs on the ground floor. Interestingly, there is a Five guys fastfood restaurant here too.
More upmarket dining offerings includes those by the Grand Imperial Restaurant offering fine dining Chinese Dim Sum, BBQ and Seafood Steamboat restaurant. They serve authentic Cantonese cuisine. Favorite signature dishes include roasted duck, the dim sum, and abalone served in an elegant and spacious ambience.
A rather Singaporean mall too
Also, I found the mall offerings is pretty diverse and comprehensive as a one-stop and self-contained building catered to visitors of all ages and preferences. On my walkthrough, there is a range of upmarket stores and boutiques here too.
There is a large Singaporean presence here too, with establishments dotted around the mall such as Zouk, Mr Bean soyabean, Charles & Keith and Beauty in The Pot.
There is a large Chinese tourist presence here, with the bulk mostly located near the Mall’s in-house Casino area. Speaking of Casino, you can literally smell the Casino as you approach it, with unpleasant pungent cigarette smoke.
Also, do pay attention for scammers in the malls here, they typically foreigners and work in pairs. They typically approach you asking for money with a backstory of not having enough to pay for food or accommodation. And oddity for a tourist, and do avoid at all cost.
It is not just shops but entertainment too
Furthermore, the mall’s top floor has a large play and event area housing a few museums and shops. Here, there a Ripley’s oddity museum as well as a couple of laser tag and an indoor go-kart track too.
In addition, there are also several family themed attractions like an arcade overlooking the Skytropolis indoor themepark. More on that later in this article.
There is also a cinemaplex, an indoor Snow world park as well as a Bowling alley. Some of the notably non-retail attractions include an indoor theme park called Skytropolis, more on that later as well as an arcade and archery shooting range.
There is also the Genting Bowl, a 28-lane bowling alley great for spending time with friends and family. The bowling alley offers bowling under music and lights, as well as a glow-in-the-dark cosmic bowling, which added a new twist to the game.
Also, there is snow up here in Genting, well within the confines of the SnowWorld at least. It is an indoor snow park that lets you experience the winter wonderland. You can build Snowmen, slide down the slopes as well as visit a charming and picturesque European-themed snow village.
Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park
Besides shopping, a major highlight be the Skytropolis Indoor Theme park. The theme park sits is a large space on the mall’s ground floor in a carnival style arrangement. It houses a variety of small family amusement park flat rides, thrill rides and a roller coaster.
Notably, the Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park is a rebuilt of the outgoing first world indoor theme park which used to reside here. To any, besides the Casino, I reckon the Skytropolis indoor theme park is the next biggest attraction here for most of the visitors here. This is especially for family, children and those who don’t gamble.
If I recall, we see the return of the Spiderman-themed outdoor roller coaster which previously sat at the old outdoor Genting Theme park, which been long been reworked and now home to the outdoor Genting Skyworlds park. It is now moved into the indoors park. The mini roller coaster, a Spiderman inspired Zamperla Volare roller coaster is called the Super Glider now, and has been moved to this new indoor sector of the Skytropolis themepark.
Moreover, the Skytropolis theme park does a unlimited day passes or al-la-carte single tickets. To get more value with more rides, you are advised to purchase your tickets online. I found the 1-Day Unlimited Ride Pass Ticket is cheaper at RM65 online (RM90 walk-in rate). The pass includes one day unlimited experience based on available rides in Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park.
Also, the more pricey and less-value al-la-carte version allows you to pay as you ride. I found it is useful only if you want to take 1-2 rides without committing a whole day. Each al-la-carte ride ticket costs RM15 for most family rides and RM20 for Thrill rides such as the Power Surge, Spinning crazy thrill ride and Sky Towers indoor mini drop tower.
A compact mini indoor park
Moreover, being completely indoor, the park is shielded from rain and the weather. The park does has relatively short operating hours from 2- 9pm daily, with extended 10pm closing on Fridays and weekends. Family rides here includes the Jumping Spurs ride, Boo Boo Bump bumper cars, Ride ‘Em Round merry go round, Copper Express Train ride and Tea cups.
Notable thrill rides includes a roller coaster as well as a Power Surge and Spin Crazy spinning ride and Disco Viking ride. Though you might out of luck finding anything else than family rides here. You’d be better off visiting the Skyworlds outdoor park if thrills are your thing.
Also, the Skytropolis park spans over two floors, with most of the rides located on the vast lower floor. The upper floors are home aerial suspended rides. Examples includes the Soaring Ships and Chariot Cruise rides is one offering views overlooking the park.
The front of the park at the shopping mall entrance sits a Skyscraper Ferris wheel, as well as a Royal Carousel, and Balloon Race flat ride which offers a view of the park. Also lined along the walkway here are scores of Carnival midtown games and kiosks hawking goods and services, such as hand casts for instance.
Other miscellaneous rides includes Space Cadets flying planes, Music Express spinning ride by the rear entrance. The Bumper Boss ride is a non-kiddy bumper car. There is also an arcade and 4D motion simulator theater ride on the back far end of the park.
A connected mall
Supporting this large establishment are 3 connecting hotels, with the main hotel being the First world hotel. There are seven hotels in total up here in Genting scattered over the highlands top. Other old classic hotels are still residing up here, with old favorite like Resort Hotel, Awana hotel, Genting Grand, and Crockfords to name afew.
Most guest will stay at the First world hotel, which is also the most budget offerings. First World hotel is the largest hotel in the world by number of rooms (about 7,351 rooms). The 3-star rooms here are small notably also upgraded over the pandemic. It is still largely intact after the major revamp albeit with minor infrastructure upgrades to add to some comforts you expect for a 3 star hotel such as express check-in/out kiosks, flat TVs and a water dispenser at every floor near the lift landings.
Wrapping up
In conclusion, that wraps up our detailed exploration of the Genting Skyavenue plaza mall and it’s connecting Skytropolis Theme Park. It is tad a shopping paradise in the clouds that has it all: fun, excitement, adventure, and education. It is a place where you can shop till you drop, experience gastronomic delights, or simply just chill out at the coolest cafes watching the clouds.
