Most buyers walking into a serious northern-seafront conversation on Penang end up looking at both of these. Andaman @ Quayside is E&O's completed flagship at the Tanjung Tokong reclamation, running eight years post-completion. W Residence Gurney Bay is the Marriott-branded tower on Gurney Drive still going up, target 2028. They sit about 15 minutes' drive apart, both premium, both foreign-eligible from entry — and they answer completely different versions of the same question. This is how I'd talk you through the decision.
The short version
- Buy Andaman @ Quayside if: you want a proven building you can walk into and move into this year, you value the marina and promenade amenity being there rather than promised, and the RM1.28M entry is a fit — either because it's your ceiling or because you'd rather put the difference into renovation or the next property.
- Buy W Residence Gurney Bay if: you want the international brand on the door, you're comfortable with a 2-3 year construction wait, the RM2.37M+ ticket is workable, and the cleaner legal setup (residential land title, rare in this tier) matters to you over a 20-year hold.
- Both are wrong if: yield is your primary criterion. Neither runs above 4% gross. If income is the point, look at Bayan Lepas instead.
Side by side
| Factor | Andaman @ Quayside | W Residence Gurney Bay |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | E&O Property Development | VST Group + Marriott licensing |
| Location | Seri Tanjung Pinang, Tanjung Tokong | Gurney Bay, Gurney Drive |
| Tenure | Freehold | Freehold |
| Land title | Residential | Residential |
| Total units | 338 | 498 |
| Unit sizes | about 914 – 4,800 sqft | 1,033 – 3,670 sqft |
| Completion | by 2017 (completed) | 2028 target |
| From price | RM1,280,000 | RM2,370,000 |
| PSF | RM1,086 – 1,955 | ~RM2,000+ |
| Foreign-eligible | Yes, all units | Yes, all units |
| Brand layer | None (E&O developer branding) | Marriott international brand |
| Amenity depth | Marina + retail + promenade (delivered) | Hotel + branded amenity (target 2028) |
| Zac's rating | 4.7/5 | 4.6/5 |
Two things that don't show up in a spec table but do the most work in the actual decision:
What "already there" versus "target 2028" really means
Andaman @ Quayside is inspectable today. You can walk the unit, see the actual sea view from the actual floor, meet the JMC secretary, ask for the last three years of sinking-fund contributions, and if you like what you see, sign and move in. The pool, gym, promenade and marina retail have been running for years — you know what you're buying because it's already running.
W Residence Gurney Bay is under construction. You can view a show unit (which is not your unit), see marketing renders (which will approximate the final finish), and buy on faith that the developer, the operator brand and the construction contractor deliver against the promises made at signing. This is not a criticism — it's how new-launch always works — but it is the risk you're taking by buying at 2028 target rather than after completion.
The premium for buying under construction is that you capture pre-completion pricing before the market resets at handover. For W Residence Gurney Bay, the developer's soft-launch pricing has already risen once through the pre-launch phase and will continue to rise as construction milestones are hit. If you commit today, you're paying less than a first-batch subsale buyer will pay in 2029. Andaman offers no equivalent early-bird — it's priced to today's subsale market.
What "brand licensing" is actually worth
The Marriott brand attaches to W Residence Gurney Bay through a licensing agreement between Marriott International and the developer. What you get, in practice: hotel-tier concierge, housekeeping and valet services delivered by Marriott-trained staff; access to the co-located hotel's pool, gym and F&B (verify the programme at signing — this varies by project); and the brand's global name recognition on your address and your resale listing.
What you pay for it: a premium over a comparable non-branded equivalent, plus higher monthly service charges that reflect the operating cost of the brand. Whether that trade is worth it comes down to how much you actually use the service layer.
If you live in the unit and use the concierge, housekeeping and hotel amenity daily, the premium compresses over a 10-year hold — you're pre-paying for services you actively consume. If you lease the unit out to a tenant who doesn't touch the service layer, the brand still supports rental rate and resale, but the premium is harder to fully justify.
Andaman @ Quayside carries no brand licensing premium. What you get is E&O's institutional developer credibility, the masterplan integration, and the delivered amenity — but no operator concierge, no hotel-tier service, no brand halo on the address. If the brand matters to you, this is the substantive difference. If it doesn't, you're paying less for arguably a better-integrated precinct.
The specific-buyer read
The Andaman buyer is usually one of three profiles: a Malaysian family moving up from an older Tanjung Tokong condo to a settled seafront address they can actually move into this year; a second-home buyer from Hong Kong, Singapore or Taiwan who wants Penang exposure at a workable ticket without a construction wait; or a retiree who values the marina walk and the promenade morning routine as part of daily life. All three respond to "the amenity is already there and it works."
The W Residence buyer is usually a slightly different person: someone who wants the international brand, who is comfortable with a 2-3 year construction horizon, and who reads the brand as long-term resale insurance. Often these are buyers who own branded residences elsewhere (Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh) and prefer to keep the portfolio consistent. Also often MM2H applicants who want the property leg satisfied in a way that reads uniformly across international property circles.
Very few buyers land at both by accident — most people have a clear preference by the second viewing.
Questions worth asking before you buy
At Andaman: the exact unit matters far more than the address. An 80% psf spread within the same building means two units at superficially similar prices can be noticeably different products. Never buy on the average — buy on the exact unit, floor and orientation. Also worth asking: eight-year-old buildings start hitting first major maintenance cycles (lifts, facade, chillers). Ask the JMC for the sinking-fund position before you sign. Not as a warning sign — as basic due diligence at this age.
At W Residence: 2028 target means real construction risk. Malaysian tall-tower delivery slippage runs 12-18 months on average, so budget accordingly. Also, verify the brand licensing terms (contract length, renewal, transition clauses) with the developer's legal counsel — brand contracts run 20-30 years and the terms vary by project. And verify which hotel amenities are actually included in the residential owner package; this is not standardised across branded residences and buyers assume more inclusion than they get.
For both: yield is moderate at 3-4%. Neither is an income asset. Buy for the lifestyle and long-hold case, not for rental economics.
What I'd do
If I were sitting across from you in the office, the first question would be: can you wait until 2028? If yes, and you want the international brand, W Residence is worth the wait. If no — or if the brand isn't the ask — Andaman @ Quayside is the more rational buy. It's proven, it's cheaper, and the area amenity is delivered rather than promised.
If the brand is the ask but 2028 is too far, Marriott Residences on Gurney (completed 2023) is the third option worth considering. Same operator brand, immediate move-in, commercial title (which is a real trade-off worth understanding — the W Residence vs Marriott Residences head-to-head walks through it).
Zac’s Take
Zac Ong
Andaman @ Quayside is E&O's proven Tanjung Tokong tower pair — 338 homes, freehold, complete by 2017, from RM1.28M. W Residence Gurney Bay is the Marriott-branded Gurney tower — 498 units, freehold with residential title, target 2028, from RM2.37M. My view: these are two different products, not two prices for the same product. Buy Andaman for delivered amenity and proven operational track record; buy W Residence for international brand and cleaner-title new construction. If the brand isn't the ask, Andaman is the more rational buy at 45% less entry ticket. Both are foreign-eligible from entry; both are lifestyle-and-long-hold plays rather than yield products.
Where to start
Tell me on WhatsApp which of the two feels closer to what you actually want, plus your budget and rough timeline (need to move in 2026? happy to wait to 2028?). Because Andaman has real subsale inventory and W Residence still has developer allocation, I can put current specific options in front of you for either building the same day.
Broader reads: full Andaman @ Quayside review, full W Residence Gurney Bay review, the area guides for Tanjung Tokong and Gurney Drive. If you're a foreign buyer, the foreign buyer guide has the full cost breakdown.
Sources: Both projects' specs, tenure, unit counts, sizes and current pricing checked against E&O Property Development and Macrovest/VST Group + Marriott International materials, plus live portal listings September 2026. Foreign-buyer rules per Penang state policy and Budget 2026. Confirm current developer pricing or specific subsale asking with a Penang-licensed conveyancing lawyer before signing.