If you have read my previous post on Bukit Tinggi, you will know that my family and i have stayed at this apartment called Selesa Resort, which is not at Bukit Tinggi itself, but about 10 minutes drive away. Affordable and spacious.. That is how i would describe this hotel.. Check out the 2 rooms below..

 

I'm sure everyone will want to know.. about the toilet! Especially you girls.. Well, it was ok.. If you are a super neat freak you might not like it.. I wasnt difty or anything.. but old? Like the were little stains here and there but for me.. its was okay.. for the price we paid, it was quite awsome.. especially since we were in a group of 8... Anyway, a pic below to explain..

We were particularly happy about the kitchen, coz it meant we could spend a lot of family time, cooking simple and tasty food.. there were shops about 3 minutes away by car as well as many shops if you rather eat out.. But dont walk, its really dark and lone, drive with company as well.. It seemed to me like a cool adventure though.. not your typical prim and proper hotel, u know?

I dont have to talk about how big is the living.. you can practically fit another 10 people in there.. it has a nice green scenary, as well as other simple family activities.. Like the river beach which can accomodate picnics and outdoor activities. They also accept reservations for company retreats and functions..
 

Btw, the river was awesome!

For more information, 

please visit their official website:

http://www.selesa.com.my/

Hey travel birds! How yall doin? Good i hope! You might wonder why i have not been updating and going travelling so often now.. well.... i'm working now.. bummer i know! but hey.. gotta make the money to travel to more exotic places right? Haha.. see, there's always a positive in everything :D

Anyways, this was around Christmas year 2009. My family went for  short trip. We wanted to go somewhere near, affordable and nice. First bet was Port Dickson.. I didn't mind since i haven't been there in a while.. but i was in the mood for something different! Plus, i just got fairer from the beautiful breeze in Singapore, didn't wanna get all tanned up again :P Such a girl, i Know..

Anyway, this was only like 40mins away from where i live. The hotels at Bukit Tinggi itself were damned expensive so we booked an apartment 10 minutes away called Selesa Resort.

It wasn't bad.. If you have a car to drive up to Bukit Tinggi, Selesa is definitely the affordable solution. The apartment had 2 rooms, 1 kitchen, 1 balcony and a huge living room! Other activities at the hotel include swimming, golfing, camping, snooker and ping pong.. Simple family activity i would say..

Bukti Tinggi itself was quite good.. French and Italian restaurants, beautiful scenery, carnivals and so forth. Perfect place for the family and a bunch of friends looking for a simple weekend holiday..

One thing though, the Japanese Spa costs like RM500 per treatment and its never open! So if you wanna go there just to experience the spa, please look elsewhere.. The Japanese botanical garden is OK to me.. nothing really great considering all the uphill walking we had to do, but hey, got some good pictures!.. But given a choice, i would visit Cafe Del Mar rather than the Japanese botanical..

Enjoy the slideshow!

This was my first trip to Cameron highlands about 3 years ago.. after lots of planning, we had found 2 good hotels, one of which was Father's Guest House and another, Daniel's Lodge.. Initially we wanted to stay at Father's Guest House because of all the lovely comments we read about the place in many forums, true enough, it was famous as they were fully booked for the whole month.. so we decided to go with Daniel's Lodge which is just walking distance from the Tanah Rata bus stop..

When we arrived, we were a little sceptical about the place as it looked a little run down.. my main concern was if they had maintained the rooms and toilets.. when the receptionist pointed us to our room, i was glad as everything looked clean and nice.. for RM60, it was good enough..

We were informed by the receptionist that they have tour services from as low as RM25.. so as soon as we got settled, we booked a tour and waited for our van.. The itinerary on the tour included 4 places; a flower farm, a bee farm, a Chinese temple and the tea plantation.

First stop, Chinese temple.



Second stop, Flower Farm. We were happy that the flower farm not only had flowers, but strawberries, insects, reptiles and a butterfly farm too. The weather there permits the flowers to grow so wonderfully beautiful and healthy that some flowers are so big and tall, you feel like for a second they can take over the human race!


After our stop at the bee farm, we went to the tea plantation and got a tour on how tea was made from start to finish. There was even a special tea museum and speciality shop where you can buy all sorts of tea! and the view.. breathe taking!



As it was a short weekend trip, we decided to spend the night in so we paid a visit to Daniel's lodge jungle bar which was cool.. they had a bon fire and all.. the next afternoon we watched 2 movies in their mini cinema.. all in all it was a holiday to remember.. especially since i had to wash my face in icy cold water..

Don't forget to stop at the Tanah Rata market.. things to buy/try: natural honey, honey with it honeycomb, tomato jam, fresh strawberries and vegetables, key chains and other small gifts of that sort.

You may wanna buy plants but unless you are really good at looking after them, i suggest you don't. The weather in KL is just not sufficient for them to survive so let them live in Cameron, rather than die in KL. Let the fern i bought be the only plant that had die a dreadful death..

Daniel's Lodge. Recommended 5 stars!
http://www.daniels.cameronhighlands.com/

I'm lucky, i live very near to the Terminal Putra.. The location where you can take the bus to Genting? While i live near the terminal, the Genting express way exit is also only about 10mins away :D

I've taken both routes and my conclusion is i prefer to take the bus, simply because i don't have to drive.. heheh.. you can get a package deal inclusive of return bus ride, return cable car ride and tickets for the theme park at Terminal Putra at Melati for about RM50 which is very reasonable.. but if you want to drive to the cable car station, the parking is safe and FREE. I found this out the hard way.. it being my first time, i actually asked the guard where to get the parking ticket and he was like.. "err... its free?" *blush*

So anyway, i love the cable car ride.. its exciting and a bit scary! Especially if you're afraid of heights.. Just don't look down!


When you reach the other end of the cable car station, just follow the signs to the theme park.. I love Genting because it brings out the child in you, just by being there.. the color and designs make you feel like you're a kid in this huge carnival with endless fun rides to go on..



I can say that i have been on almost all the rides.. including the Flying Coaster which happens to be my favourite! As in i went on it 5 times on just the 2 trips i had to Genting. The only ride i can admitted say i haven't been on as a personal choice is the Space Shot.. Its the one where you sit in a circle facing outward, go right up and shoot down really really fast... 2nd pic below. Other than that, even the cork screw is extremely fun!


The pic above is of my gang, yup both cars.. We went in a big group and that's how i feel you should enjoy Genting.. Enough of the outdoor theme park..? there is also the indoor theme park.. where you can go to the snow world, have a shot at the indoor sky diving, watch a movie, go thru the Ripley's museum, go bowling, sing your heart out at kbox and lots lots more roller coasters.. I for one love the vast decorations they have..


You can head to Genting in the morning and come home the same day.. That is what most people from around here do.. coz its so near.. If you manage to get a good deal for First World Hotel, then by all means spend the night.. You will never be able to cover both the indoor and outdoor theme parks in 1 day.. especially if its during the rainy season.. some rides will be temporarily discontinued as a safety precaution.. check the genting website from time to time.. i hear the room rate goes down all the way to a crazy RM30 sometimes..

I had a great time with my friends and their kids but i think these boys can express it way better than i will ever be able to..

Since this was my second trip to Cameron Highlands, i went prepared.. With gloves and even a snow cap! If you cant stand the cold like me, you need these to keep you warm.. I especially needed it because i knew we were gonna be staying at the highest point in Cameron Highlands, EQ.


The journey was long and a little scary with the winding roads and rain but we made it safely.. obviously right? hehe.. EQ looked really nice.. the lobby had 2 pool tables!! I was so excited.. My uncle had gotten us an apartment instead of individual rooms.. It was comfy and nice.. 1 hall, balcony, 2 rooms, 1 bath. It felt like home away from home.


After checking in, we left immediately to explore the beautiful and totally cold Cameron Highlands. As you drive around, you will notice many Strawberry Farms, Botanical Gardens, Vegetable Farms and other interesting activities for you to take part in. Since i love strawberries, we headed to the strawberry farm first :)

It was interesting to learn on how strawberries grow. Did you know that at its baby stage, a strawberry looks exactly like a flower? Cool rite? Did you also know that Tomatoes grow high up there on branches? I didnt!!


And after all the walking + learning, its only fair i indulge in my favorite fruit right? :)



We then headed into one of the flower farms. You will be surprised with how big the roses grow there.. and also on how many different species of flowers they have growing.. some of which we've never seen before.. don't get me started on the different kinds of roses.. if you're a rose lover, you'd absolutely love Cameron! Besides the flowers, they had other decorative for people like me and my cousins who aren't really into flowers and planting.. :)



But of course, being someone who likes to photograph things, i wouldn't miss my chance capturing what flowers i found beautiful..

After walking the whole day, we decided to head back and call it a day as the "driver" was tired and so were we.. After 3 rounds of pool at the hotel lobby we took our long and hot baths, cuddled up in blankets and watched TV til we slowly headed to bead one by one..

With our trip to Cameron being just a weekend trip, we packed our stuff and headed to the balcony for some family pictures to commemorate our trip.. EQ had a beautiful garden and terrace too over looking the whole of Cameron.. You can easily see a few tea plantations, the view was just amazing.. it gives you a sense of tranquility.. A perfect place for couples to just curl up together.. the environment and weather gives you the very reason to do so.. not that you would need any reasons, of course :)


And no journey to Cameron is complete without visiting the tea plantations.. The one we went to was the Boh! plantation. There are other plantations which have jeep rides that take you to the middle of the plantation. Unfortunately, we didn't get to do that. It would have been fun.

Upon arrival, we were greeted and taken to the factory. The lady talked us through the whole process of making tea.. from the leaves picking right to the part where the tea is packed into its cute little tea bag. We were then directed to their specialty shop which seemed expensive at first. RM7 - RM9 per packet of flavored tea containing about 10 to 15 bags per packet. I the realised that its so much more cheaper than the ones you get in KL so i grabbed passion fruit and mango. Totally Delish!


It was a short trip but educational, eventful and worth it!

P/s: Visit the pasar malam at Tanah Rata town near the KFC. You will be able to buy strawberries, fruits, vege, honey and everything else that has made Cameron famous.. Can anyone get me the Tomato Jam? Pweese?