Working out where we were going on our road trip through Malaysia wasn’t easy but luckily enough there was a pretty darn nice hotel between Pangkor Laut and the Cameron Highlands where we could rest our heads for a few nights; say hey to The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat in Ipoh.
Our check in was fast, efficient and included a refreshing drink and towels on arrival which was a blessing as it was rather humid. The manager of the hotel also greeted us at reception (this is how all guests are welcomed). First impressions of just the reception area was that the retreat was absolutely stunning…
…I was totally lost for words!
We were shown around the retreat in a golf caddy and all the necessary buildings were pointed out before we arrived at our villa including the restaurant, spa and cellar; welcome to our villa, number 15 – are you ready for a snoop!
I had booked us into a garden villa; G had no idea what I had booked so he got a rather big surprise to see a pool inside our villa. Yeah a big surprise…but there were no complaints (if there were I would have drowned him in the pool! He’s English, I’m Kiwi…he wouldn’t stand a chance).
There was so much space in the villa that you could relax by the pool, in the pool (well done me for not dropping my new camera in the pool!)…
^^apologies for the swimsuit photo (if 20 something bloggers can do it then this 35 year old blogger is going to do it!)
…or in the outside dining / lounge area!
It gets even better…there’s even a outdoor heated hot tub which you can use at night time or day time for that matter! G was obsessed with the the hot tub…if I couldn’t find him, it was because he was relaxing in here.
Seriously we didn’t want to leave the villa…we could have just ordered room service and stayed locked up…but we went out to explore The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat like good little tourists should.
We found some rather hungry fish…they were willing to give me numerous pedicures while staying at the retreat…we may have visited about 2-3 times a day…leaving me with baby smooth feet! G loves fish pedicures as much as I do, strange I know!
The Banjaran Hotspring Retreat is a wellness resort, to help you balance the mind and soul and to make you one big gooey relaxed mess…they succeeded with us. As we had our own private hot tub we didn’t use the communal Hot Dipping Pot…okay I’m calling all hot tubs / jacuzzi’s in future Hot Dipping Pots…sounds much more chocolatey and fun…which can only be a good thing!
And how incredible does this communal pool look…it’s heated due to the geothermal activity underneath the ground.
G and I wandered around the retreat checking out all the pretty flowers…
…waterfalls…
…we found some pretty butterflies flitting between the flowers and some cheeky monkeys…I may have stubbed a toe running away from them even though they were at the top of the cliff (yes I’m such a wimp…I’ve travelled through Africa, I know what they’re capable of doing!).
You can’t swim in the lakes as they will cook you…but it’s impressive to see how the resort has been worked into all this natural jungle beauty.
We managed to have a nosey around the water villas which don’t have the large private pool (they have a little dipping pool inside their villa instead) and have a balcony overlooking a lake with pretty water lilies. I liked our garden villa much better.
There are a few options available for meals; there’s only one restaurant on site however you can order room service (we ordered lunch, which was delivered fast and was super tasty) or you could request a rather romantic setting for dinner.
The gluten free food were incredible at the Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, I would return just for the food alone. The gluten free bread was the best bread I’ve ever eaten; soft, fluffy and extremely yummy…even G ate the gluten free bread.
…and then there are the peanut satays, oh my goodness…dribbling just thinking of them.
Pomelo Restaurant works around food intolerances with ease and they never compromise on flavour or freshness. The Banjaran offered the best food we had on our entire trip around Malaysia!
And of course we popped into Jeff’s Cellar for a drink…I had a Shirley Temple (I’m so rock n roll…)…the Cellar is a cooling haven from the July humidity.
The service at the Retreat was incredible; to be honest it was faultless…I have no complaints what so ever…and I’m a rather fussy traveller as you all know!
Travel Tips for The Banjaran Hotspring Retreat
- If visiting during the rainy season, make sure you take plenty of mosquito spray as they’re hungry little buggers. The hotel supplies repellant in case you forget.
- Definitely go to the free yoga sessions in the afternoon; super relaxing and possibly one of the best yoga classes I’ve ever been too.
- If you’re gluten free then you won’t go hungry when staying at the resort; just send them an email ahead of time to warn them.
- Weekends are busy as locals from Kuala Lumpur come up to visit, book mid week and you will feel like you have the resort to yourself however even when it’s busy it does feel like you’re alone at the retreat.
- Make sure you book yourself in for a spa treatment, it’s pure bliss
Would I recommend the Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, Malaysia – yes with bells on, honestly this has to be one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed at. I often wondered when we stayed – did the hotel or the jungle come first as the hotel fits perfectly in with its surroundings.
xx
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