Once we decided we were visiting Malaysia on holiday, one spot that tickled my fancy was the Cameron Highlands area of Malaysia which is famous for it’s beautiful tea plantations and the beautiful luxury hotel, Cameron Highlands Resort. Thankfully I can now say that I’ve ticked off the tea plantations from the ol’ bucket list but let me take you on a little guided tour of the hotel…we all like a good snoop now don’t we?!
First impressions of the hotel as we drove up in our rental car were fabulous; the doormen were fantastic and guided us quickly to the reception area where we waited and waited and waited…as one staff member checked in a guest in front of us and numerous reception staff walked in and out of the back room behind the reception desk, each time glancing at us…obviously we had our invisibility cloak on that day.
I was asked to take a seat and finally checked in the tea room…second impressions…not so great. After a drink and all the necessary check in details obtained we were escorted to our room.
I loved the clean lines of the hotel especially in The Jim Thompson Tea Room which is spectacular if you love colonial interior design. Our Deluxe Room was light and airy…
…a big comfy bed with soft pillows to relax on…
…and a balcony to read our books on, when the weather decided to behave! We weren’t complaining about the weather as it was lovely to finally escape the humidity that Malaysia is famous for…this is the area that many folks escape too at the height of summer.
While the bathroom was clean and tidy…the constant running water from the toilet wasn’t such a warm welcome…we had to ask for this to be fixed as G couldn’t work his magic unfortunately on this ocassion.
We decided to head downstairs for food or rather afternoon tea while the toilet was being fixed; it was all sorted by the time we headed back up to our room.
If I’m to compare The Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur and Pangkor Laut Resort & Spa to the Cameron Highlands Resort which are all run by the YTL Hotel group; the rooms at this hotel are seriously lacking.
Unfortunately the hotel can’t cater a gluten free option for the afternoon tea and I will be rather honest…I was suffering from a mean case of PMS while we were travelling…so I ate gluten…G told me to eat it…as I think I was at the “I hate you as you’re a boy and you don’t know what I’m going through” stage. Can I just say scones full of gluten are amazing and the PMS magically disappeared..scones are the happy pills of the future, say no to Prozac and eat scones!
Both nights we stayed at the Cameron Highlands Resort we ate at their main restaurant and were impressed with all the food and impeccable service. The level of detail in the service at the restaurant was the saving grace for this hotel.
If you visit the resort make sure you order the beef…it seriously melts in your mouth and yes if you’re gluten free the only dessert is strawberries…I almost turned into a strawberry…the area is not only famous for tea but also strawberries!
As I’m always brutally honest in my reviews, there are two points where I think this hotel really struggles to be a 5 star hotel; personally it feels more like a 3.5-4 star hotel
The Reception Staff at The Cameron Highlands Resort
- Check in was shambolic and took longer than it needed to be
- I tried to book a sunrise tour, only to be told by one of the reception staff that there wasn’t really anything to see and it’s not that good after he found their normal supplier was fully booked…hmm obviously the rising sun is nothing…strangely enough an instagram account I follow had pictures that told another story!
- Reception managed to find me another private tour company to use late afternoon (thank you) but it took two attempts to get details or anything confirmed with reception – in the end at 10pm I said, don’t worry about it…seconds later it was all confirmed.
- As we waited to be picked up at 6am for the sunrise tour, the gentleman on the front desk was wearing a hoodie…it wasn’t very professional at all for a 5 star hotel
Accommodation at the Camerons Highlands Resort
- Even though the rooms are beautiful, they’re not sound proof and are as noisy as hell – if you’re a light sleeper then you will struggle especially when you have neighbours that want to play loud music all night and / or move furniture.
While I was really looking forward to our stay at The Cameron Highlands Resort, it was unfortunately the hotel in Malaysia that I was the most disappointed by; especially when you compare it to the The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat. As I’ve said, the saving grace were the staff working in the main restaurant who also acted as a concierge service offering fabulous tips on what to see and do in the Cameron Highlands area.
One thing that is slightly confusing are the pictures of all the tea plantations on the hotels website…the hotel is not located anywhere near the tea plantations at all and doesn’t overlook any tea plantations; just a kind word of warning…we were fooled.
Would I recommend the Cameron Highlands Resort? – the hotel is lovely however I found it lacking in many ways…it felt lacking in the communal areas (no soul) and poorly run in the main reception area however the food was amazing; maybe just visit for the food – book yourself into a hotel elsewhere and visit for afternoon tea or dinner!
Travel Tips for the Cameron Highlands Resort, Malaysia
- There is ample parking at the resort however the roads in the main town are very busy, to the point of crawling at times.
- We had hired a rental car in Malaysia to visit Ipoh, Pangkor Laut Island, the Cameron Highlands and Kuala Lumpur; this is how I would recommend visiting all said places…this provided us with flexibility in our itinerary.
- The drive to the Cameron Highlands Region isn’t for newbies, there are quite a few twists and turns so if you suffer from car sickness then you might need to buy yourself some anti nausea treatment before setting off.
- The address for the Cameron Highlands Resort is as follows – Cameron Highlands, Pahang, 39000 Tanah Rata, Malaysia
- It is definitely cooler in the Cameron Highlands so make sure you take a fleece or jacket to keep warm especially in the evenings or early mornings.
- Check out the Cameron Highlands Resort packages page as it has various special offers. We managed to stay at the Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur for free after staying at this resort and Pangkor Laut Island as they fall under the YTL Hotel Chain.
- Looking for where to stay in Cameron Highlands then I would always look first at booking.com and use the filters on price and location to find somewhere suitable.
- Check out all my Malaysia posts here…Hong Kong makes a great stop over option!
Have you stayed at The Cameron Highlands Resort – how would your review sound of this property?
xx
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