A long weekend away up in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Well after 2+ years of living in Kuala Lumpur we finally made the trek up to the Cameron Highlands and let me just say- why in the HECK did it take us this long to go?!?! A short 3 hour drive north up in the Malaysian mountain range sits this beautiful, relaxing, and refreshing trio of towns that mainly make up the fantastic Cameron Highlands, a perfect weekend getaway from the hustle and bustle of city living.

Due to its location, the weather was absolute perfection. Much cooler than the humid city life of KL and without all the nasty smog and burnt smell going on right now from Indonesia. The days were mild and sunny and the nights cool and breezy- for peet’s sake we even slept with the windows open- I cant remember when we did that last!! Much needed break from the heat.

I found, via Agoda, the adorable Lakehouse Boutique Hotel, situated just past the town of Ringlet, and about 20 minutes before the main towns of Tanah Rata & Brinchang. I was kind of “flying blind” as they say, but The Lakehouse is ranked #1 on TripAdvisor and had amazing reviews on Agoda so how could we go wrong?! Besides, a quick 20 minute drive into town is nothing when you are staying a resort that has it all- the service was outstanding, the hotel itself pristine, the rooms very comfortable, and the food top notch- a true win win!

We arrived to our hotel after a quick 2 1/2 hour drive at lunchtime on Saturday. The staff was super attentive and very kind and promptly seated us outside on their deck for a complimentary check in massage along with cold towels and a refreshing drink. We stayed and enjoyed some lunch while they got us checked in to our upgraded family suite- score! Meanwhile, Ava was able to run amuck around their gorgeous green lawn just alongside the property that overlooked the main lake….which unfortunately was brown and dirty due to some work they are doing to make it deeper. Oh well, relaxing and serene for sure.

Loved our suite- 2 adjoining rooms with loads of space for Ava to run around, the bathroom was clean and roomy, the bed was plush and comfy, and they even had a nice Mothercare baby cot for Ava & a Nespresso machine for our morning wake ups :). We were able to put Ava in the other room and she slept like a dream in the cool and fresh air, we weren’t far behind her every night- LOL!

We decided that afternoon so stay close to the hotel and enjoy it, rather than go into town for just a few hours. You see, our main goals of this 3 day weekend were this: hike every day, pick a plethora of Cameron Highlands strawberries, drink loads of Cameron Highlands tea at their various tea plantations, enjoy “high tea”, & check out the famed Cameron Highlands Resort (YTL property) for lunch.

As luck would have it, our hotel offered a guided 1 hour trek through the jungle behind our hotel so off we went to explore the beautiful flora and fauna with some moderate exercise. So fun, a bit a more of a workout than last time I carried miss A around in the Ergo- she’s hefty now!!

A stunning display of High Tea at The Lakehouse before dinner- amazingly delicious scones with fresh strawberry jam to boot- yummy!

Sunday we awoke ready to conquer the day! We packed up for the day, not knowing where it would lead us except that we just wanted to explore so off we went up the mountains through the towns and just past them to our first stop at the CH Butterfly Farm, which also housed a few other animals & flowers! What a fun surprise~ Ava loved looking at them all and even tried to catch a few- silly girl! A fun way to spend about 30-45 minutes.

After this adventure we drove just around the corner to the EQ Strawberry farm– organically grown berries and we could pick our own- fun! We had a blast picking out some beauties as well as grabbing some freshly made strawberry ice cream, sugar free jam, and honey & bee pollen made there too! What a blast! Since this farm is organic, its a bit pricier than some others but well worth it- the taste of these strawberries were unreal!

We decided it was time for lunch so after driving back through Brinchang and just before Tanah Rata, we stopped at the uber $$ YTL resort- the Cameron Highlands Hotel. This hotel is the only 5-start resort in the highlands but in my opinion, was ridiculously overpriced, thus our decision to stay elsewhere. I mean really, if I am going to spend that much money on a hotel, there better be a beachfront view LOL! We walked the gorgeous grounds and had a delicious lunch while overlooking their private golf course, which was a fun way to spend some time.

After letting our food settle some, off we went on our daily hike! Whats great about the Cameron Highlands is that there are about 14 marked jungle trekking trails you can take, ranging anywhere from 30 minutes to all day, and also range from easy to very difficult terrain. Obviously with Ava, we couldn’t do anything too long nor too difficult so we kept to the easy and moderate trails and found a nice one to the Parit Falls….but don’t expect a gushing waterfall, but its a nice little 1 hour trek nonetheless.

After this little workout, we started driving back to our hotel but decided we weren’t done being tourists either so we turned off the main road just before our hotel and found ourselves on a super crazy winding mountain road up to the famed Boh Tea Plantation! What a blast! We enjoyed more tea along with some delicious strawberry cheesecake (again, so glad we did so much hiking with all these sweets- hehe) and trekked up the hill about 15 minutes to a stunning vista of their plantations and the surrounding highlands, and Ava was a star- everyone wanted to hold her and take pictures with her- hahaha. What a lovely afternoon! Clearly we just relaxed back at the hotel that evening with more running around the gorgeous lawn and capped off by some delicious room service for 2 :).

Monday was our final day and of course we had to get more hiking in, the main reason we went to CH in the first place!  After researching a bit more the night before, we decided on another waterfall hike- this time to the Robinson Waterfall. It was classified as “moderate” and had options to make it as little as 1 hour or as much as a 3 hour+ hike. Off we went jungle trekking with our rockstar girl and this time we were very impressed. The hike itself was the best of the weekend- very “jungle-y”, loads of ups & downs, and a glorious waterfall along with some nice vistas through the trees. What fun & a great workout to boot (much needed after our indulgences the day prior!). We capped our morning off with a trip to the beautiful Starbucks in town which seriously looked like it could have been in the middle of Seattle, WA USA (where I grew up). After enjoying some coffee and snack, we made our way back home to KL, after a quick stop at a farmers market to grab MORE strawberries to take home and freeze along with some fresh and cheap produce!

What a perfect weekend away. I highly recommend whether you live in Malaysia or are here visiting, make an effort to spend 2-3 days in The Cameron Highlands. You won’t regret it- getting way from it all and relaxing in the peacefulness of the highlands was the perfect prescription for worn out city life or traveling. Beware though- the final 1- 1 1/2 hour portion of the drive is up the windiest & scariest road I have seen in Malaysia. I was in the front seat and still was sick. Take your time, go slow, let others pass you, and do not go in the dark. Otherwise you should be fine!

Until next time, see the countryside & all it has to offer~

Kimbra