(Cameron) Highlands Highlife
- Sanskriti Nigam
- Jul 13, 2016
- 8 min read
We’d heard lots of good things about Cameron Highlands (CH) which was why it made its way on to our Asia Bucket list. Not only that it was significantly cooler than Singapore but also due to the British influence in the past, they serve ‘typically British’ food. Think: scones, fresh strawberry jam, cucumber sandwiches, beef wellington, Yorkshire puddings… Having been away from home for nearly a year, CH seemed like the next best thing, and also to get some respite from the brutal Singapore sunshine!
If you’re thinking about, or in the midst of planning, a trip to CH, I do want to apply a caveat to the above. The Highlands are amazing, and definitely well worth a visit, but the expectation that we were led to believe in about experiencing ‘typically British’ things was not quite correct. If you go with the hope that it will feel like you’re essentially back in the UK (like we did!), you’ll be disappointed. However if you go, remembering that you’re in Malaysia, and it’s a novelty to be able to have afternoon tea whilst overlooking lush green fields, then it’ll definitely surpass your expectations!
Tip: Depending on the time of the year that you go, make sure you bring a rain jacket as it was pouring when we went. Having a rain coat meant we could still carry on with our day as usual despite the wet weather. Even though the weather is cooler than Singapore, the rain is still warm, so it’s not unpleasant at all!
Details
Where did I go: Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
How long did I go for: Friday – Sunday
Travel time: 8 hours in total, flying to KL from SG and then bus journey to CH
When we were planning our trip, we were joining friends who were already travelling around Malaysia. The plan was to fly in to KL from Singapore, and then be picked up in the car our friends had hired, and all drive up to CH together. Whilst driving around Malaysia is fun in theory, in hindsight this probably wasn’t the best idea. The roads as you go up to the highlands are pretty treacherous and steep, snaking around the hill. Only people who are comfortable driving around such roads should choose this option. Having said this however, once we were in the highlands we found that the sites weren’t really walking distance, so having a car was useful. And there was no option to hire a car in CH. Of course, since taxis are cheap, you could opt for this instead or just look in to hiring a driver for the day as it’s only a weekend trip.
My recommendation would be to fly to KL, and take a bus from KL Sentral to the CH bus terminal. We actually did this, but on the way back down only and found it far more comfortable. On the day we were leaving, we went to the bus station in CH, and caught a pre-booked bus (CS Travel & Tours) which took us directly in to KL Sentral and took around 5 hours. From there we took a train to the airport which took a further 30 minutes. To be prudent, I would say 6 hours in total. Our bus travel fare on the way down was RM35 per ticket (just under SGD12) and the fare from KL Sentral to KLIA2 was RM55 (around SGD18.50. Whilst it is longer, it’s a no brainer. You also get to enjoy the views around Malaysia as you drive down in the bus being driven by a driver who is used to and comfortable driving around such roads.
Check out the timetable here for planning your bus travel.
There are over 40 flights running per day from Singapore to KL, click here for the timetable and from KL to Singapore here
Visa Requirements: No (for British Passport holders)
British passport holders are given permission to stay in the country for 3 months on arrival.
Not sure whether you need a visa? Use the link below in the "Useful Information" section to check.
Where did I stay: Heritage Hotel Cameron Highlands
The hotel is a Tudor-inspired complex surrounded by mountains. Whilst it was a little sparse, it was clean and had all the required features and amenities that we needed for a weekend stay. One annoying thing was that there was no wifi in the rooms, so you had to come down to the main reception area if you wanted to use the internet. Breakfast was a huge selection, which was all halal given that we were in Malaysia, but they catered for both Eastern and Western tastes. The hotel was conveniently located very centrally so we were well situated for visiting the tourist sites.
Itinerary
Boh Tea Plantation
On our first day, we headed straight out to the tea plantations as we’d heard it was THE thing to do. Unfortunately the weather was against us, and it started pouring with rain on the drive up to the plantation. We weren’t really able to actually go in to the fields, so instead we sat in the café (which was pretty rammed owing to the rain) and sampled Boh Tea’s finest selection of teas and pastries. I’m no tea connoisseur so for me, tea is tea, however the fresh strawberry tart was rather delightful. We spent around an hour relaxing at the café before deciding to move on, stopping in the nearby fields as we drove out to get some cheeky snaps!
Butterfly Farm
On the way back from the tea plantation, we came across a Butterfly Farm. As well as being a butterfly farm, they were (of course) also selling lots of CH souvenirs, conserves, t-shirts, bags etc. Because of the weather we didn’t see any butterflies however I had heard that it is really beautiful if you do get to see them. There was also an adjoining Bee Farm, which personally isn’t my thing, but definitely check it out if you’re interested.
Strawberry picking
The highlight of the day was definitely strawberry picking. We picked a farm at random as there are loads of places for this activity and all are essentially the same price and offering the same thing. Once we had parked up, we headed to the counter where we were given containers ahead of starting our fruit picking. You can fill the container as much as you like, and you pay based on the weight. Once in the strawberry farm, you walk through the aisles picking the ripest and juiciest fruit that you can find. The farm attendant was really helpful and guided us towards the back where fewer people had already been, so there were lots of strawberries there. We spent nearly 45 minutes going round looking for strawberries, and when we went to pay it was around SGD5 per box. A great snack for our bus trip back to KL Sentral!
Foodie Highlights
The Lakehouse Hotel Afternoon Tea
When I was doing my research, I’d read good things about the Afternoon Tea at The Lakehouse. True to its name, the hotel stands at the tip of a lake and the views of the surrounding mountains and lake are breath taking. The hotel is styled like an old English manor (I’m sure it probably really was a manor and occupied by the British at some stage!), with exposed dark wooden panes and ceiling beams, a fire place and dark wooden furniture. The hotel, with the backdrop of the mountains and the lake, is extremely picturesque.
We decided to order the Afternoon Tea which came with a selection of finger sandwiches, scones, bite-sized pastries, fresh strawberry jam and (instead of clotted) whipped cream. As I mentioned above, if you go with the expectation of a typically British afternoon tea, you’ll be disappointed, as I was, given the stand was missing clotted cream! However as far as afternoon teas in Asia go, it was very nice, the scones were buttery and flaky, the finger sandwiches were per usual, cucumber, salmon and ham and cheese and were also lovely. The desserts were also nice, however not all were to my liking. I would definitely recommend going for the experience, and perhaps just ordering some tea and scones, rather than the full afternoon tea though.
Ye Olde Smokehouse
The Smokehouse was the hotel that we had originally tried to book to stay at, upon recommendation from some friends. Unfortunately by the time we came to booking, it was full so we settled with having dinner on the Saturday night instead. Similar to The Lakehouse, it’s an old English manor with the same décor (see a pattern here?!). When we entered, the friendly maître d’ escorted us right away in to a living area where we were seated and instructed to place our order for dinner and drinks. We ordered the Beef Wellington, Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding and Pan Fried Snapper. We then got comfortable in the sumptuous sofas, whilst our meals were being made, with drinks served to us whetting our appetites.
Once our meals were ready, we were taken in to the dining area and seated at our table. Service was very good and the waiting staff were very attentive, constantly refilling our water and asking us if we needed more drinks. The beef in the wellington was cooked very well however the shortcrust pastry wasn’t cooked all the way through (all the Master Chef wannabe’s will know that this is major faux pas). Similar with the roast beef dish, the beef was cooked very well, however the Yorkshire pudding were stodgy and not light and fluffy as they are meant to be (if you’re British, you’ll know this is a major faux pas!). On the plus side however, the snapper was cooked perfectly!
When we were recommended the restaurant, we were told that the restaurant served excellent British pub-style food, so as Brits, we would love it. Similar to the afternoon tea, we were left a little disappointed because we had built it up in our heads. However if we’d gone knowing that it wasn’t going to be exactly as we would expect from home, we would have ordered accordingly and not been quite so disillusioned! Despite the above, I would still recommend for everyone to go because of the experience. Service was excellent, and it really did feel like you were in the countryside in the UK having dinner at a boutique restaurant.
I also wanted to add that steamboat is a very popular dish in CH and they have a lot of restaurants serving it so no doubt it will be very good. We had intentions to try out the steamboat on our first night, but as we arrived late and were exhausted from the drive, we decided to give it a miss. Perhaps if you go visit, you can try it out and let ME know how it was!
Best time to visit: Cameron Highlands is normally very crowded during the school holidays, weekends and festive season so the best time to visit is outside of these times during the off-peak season. The weather in Cameron Highlands is cool throughout the year however October is the wettest, July the driest, May the warmest and January bringing in the coolest weather.
Website links and other useful information
Accomodation
Heritage hotel: Jalan Gereja, Cameron Highland, 39000 Tanah Rata, Pahang, Malaysia
Visa
Not sure if you need a visa? Check here
Activities
Butterfly farm: 43rd Miles,, Kea Farm, 39100, Pahang, Malaysia
Boh Tea Plantation: 39200 Ringlet Cameron Highlands
Strawberry picking: Raju's Hill Strawberry Farm, Cameron Highland, 39000 Brinchang, Pahang, Malaysia
Restaurants
The Lakehouse Hotel: 30th Mile, Jalan Ringlet - Tanah Rata, 39200 Ringlet, Pahang, Malaysia
Ye Olde Smokehouse: By-The-Golf Course, Tanah Rata, 39000, Pahang, Malaysia
More ARTICLEs on malaysia: Looking for an island getaway, which is only an hour’s flight away? Check out my itinerary on Langkawi: Living La Vida Langkawi to start planning your next holiday!
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