The Banjaran Hotsprings
Resort
I have never heard of the name 'The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat' until my younger daughter mentioned it. Her colleague had visited the place and was overjoyed with her stay there that she encouraged my daughter to make a trip there. She also mentioned that it was worth the while to have a holiday there, if not my daughter would regret for not visiting the place.
On the
evening of November 9, 2014, my family and I arrived at the resort at around
five o'clock. We were taken aback that we were allowed to go through the checkpoint
at the entrance without any checking or inquiry by the security guards. At the
reception counter we were once again surprised to be informed on arrival by a
staff member that we were to stay at the garden villa No. 7 and No. 10. This
was even before they verified our identity.
Later, I
learnt from my younger daughter that the resort usually would get the details
of the guests before their arrival. Most probably the resort staff had already
anticipated our arrival. Hence, they had no need to authenticate our identity
upon our arrival.
Later on
we were requested to produce our identity cards for the purpose of registration
and documentation. The check-in was done speedily without any fuss.
Within
minutes we were ushered to our villa by a member of the staff in a buggy. In
the villa, we were orientated to familiarize with the facilities in the villa.
Our
garden villa was equipped with a dip pool and a smaller natural geothermal
Jacuzzi pool. The Jacuzzi pool has an extra tap linked to the supply of hot
spring water which is odourless (no smell of sulphur as the water has been
treated).The toiletries provided were of high quality. No plastic bags and
bottles were found in the villa which was in accordance with the Green
Philosophy of the establishment.
The villa
was enclosed within four walls so that we were confined in a world of our own
separated from the outside.
Dipping
into the private pool, practising ‘one-breath’
swimming, followed by a session of spa in the Jacuzzi pool could be very
relaxing and refreshing to the body and mind.
The
shuttle service at the resort was by means of a buggy powered by electricity
which is very convenient for the guests to move around to any spot in the
resort.
A
buggy was just a phone call away from us. After we gave a tinkle to the
reception office, a buggy would be at our doorstep promptly within a few
minutes. At any time of the day or at any place of the resort, we could easily
get the service of a buggy by contacting the reception office with a cordless
telephone.
For my
wife whose movement is impeded by her knee problem, the buggy service was
really heaven-sent to her when moving around the resort visiting the Geothermal
Hot Springs Dipping Pools, the Thermal Steam Cave, the Ice Bath, and the
Meditation Cave.
We were
delighted to have a dip in the open-air warm-water swimming pool.
We also
found a time slot to immerse our feet in the Garra Rufa Doctor Fish Pool to
allow the 'doctors' to perform skin therapy on our feet.
In the
morning of the final day of our stay we took a cool morning walk along the trails
enjoying Nature as we strolled to the Crystal Cave to try out a session of
meditation.
The
temperature of the air-conditioner in the enclosed cave was a bit high and we
felt a bit warm and stuffy inside the cave. Nevertheless, we managed to meditate
for fifty minutes.
Later on
I sent my feedback to the resort personnel who assured me that a technician
would be sent to the cave to monitor and maintain the temperature in the cave
throughout the day at 24 degrees Celsius.
Although
staying in the resort is costly, nevertheless the facilities provided by the
resort are comparatively cosy.
As one
guest who had stayed in the resort put it figuratively, “Here I'm paying like a King, but I am also being treated like a queen!"
People
may say that paying a little more than a thousand ringgit a night staying in a
villa in this resort is rather expensive. Perhaps one has to look at it in a
different perspective. If it is not
expensive, it can't be exclusive. I would rather think that the money spent
here is worthwhile as I could dwell in a peaceful and serene environment where
solitude is very dear to me and it is hard to come by in any other place in the
world.
To seek for
a haven with practically 'ninety-nine percent' solitude is like
searching for a needle in the vast ocean. The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat is
such a 'needle' you would find. It
is a wise policy on the part of the resort authority to limit the number of
occupants in a villa to two persons and to disallow children below the age of
twelve to stay in. In one way or another, these regulations would help to
contribute to as well as to consolidate the serene and peaceful environment in
the resort.
In this
resort there are sixteen garden villas and nine water villas. Only two
occupants are allowed in each villa. At its peak season, with all the villas
fully occupied, the resort could only house fifty guests in total. According to
a spokesman of the management in the resort, the total number of the staff
working at the resort is tallied to be around one hundred and ten which is more
than double the number of the guests staying in the resort during its peak
season. It is of little wonder that a guest staying in the resort would get an
excellent service hardly found elsewhere.
Most of
the staff whom I had the chance to talk to shared the same sentiment of their
liking to work at the resort. I, too, if given the opportunity, would be glad
to join the rank and file even if I am not paid a penny so long as food and
lodging is provided free of charge.
