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.

 

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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.