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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Hotel Review: The Villas at The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, Ipoh, Malaysia

Of hotsprings, limestone caves, and lush rainforest..


So, as promised, I spent the last two days resizing, going through (1000 odd photos) and narrowing them down to the best ones for this blogpost. It was actually kind of nice looking back at the photos and seeing what we got up to at The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat

Personally, I feel that The Banjaran is a great weekend getaway. It is a 2-hour drive from KL (not too far) into a gorgeous location in Tambun near Ipoh, Perak, filled with beautiful nature, lush rainforest, 260 million year old limestone caves and geothermal hotsprings. I would definitely recommend this place if you're looking for something unique and different from the usual beach destinations. And the villa is absolutely fabulous! (Wait til you see our villa!)

The Banjaran is the first eco-luxury wellness and spa retreat in Malaysia and encourages healthy living. Since we were only staying here for 2D1N, we didn't really get too much into the healthy living part, though we did enjoy soaking in the geothermal hotsprings which is said to be beneficial to health (detoxifying etc!). 


As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by a smiling, young lady who escorted us to the reception area for check-in. We were served a lemongrass drink with a cold towel before being ushered to our Water Villa via an electrical buggy (which is part of their eco practice). You can quite easily get around the whole resort by foot but for hot afternoons, the electrical buggy is possibly the better choice ;P


Reception area


Welcome drink


Beautiful lotus pond next to the reception area


Electrical buggy


On our way to our water villa

Guests have a choice of 25 exclusive garden (16 units) or water villas (9 units). We did not get to see the Garden Villa during our stay so I'm not sure how it compares, but you can always look on their website for photos. We were very impressed with the décor in our water villa, which is Balinese inspired. The villa was very luxurious and I knew I was going to enjoy it very much here already!

Each water villa is equipped with a plush oversized king-size bed, outdoor terrace with a private plunge pool and a sunken jacuzzi which can be filled with geothermal hot spring water. We enjoyed many dips in the sunken jacuzzi!

Water Villas rest on the banks of a water canal


Our villa for the next 24 hours ;)


Was sooo impressed when I walked through the doors and saw how spacious the villa was and the decor was right up my street! I had some quiet time here, while enjoying a cup of TWG chamomile tea and listening to music from the Bose sound system.  There is also a 40" LED TV but there is no time for TV here  since I would much rather be out taking photos of nature or soaking in the geothermal springs. Oh and they have wireless access throughout the resort! 



As part of nature conservation, the villa's roof is constructed using palm leaf thatching, which I feel looks really good and blends in well with the surroundings.

Outdoor terrace with a plunge pool



Very comfortable oversized king-size bed. The fan is so cute! 




Use of locally made, natural skincare range as well as amenities made from cornstarch material instead of plastic. It's a really green resort.



Ceramic containers instead of plastic bottles


Jacuzzi in action!! The geothermal hotspring water is piped directly from the source everyday! This is nice if you want privacy, but do not miss out on the real thing! Head out to the geothermal springs (see first photo). 



The sky above


Private outdoor rain shower


Small dining area (not used at all during our stay hehe)


Bose sound system


Btw, that green band around Hubby's wrist is the keycard to our room! You just wear it everywhere, even in water... great idea since you won't need to fumble for it in your handbag or worry about losing it.


Naturally cooled drinking water in a labu sayong - glossy black carafe in the shape of a gourd assists the cooling of water. Minerals in the clay used to produce this is believed to be able to cure ailments such as cough and fever.


A game called Khun Phaen left in the room for us - but we had no time to figure this out! 


Outdoor deck/ balcony overlooking the water canal


The view of the limestone caves


The water canal


Greenery everywhere :)



Hope you enjoyed this review on our Water Villa at The Banjaran. Still have more photos to share from around the resort as well as our other meals in the resort. (I have the photos sorted, so that will be soon!)


Full set of photos available to view here. 


Price: Rate is usually RM1800++ for villa only. There is currently a Facebook Fans special package which includes 1 night villa, daily breakfast for 2 pax, 60mins aromatherapy massage for 2 pax, anti-oxidant therapy or hydro bath treatment for 2 pax for RM1888. See here.

Location: The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, 1 Persiaran Lagun Sunway 3, 31150 Ipoh, Perak. (please exit at Ipoh toll)

Tel: 05-210 7777

Website: http://www.thebanjaran.com

GPS Coordinates: 4.63082, 101.15617

19 comments:

  1. impressive! I love the outdoor sunken pool and jacuzzi... such a perfect place for a romantic getaway... can't wait for the rest of the photos..

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    1. Didn't quite get into the pool but the jacuzzi is great!

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  2. wow, this place looks really lovely. i always go back to ipoh because my grandparents are there but i have to admit, banjaran hotspirngs is a little off in terms of distance.

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    1. Yes it's a really lovely place for a getaway!

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  3. So nice to have private pool & jacuzzi!! Like it so much.
    Oh ya..Philea Resort Melaka oso has the same fan.

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  4. Great environment and facilities! The plunge pool and indoor jacuzzi looks so inviting :)

    Impressive review...looking forward to the rest =)

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    1. I'll try to get another review out by this weekend :D

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  5. wow, so luxury, got pool & jacuzzi i the villa, 2D1N definitely not enough huh.. :P

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    Replies
    1. Yeah I think I can stay here for 1 week and not be bored.

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  6. loving the look, and liking the idea of an outdoor rain shower! :D

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    1. Not only is the place beautifully and luxuriously furnished, it has been well thought out. Very Eco friendly place.

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  7. This place looks good. I can imagine the serenity...hmmm not gonna be an easy task to check out:D

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    Replies
    1. Ask yr Hubby to bring u for a weekend getaway ;)

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  8. Yen,1st time of hearing this resort! The design looks very Balinese/Thai style, very nice!

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    1. The resort is quite new, I think only 1 1/2 yrs old. I also like the decor here very much!

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  9. Fantastic!! Any restriction for kids to stay here?

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    1. Hi NJ, during our stay we saw another family with kids. You can check with the resort as it has been a while since my visit - I believe kids above 7 years old are allowed.

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    2. So sad.. have to cancel the booking as no kids below 12 is allowed.. the place for honeymoon :) definitely I will go there 1 day :)

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Please drop any comments or questions you may have here. Thank you so much for reading!