A few days ago we took advantage of the Islamic new year public holiday and took off on a roadtrip to Cameron Highlands. A couple of my friends since then have asked me for details of the trip so I thought I might as well make a blogpost out of it. So here's a photoblog of my trip:
Cameron Highlands is about 4 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur, and essentially there are two routes getting there, either from Tapah (which is closer) or Simpang Pulai (which is about almost 100 km further than Tapah). We decided to take Simpang Pulai as I've read that the roads are better and less winded. I'm glad I took Simpang Pulai rather than Tapah because I did enjoy the road and the scenery along the road as well. If you're planning on a road trip, here's some info on both routes, click [here].
The road was slightly winded, but it was manageable, at least for me. I've driven on worst road conditions so this was okay.
As our check in time wasn't until 2.30pm, we decided to go to Rajuu Hill Strawberry Farm (located opposite the junction to Copthorne Hotel and embark on a strawberry picking adventure.
There are plenty of strawberry farms in Cameron, so don't worry, you'll definitely be spoilt for choice.
At Rajuu, they charge you RM30 per half kg and they'll provide you with a basket and two scissors. I definitely recommend the experience. It was so much fun!
There's a marker in the basket, so you'll definitely know when you reach half a kg.
We paid for our strawberries and requested for some whipped cream on top before digging in. They charged RM4 for the whipped cream. And yes, the strawberries did taste better with cream.
Post checking in, we decided to go on an English-themed high tea at Ye Old Smokehouse (located at Tanah Rata) as we've heard that the scones over there is totally delicious.
For RM45 per person, the high tea consisted of tea, a couple of salmon sandwiches, a scone and a slice of fruitcake along with clotted cream and strawberry jam. However, the fruitcake contained alcohol so we opted for another scone in exchange for the fruitcake. I must say, this is the best scone I've ever tasted. Soft, warm and buttery, it was absolutely delicious.
The compound.
The compound.
Ye Old Smokehouse. Lovely place, beautiful and well-kept garden and absolutely love the scones. The scones were the highlight of my trip. Perfect place for honeymooners I must say. For more info, their Facebook page is [here] and website [here].
Sunset. The view from our hotel room at Copthorne. Obviously there's a lot of construction activities happening in Cameron so in regards to the view from your room, you could either get a view of the strawberry farms which are scattered in Cameron or a view of an empty land which is currently under construction.
Dawn in Cameron. Fog is rising up from the earth. Subhanallah.
Day 2. We decided to have tea at Sungei Palas Tea Estate which grows tea for Boh Tea. The Sungei Palas tea plantation is only about 3 km from Copthorne.
On the far right of this photo is the terrace where you'll be having tea.
However, to enjoy the view, you have to walk up this tiny path for about 200 meters.
Almost there.
And here we are.
We ordered some chicken pie, scones, strawberry tart and coconut tart for breakfast. We also tried their Sungei Palas tea as well. As you can see, the view is magnificent behind us.
Tea bushes.
Tea bushes.
More tea bushes. This was the second highlight of my trip.
Azima took this photo from the car. I was trying to capture photos of the tea plantation but let me just say, my photos doesn't do them justice. You have to be there to experience it.
We left the tea plantation and checked out from the hotel at 1 pm. On the way back to Kuala Lumpur we decided to stop by Cameron Lavender Garden to check out the lavender flowers that they have there. The farm charges an RM6 entrance fee for adults and RM4 for children.
Japanese lavender (front) and at the far back are the actual lavender plants.
They have a wide array of other flowers as well.
Fresh flowers are available for picking at RM2 each or 6 for RM10.
A sea of flowers.
And more flowers.
And since we've never been to Kellie's Castle, we decided to do a little detour and check out the unfinished mansion. Kellie's Castle is about 10 km away from the Simpang Pulai junction.
Incomplete.
Corridor.
Grounds.
Skydeck for entertaining guests which also acts as a tennis court.
Unfinished.
So here's my verdict. I loved Cameron Highlands. I don't mind going there again and having tea at the same places as well. In terms of accommodation, I would say that Copthorne was a good place to stay in, it was right at the top of the hill and it offers a magnificent view of Cameron Highlands. However, due to the various construction activities as well as a number of farms around Cameron, your hotel room would most probably show you a not-so-pleasant view. And because Cameron is hilly, the hills themselves would obscure the views of the tea plantations, forests and jungles. Most places such as the strawberry farm, cactus farm, bee farm etc are closed by 6 pm so there's not that many things to do after 6 pm. There are some stalls selling fresh vegetables near Copthorne (about 5-10 minutes walk from the hotel) but when we went at 8 pm, most stalls were already closed for the day.
We booked via Agoda, and there's mainly three places where you can stay, i.e. Ringlet, Tanah Rata and Brinchang. We stayed at Brinchang and we loved it. So I don't know how it would be like if you were to stay at Tanah Rata or Ringlet.
Hope this blog post helps you in making your plans to visit Cameron Highlands =).
xoxo Mrs Fashionista
