Genting Strawberry Leisure Farm

Genting Strawberry Leisure Farm

1, Lot 3707 Jalan Jati 2

Gohtong Jaya

69000 Genting Highlands

Pahang Darul Makmur

Hours

0900 - 1830 daily

The Genting Strawberry Leisure Farm or the Taman Santai Strawberi Genting is less than 10-minute walk from Hotel Seri Malaysia Genting. It is right opposite the Gohtong Sports Centre where some visitors park their cars.

  There is strawberry picking here but I am not sure about the rate. You can also buy packed strawberry for similar price if you buy from AEON. Most people come here to take photos as the farm also showcases flowers and plants. You can buy some of the plants as well.

It is not a particularly big farm but they'll make you walk the entire farm and if you buy an ice cream from the cafe and walk towards the exit, you'll either finish your ice cream first or the ice cream will melt away before you reach exit.

  Recommended to visit if you're already in Gohtong Jaya and have about
an hour to kill.

Hotel Seri Malaysia Genting Highland

Hotel Seri Malaysia Genting Highland

11 Jalan Jati Satu

Gohtong Jaya

69000 Genting Highlands

Pahang Darul Makmur

(+603) 6100 2525

Booking

Booked directly from their website. It was a mistake. Room rate was not competitive and it can be troublesome to cancel or modify booking. Only phone number provided and you may only contact them during working hours. When I phoned the hotel, staff was not familiar with the process and could not advise accordingly.

Location

Good. About 5 minutes drive to Genting Highland Premium Outlet. Plenty of shops and attractions nearby. 20 - 30 minutes drive to Genting hilltop. 

Rate

Poor compared to state of the room. We booked four rooms. Three were in level 1 and all were stinky with either cigarette or dirty water smell. Hot shower available but old style- you gotta adjust it. One room had no fridge and my room had a "waterfall feature"- the toilet bowl water kept running. Only the one in level 3 was acceptable.

Dining

Breakfast buffet inclusive. Fair choices and acceptable taste. 

Service

Average. Staff was fairly helpful.

Overall 2 <3<3 of 5

They provided towels and a prayer mat. The towels were thin and sad. No bath mat or kain lap kaki either. I saw an extra pillow in the cupboard but the cupboard was so smelly I dare not touch anything. 

To avoid burn, switch on the cold shower first. Then, *very* carefully twist the handle for hot water bit by bit.

View (back facing rooms)

Recommended for one night if you are not too fussy. Avoid the rooms on level 1. Oh, don't use the iron in the common area either. One of us got her tops wooly(?).

Genting Highland Premium Outlet & Awana SkyWay

Genting Highland Premium Outlet

69000 Genting Highland
Pahang Darul Makmur


Hours
1000 - 2200 daily

Parking Rates
Weekdays: RM5 per day
Weekends: RM8 per day

I don't have a lot of photos of GHPO because on both visits, I was too busy shopping. Finding the place should be no trouble. There are sufficient signs and once you arrived, there should be plenty of indoor parking spots available. Even on weekends.

  GHPO is located just after Gohtong Jaya so you don't have to drive all the way up to Genting. If your main objective is to shop, you can opt to stay at one of the hotels or homestays in Gohtong Jaya. I think the drive from Gohtong Jaya is shorter compared to downhill drive from Genting top.

  There are a lot of popular premium brands in GHPO and their deals are pretty good as well. Restaurants and cafes are plenty; aside from the food court, they have a whole street just for eateries. I saw a playground for kids at the Low Street (food & beverages area). Prayer room and wheelchair are also available. There's a masjid just down the road anyway. Exit the roundabout, go straight instead of taking the u-turn to GHPO. The mosque is at the end of the road.

***

Awana SkyWay Lower Station

Next to the premium outlet is the Awana SkyWay station, connected at High Street. I couldn't find the parking (if any) at the station so your only option may be to park at GHPO. From the station, you can get to Chin Swee Temple and go further up to SkyAvenue.

One-way ticket for standard gondola is only RM8 per adult. Return tickets are valid for 72 hours from date purchased. Tickets can be purchased from the self-service kiosks and counters.

  Visitors will have to go through metal detector. One carry-on baggage is allowed. The security check isn't as strict as at airport but the usual dangerous and sharp items are not allowed. So check the notice board. Wheelchair and cane aren't allowed in the glass floor gondola (RM40 per pax).

I took the SkyWay on Sunday morning so the crowd wasn't too big. I imagine it might get quite busy on Saturdays and school holidays. Fret not, you can pay extra for express passes.

So yeah. If you go shopping up in SkyAvenue and plan to return via cable car, consider the baggage limit :) Even if you don't want to go up to the hilltop shopping mall (why not? There are Sephora and Uniqlo and Burger & Lobster up there!) there are shops and eateries in the Awana SkyWay Lower Station that might interest you to hop over the road.

  You can find Kenny Roger's, bak kut teh restaurant, shops selling local/Asian snacks, Family Mart (try their cheesecake ice cream if you haven't), a gadget (and other trinkets) shop, bakery and many more on the station side. 

  Oh, Thai Odyssey is over on this side as well :) I mean, all those shopping walking, right?

PeppaVille Resort, Tanarimba

PeppaVille Resort

A323 Jalan Tanarimba Sum Sum

Janda Baik Bentong

28750 Bukit Tinggi

Pahang Darul Makmur

(+60)12 548 2223

This is a boutique resort nestled in the forest of Tanarimba in Janda Baik. You may have heard of Tanarimba as it is a popular venue for outdoor weddings. This resort is further in. You can easily find it using Waze but just as easily, you might miss the turning so watch out if you're driving over at night or in bad weather.

  There are two security posts to go through. The first time you drive in, you will have to leave your driving license at the guard post. I already submitted my car registration number to the resort's contact person earlier. As I went for tea in the kampung nearby, I picked up my driving license and when we returned, we were given an overnight pass. I didn't have to surrender my license again.

Booking

Easy via online, I used Booking.com

Location

Good as a comfortable nature retreat. A bit of a drive so guests will have to plan for their meals and transportation

Rate

Average. RM480 for 3 pax

Dining

Decent breakfast

Service

Excellent. Very helpful staff. 

Overall 4 <3<3<3<3 of 5

At RM160 per pax for a night, it may seem expensive to some. After all, the three of you are sharing one bathroom. Even with breakfast thrown in, some of you may still have to think about it.

The bathroom could be another issue to some. The shower(s) might wet the whole floor because of the way the room was designed. The floor was level so water can get just about everywhere. Then there's a long stone bench. My friend teased that it was like in a sauna but we can take shower together.

  And please shut the small ventilation window while you're in the shower. Those in the opposite block might get an accidental peep.

  Breakfast consisted of tea or coffee and eggs (choose your preferred style), a couple of toasts with a tub of butter, baked beans, side leafy stuff (salad), sausages and meatloaf. Ala carte. Some climbing expected to get to the dining area. So if you have an invalid or elderly person in your party, you may want to arrange something with the resort in advance.

  All that said, consider this view from our room.

Oh that one is a little shaky. I don't know why quite a few of the pics I took here are blurry. Maybe I was shaking with excitement.

  But seriously...

Consider that this is less than 2-hour drive from city centre. Serene. Peaceful. Gorgeous.

  I think it's worth it. Our goal was to relax and recuperate anyway. So one night was just nice for us. Two nights would probably be more satisfying but really there wasn't much to do for city folks other than rest or enjoy the nature.

They have an okay swimming pool. Not sure of the depth but probably safe for kids with adult supervision.

The swing is probably everyone's favourite spot. So wake up early. It is at the dining area by the way.

Good parking spots are limited so please carpool if possible.

I'd recommend a one-night stay for family with grown children or couple and small group of friends seeking to escape the crazy city.

  

Sungai Lembing Museum

Sungai Lembing Museum

Jalan Museum

Sungai Lembing

26200 Kuantan

Pahang Darul Makmur

Operating Hours

0900 - 1700 daily

Closed on first day of Eid ul Fitr/Adha

This museum is situated on a hill. No public vehicle is allowed to go up to the museum. There is a small parking area just outside the museum's gate.

The ticket office is at the foot of the hill, near the entrance. Next to the ticket office are the souvenir shop and washroom. I dropped by the souvenir shop and I must say that I was impressed with their offerings. A lot better than most museums I've visited.

***

Admission Fee(s)

Adult - RM2

Senior Citizen/Disabled - RM1

Child - Free

Foreigners

Adult - RM5

Child - RM2

Considering the museum's location, I thought it must be some angmoh tin mine manager's bungalow or police station. It turned out to be the former and also the place for His Majesty, Sultan Abu Bakar Riayatuddin Muadzam Shah (4th Ruler of Pahang) to stay while visiting in Sungai Lembing.

Personally, I think that the museum is managed fairly well. The information on tin mining and other relevant topics are well-presented in many forms of media and style. They have diorama, video presentation, photos and graphs along with the many artefacts on display. My only comment would be on the layout. The flow should be improved. I had trouble finding some galleries because they were outside the main hall.  

Go out of the 'house' to find more galleries before going upstairs

Impressive full scale diorama of tin mine and video presentation

Mining Machines Collection

Upstairs 'Living Room' - video on Sungai Lembing

Master bedroom 

Overall, plan to spend about 2 to 3 hours in this museum. However, I do not recommend taking the elderly and disabled for a visit due to various inconvenient museum settings.

Tai Pei Tong, Sungai Lembing

Lombong Bijih Timah Bawah Tanah

Sungai Lembing

Tai Pei Tong

Operating Hours

0900 - 1800 daily (break at 1300 to 1400)

Admission Fee(s)

Adult with MyKad - RM15.90

Child with MyKid - RM7.95

Foreigners

Adult - RM31.80

Child - RM15.90

***

The Sungai Lembing Tin Mines was reopened so visitors could explore and experience a part of the deepest and longest underground mine in the world. It is located up on a hill right next to the Sungai Lembing Museum.

Wait for the train here

After a short and very noisy ride, we walked down the tunnel to continue our exploration. 

There are lit boards with many interesting information on Sungai Lembing and mining on the wall for you to learn. They helped to provide some context on the ground you're exploring. Then there are interactive exhibitions and mannequins showcasing various activities in a tin mines.

One tunnel led to an area with a screen to show videos on Legend of the Million Dollar Chamber and The Tin Mining Story. Visitors may choose English or Malay language. 

During my visit, we reached a dark tunnel just after an interactive display. Other tunnels have metal bar or 'No Entry' signages. So a bunch of us went ahead using light from our phones. It turned out that there were more to see down the really dark tunnel.

 When we returned, I asked a staff at the entrance and he thought that there must be a power trip and reassured us that we were not trespassing. He immediately asked some crew to check and restore the power.

 So, bring a torch or phone with light just in case. And stay calm.

Prayer room

Exit is located near the spot where the train stopped. Outside, there are outdoor exhibitions but a couple areas near the front gate looked abandoned. 

Expect to spend less than an hour here. Maybe two if visiting during school holidays.