a lunch rejuvenation

this is one place i don't want to get out of once i have set foot in its vicinity. heck, even the short driveway leading to the resort is already enough to lead me to this hidden paradise and made me forget the offices and buildings i had passed on the way to the place....not forgetting the big stand alone macdonalds building not far.

the place i am talking about is the banjaran in ipoh which i had the opportunity to visit last friday.
walk-in tours can be arranged with prior booking and i got someone to do that for me. the place was really tranquil and serene and provides a good break from the hustle and bustle of the city. it is the price that is keeping me away. hehehe.....the cheapest villa is rm1200 and that does not even include breakfast or any spa package.

the staff was really friendly and my friend and i were brought to a tour around the places we could go to. gosh, i would have so loved to visit their meditation cave and jeff's cellar, which is a wine cellar in a cave. oh, i also did not get a chance to visit their villa since they were all occupied. sob sob

view from one of the higher lookout point in one of the caves. that torquise patch there is the pool and around the pool are some garden villas but hidden among all the trees. it is all green once you are inside. but i wish they could have more flowers like maybe frangipani trees??

this should be my favourite place among all the places i visited that day. it is the only man-made cave here in the resort where they have placed natural crystals blocks in almost every corner in the room.

i can totally relax in this room and take my nap. i can benefit from all the positive energy of the crystals and let them take away all my negative chis.

this is a hotspring pool....so hot that you can even boil eggs here.

going up a cave

the centrepiece of the cave.

garrarufa fish theraphy pool.

reflexology hot spring pool

natural steam from the hot spring in this steam room.

the swimming pool....not shaded at all, hence not a good place to hang around on a bright there.

the courtyard.

sitting in the pomelo, the only restaurant in the resort. we stayed back for lunch since we were lazy to go outside into the heat once there already.

warm bread rolls.

my claypot duck with basmati rice. the rice was a bit hard but the duck in the broth was all right. i wish they could have done a better job with the menu and the quality of food served. the kitchen was definitely not award winning. heck, i could have ordered better ones outside. so the meal left a bad taste in the mouth after all the blissful sights that awed me. i definitely won't be eating there again. but someone told me that the high-tea had a better selection and was more worthy for the price charged.

and the spa of course.....but i did not get a price list for that.

well, it was a good eye-opening experience to be able to check out the place finally. so if there are any curious ones out there, call to make an appointment and the staff will be ever ready to show you around.

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my rubber bands are still in some demand now. i have started making these hearts which i saw from one of the videos on youtube.  ain't they cute? the hearts have gone to a few owners and i hope they enjoy using them as charms. i have given two away too. they make cute gifts.

taylor swift red limited edition cornetto royale. yummy....and this is the building up to her concert in june. i am counting the days now, that will be a break for me. the school holidays are coming soon and there is no plan at all to go anywhere. was planning a short break to ho chi minh with my brother when he had a training confirmed in jakarta in the dates chosen. so out it goes.
now am in the midst of planning a break in penang island for 2 nights with some kids.  hope to get a nice hotel and relax there...not that keen to go on the streets to explore the murals since i did that. will see how that goes.