The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, Ipoh, Malaysia

The Most unforgettable experience indulging in nature.

When we started our search for Malaysian hotels, we really didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. We decided to take a week alone to have some time to ourselves and take a romantic couples retreat away from South Korea to Malaysia. The hotels were up there with the unimaginable! (like something out of a fairy tale, really). Which leads us to The Banjaran...once we found it, we really couldn't resist. Although it was a bit of a trek out of Kuala Lumpur (around 2.5hrs total by train, then taxi), it was well worth the adventure.

Set in a 22 acre valley of limestone hills in Ipoh (state of Perak), the retreat is simply spectacular. You will find yourself questioning if you are daydreaming on a daily basis - absolute paradise!

The Hotel

Banjaran is best known for being a wellness retreat, with multiple well-being therapy experiences on site. They have everything to truly relax you, from the Geothermal hotspring swimming pool, to the "melting pots", limestone caves with crystal healing rooms, outdoor fish foot spa, yoga sessions, steam cave and ice baths. A real resort of tranquillity - we hadn't felt this relaxed in so long!

Each day we wandered around the "jungle" listening to the mix of species and dodging the cheeky monkeys! The retreat offers bespoke holistic experiences and ultimately aims to relax and restore overall well-being - and it did just that! Everything from the indulgent villas to impeccable service gave this place its 5* rating.

The resort offers spa treatments and we joined the Yoga & meditation class which was included in our stay, inside the caves (really something to remember). There is also free entrance to the lost world of Tambun themepark, but with the little time we had over the weekend here - we decided to spend all of our time in the retreat unwinding in the idyllic surroundings!

The Villa

The resort hosts 45 luxury villas inspired by authentic Malaysian practices - your own private little haven! Each villa comes with a private pool plus additional features such as hot tubs, which are both geothermal and naturally heated.

Accommodation options include the Lake Villa, Water villa, Garden villa, Pool villa.

We stayed in the Lake villa and it was incredible! We would have spent the whole time here if the resort didn't have so much to offer! But we were constantly exploring and tended to spend the evenings in our villa bathing in the natural hot tub with a cold beverage!

The Food

The resort offers multiple dining experiences, with a big focus on healthy, nutritional, seasonal, organic and low-fat whole foods throughout.

Pomelo - We must start with the Pomelo, as although there are a lot of reviews on Jeff's Cellar, we adored this restaurant! We ate lunch here (in the private water dining area), and dinner on both nights! The all-day restaurant serves both Asian and Western cuisine, and we were so excited to delve into the Malaysian foods! So many delightful reasonably priced options from local curries to grilled meats. Stunning flavours and you really get your money's worth! We were so impressed.

Jeff's Cellar - (rated as one of top-five most magnificent bars in the world, CNN Greece) is built into a 260 million year old limestone hill. Utterly mind-blowing! We spent an evening drinking cocktails here which were delicious, giving us a chance to really take in our surroundings - sat inside a limestone cave, at a bar! Fancy that?!

It is also known for its fine-dining experiences and organic, rare wines (which line the entrance of the restaurant cave on arrival). A cosy & warm ambience. Although the menu is extremely expensive to dine, there are some stellar reviews.

Sky Bar - On arrival, once we checked into our villa, we headed to the sky bar for a glass of crisp wine! the views from the sky bar are really incredible, overlooking the melting pots and limestone hills. What a treat! The only thing we would say is that the wine is very pricey (and not the highest of standards), but the view made up for that. After this, we tended to stick to drinking other beverages throughout our stay as the price for the quality really was not worth it with the wine offerings.

Thank you to The Banjaran Hotsprings retreat and staff for such an extraordinary stay! It was amazing to reconnect with nature and re-tune our bodies with nothing but the best wellness facilities. We would love to return, and we don't think we will ever experience such natural beauty like this! The photos and review don't even come close to how this place will make you feel once you arrive. A truly rejuvenating sanctuary! And a little peace of the earth to romanticise over.

Website: 1, Persiaran Lagoon, Sunway 3, 31150 Ipoh, Negeri Perak, Malaysia

Address: https://www.sunwayhotels.com/the-banjaran/