My Last Week @ The Temple Tree - Bonton

The next stop on my Island adventure is to The Temple Tree at Bon Ton Resort in Pantai Cenang.



Now, I’ve really been looking forward to this stay as everyone has given me rave reviews about it! From my parents who love the atmosphere and feel of the place to other hoteliers I have spoken to, elaborating on the very ‘different’ concept this establishment has.

This ought to be fun!

The Bon Ton Resort Langkawi is owned by Australian owner Narelle McMurtie who has enthusiastically developed her resort to make it one of the most unique resorts on the island without losing any of the traditional Malaysian atmosphere. She has purchased antique villas from other parts of Malaysia, dismantled them, and then reassembles them on her spacious land which overlooks a beautiful lotus pond and the Machinchang Mountains.


The antique villas are maintained in its rustic form but does not lack any luxuries on the inside; with beautiful furniture and top of the line equipment such as DVD players, air conditioning, silk slippers and of course a mini fridge.

The Temple Tree, an extension of the Bon Ton Resort, has a slightly different concept but does not lack in luxury at all!

This hotel is made up of 8 villas sprawled across a large area of land surrounded by a beautiful lotus lagoon, with Mount Machinchang in the backdrop. With Chinese, Malay, Indian and even Eurasian influences, each restored building villa is completely unique and rich with history as most of them are hundreds of years old, and have their own stories behind them.

This hotel has a fresh concept where the building villa can be rented on its own or as individual hotel rooms.

Once I had arrived at the Temple Tree, I was led to the Straits Club House to check into my room and meet with one of the hotel staff.

The Straights Club House

Originally called “Bahagia”, this building was originally placed on York Road in Penang. Built in the mid 1920s by a Eurasian family, the house accommodated them for 40 odd years until it was sold to a Malay family in the 1960s.

This building resembles an old colonial building with verandahs and beautiful carvings on the high end of the walls to let the air flow through. It now houses the resort reception, and also includes a restaurant, bar, library and game centre with a pool table and board games. The wide verandahs are perfect for reading a book or having a late lunch. The servants quarters at the back have been converted into the restaurant kitchen.

After filling up my details while enjoying my delicious welcome drink, I was shown to my room which is located at the far end of the lush, relaxing compound.

Pinapple Mint Iced Tea -- Delicious!

Estates Quarters

Originally built in Paser Puteh, Ipoh in the 1940s, this building was a long house for Indian workers on a rubber estate. With the aunthentic aesthetics of common workers quarters around Malaysia, it has converted superbly into 5 hotel rooms. All rooms include terracotta-tiled floors, a comfortably sized bedroom and a living space with separate bathrooms and a verandah at the front.

The interior design of each room are individually unique with different styles and feels. My room was absolutely sublime!

After getting settled in, I was very eager to explore the rest of the resort and to check out the other heritage building villas!


The Colonial House

This very large grand house which originated in Georgetown, Penang. Built by a middle eastern family in the 1920s, the very wealthy family showed their lavishness with the western influences which shows with the architectural touches such as the cornices, floor tiles and fishscale design canopy over the porch. It is now the ultimate gathering spot for five sets of friends or a large family.

With a huge living space with a bar included, a dining table for 10 and heaps of lounge space, combined with two bedrooms downstairs and three upstairs, making it a perfect space for a private venue. The two ground floor bedrooms have separate entrances and an outdoor private garden with wooden tubs and sunloungers. On the top floor, the Colonial 3 has a large space with a both the bedroom and living space as one area and a separate bath hall with two wooden baths. The Colonial 4, also on the top floor, is the showpiece of the villa, with separate living space, a family bath hall and 2 separate bedrooms.

Chinese House & Pool Area

The Chinese House is absolutely magnificent. Built by a Chinese family in Batu Pahat, Johore, the house was originally a farmhouse and was built approximately a hundred years ago. The aesthetics are said to have Taiwanese influence and the house includes one suite on each floor, both with large verandahs overlooking the scenic view of the Machinchang mountains. The house also includes a movie projector room, a private Mah Jong room and its own bar.


Black & White House

This beautiful Malay House was built in the 1940s in Mantin, Negri Sembilan in the south of Kuala Lumpur. It’s a complete house with a living and dining area, a huge bedroom with a wooden bathtub, separate bathrooms and an adjoining mini gym. The coloured glass windows and details in the finishing give a truly authentic feel to the building.

Walking across to the bonton area, I noticed a small garden at the far end of the compound. It was a herb garden!

Being a real food enthusiast, (as you can tell by my constant mention of food!) seeing an authentic vegetable and fruit garden really got me excited!

The vegetable and fruit garden was full of different fruits and plants including heaps of produce that are used in the delicious dishes created at the Nam restaurant, including limau kesturi (kaffiah lime) and the ubi ara (the common fig).

With a mix of modern, 5 star hospitality and traditional Malaysian heritage buildings, the Temple Tree is a wonderful place to holiday in when you want to step out of the mainstream "beach holidays" and step into your own personal sanctuary. It really is lovely here. Sighhh.

Phew. Exhausted from my tour around the Bon Ton and Temple Tree, I decided to cool off by the pool and then rest up as I have a long day with Puteri at the Pulau Payar Marine Park tomorrow.

Till the next post..

Harith The Heritage Happy Beach Bum
Kindly Sponsored by Rahsia Estates Sdn Bhd & Bon Ton Resort and Temple Tree

My achey breaky... Belly. :(

I think all that nasi and cendol has taken a toll on me. I didn't get much sleep last night, NOT because I was out partying the night away at some Beach Discoteque, but rather entertaining the party going on in my BELLY. Argh. I had a sleep over in the bathroom as my stomach was aching throughout the night, making it almost impossible to sleep.

With absolutely zero energy, and motivation the size of my apetite at the moment (which was tiny for ONCE) I decided to have a day in, and just re-energize for the hectic couple of days ahead.

I spent the day reading my book, Paolo Coelho's Veronika Decides To Die and attempted to nap, which was constantly foiled by the over zealous house keeping who, with all credit to them, reallyyyy wanted to clean my room, checking up on my room every 15 minutes (that'll teach me to forget to put up the DO NOT DISTURB sign) and the excited family staying next door in constant high spirits.

It is now 9.40 p.m, 5 cups of tea and 1 Maggee Cup Noodle later, my stomach has finally calmed down and I'm feeling well rested, ready for whatever comes up next! Tomorrow will be my long awaited interview with Datuk Rahman, and I need to prepare the interview well, so that I squeeze out as much as I can from our meeting and also so that I don't end up looking silly in front of him.

Just got off the phone with Mum, which always calms the nerves and soothes the soul. Can't wait for my family to come visit in a couple of weeks. By then, I should be able to show off my tour guide skills, bringing them to places they never knew existed here. Muahaha. Anyway, going to do a little more research and them I'm off to bed. Sorry for the bland and picture-less blog, but I promise, there'll be way more to come! Goodnight and till the next post.

Harith The Aching Bellied Beach Bum
Kindly Sponsored by Rahsia Estates Sdn. Bhd.

Departures, Arrivals And Everything In Between

From the time I woke up until the time I reached the departure hall of the LCCT everything was a bit of a blur. Not cause I wasn't focused but because everything happened so fast. From getting dressed, to saying one last prayer before leaving the house to hugging my sister outside the airport. I suppose it is a good thing though as I am not a very big fan of goodbyes and the anticipation of being thrown into the great unknown would've phased me out. By the time I sat down to take a breath in and have a bite of my sandwich in the departure hall, it was already 11.30 and time for the passengers to board the plane. It was so ironic because just at that moment where the annoucer said 'Passengers of flight 5452 to Langkawi please make your way to p2', I was just finishing off a sentence in my journal which wrote '11.30am -- At the departure gate now. Just bought some food and about to settle down.' Haha, what's life without a little humour i suppose?

As my hopes of being on a relatively empty flight disintergrated into thin air, I realised that the majority of passengers on my flight were Middle Eastern (visiting Langkawi with their ever growing ginormous families) and local islanders making the trip home from a holiday in Kuala Lumpur with their extra luggage and last minute shopping bags. Once settled in to my seat, I started to make small conversation with the young couple sitting next to me. I told them about how I'm a nervous flyer, and how this flight is bound to be a very noisy one. The woman would chuckle politely and the man would agree with most of what i said. To numb down my nervousness of flying I made even more conversation with the couple, pointing out the henna on their fingers, signifying that they were newly weds. They then told me about how they planned to go to Phuket, Thailand for their honeymoon, but was too worried about the riots and also the lack of kosher food around the area; hence opting for their 2nd choice of Pulau Langkawi. They elaborated on how honeymooning here kills a flock of birds with one stone; the food is kosher everywhere, there are no language barriers, the beaches are beautiful and the atmosphere it just as laidback in Langkawi then it would be in Bali or Phuket!

Just before take off, as i dozed off into dreamland, the pilot announced on the speaker that there would be heavy winds throughout our journey, so we should be prepared for turbulence. Well.. that shot down any chances of 'dozing off' or 'settling down' until arrival! Throughout the flight I kept my nerves down by writing out what I needed to do in the next few days in my journal, which subtly turned into doodles, which then turned into tic-tac-toe... and then back into doodles.

45 minutes later...

I arrive in one piece! And now it was just a matter of collecting my luggage and heading to the Bella Vista Hotel in Kuah Town. Scurrying out of the hot sun in between the plane and the arrival hall, I noticed that in the corner of the arrival hall, next to the baggage collection belt is a long row of tour, car rental and cruise booths. And the most interesting thing about it was that the booth staff would yell at you on your way out to get your attention to visit their booth! It was like a night market frenzy in the middle of the day! There is also a Tourist Centre in the middle of the hall where holiday go-ers of can enquire, reserve and research on the many things and places to go to on the Island. At the exit area of the airport is a booth for taxi hire with a very good system where there are no metres and the taxi fare is fixed depending on where you are going. My taxi ride to Kuah costed RM25 and the trip to town was quick (taking about 15 minutes) and scenic.

After checking into The Bella Vista Hotel (which looks like something Mickey Mouse would have designed if he decided to become an architect), i decided to explore the grounds and was enthralled by the gorgeous beach view and the huge recreational arena the hotel has. What this hotel lacked in aesthetics, it made up for in a beautiful location.

My room was of a decent size and had a view of the garden below, and the TV had surprisingly impresive channels including HBO, ESPN, AXN, The Australian Network, NHK and lots more! (not saying you should stay in and watch TV the whole trip, but in the event you do.. this hotel has got you covered!)

After getting some well deserved rest, I took to the streets of Kuah for a photo session and to just do some soft exploring, as tomorrow I'll be checking Kuah out full on. I stumbled upon some interesting finds around the streets, such as Air Kelapa Abg Man, which was a van full of coconuts and a single man cutting them and pouring the juice into an ice and jelly filled container.. yeah it doesn't sound THAT interesting but what made it so was the long, long queue behind his van, waiting just to get a taste of his coconut concoction. Don't know whether it is his secret recipe or just plain ol' Global Warming thats boosting Abang Man's business, but whatever it is, it sure is working for him. Further up the road is the Parade Shopping Mall which houses the only cineplex in Langkawi Island but other than that is just like any other mall, except for a really rad shop on the top floor which really caught my eye called the Exodus Shop which was basically a Bob Marley memorabilia shop that had clothes, books and Bob Marley paraphenilia.

The shoplots which were sleepy and closed in the day time were now wide awake and brightly lit with row upon row of street food and drinks. With so much to choose from and my energy levels running low, I decided use the old theory 'eat at the restaurant with the most people' or in my case the longest line. Reminiscent of the coconut man's line of fan's, 'Burger Pokok Asam' had a line almost just as long but was more pleasing to the eye, with its brightly lit burger camp and pleasing to the nose with the smell of fried onion, egg and burger patty. So with my mind made up and my stomach steering me towards the stall, I proceeded to wait in line with everyone else. But through a stroke of good fortune (or my keen curiosity with the stall, taking loads of photos and 'oooh'ing and every order someone makes), the owner of the shop (who did not want his name or photo taken!) pushed me up to the from of the line and asked me what I wanted, in a very forced, semi-patronizing english accent! While waiting for my Burger Udang Special and attempting not to make eye with the 30 odd people giving me dirty looks for cutting their line, the owner of the shop explained to me how before he opened the burger stall he used to be an accountant working in Kuala Lumpur for a firm, when one day he decided he to quit his job, sell his house and move to Langkawi with his wife and child to start a new life. Mmm a delicious burger and coffee table conversation! The things we can get away with by looking like an utter tourist!

Well, now i've settled into bed, and am feeling a little restless and physically drained. I think I'm going to read a little and then hit the sack. Paolo Coelho's Veronica Decides To Die should do the trick for me. Goodnight and will keep you posted.

Harith The Beach Bum.

Sponsered by Rahsia Estates Sdn. Bhd.

The List!

After a long and anxious night, I woke up this morning feeling pretty stoked about the trip down to the island. After a quick jog and a run through my e-mails, i whipped out the biggest luggage i could find and started chucking in all the necessary clothes and miscellaneous items to bring to Langkawi Island. After about 20 minutes of folding and placing of clothes into my massive luggage i started to really think about what I needed to bring. Toothpaste? check. Laptop charger? check. iPod? check. Shoes?! triple checked. After shoving in a pair of jogging shoes into my bag, (in hopes to get a little exercise done on the island) chuckling to myself about the time I was rushing to the airport to catch a flight to Singapore with my Grandparents when i was 7.. and realizing at the airport that i wasn't wearing any shoes, I decided the safest bet was to write down a list of my top 10 most important things to bring.

1.) SHOES
2.) Camera charger
3.) Camera (no point bringing a charger without the camera itself!)
4.) Sun Block from Dad
5.) External Memory Stick
6.) Phone Charger!
7.) Maxis Broadband Modem
8.) Yaasin' (for protection)
9.) My notebook
10.) ....?

Still not sure what my tenth most important item would be but i'm sure it'll come to me sooner or later.

After finishing off the majority of my packing I decided to give Nadia, one of my best friends, a ring to see if she wanted to catch a bite to eat (and hopefully coax her into letting me copy movies off her hard drive!). Turns out the whole crew wanted lunch so we headed out to Ayam Penyet Restaurant at The Curve. On the way there, in the between making fun of Miriam and eavesdropping on the endless streams of gossip coming out of the 5 girls sitting in the car with me, it dawned on me that this was the 1st time all 5 of my closest friends were in the same car together and the energy in that car was immense!

At lunch, the girls pondered into the details of my trip to Langkawi wondering how long i'll be there, what exactly i'll be doing there, whether i'll be alright and what I would do in my free time. And of course, reminding me how miserable I'd be without them there. And as much as I played along with there jests with sarcastic come backs, truth is a part of me really does wonder how I'd cope without the crew with me. As we all ate our food in almost pin drop silence (pin drop silence being RARE in our group of friends mind you!) a weird feeling swept through me in an instant. Hoping it was the spiciness of the sambal cili in my rice, I realised it was more a feeling of belonging and just plain happiness at the thought that for the first time in awhile I had a group of friends who truly truly appreciated me and did care about me. Before we headed off our seperate ways, Chiky handed me a doodle on the back of the lunch receipt displaying "We Love Harith!" in bold writing across the paper. Haha a little memento for me to hang on to till my return. So cute how we make it feel as though I'm leaving to be dropped off to the middle of the desert for an eternity!

Upon arrival home, I was greeted at the door by my 2 siblings and my busy mother, with her phone glued to her ear making sure everyone is doing what they should be doing and everything is well. Mom sat me down and made sure I had enough money, planned out my trip with me and was a little sad about not being able to see me off at the airport as she has an early meeting tomorrow. Dinner was pleasant and parents are excited about the trip too. Tomorrow's the big blast off so going to get ready so i don't end up forgetting to wear something else in the airport this time.

My Air Asia flight is at 12 pm tomorrow and i fly directly to the Langkawi Airport. From there i will have to find my way to Kuah Town where i will be staying at the Bella Vista Hotel right in the city. I hope to then get acquainted with the city and settle myself into my temporary home. Will keep you posted on my travels tomorrow.

Harith H. the soon to be beachbum.

PS/ Still don't know what the 10th item is yet.. wish i could put friends and family on the list though...

Day 1 @ The Office

Its not everyday someone gets the opportunity to be shipped off for a month to travel, explore and experience island living. When the suits offered me the position as official Blogger for Rahsia Estates Sdn. Bhd. how could i have said no!



First official day at the office; booking hotel rooms, intricately planning out the trip day by day to make sure I squeeze as much as i can and focus on not only the tourist attractions but the gloriously laidback island living as well. It is one thing to be on an island for a weekend and its another to make it your home away from home. Thats where I come in. I hope to simulate Langkawi island living, not just a 3 day trip but as a sanctuary to come to when people need their well desrved R & R. I always liked playing make belief as a child, from stacking up pillows in my living room and beating up my stuffed kangaroo (imagining I was a WWF wrestler) to playing hotel-hotel with my cousins, delivering food for 'guests' a.k.a my Pah and Atok and making sure the 'hotel' staff were in order. Haha. I never thought i'd be playing make belief even at this age! I plan to check out where the locals hang out on Sunday afternoons, where the rugby players train and i even hope to interview a brilliant artist who left his hustle and bustle life of being an International diplomat for our country to settle down in Langkawi. Can't wait for that!



Will keep you posted. Later.