Cameron Highlands in Malaysia has been known for years as a place to escape from the hot, humidity lowlands of Southeast Asia. As its elevation in the hills provides a cool-weather mountain climate that everyone enjoys, the crisp fresh air is distinctly cooler that usually stays between15c to 25c and the dramatic landscape of this lush mountainous district reflects the enormous growth of agriculture.
Situated approximately 200 kilometres north from Kuala Lumpur, the Cameron Highlands tablelands were developed in the 1930’s into one of the oldest and coolest in climate tourist spots in Malaysia.
The historic colonial Cameron Highlands is named after an English explorer called William Cameron and after much geological mapping and deliberation over the years, a road was opened in 1931 and the rest is history. Not long after this the Ye Olde Smoke House Inn, housing a modest six rooms was opened in 1937 at Christmas time by another Englishman William J Warin.
This first incarnation was also the first place to provide hot running water in the 30’s – a luxury! The Inn was meant for homesick British expatriates based in Malaya, as Warin wanted to evoke as many memories of old England for them as possible. Having survived the Japanese occupation of Malaya during the early 40’s, it has had different owners and was slowly expanded to its current size of 23 appointed rooms and suites.
The Lee family are the current owners and while every previous owner left their touch on the hotel, the existing operator - Alex Lee - took up the batten from his late father who created the award winning English country garden that still wins the hearts of guests and visitors alike. Over the years the Lee family has filled the hotel with authentic furnishings and ornamental art from Europe particularly England to up keep the Smokehouse by offering the home stay residential experience and ambience as authentic as it can be. Hence, this is what creates that sense of place with rich heritage and culture in this region. As part of the old English theme, to this day the hotel only serves traditional English food such as roasts, stews, pies and puddings, not forgetting the eponymous English scones and afternoon tea.
Smokehouse Hotel Cameron Highlands’ location is off Federal Road 59 (Jalan Tapah-Cameron Highlands), the historic winding road that takes you to this classic English Tudor-style, half-timbered boutique hotel by The Cameron Highlands Golf Course and can be easily accessed either with a scenic self drive, hire a driver-taxi, or catch an express bus to Tanah Rata and then a short transfer to this rustic appealing boutique residence.
Given that there are a lot of colonial era buildings still found throughout Malaysia, it is not a surprise, but the intimacy of the property would be one of the few in Tudor-style which is really a point of difference. It is hard to miss the standout steep slate roof architecture and the lush garden.
The moment your eyes alight on the hotel, you will be completely smitten with its charm. There is a small circular driveway to allow you to drop off your luggage in front of the endearing inn and the guest car park is just opposite on the other side of the road.
A small check-in desk is immediately to the right with a very warm and hospitable welcome by Laura who manages the front desk formality among her rotating shift associates.
The space and atmosphere right away makes you feel that you have chosen the right nostalgic heritage accommodation that exudes a relaxed and inviting vibe.
We were informed we had been upgraded to the largest room in the inn and our bags were quickly picked up by the front desk team and we were escorted up the staircase to the Squire Suite, looking out at the lush garden and golf course right on top of the front covered porch entrance which at the get go created a ‘WOW’ impression much to our delight.
The Squire Suite on level one is more like the ensuite master bedroom of the host. Upon entering, the four poster bed immediately on the left with very crisp white linens and a firm mattress that was very comfortable and adorned with two brass wall sconce lamps above the pillows on the bedhead.
There is a solid wooden bench at the foot of the bed with a fringed carpet to one side on the entry, then a sofa and wing-back armchair, ornamented by a bright standing lamp alongside with a side table furnished with tea and coffee making station featuring local brand teabags and a Delonghi coffee capsule machine, all between the end of the bed and the brick wall fireplace with artificial logs of lit fire.
The room design is all dark woods and black and white chequerboard floor with a three door amoire on the right for the wardrobe and in-room safe.
Next to it is a panelled wall hanging an old master-style ship painting and console table with a crystal vase and a drawer storage cabinet with a television placed on it for easy viewing from either the bed or the sofa.
On the window side of the room looking out over the blossoming garden and golf course, there is a make-up table with a tri-fold mirror and a patchwork ribboned ottoman, a leather topped writing desk with a brass lamp and lastly another wing back armchair as well as a small table and lamp arrangement by the side of the desk.
The entire bedroom living area has all the requisite touches in keeping with the history, such as framed animal prints; garden watercolours; a circular candlelight chandelier; candlelight wall sconce lamps; silk taffeta style curtains and old-style window panes and some white–washed walls juxtaposed with the dark wood panelling.
Rich reds and warm yellows hue create a welcoming vibe and to top it all off is the ubiquitous solid dark wooden exposed beams ceiling interspersed with white paint. Busy yet organized, the Squire Suite certainly has a lot to take in.
It is the only well-suited space in the entire suite allows you to open your suitcase if you are not travelling light.
From here you turn right into a beautifully recently refurbished luxurious bathroom with stunning black and white tiles. The bright and roomy bathroom features two separate standing vanity sinks in a vintage-style and manner, each with its own mirror, a raised section for the toilet and bidet.
The adjacent raised section with louvred windows in travertine-like tiles also features a large free-standing bathtub and rain shower over the tub as well as a hand held option together. The bathrobes and towelling are all uniformly of a good quality. To keep the brightness, some burgundy and white striped curtains and a roman blind round off all the elegance with glass windows providing plentiful light from outside.
Despite Malin & Goetz bathroom amenities are offered to elevate the bath experience but the shower pressure was very weak and hard to get the right temperature balance control, not to mention the long and draggy clumsy shower curtain.
In addition to the historic charm, the cozy residence has a wonderfully extensive English style garden to wander through in the lush flora and fauna. There are pieces of classic white wrought iron garden furniture strategically placed in different corner for guests to pick their favorite spot to unwind in the highland light thin air.
A garden swing, water fountains and a mock-Tudor birdhouse on top of a tall brick plinth are thoughtfully made and created to enhance the outdoor space and designed to look like an idealized, natural landscape.
Other highlights in the English country style garden includes one original red telephone booth from England and one replica each placed at one end of the other.
As the garden at the front of the hotel is thickly lush, you don’t notice the road and passing traffic so much and it is quite delightful to leave our suite windows open with separate insect screens, as the temperature is cooler in the highlands especially in the morning and after night fall and we had perfect weather for our stay for a good night sleep.
English high tea which is highly popular and is served here. We couldn’t miss the opportunity to enjoy the ubiquitous English afternoon tea in the lush front garden. We opted firstly for the signature Smokehouse Cream Tea set – 1 Smokehouse scone with home-made strawberry jam and hand-whipped cream, 1 slice of English fruit cake, 4 smoked salmon and cream cheese tea sandwiches served with Cameron Highlands Tea. The scone was still warm when served and with a soft texture and with all the accoutrements pleasantly tasty. The fruitcake was just as tasty and dense in texture and the sandwiches were spot on.
The second set was Eton Mess - attribute to the naughty boys of Eton College with that calculated mess of fresh locally farmed strawberries, home-made meringue kisses, fresh cream and a balsamic vinegar strawberry sauce and the set is also served with Cameron Highlands Tea. While the strawberries were a little sour in taste, the crunchy meringues kisses had the right sweetness. There are other menu items to choose from if biscuits or pie pique your interest and then an a-la-carte menu of savouries and sundaes. The overall presentation wasn’t as delicate but rather a canteen-party style approach and the use of plain white banquet ware rather than some eye-catching colourful English bone china that would have made a more charming presentation by elevating the afternoon tea experience which is more suited to the hotel image branding proper.
Breakfast is served in the semi-glass house conservatory adjacent to the entrance of the hotel and it has a very bright and pleasant ambience with a tiled floor and white rendered walls that has a European feel to it.
Food is simply done with a choice of 6 mains (1 per person) and then a small Continental buffet setting comprised of cereals, fruit yoghurt, tea and coffee in a banquet style hot plate set up, so not very personalized even though there is table service with wait staff. The tabletops are simple with some rustic English bar style red chequered place mats on a wooden tabletop. We chose the Full English Breakfast – 2 country eggs, 1 sausage, 2 rashes of bacon, hash brown, beans, mushrooms and confit Cameron cherry tomatoes with a basket of pastries. Secondly The Smokehouse Benedict – 2 poached eggs on toasted English muffins with spinach, smoked salmon and Hollandaise sauce as well as a basket of pastries.
The food was well prepared and tasty with the smokehouse Benedict the standout. On the surface the selection and portion seemed on the small side, but after enjoying our mains we were filling up. There is no luxury artisanal touch but enjoyable nonetheless. Our overall feeling was that the breakfast was more like a small hotel banquet rather than a luxury boutique hotel standard. An artisanal selection of coffee and tea making facilities as well as a more gourmet standard culinary would be another delight for a small characteristic boutique hotel as such. Besides, service was a bit hit and miss and with a more dedicated focus would add to the enjoyment, but you can tell the service staff are genuine in their approach.
If you are looking for a classic British food dining option in a more intimate ambience, then dinner is not to be missed in The Dining Room which serves a real tasty old-school traditional and flavoursome British delights that is quite a real treat and surely is an added- bonus after breakfast.
The old English Bar & Fireplace below the guest rooms and off the main living room is surely the place to begin and end your evenings in the highlands. There is the front section for anyone to enjoy and then there is a back room reserved for in house guests, but unless the place is packed, you would want to be in the main bar area for coziness and comfort and a bit more British affluence in design and decor atmosphere.
The service team are heading in the right direction, but a little more consistency would make a huge difference – the service at dinner is what one would hope for at breakfast. Our stay was memorable, but not perfect. With the effort putting in all the sensible touches and the ornamental elements that resemble an English country home, it can never be too much.
As the historic inn never fail to create an atmosphere that references all that is English as well as the enthralling and relaxing English-style garden from the moment you arrive.
Some of the furnishings need an update, as there are some threadbare chairs and sofas that look very sad which is an undemanding task especially for a family run business. We were hoping to see the fireplace in action as the name Smokehouse suggests, but they are not functioning and have been turned into display only unfortunately. Also, a brief introductory tour of this historical property would add a personalized touch for its legacy being brought forward.
As what was quoted and the saying goes “A distant rumour of a long forgotten garden” - leave your footprint behind with fond memories”. Indeed, the allure of the landscaping and the architecture is captivating and staying truth to the English heritage.
It truly fits in with the Cameron Highlands atmosphere and with all the history and heritage, it will continue to welcome aficionados of quaint English architecture and interiors for an intimate and cozy English countryside style home stay experience for many years to come.
Tried & Tested:
Tried & Tested:
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5
Housekeeping: 4/5
Food & Beverage: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Value For Money: 4/5
Experience: 4.5/5
Food & Beverage: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Value For Money: 4/5
Experience: 4.5/5
By the Golfcourse, Tanah Rata,
Pahang, Malaysia
Tel: +6 05 4911 215
Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated.
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