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CAMERON HIGHLANDS RESORT
The Cameron Highlands Resort, just a few minutes from the town of Brinchang, is exclusive -- the only 5-star property in Cameron. But what shocked me most is that it’s only 40 feet from the busy main roadway. To my dismay there were no tea plantations to be seen. But when I learned they were just around the corner I relaxed, and came to enjoy the hotel’s hospitality. The Cameron Highlands Resort is an elegant traditional property. Had it not been for the Asians working there, I would have thought I was in England. The service is excellent. You notice it the moment you check in, when guests are offered hot chrysanthemum tea and a warm towel.

MY ROOM
The resort has 56 rooms and suites. Each room is spacious, with an elegant colonial design. My very comfortable room featured a cozy four-poster king bed, a flat screen TV (with satellite), telephone, mini-bar, coffee/tea machine and hairdryer. A balcony overlooked the golf course across the street. It was a joy to sit out there, marvel at all the pine trees and realize: This is Malaysia. The bathroom had black and white marble floors and the water pressure was just the way I like it: nice and firm. My only complaint about the room -- and I found this in all five of the hotels I stayed in in Malaysia was that the walls were thin. So in case you have loud neighbors (which I highly doubt), bring earplugs. It also would have been nice if the wireless internet reached the room, but I was grateful they had it at all (in the lobby), and that it was free. FYI: They are two computers for guests to use for free.

JIM THOMPSON
Two of the hotel’s three restaurants are downstairs near the lobby. There is also a bar there with a snooker table, and a fancy boutique shop just over a koi pond. The shop is called Jim Thompson, and features fashionable silk goods that its namesake was famous for exporting. To learn more about this legendary Chicago native who mysteriously disappeared, click here.

TEA TIME
One of the highlights of my three nights at this hotel was tea in the Jim Thompson Tea Room. At first I just thought it was neat that they kept the English tradition alive. After I ordered one of their wide selection of teas (many are locally grown; others are imported), out came a three-tier tray filled with English scones, pastries and finger sandwiches. But the bottom plate included regional treats, like egg rolls and dumplings. There was also homemade orange, grape and strawberry jam. There are strawberry fields all around, so dessert was a bowl of fresh-picked bright red voluptuous strawberries. They came with three kinds of dip (chocolate, fresh whipped cream and custard). This was far better than anything I’ve ever had in England. And the best part: It cost a quarter of the price (40RM [$10]). Tea time alone is worth coming to this hotel -- I’m not joking!

DINING AT THE RESORT
Unfortunately, dining at the hotel did not compare to the tea. The food was okay, but nothing to rave about -- and I dined in every restaurant. I’m not a sushi or sashimi fan, so I didn’t appreciate Gonbei, the traditional Japanese restaurant located just four steps from my door. I loved the open-air design and colors, and they did serve some tasty tempura -- but you can get that anywhere. The Dining Room, which overlooks the golf course and is the other restaurant that serves dinner, has a wide variety of dishes, from local specialties to international cuisine. Breakfast is also served in the dining room, which is very elegant. I felt like I slob when I walked in with shorts on (though it’s totally acceptable during the day). Breakfast is not a buffet. The menu included a nice selection of fruits, pastries, cereal, yogurt, eggs, waffles, pancakes and local treats like chicken curry. In the Jim Thompson Tea Room a traditional luncheon English roast is served once a week. This large buffet has all the English delicacies, like shepherd’s pie and Yorkshire pudding. When there is no lunch buffet they offer a menu with a number of salads, soups, even burgers. Nightly rates begin at 700 RM ($197). Cameron Highlands Resort, 72, Pekeliling Tun Abdul Razak, 39 Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia; tel.: 011-60-5-491-1100.

ACTIVITIES
There are plenty of activities to keep guests busy, but many people come there just to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city (most come from Kuala Lumpur or nearby Singapore). This is a perfect place to relax, read a book or play golf. The 18-hole golf course across the street is public, and on weekdays costs only 56RM ($15). I didn’t feel like swinging clubs or using the hotel gym, so I just took a 45-minute walk around the golf course. Talk about being lazy! The course looked nice, and along the way I stumbled across a hotel called Ye Olde Smokehouse. If someone hit me over the head and I woke up on their doorstep, I would swear I was in England. Even without the red telephone booth out front, from the moment you step into this hotel – your nose and eyes make you think England, not Malaysia. However, I’d much rather stay at the Cameron Highlands Resort!

HOTEL SPA
Most guests who stay at the resort get a spa treatment – and so should you. At the very least, take one of the tea baths. Treatments at Spa Village Cameron Highlands feature healing therapies based on produce from the surrounding jungle, and ancient tea rituals. There are six treatment rooms, four tea bath rooms and two outdoor cabanas. In Asia, bathing rituals are an important part of physical as well as spiritual cleansing. What’s great is that before each treatment, every guest has a tea bath. These are supposed to relieve stress, refresh the skin and slow down the aging process. Women can take either a yellow rose tea, Cameron’s mint, strawberry or chrysanthemum flower bath. There are similar-sounding names for body scrubs and massages.

MY SPA TREATMENT
Being the man that I am, I had a traditional male treatment called Tok Batin. It takes three hours, and costs RM600 ($169). After taking off my clothes, I dove into a hot tea bath in an old-fashioned tub, where I soaked for 30 minutes. The attendant brought over a tray filled with kaffir limes and sugar crystals. Both were to be rubbed on my elbows. There was also a dish of ground-up tea leaves to rub on my face, a glass of iced tea and a refreshing towel. After doing my rubbing chores I was given a pillow, tea bags for my eyes and noise reduction headphones. I laid back and listened to soothing music. After 30 minutes I was escorted to the chill room, where the therapist placed a heated, heart-shaped rice bag on my chest. I waited patiently until my masseuse came to get me. Once in the massage room she handed me some paper underwear. Yes! I got to wear these things one last time (here’s a picture of how stylish they looked on me). It didn’t matter how uncomfortable they were, because my treatment was that good. It began with hot towels on my feet, then progressed to the best body scrub ever (not that I get very many). The main ingredient was – you guessed it -- crushed tea leaves. They did a fantastic job of removing all my dead skin. She then wrapped me completely in warm towels, as if I was a mummy. As I lay there with only my head exposed, she gave me a head massage. She then put me in a portable steamer. The last step was a shower. I didn’t want to leave, so I took my sweet time sipping hot tea and eating biscuits with different jams. I am now officially spoiled.

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