Recently we made a trip to Fraser's Hill to find out how much this place has changed since our last visit about 2 decades ago. Because there is ongoing conservation effort to preserve the ecosystem of the place, Fraser's Hill has not really changed much. There has been no new hotels since those days and I wonder whether this is a good thing.
As we could not find a 4 or 5 star hotel we opted for Ye Olde Smokehouse or The Smokehouse Hotel which is among the better ones available there.
It took about 2 hours to drive to Fraser hill from KL. We used the old trunk road via Kuala Kubu Baru (The alternative route is via the Karak Highway)
The last 8km of road up the hill is a 1-way road and it's especially narrow and winding. Finding the hotel upon reaching the peak was easy as Fraser's Hill is a small place with distinct road signs.
To start with, there is a little parking inconvenience for hotel guests. As there are only 3 parking lots outside the hotel premise, parking is on a first come first served basis. All other vehicles have to be parked a short distance away, either at the public car park or along the public road. The public car park is quite remotely positioned and parking is at your own risk.
The hotel has been in existence since 1937.
This is the entrance into the main building of the hotel.
The hotel consists of two buildings: The main building and the cottage beside it. The room and suites are spread out between these 2 buildings.
There are 16 rooms/suites in the hotel and all are individually furnished. We stayed in Laura Suite (picture above) which is in the main building. This is the only suite with a jacuzzi.
The suite comes with a four poster bed.
There is a lounge with a fireplace (or rather electric heater) as it gets real chilly towards the late evening.
The bathroom is very spacious.
The wash area with just 2 small sinks look a little simple though.
This is the dressing area. Just beside it is the closet. This is the most uninteresting area in the suite as it feels rather "old" in here.
A working table.
Adjacent to the the bedroom is a tiny dining room.
The dining room.
Other than these complimentary cookies and fruits, not many other things are provided. There is no TV. Neither is there internet access, or coffee and tea making facilities.
All the room decor and furnishing are in need of more frequent polishing and dusting.
This is the view taken from our room. There are only 3 parking lots (as mentioned earlier). Notice also, the mouldy walls and roofs. This is because the weather here is cool and moist all year round. The windows in our room have also turned rusty. The bathrobe, the towels and the rugs feel damn most of the time.
The hotel lobby and bar.
There is a real fireplace here.
A lovely painting hung at the lobby.
This is the hotel lounge. Furnishing and decors are mostly Tudor style.
A popular spot for photo taking .
Jeriau Waterfall is about 10-15 km from the Smokehouse Hotel.
The earlier part of the day is mostly misty.
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5 comments :
Gee, thanks for posting this. I was about to make a trip to Fraser Hill & was about to choose this hotel. Now, maybe I'll try another one.
Thanks for the great information! I was wondering.... How much was your room per night at the time?
Was about USD200.For a Malaysian rate ,it wasn't cheap as not many facilities are provided. For example there was no WIFI, no TV, no gym, sauna, swimming pool etc.
My family and I did not enjoy our stay at this smoke hse.paid rm300++ per nite. No TV,limited parking space,no coffee/tea making unlike other hotels. Worst of,that mrng before check out, there was no electricity n water. So,don't expect to HV a proper breakfast served..they should hv back up generator n water tank.however,the staff r friendly.this is the worst vacation ever...
Agree with you Niza. It's not the ideal place to stay in Fraser's Hill.
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