Bukit Tinggi (A great place to take visitors from KL)

A few weeks ago, Joe and I went to Bukit Tinggi.  I first heard about it from this blog post from Happpy Go KL, a blog I follow and enjoy.  We were looking for something to do, and off we went!

It took us less than an hour to reach Bukit Tinggi.  It was a really pretty drive, through some forests and jungles.  Most of the time, when driving through Malaysia, one sees lot of palm tree plantations.  This was jungle.  This picture was taken not far from the parking lot, on a path to the Japanese garden.  You could feel the 'cooler' temperatures and hear the sounds of the monkeys.  I thought this would be a really nice place to bring your visitors to KL, when one gets tired of the city.

Colmar Tropicale is a "French-themed" village and hotel located in Berjaya Hills Resort, Bukit Tinggi, Pahang, Malaysia.  It is located 2,600 feet (790m) above sea level on 80 acres of natural forestland.  The development is inspired by the original town of Colmar in Alsace, France.

This information came from one of the websites about the area.  Bukit means 'hill' and so Bukit Tinggi is the whole area.  There are several hotels, restaurants, zip lining, paint ball, a Japanese garden and tea house, and the Alpine village.  We went on a Saturday morning, and there was ample  parking.  There is a shuttle bus that takes you from the parking lot of the Japanese garden to the Alpine Village. 

The Japanese garden

Joe and I ate at the restaurant close to the garden.  It was a little tricky to find because you had to look down from the path to see it.  We ate on the deck and felt like we were in a treehouse!

This was a 'set' lunch, popular around here.  There was soup, beef teriyaki with salad, steamed rice, and fresh fruit.  It was tasty.

This is the Alpine 'village' patterned after Colmar, France.

This is near the entrance to the village.

We saw a couple of swans.  More on that later.

Among the several restaurants and small hotels in this area, there was a theater

and some carnival games, along with an arcade.

We climbed up the clock tower and soaked in the beautiful views.

Looking back at the entrance from the clock tower.  Notice the roofs on the right.

Well, it so happens that I went to the real Colmar, France, two years ago!  Below are some pictures I took.  

Swans!  I have done a crazy amount of traveling in the last three years.  This is one of my all-time favorite pictures!  I was in a small boat in the water, so I could get close.

And here is a patterned roof, that was replicated in Bukit Tinggi.  So, what do you think?  How did BT compare?

While I am speaking of places to take visitors, let me throw out this restaurant.  It is Tamarind Springs, not to be confused with Tamarind Hill, another location.  Although I have been to both and they are both excellent.  Tamarind Hill is a little more refined.  This location at Tamarind Springs overlooks the Kelab Darul Ehsan (or KDE) golf course in the Amapng section of KL.

If you drive down the street from the restaurant (which was a little tricky to find so look for a red door frame), you see lots of monkeys playing along the road.  The entire restaurant is open-air, so we had this visitor!

We had delicious Thai food under the thatched roof.  The whole time we were there, we kept saying that it really felt like we were on vacation!  Great place!

Our view of the golf course and playing monkeys.

So, if you want a short and convenient break from the city, try Bukit Tinggi.  If you just want a good meal, give one of the Tamarind restaurants a try!

You probably won't hear from me again for a while.  Heading off to the States tomorrow for six weeks!!!  Family, fun, and shopping!!!