Memories of Malaysia (part one)

Hello, I'm  back... actually it's two days ago, but oh well. Ok, Malaysia. First stop The Colmar Tropicale at Berjaya Hills, Bukit Tinggi, Pahang. Usually I get nauseous in places that tries to be somewhere else. Of over the top facades doing their not-so-believable illusion of travels. It's totally cute and kitschy maybe even pretty when done in small spaces, like a store or a cafe for instance. But when it came on super-scale construction, it became grandiosely  grotesque (for example: Grand Indonesia's dining area, or the Venetian, Macau.)

Kak Rous, my mother's friend who kindly provide accommodations during my stay in Malaysia took me there since she's attending a workshop seminar for crafter who aims for the international market. Since the seminar was sponsored by Malaysian Government, we got to rent the room and all quite cheaply, I think. Actually there's no "we", Kak Rous paid for the whole thing, Thank You so much Kak....

The Colmar Tropicale manages to give a steady Disneyland-like, believability. In fact, I immediately feel like the head-stuck-in-a-book-Belle and at anytime someone would pop out from the corner and shout "Bonjour!" If you haven't watched "Beauty and the Beast", you should.  Anyway, it's this scene.

The complex was said to be inspired by a provincial town in Alsace, France by the same name. But from the pics I found on Google, the similarity between the real and the hotel were not that many. The one in Bukit Tinggi is more similar to imagination-based blueprint of provincial town in a fairy tale. It even has a wishing well, a castle and a moat, swans in a lake, tortoises, hares, deers, and donkeys. The people who manage Colmar Tropicale are not being too tedious in the care of the building, which sorta gave a touch "realness" to it. Not to mention that the place is pretty secluded and set in a verdant hilly surroundings.

My favorite feature however is the food, especially the original  French patisserie-worthy desserts... Oh!!!

With numerous sport facilities, spa, and a small zoo, The Colmar Tropicale is a very lovely getaway for the whole family. Or happy singles who love to eat  harharhar......

Here's a sweet tune by Malaysia's own rising star, Yuna,  which I think made a quite lovely soundtrack if you ever decide to stay there, or ahem browse for more pics on my flickr