Since I was young, I was always captivated by travelling. I wanted to see and experience all that the world had to offer. I had adventurous dreams about visiting the wonders of the world, experiencing new cultures, new languages, new food. This wanderlust led me to join various uniformed body organisations in school, which instilled in me a passion for the outdoors. Unfortunately, there was a problem in the fact that the outdoors is, to put it mildly, not friendly to the average holiday-maker. The idea of camping brings to mind creepy-crawlies, sweltering heat, uncomfortable sleeping bags and an overall coverage of sticky mud whenever it rained. Therefore, I jumped at the opportunity when I found out there was a way to be outdoors but still enjoy the comforts of a four-star hotel. And that was my first experience with glamping.
My First Encounter With Glamping
One week later, we headed towards Janda Baik. Waze had decided to take us down winding roads, through dense vegetation, past chalets and dilapidated huts until finally deciding to deposit us at Tiarasa Escapes Glamping Resort. As I stepped out of the car, my first thought was: “This is not a four-star hotel”. From the lobby, the resort looked like a collection of tents, like everyone in the neighbourhood decided to have outdoor weddings on the same day and embarrassingly booked the same patch of land to wed on. The lobby was small, festooned with board games and books of enticing yet questionable origins. To our surprise, the receptionist greeted us by name without having to refer to any records. A buggy then took us to our tent: the Rajah Brooke.
The Big Reveal
What awaited us was a sight to behold. A large, white sheet covered the entrance to our tent. We walked into a lavish living room, decorated with a plush sofa, a coffee table, abstract art, and no television set. The living room was flanked on both sides by separate bedrooms, each boasting a queen sized bed. The whole area was fortunately fully air-conditioned and connected to Wi-Fi. After venturing past the living room, you reach the bathrooms. The two bathrooms had a shower and a bathtub, and two ornate sinks which made you feel very posh and upper-class. We dumped our luggage into our respective bedrooms and convened in the living room to plan our activities.
Lunch was delivered to our room on a buggy. The excellent service was accompanied appropriately by the scrumptious nasi lemak (coconut rice). The fact that we ate our lunch overlooking rolling hills and lush forests further enhanced our experience.
So you might be wondering, are there glamping spots in Malaysia? Or even around the world? How does one choose a good glamping resort to stay the night? Well, keep reading.
Choosing A Glamping Resort
Step 1: Choose A Location
Glamping is short for “glamorous camping”. It gives visitors the luxury of a four-star hotel along with the refreshing feeling of being outdoors, making it a desirable getaway activity. Being an outdoor activity, glamping relies heavily on scenery and natural beauty to lure its visitors in. Normally, we can find glamping resorts away from the hustle and bustle, deep in the middle of nowhere. This produces the relaxing, soothing experience that visitors crave. Therefore, choosing a location is very important. If you are not a forest and vegetation person, perhaps a glamping resort near the beach or up a mountain would be preferable instead. The world is your oyster. Because of the large variety of glamping resorts out there, the locations can vary extremely. Below are a few resorts with spectacular and different views in Malaysia:
- Tiarasa Escapes with its rolling hills and greenery
- Tadom Hill Resorts with its backdrop of limestone hills
- Mount Kinabalu Holiday Camp with its sprawling birds-eye views
Step 2: Money Talks
Glamping is still a business, and it requires financial transactions to occur. Typically, glamping resorts charge between USD48 (MYR200) to USD120 (MYR500) per night. This may or may not include food, entertainment and other services. Some of the services and entertainment in glamping resorts may include:
- Outdoor Movie Theaters
- Campfire
- Barbecue Pits
- Swimming Pools, Playgrounds
- Board Games, Books, Game Rooms
The cost of visiting a glamping resort may also include hidden costs such as transportation costs and travel taxes. Moreover, getting to these glamping resorts might require long distance travel because they are situated in far-flung places.
Step 3: Credibility
Seeing is not always believing. Pictures on the Internet, ironically, may be edited to attract customers, and may not be 100% valid. This applies especially to travel, and glamping specifically. This fact is because with travel, you are purchasing an intangible asset which may be vague in description and hard to imagine. Therefore, the credibility of the glamping resort is paramount. To check a glamping resort’s credibility, just do the following:
- Check out their website. Make sure it looks professional
- Search for public comments about the resort, both positive and negative
- Ask about the resort in public forums
- Check for any marketing scams or psychological marketing
Set The Date And Go Glamping!
Finally, you are ready to go on your first glamping adventure! Perhaps Tiarasa Escapes could be your first introduction to the world of glamping. Remember to bring some board games, a camera for all your insta-worthy photographs, and most importantly, an open, willing heart. Nature awaits, what are you waiting for?
Tiarasa Escapes Glamping Resort, Persiaran Enderong, Kampung Janda Baik, 28750 Bentong, Pahang, Malaysia. Contact no. +6012 887 7777.
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Hi Derrick,
Thank you for this piece. Feels good to know you enjoyed your stay at our establishment. Do let us know how we can stay in contact. ?
Thank you. So glad you enjoyed the piece.