Take a dip in the river or have a picnic to relive childhood days. (Right) The entrance to the lobby of Beacon Resort in Kerling, Hulu Selangor.
WELLNESS is not just the absence of disease, but is a concept that can take many forms, including physical, mental and social well-being.
City dwellers in the Klang Valley can recalibrate and rejuvenate their physical, mental and social well-being at Beacon Resort, located in Kerling, Hulu Selangor, about an hour away from urban hubs.
You can get there by heading north via the North-South Highway.
After exiting at Tanjung Malim, it is an 8.5km drive through small district roads before reaching the gravel road leading to the resort.
From there, it is about 3.5km to the entrance and lobby.
The resort’s friendly chief executive officer Dino Goh said the road was flattened as it was originally “too much of a bumpy drive for our guests.”
Goh, who goes out his way to greet guests with his warm personality, could be your buggy driver the day you check in, and would even take you on a quick tour of the facilities in the 17.4ha resort.
If you see tall trees marked with numbers, these are durian trees and there are about 200 of them in the orchard.
If you are lucky enough to catch a windfall, the resort staff will open the fruit for you to enjoy.
Beacon Resort, which opened in December last year, is another feather in the cap for Mary Chen, the founder of Beacon Hospital.
“At the hospital, we treat people who are sick with cancer, and the treatments can be very expensive.
(From left to right) The Hot and Cold Hydrogen Spa is based on Japanese technology; soak in the hot spring pools to bring relief to sore muscles; the Rajah Brooke Birdwing butterfly conservation valley is worth exploring.
“Some patients don’t have money to pay and they give up,” Chen said, highlighting that her intention was to dedicate this resort as a place to improve people’s well-being holistically regardless of their socio-economic background.
She envisions Beacon Resort encouraging fruitful, healthy relationships between friends and family, through the healing powers of nature.
“Our rooms are designed so the whole family can literally be under one roof together, unlike in other hotel suites that have separate sections. And we don’t charge for extra beds.
“We want to see reunions, gatherings and happy guests. They don’t need to worry about food here,” she added.
The package, inclusive of meals and facilities, is compulsory for all guests, but you still have to bring your own toothbrush and toothpaste.
There are no posh eateries at the resort, but it has a modest dining hall that serves breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner with buffets that have fresh pesticide-free Beacon chicken and organic vegetables, including beansprouts grown in Beacon’s eco farm, as well as wholesome herbal porridge and fresh fruits.
Bring your own water bottle as you can fill up on filtered water.
For fans of Thai-style barbecue, a Mookata dinner is available upon request, at RM20 per person.
Since this is an eco-resort, you will not find a swimming pool here.
Instead, you can take a dip in the river just like in the good old days.
The river stream combines Sungai Inki and Sungai Bernam and guests can opt for picnics there, arranged by the resort.
At Beacon Resort’s five natural hot spring pools, guests can relieve sore muscles and improve blood circulation with water heated by geo-thermal energy.
Next to the hot springs is the Rajah Brooke Birdwing butterfly conservation valley.
The butterfly’s beautiful large wings with their stunning black, green and electric blue colours are something to behold.
Goh said the butterfly area was previously just a drain.
“We cleaned it out, but I noticed two butterflies. I was so impressed that I observed them every day to learn their behaviour in their natural habitat.
“Four butterflies later appeared and now we have about 20.”
Adjacent to this and surrounded by lush bamboo trees is the entrance to the jungle trail where a guide will take guests on a 45-minute easy hike at 9am daily.
After that, it’s a pleasant walk through the durian orchard back to your room.
Picturesque fish ponds surrounding the resort teem with big fish, which guests can feed with fish food purchased from the concierge. I found this quite therapeutic on a balmy afternoon.
Adjacent to the dining hall is the Hot and Cold Hydrogen Spa based on Japanese technology – a must-try treatment that invigorates the senses. You start in the sauna before dipping in the hot and cold pools.
There are four types of accommodation at the resort – White Jasmine (from categories A to D), Wild Bamboo (which incorporates a Japanese Tatami interior), Peppermint (traditional kampung-style rooms) and Ginger Lily (Santorini-inspired chalets with spacious balconies).
The Greek-inspired whitewash design of White Jasmine rooms is minimalist with simple architecture and decor.
The rooms can accommodate between three and eight guests; the bigger rooms have two toilets and two showers.
If you are coming with a party of eight, Ginger Lily hilltop chalets are ideal to relax in and have fun with the hammock on the spacious balcony overlooking the resort grounds.
For more information, visit beaconresort.com.my
