The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands needs no introduction as one of the most exclusive hotels you can stay at in Cameron Highlands.
This price range is usually out of our budget, but we decide to make the splurge for an overdue anniversary of sorts.
And at the same time, we wanted to document our experience so others can see what it’s like to stay at The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands!
Disclaimer: This was a not sponsored stay in any way, shape, or form. Our opinions are strictly based on our personal experience during our stay.
Table Of Contents:
History
The original owner of The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands was a retired British Army Officer Colonel by the name of Stanley Jack Foster. It took 4 years to build it and it was open for bookings in 1970.
During this time, Colonel Stanley Jack Foster stayed in what is now called the Foster Suite in the resident building atop the hill which looks over the hotel.
And while The Smokehouse was also under his management for 7 years, he eventually sold it in 1977. But Colonel Stanley Jack Foster carried on running The Lakehouse until 1984 when he passed away.
In 1989, the hotel was taken over by Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) which manages it to this day.
Location
The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands is in Ringlet or to be more specific, Habu Heights. There is nothing much here except for a resident block for employees of a nearby TNB station.
On the way to the hotel from Tanah Rata, there is a small row of shop-houses – but none of the shops are of great interest to passing tourists (ourselves included).
However, despite the remote location of the hotel, there’s nothing you can do about the occasional speeding car(s) on the main road throughout the night– even if the road is quite some distance away from the hotel.
Hence, it’s best to bring along some earplugs if you’re a light sleeper. And if you stay on the ground floor of the hotel, you might be able to hear other guests walking around the hotel in the early morning and late evening.
Ease Of Parking
Guests can park their cars within the grounds of The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands. Those staying up at the Cameron or Foster suites can drive up the hill and park directly outside their accommodation.
But these parking spots are not sheltered from the rain, unlike the few slots that are next to the entrance of the main building.
Aside from these main parking areas, there are one or two other places where guests can park their cars around the grounds.
Ambiance At The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands
There’s no question that the whole hotel is stunning, inside and out. There are so many cozy corners that you can rest at besides your room. Or take endless selfies of.
Both the interior and exterior of The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands are consistently styled in Tudor / Colonial fashion.
A small bar off to the side of the reception looks into the lounge where guests can enjoy the fireplace, views from the garden, or watch some live sports.
Wooden floorboards and stairs add their own charm to the hotel with their inherent creakiness. These are the original floors and stairs and have not been replaced to retain their historic charm.
The terrace outside the hotel serves as the venue for high tea. We took the liberty of exploring the grounds and found that all of the gardens (including where the suites are) are generally well-tended to.
If you book a deluxe room (like we did), these are on the ground and first floor of the main hotel building. We guess that all the rooms have views of the lake.
And while on the small side, the rooms are tidy and beautiful with everything you could need including:
- An ironing board and iron,
- Two bathrobes and slippers
- Extra pillows and a quilt
- Insect repellent
- Their in-house soap, shampoo, and conditioner
- A hair dryer
- A safe
- A Delonghi coffee machine and coffee pods
- Loose Cameron tea with a teapot, creamer, and sugar
There is usually some quiet jazz or similar music playing in the background of the hotel and it smells pleasantly of lemongrass in the morning.
Service
Our experience with the service at The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands didn’t start from when we entered the hotel – it started much earlier:
The reception desk called us a while after we made our booking online to acknowledge our booking and also to let us know the timing for the high tea and that we could come before the stated check-in time (12pm) too.
Note: Adding high tea to your booking is optional – it is about RM20 cheaper to book it online
When we got to The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands, we found check-in to be an easy process. Just state your name and hand your IC (or passport) over to verify your identification.
While that is being done, the staff will sit you down with welcome drinks – it was a refreshing drink of ginger and 100plus along with some cold towels.
We were shown to our room by one of the staff when we were ready (they do offer to bring your bags for you).
The staff left us to the room but not before informing us where to have high tea and breakfast, and when and how to reach the front desk (open from 7am to 11pm).
She pointed out the mini bar and explained what was free and what wasn’t too.
Throughout our stay at The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands, all of the staff is very polite and always greet us with a smile. Little gestures like the following left a good impression on us:
- On one of the tables in the room, we found a personalized welcome note signed by the manager.
- We went out for dinner and came back to our room to find that someone had left some cake for us, turned on the lights, and lit a candle.
- They wipe down the condensation on your car in the morning
Food At The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands
During our stay, we had the opportunity to try both breakfast and high tea at The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands.
Breakfast At The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands
Breakfast is served between 7am to 10am. And if included as part of your stay, you get to choose one main from the mains menu – we got the big breakfast and nasi lemak, and coffee or tea.
They’ll also serve orange juice (we think it’s freshly squeezed). And there is a buffet-style setup where you can select ingredients and sauces for salad and yogurt.
We spotted some steamed buns and dumplings too (just one variety each).
There are some pastries and bread too. Interestingly, there’s fresh honey with honeycomb too that you can break off and eat on its own or with bread or yogurt (really up to you).
Breakfast was very satisfying and served at the restaurant of The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands. Alternatively, you can opt to have breakfast served in your room instead.
PS: Pork-free and the sambal for the nasi lemak is very spicy.
High Tea At The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands
Breakfast, on the whole, was better than having high tea at The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands (especially if your priority of having high tea here is mainly for the views).
Because while the hotel has a fantastic view of the lake below:
It’s not a very pretty lake (the color of mud during the rainy season) and there seems to be some development in progress in the middle of the lake. The lake does look better in the early morning than in the afternoon.
However, at the side of the outdoor seating for the high tea, is a lovely garden with a bench, lounge chairs, and swing (all angled to face the lake).
The view looking in towards the hotel is a lot more scenic. From here, you can see the Cameron and Foster Suites on the hilltop above.
Guests can choose to sit indoors too (this is the only option if it rains), and the interior is very elegant with not one but two large fireplaces, several couches and armchairs, a sunroom with rocking chairs, and a dining room that’s spacious enough to host a private function of ~15 pax.
Our high tea set came some time after the tea was served and consisted of:
- Mainly light sandwiches on the bottom tier (the best of these was the smoked salmon) with ham, cheese, cucumbers, etc
- 2 scones (great texture but lacking buttery fragrance) served with strawberry jam and cream
- Some fruit tarts (which we didn’t really like as we found the taste weird, not spoilt just weird)
- Slices of assorted fruit cake (these were good)
- Fruit on the top tier (some sweet, some sour).
The staff is very polite and helpful for the entirety of the experience.
That said, none of the food for the high tea set at The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands is remarkable. And for the price, we feel it is overpriced. You’re better off having high tea at Jim Thompson Tea Room.
There are also many other options for scones in Cameron Highlands if you don’t want to spend more than RM80 per person.
Pricing At The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands
Expect to pay anywhere from RM570 and upwards (RM1000+ for the suites) for a night at The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands.
You don’t have to be a guest here to go for high tea or dinner. High tea for 2 is complimentary if you stay at The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands for 2 nights.
If you book it online, high tea costs RM144 rather than the full price of RM160.
Although dining here can cost RM100+ per pax.
Conclusion
Suffice to say, we didn’t want for anything during our comfortable stay at The Lakehouse Cameron Highlands. The helpful staff takes great care of the guests and the hotel.
We imagine that staying here for Christmas with family would be especially nice since the whole hotel gives off that winter holiday atmosphere that we lack in Malaysia.
PS: If you want to go for the complementary jungle tour behind the hotel, it’s advisable to make your booking out of the rainy season because the 1-hour 2km loop trail is usually canceled for safety reasons during this period
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