Tuesday, April 29, 2014

A French Themed Village in Pahang, Malaysia

Colmar Tropicale is inspired by the 16th Century Colmar Village in Alsace, France. It spans over 16,000 acres of rugged hills and mountains and located 3,000 feet above sea level. Being up that high, I really didn't feel cold when I was there. :(

I planned on going here days after my Laos trip after knowing from my travel-mate that there were public transport available to this place. I never knew about it. Haha. So I managed to lure a friend to follow me on a weekend trip to Bukit Tinggi and thus booked via booking.com a room at Colmar Tropicale for one night.

The thing that I love about booking.com is that I never need to pay money upfront. *smiles*

However, bus tickets were another matter. I thought I could book the bus tickets via online but when I called the ticket counter situated in Berjaya Times Square, they advised me to pay for the tickets a day or two in advance. Unfortunately their office opens at 9am until 5pm. There was no way I had time to go there to buy the tickets but determination got to me. Haha. I got out from my office during lunch hour on Friday, the day before our night in Tropicale and got myself two return bus tickets.

They almost had no seats at 10am but after they reconfirmed with the driver (his name is Rashid btw..), I finally got the tickets!

Shuttle Transfer Services Time Schedule

  • Daily departure from KL to Tropicale at 10:00am, 1:00pm & 5:00pm,
  • Daily departures Tropicale to KL at 11:3-am, 3:00pm & 6:30pm
1-way = RM25 nett/pax and 2-way = RM55 nett/pax


This is how the shuttle looks like. Guess seats are pretty limited. It takes only approximate an hour to get to Tropicale. 



We had to wait at the lobby of Berjaya Hotel 15 minutes before departure. Just be forewarned, you better sit near the front as the ride up to Tropicale is a swirling one!
So yeahhhhhhh... am here!  And no, am not wearing a mini skirt. #eh :P
 The check-in time was actually 3:00pm but due to my winning charm, I managed to check in at 12:30pm. (OK, I fibbed. There was actually a room available so we could immediately check in.)
This is the cheapest room at Colmar Tropicale. Muahahaha! *ignore my friend at the background*
We checked the room out, ate our lunch which we brought from home as food here were EXPENSIVE and headed out. Here are some activities we did that day. I was ecstatic to know that there was free shuttle service to all the recreational areas!

Voilla!!! The free shuttle service!! 
There was a higher frequency going to the Japanese Village and Botanical Garden so we headed there first.

Found here are some ponds, Japanese looking huts, a Spa, tea ceremony (RM28) and kimono rental (RM20) here. 
It's quite a hike up to the Japanese Village so bring drinking water as it costs approx RM6 here! *faint*
Later after panting and sweating a bit, we visited the Botanical garden.
I forgot why I was so happy in this picture... -___-"
Not really a flower fan, after an hour at both places, we then headed back to Tropicale to catch the shuttle to the Animal Park. This park is situated near the golf course. There's an entry fee of RM3 to enter this park. And what do you get?

Animals of all sorts. Well, donkeys, rabbits and deer to be specific. RM6 to buy food to feed them.
Oh ya... they even let people ride on a saddled donkey... but for kids only. Hehe.

Photobombed by a Bambi wannabe! 
The deer was initially lying on the floor and when I got up close to take a picture with it, it suddenly stood up!!! After petting and buying some snacks at the cafe there, we waited for our shuttle back to the hotel. We reached our hotel by 7pm. 

Other activities that can be enjoyed here are the entertainment shows held recurringly from 11am or 12pm until night at the main stage in Tropicale. I enjoyed the show at 10pm later that evening which was starred by some very flexible, body bending gymnasts. Then there's that street clown who entertains children by blowing into balloons and making weird shapes with it!

A clown entertaining the families with kids. 
Overall experience?

I enjoyed it very much! I joked to my friend that I'll never afford a hotel room like this in real France. Haha. But I kinda expected to taste some real authentic french dishes here but was disappointed (due to the prices. Hiks). 

Early morning at Tropicale where there's lesser people. This view was taken from the tower.
After this experience, I feel like trying all the themed hotels in Malaysia! Or... maybe not. I guess I have to wait until my financial situation allows it because I'm having a major trip coming in September. :)

6 comments:

Alid Abdul said... [Reply]

I failed to visit this place hahaha but after considering and thinking mebbe I dun wan enimore :p

langsung pegi yurop hahaha

Jard The Great said... [Reply]

@ ALID.. kalau gi eropahh... ikuttttttt ahhh

Chocky Sihombing said... [Reply]

OK, i need this information! hahaha...

so, Berjaya - Colmar Tropicale is around 40 mins kan ya? i need to arrange my itin soon :D

Jard The Great said... [Reply]

@ chocky.. count it as an hour. better. hehehe. tergantung pada trafik :)

Unknown said... [Reply]

French village ni dalam hotel ke? Kalau bukan penginap hotel tu, tak dibenarkan masuk ke?

Jard The Great said... [Reply]

@ Ong Yan Ling... boleh masuk... tapi ada bayaran kalau bawa kereta sendiri sebelum masuk ke tempat neh...