A warm welcome

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Malaysia's first luxury natural wellness hot springs retreat opened its doors early this year.

Spa resorts have been springing up all over Malaysia for those craving some pampering, but wellness retreats? What is that, you ask?

These places set you on your way to a healthier lifestyle. Qualified naturopaths, nutritionists and fitness consultants assess your lifestyle habits and make recommendations to allow you to make subtle changes to everyday routine.

The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat is the first of its kind in Malaysia where guests can rejuvenate, rehabilitate, detoxify, lose weight or get fit using nature-inspired facilities.

The Banjaran's water villas.

There are caves galore and you will never tire of them. There's one for steaming, one for meditation, one for absorbing energy from crystals . . . They have all been made possible by Sunway Group chairman Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah who saw the potential of this quiet area in Perak.

Since its opening on Jan 30, resort manager Anita Khoo has had her hands full ensuring everything runs smoothly. Like all new places, teething problems have to be ironed out.

"Our main challenge is to convince guests that this is not simply a resort, but a wellness retreat, and one night just isn't enough. Of course we do accept guests who just want to chill, but that is not our aim," she says.

The Banjaran is surrounded by 400-million-year-old limestone caves. The highlight is a geothermal lake. Three million litres of mineral-filled water bubbles to the surface daily. Its temperature ranges between 40˚ and 70˚ Celsius. The heat is enough to generate a natural sauna and create a steam cave.

There are dipping pools, reflexology paths, a Gara Rafa (fish) pool, ice baths, a waterfall and a host of other natural alternatives to speed up one's metabolic rate.

Walking into the tranquil retreat, there's nary a sound except for the gurgling water and wind whispering in your ear. You'll spot many monitor lizards and geckos here, along with a myriad of birds.

Monitor lizards are your neighbours here.

The rooms — garden and water villas — come with their own plunge pool and sunken Jacuzzi. Hot spring water is piped in every day.

Khoo was entrusted with the task of checking out all the villas before the retreat opened for business. She slept in each one to ensure all the amenities were working!

With a luxurious king-sized bed, the villas are great for couples to rekindle their romance while getting healthy and fit.

Instead of using mineral water bottles, every villa comes with a labu sayong, an elegant, gourd-shaped carafe that is used to keep water cool. The jug, with the characteristic double bulb design, is charred to give it the ability to cool its contents quickly. It is believed that the water stored in a labu sayong has healing properties. It is filled with spring water daily.

Consultations and treatments are carried out at the Spa and Wellness Centre. Almost every imaginable programme is available here — from hydrobaths to Ayurvedic therapy and colonic hydrotherapy

"We wanted to create a healing environment using the jungle as a backdrop and the geothermal hot spring," says spa consultant Melinda Yon.

Most guests come for rejuvenation treatments. The spa uses a blend of Malay, Chinese and Indian healing traditions and the most popular treatments among baby boomers are the anti-ageing ones.

The Meditation Cave where yoga and tai chi classes are sometimes held.

Yon says that while people come to the retreat with an intention to change, she agrees that a four-day sampler package is just too short to modify lifestyles.

"It usually takes 21 days to change habits, but people may not have that much time or money to spare. So I'd recommend at least seven days. It's more about telling people that they can eat healthily. We understand it's not always possible to get organic food but we give nutritional guidelines or provide recipes," says Yon.

She cites an example of a slightly obese guest who came to the resort and lost 10kg in two weeks. He was thrilled and has already made an appointment to return.

I went for my naturopathic consultation with Esther Peh and together we tried to find remedies for my ultra-sensitive stomach. Two hours later, she suggested I do a food allergy or gut permeability test (not available at the retreat) and take enzymes to boost my digestive system.

Thankfully, I didn't have to make major changes to my diet, fitness or lifestyle except to reduce stress.

"Take a 10-minute break away from the computer every hour," Peh advises. I'm guilty, because when trying to meet deadlines, I can be glued to the computer screen for hours without taking a break.

Foodwise, there is only one restaurant which serves Malaysian spa cuisine — low in fat, salt and cholesterol. No artificial flavourings or seasoning is used and the menu is designed to be well-balanced and easily digestible. Even the desserts at The Pomelo Restaurant are yummy and hardly sinful.

And if you want to nibble at night, too bad, there's no room service. This forces you to adhere to the suggested diet.

Fitness, stretching, water aerobics and yoga classes are conducted early in the morning, while tai chi classes are held in the evenings. When it rains, the classes are moved to other sites. I took a tai chi class in the meditation cave and it was out of this world.

If you're spending a few days at The Banjaran and want a little thrill after too much stillness, there is also a walkway that leads to The Lost World of Tambun theme park. Have your fill and be transported to another zone.

My favourite place in the resort was Jeff's Cellar, a dungeon where time stands still and you're cut off from civilisation. I felt like I was walking into the Phantom of the Opera's living quarters — it's huge, dimly lit, chilly and has a classy feel.

This is where Cheah houses his vast wine collection. Opened and unopened bottles are decoratively stacked. Occasionally, the cellar is leased out for private parties and a band is brought in to entertain. You can holler all you want in here and no-one will hear you outside. A perfect hideout indeed!

The Banjaran experience calms your mind, energises your body and gives you a healthy glow, but since it is a plush retreat, expect a dent in your wallet . . . but worth every sen.