Trip overview - 3D/2N at Resorts World Genting or Genting Highlands

The last time I visited Genting Highlands was more 30 years ago. Back then, we travelled by coach up a winding road to the peak where there were a couple of hotels and a casino. This place has undergone tremendous transformation since then. Now, Genting Highlands is synonymous with Resorts World Genting, an integrated hill resort development comprising hotels, shopping malls, theme parks and casinos.

Perched on the peak of a 6000 feet high mountain, only 58 km from Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur, Genting Highlands offers cool comfortable weather almost all year round. This in itself is a major attraction for those living in the hot and humid cities within South-East Asia. Together with another couple who are our long-time friends, we planned to spend a few days at Genting Highlands. This is mainly to escape the hot humid weather back home and also to experience the “new” Genting.

We flew from Singapore into Kuala Lumpur International Airport by Scoot arriving at about 11 AM. There are many ways to get to Genting Highlands from the airport. We chose to rent a car at the airport and drove to the hill resort.

It took us about an hour along the well-maintained Malaysian toll roads and highways to arrive at Gohtong Jaya, a small town at the foothills, about 5 km before the resort on the peak.

Row of shop houses offering good and cheap local food at Gohtong Jaya. A perfect place to stop by for lunch before driving up to Genting Highlands.

This small town was erected and named after Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, the founder of Genting Group. It houses several shops, apartments and more importantly, a row of restaurants offering good and cheap local food. Gohtong Jaya is a perfect place for lunch before heading up to Genting.

About 5 minutes drive from Gohtong Jaya is the Genting Highlands Premium Outlets. We decided to stop by here after lunch since it was still too early to check in at our hotel.

Genting Highlands Premium Outlet Mall

This premium outlet centre features over 130 designers and brand name stores. I like the open layout where we get to enjoy the cool Genting air while moving from one shop to another. The prices are not much discounted compared to outlets malls in the US or Europe. Nevertheless, my wife still managed to spend some money at the Kate Spade store.

Besides shopping, there are also many food outlets that are worth checking out. We had our coffee break at Nam Heong Ipoh. They are famous for the eggs tarts and excellent coffee.

Coffee, egg tarts and steamed char-siu (roast pork) buns at Nam Heong Ipoh cafe at Genting Highlands Premium Outlet mall.

This is also the place to take the cable car up to Resort World Genting for those who came by bus or tour coaches. I was glad we had our rental car when we saw the crowd and long queues at the cable car station.

 

Where we stayed in Genting Highlands

There are many places to stay at the Resort Worlds Genting. Hotels that are part of the integrated resort include First World Hotel, Crockfords, Theme Park Hotel, Maxims Hotel or the Genting Grand.

There are also accommodations that are slightly away from the hill top complex such as the Gloria Residences Ion Delemen or the Grand Ion Delemen Hotel.

We stayed at the Grand Ion Delemen Hotel that offers great value for money. This full-service hotel offers a wide range of accommodation options that include deluxe and one-bedroom suites designed for individuals or couples, as well as two- and three- bedroom suites which caters to families or larger groups.

Master bedroom with ensuite bath.

Living area cum kitchen in the 2 bedroom suite in the Grand Ion Delemen Hotel.

My wife and I were upgraded to the two bedroom suite that includes private bedrooms, a separate living area, and kitchenette with complimentary bottled water and canned drinks in the mini refrigerator.

A complimentary shuttle service is provided to and from the hotel to First World Plaza. This shuttle operates from 9 AM till midnight on an hourly basis. We did not need to use this service since we had our own rental car.

Views from our hotel room during our stay

Almost all of the apartments in Grand Ion Delemen Hotel offer unblocked views of the surrounding mountain ranges.

View of the surrounding mountains ranges. 5956 feet above sea level.

I spent quite some time in the balcony of the suite, enjoying the cool crisp mountain air while shooting many photos of the landscape, made more interesting by the low clouds, flowing and rolling constantly across the mountains.

This photo may looked like it was taken from an aeroplane. It was actually shot from the apartment window at Grand Ion Delemen Hotel.

Our “castle” in the sky.


Sunrise as viewed from our apartment, Grand Ion Delemen Hotel.

Resorts World Genting complex shrouded in clouds, as viewed from Grand Ion Delemen Hotel.

 

 

Having settled into our respective comfortable apartments, our friends and us went to explore the various attractions at Resort World Genting.

These are what we did during our stay

1.  See the SkySymphony show at the SkyAvenue Mall.

There are many upscale stores located at SkyAvenue Mall. We are not avid shoppers so we just did window shopping.

What we did not miss is the SkySymphony show. This is a spectacular show that runs daily at the atrium on the first floor of SkyAvenue (in front of the main entrance of SkyCasino).

This family-friendly and free visual experience lasts around 15 minutes and is performed every two hours between 10:00 and 18:00, followed by hourly intervals from 18:00 until midnight.

SkySymphony show at the SkyAvenue Mall.

The spectacular performance made use of 1,001 winch balls suspended from the four-storey high ceiling, as well as gigantic screens installed throughout the mall’s main atrium.

I also took some photos of the mall’s interior which was quite well done up.

Series of escalators at the SkyAvenue mall at Resorts World Genting.

2.  Visit Chin Swee Caves Temple.

Chin Swee Caves Temple is a religious site located on a scenic location that is 4,600 feet above sea level and just beneath the peak of Genting Highlands where the Resorts World Genting is located. This is a good place to escape from the hustle and bustle in the busy Resorts World Genting complex. A serene and quiet place to learn a bit about Buddhism, Chinese folklore and culture, enjoy the cool outdoor and scenic views at the same time.

Trip report: Visit to Chin Swee Caves Temple at Genting Highlands.

3. Eat durians and mangosteens at annual Genting Durian Festival.

Every year, Resorts World Genting would hold its annual Durian Festival where visitors could try various varieties of Malaysia’s best durians at one place. The varieties of durians include D24, Mao Shan Wang, X.O., Red Prawn, Black Thorn and Tekka.

 
For 2019, the festival ran from 25 May to 16 September 2019, 12 PM to 10 PM, at the Genting Grand outdoor carpark on level 16.

It was here that we sampled the Black Thorn durian for the first time. This rare variety of durian originates and planted only in Penang and hence not readily available.

Trip Report: Enjoying the King and Queen of Fruits at Genting Highlands.

4. Have dinner at Burger and Lobster.

Lobster is one of our favourite seafood. Having tried the Burger and Lobster restaurants in London and Stockholm, a visit their Genting outlet was a must for us.

Like most Burger and Lobster restaurants round the world, the fresh Canadian lobster could be served steamed or grilled. We recommend the grilled lobster.

Original Grilled lobster with salad and lemon and garlic butter sauce for 168 MYR. The restaurant in Genting also offers an exclusive local flavour  - Chilli lobster for 188 MYR.

Drinks served in plastic bags!

Lobster roll at Burger and Lobster for 138 MYR. We concluded that the lobster roll offers lesser value for money.

5. Visit the Highline Rooftop Market and lunch at Harry Ramsden Fish and Chip

As the name implies, the Highline Rooftop Market is a food market located on the roof of SkyAvenue Mall. There are many restaurants offering semi al fresco dining at the outdoor atrium, overlooking the Genting skyline with a cold breeze.

Highline Rooftop Market in the evening.

We stopped by at Harry Ramsden for a casual lunch. Harry Ramsden has been serving world-famous fish and chips since 1928 in the UK.

Sitting area outside Harry Ramsden where we ate Halibut and Cod fish and chips.

The fish and chips were served in take-away boxes and we consumed them on wooden tables painted with the Union Jack.

6.  Supper at Motorino Pizza @ SkyAvenue.

We went to this restaurant just before their closing time. We tried their pizzas that was made to order from scratch with fresh dough, homemade sauces and baked in an actual oven. 

Pizza at Motorino Pizza at SkyAvenue.

Fried calamari at Motorino Pizza at SkyAvenue. Overcooked and hence tough and chewy.

The pizza was good but the fried calamari was disappointing.

7. Tea break at Nam Heong Ipoh @ SkyAvenue.

Having enjoyed the coffee and egg tarts at the outlet located in the Premium Outlet, we went to the Nam Heong Ipoh cafe located at SkyAvenue again. In addition to the coffee and egg tarts, this cafe also offers a variety of delicious Cantonese Tim Sum dishes.

Tim Sum dishes at the Nam Heong Ipoh @ SkyAvenue.

What we did not do at Resort World Genting

These are some of other attractions that we did not try but may be interesting to other visitors.

1. Gamble at the casinos.

There are two main casino outlets in the resort which are Genting Casino and SkyCasino. Many visitors came to Genting just to gamble. Not for us.

We did go into the SkyCasino for a brief look. We were amazed by the modern sophisticated jackpot machines that were so different from the coin-operated ones we played 30 years ago.

2. Ride on the Genting Skyway Cable Car.

We considered taking a joy ride on the cable cars but it was simply too crowded. And we had our own car to get to Chin Swee Cave temple and the Premium Outlet so we gave this a miss.

3. Skytropolis Funland

This is the indoor theme park & video games park. It was good for a stroll to see the young people and those “young at heart" folks having fun.

Skytropolis Funland at Resorts World Genting.

One of the kiddy rides at the Skytropolis Funland.

Other than rides, there is also a virtual reality centre, where visitors get to choose from a variety of VR experiences such as Star Wars, Wreck-it Ralph, etc.

4. Genting Strawberry Leisure Farm

This is a small strawberry farm and flower garden located at Gohtong Jaya. We actually drove to the entrance of the farm on our way back from Genting. We did not enter since the entrance fee was not justifiable.

5. Ripley’s Adventureland 

This is a family friendly entertainment hub located on level 4 of SkyAvenue. It houses various attractions such as Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, Jurassic Research Center, 4D Trick Art Museum, Zombie Outbreak.

The latest addition was Eagle Landing Zipline, an exhilarating 200 metres zip-line.

6. Catch a show at the Arena of Stars.

The Arena of Stars is a 45,000 square feet musical amphitheater for stage performances and concerts.

There was no scheduled performance during our visit.

7. Watch a IMAX or 3D movie at the Bona Cinemas.

Located at SkyAvenue, Bona Cinemas consists of four cinema halls equipped with state-of-the-art projection technology, Dolby Atmos surround sound systems and comfortable seats. A 250-seat Imax hall is also available for those who like to watch Imax movies.

8. Eat at Penang Food Village and other eateries like Beauty in a Pot.

There are so many eateries in Genting that we could not try them all.

Maybe next time!

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Gohtong Jaya – a good place to stop for food on the way to and from Genting Highlands

For those on a road trip to Genting Highlands, a stopover for food at Gohtong Jaya is highly recommended. Gohtong Jaya is a small town at the foothills of Genting Highlands, about 5 km before Resorts World Genting, located on the peak.Row of shophouses offering good and cheap local food at Gohtong Jaya. A perfect place to stop by for lunch before driving up to Genting Highlands.

This small town was erected and named after Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, the founder of Genting Group. It houses several shops, apartments and more importantly, a row of restaurants offering good and cheap local food. 

On our way to Genting Highlands, we had lunch at a Chinese restaurant called Restoran Chuan Kie. This is one of the more popular restaurants in Gohtong Jaya.

Many celebrities who visited or performed in Resorts World Genting apparently ate at the Chuan Kie Restaurant, as evidenced by the numerous photos displayed on the walls of the restaurant. 

This restaurant is so popular that they had opened a new branch along the same row of shophouses. We went to the new branch for lunch as it was bigger and less crowded.

The four persons in my travel group shared the following dishes:

Fried pork belly slices in special sauce.

The fried pork belly slices is the restaurant’s signature dish. It seemed that everyone ordered this dish at this restaurant. The pork slices were deep fried till crispy (like bacon) and then coated with a sweet sauce. Highly recommended.

Stir-fried bee hoon (rice noodles) with bean sprouts, prawns, onions, and garnishing.

We also like the stir-fried rice noodles, where we could taste the char, smoky flavour of the hot Chinese frying pan or wok.

Triple steamed eggs served in shallow pan. The steamed egg is silky smooth and quite delicious to eat on its own.

Tofu with minced pork, chye por (pickled vegetables) and spring onions.

The salty tasting chye por balances well with the tofu. Personally I found this dish a little too salty for my personal liking but most people will like this dish.

Stir-fried French beans that are crunchy and sweet.

After our stay at Genting Highlands, we actually returned to Gohtong Jaya on our way home and ate at Restoran Chuan Kie again. This time, we went to the main restaurant instead of their branch.

Once again, we ordered their signature fried pork belly slices in special sauce and stir-fried been hoon since we enjoyed these dishes very much when we ate their branch on our way to Genting Highlands.

These are some of the other dishes to try at this restaurant.

Stir fried Tian Qi leaves (田七菜) with chopped garlic. 

The stir fried Tian Qi leaves (田七菜) tasted quite good with smooth slippery texture when stirred fried in this manner. Tian Qi, also known as Notoginseng, are valued for their pharmaceutical qualities, especially for the blood and circulation.

Fresh Tian Qi leaves are not commonly sold back home, so it was a good idea to try this dish at Gohtong Jaya. I saw fresh Tien Chi leaves being sold in the several provision shops in Gohtong Jaya and it was tempting to buy some to bring home.

Petai with sambal, chopped onions and crispy fried Ikan Bilies (Dried Anchovies).

Petai, also known as Stink beans or Bitter beans, are widely consumed in Southeast Asia. They are supposed to be good for the health but I find them too bitter. My travelling companion, who likes to eat petai, told me they would make the urine stink, hence the nickname.

The restaurant also offers some exotic meat like ostrich. We ordered the ostrich with spring onions.

Stir fried ostrich with spring onions.

The meat of the ostrich was tough, like low quality beef. So, it may be better off to eat stir fried beef with spring onions instead.

Other simple and tasty dishes include the home made braised tofu with Enoki mushrooms and the stir-fried bee hoon (rice noodles).

Stir-fried bee hoon (rice noodles) = top left. Cut red or green chillies and chopped garlic (top right). Home made braised tofu with Enoki mushrooms – bottom.

The stir-fried bee hoon (rice noodles) is even more delicious when garnished with red or green chillies and chopped garlic that are placed on each table.

Overall, our meals at Restoran Chuan Kie has been value for money and met our expectations. We will be back, if we were to pass this way again. There are other similar Chinese restaurants offering cheap and good food in this small town as well.

Gohtong Jaya is also an excellent place to buy local produces like the Bentong ginger and of course the seasonal local fruits like the Musang King or Mao Shan Wang durians, which are grown in the plantations nearby. 

To find out more about enjoying durians and mangosteens in Malaysia, check out this post: Enjoying the King and Queen of Fruits at Genting Highlands.  

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Visit to Chin Swee Caves Temple at Genting Highlands

29 July 2019

Chin Swee Caves Temple is a religious site located on a scenic location that is 4,600 feet above sea level and just beneath the peak of Genting Highlands where the Resorts World Genting is located.

Access to Chin Swee Temple from Resorts World Genting

Most visitors to Resorts World Genting would use the Awana Skyway cable car and alight at Chin Swee Caves Station. There are connecting escalators to take visitors down to the temple.

Since we had our rental car, we drove down from Genting Highlands to the temple. The drive took only a few minutes. Entrance to the temple site is free of charge and there are free car parking spaces within the temple site and along the road leading up to Resorts World Genting.

What we did at the temple

The first place we visited at the site was the 9-storey pagoda. It is worthwhile to take the spiral stairs to the top of the pagoda to get a nice overview of the temple site. Many small images of the Buddha lined the walls inside the pagoda. Little swifts could be seen nesting on the ceilings of the pagodas as well.
Obviously, the best view is at the topmost level. We could see the tiny cable cars in operation leading from the peak down to the Genting Premium Outlet.

What I like the most was the views of the temple site with clouds rolling in from behind. It made me feel like I am in heaven looking down on the tiny mortals beings.

View of the temple from the pagoda.

 
Coming down from the top of pagoda, we joined the mortal beings at the temple’s main square. Here, a statue and memorial of Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, founder of Genting Highlands could be seen.

Statue of Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong at Chin Swee Caves Temple.

Chin Swee Caves Temple’s main square also houses several prayer halls for devotees to pray and meditate during their visit. The prayer halls were quite attractive and colourful.

Statues of Buddha, Goddess of Mercy (Guan Yin) and Luohans are among the attractions around Chin Swee Caves Temple.

A row of luohans at the Chin Swee Caves Temple. The Pindola or taming tiger luohan is in the foreground.

Statues of many Luohans or Arhats lined the wall along the path leading to the giant statue of Buddha. In Buddhism, the Arhats are original followers of Gautama Buddha. They have attained the four stages of enlightenment, are free of worldly cravings and are charged to protect the Buddhist faith.

15-metre tall statue of Buddha with the swastika symbol on his chest.

I overhead a local tourist guide explaining the meaning of the swastika symbol on the chest of the huge Buddha.

“The horizontal line unites light and darkness, while the perpendicular line symbolically connects heaven and earth. These two combined, form a cross representing the universe in harmony beyond the limits of time and space.”

On the hill slope facing the temple’s main square is the Journey to Enlightenment or 10 Chambers of Hell. This is one of the most unique and interesting things to see at Chin Swee Caves Temple.

Entrance to the 10 Chambers of Hell, also known as Journey to Enlightenment.

The 10 Chambers of Hell or Journey to Enlightenment is based loosely on Buddhist concept of Naraka and traditional Chinese beliefs about the afterlife. It depicts a subterranean maze with various chambers, to which souls are taken after death to atone for the sins they committed when they were alive.

I remember seeing a similar exhibit in Singapore’s Haw Par Villa when I was a kid. The gruesome scenes depicting the punishments that bad people would receive in hell was enough to make me be a good boy during my growing days.

I will only share what happens at the First and Last Chamber of Hell. The punishments depicted in Chamber Two to Nine could be quite gruesome for some people and I will leave you to find out it for yourselves….. I mean when you visit Chin Swee Cave Temple!

The First Chamber of Hell, also known as Registration Office, is where the King Qin Quang (or Qin Quang Wang) conducts preliminary trials. After death, each person is judged according to his deeds in his past life.

A good person with no misdeeds would be sent for rebirth in the Heavenly realm while a person who has done equally virtuous and evil deeds will be sent to Tenth Chamber of Hell for rebirth back into this world. Those who has seriously committed unwholesome deeds and done more evil than good will be sent to the relevant chambers (Chambers Two to Nine) for punishment.

Experiencing the 10 Chambers of Hell, also known as Journey to Enlightenment.

After serving their sentences or punishments in the other chambers, the prisoners are sent to the Tenth Chamber.

The controller at the Tenth Chamber, also known as King Zhuan Lun, will determine whether the prisoners will be reborn rich or poor, male or female and so on, based on the merits and demerits of their past actions. 

Here, the prisoners are given a cup of magic tea which, upon drinking, make them forget their past life. They are finally reincarnated into one of the six realms.

Depicting reincarnation into one of the six realms. Depending on the prisoner's past life, he would be reborn either as a human or an animal.

Other attractions at Chin Swee Caves Temple are exhibits depicting scenes and characters from Chinese mythology and literature such as the Journey to the West (Chinese: 西遊記).
The Journey to the West is one of the four classics of Chinese literature published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty. The novel is based on the actual 7th-century pilgrimage of the Buddhist monk Xuan Zang (602–664) to India in search of sacred texts. The Ming dynasty novel adds elements from folk tales and the author's invention.

The Bodhisattva Guan Yin provided the monk (referred to as Tang Sanzang in the novel) with three protectors who agreed to help him as an atonement for their sins. These disciples are Monkey King (Sun Wukong), Pigsy (Zhu Bajie) and Sandy (Sha Wujing), together with a dragon prince who acts as Sanzang’s steed, a white horse.

Monkey King (Sun Wukong), Pigsy (Zhu Bajie) and Sandy (Sha Wujing), together with a dragon prince who acts as Sanzang’s steed, a white horse.

Monkey King (Sun Wukong).

Plenty of photo opportunities at Chin Swee Caves Temple.

Overall, Chin Swee Caves Temple is worth seeing while visiting Resorts World Genting. Learn a bit about Buddhism, Chinese folklore and culture and enjoy the cool weather and scenic views at the same time.

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