The State of The Smokehouse

This entry was drafted in Septeber 2016

2009, 2012, 2015 and now 2016. Those were the times we made the trips up Frasers Hill and stayed at Smokehouse. And over the years the place had suffered a steady decline.

Last December was the worse in terms of the facilities. At least now after some renovations were made, a few more rooms were opened and the place felt to buzzing again. But other things especially good had suffered.

Not only that you get less portion - a decline in quantity - the quality had also been really poor this time. I wasn't talking about breakfast, even the once-famous afternoon tea with scones - their flagship meal - had lost their shines.

Gone were the complimentary hot chocolate for nightcap in a small pot, where you enjoy a chat at the main common room in front of the TV or during the cold season, some fire. We only got a mug, and it wasn't fantastic.

It was a great shame since they had done a good job renovating the place. And looking at the stream of people coming over the couple of days, they shouldn't have much problem filling up the place especially during afternoon tea. If the scones continue to decline, they might just lose their business.

The rooms remains cosy and Parameswari, the housekeeper of almost 30 years was still there greeting us, remembered us from our previous stay. The nights were still cool and the beds were still warm. The hot shower in the morning still reminded me of my student days in England. The common room was still inviting and terraces and the dining tables were still inviting. The charm were still there but the glow was missing.

Such a beautiful establishment deserved a better group of people running them ...

Checking In

The drive up was more arduous than I remembered. Maybe because of the new MPV. The Starex was bigger than our old Estima, with a higher centre of gravity. That made turning around the winding route bumpier, ending up with Irfan vomiting as soon as we reached the Smokehouse.

It then started raining heavily while we were enjoying our scones. But the rain did not last long. After half an hour, the clouds had cleared out allowing me to take the drone out at a nearby car park. A few passes by the Smokehouse and I was done. It was pretty windy and I was worried that it might damage my drone.

Idlan unpacking his stuffA welcoming sightWe had the same room as we did last December, what they called the honeymoon suite on the first floor. Unfortunately, the ground floor suite was not available for my parents-in-law. They stayed at the room right opposite ours. So, basically, we got the whole front facade of the Smokehouse to us.

Time to sit downPlenty of cars outsideTime to explore the placeThe wifi and internet remained a problem, and the connection I got was sporadic. But during the times which I got the connection - mainly via Maxis - they could be really fast .... almost LTE speed. But they were not consistent. The boys would be grumpy ....

The Honeymoon Suite

As mentioned, we book a couple of rooms. A family suite and the honeymoon suite. Those were the only ones suitable for the family since most of the other rooms were closed for renovations.

The honeymoon suite is called Guinevere. I was sure there was a fascinating tale behind the name. And the room was excellent. It came with a four-poster bed - plus the extra bed which we ordered on the side - with a sitting area with sofa in the main room. On the side, there was a small room with a table and a couple of chairs - which I was using to blog and write. You can actually have meals there but we didn't check if they do room service here.

And then there was a separate powdering room with cupboards and mirrors, leading into a big bathroom, complete with shower and jacuzzi. Yes! You heard me right. A jacuzzi for two! And yes, the boys christened them on the first afternoon.

The bathroom was very cold in the morning - but the hot shower was a blessing! And the jacuzzi, heavenly! Definitely would be asking for this room again in the future ....

Arriving at Smokehouse

Some things were never meant to change. And the welcoming air at Smoke House was certainly one of them. This would be third time we stayed here, since 2009. My children still remember the place fondly.

We had the choice of either going to Singapore or coming here. The weak ringgit made the decision easy for us, and we spent less here at Fraser's Hill compared to Singapore and was able to bring Anita's parents along for the ride.

The staffs were all new compared to our last stay in 2012. So was the chef as the menu was slightly different - no, there was no return of the pastry chef from 2009 with the gorgeous croissant. The scones were still good though ....

We had our afternoon tea after we arrived and checked-in. We booked a couple of rooms. Since there was only a single family room available, which was located on the ground floor, we had to let our parents stay there. we were there in 2012, and we remembered the extra bed, plus a separate sitting area and a large toilet - although cold.

For us, we went for the Honeymoon Suite. But with an extra bed for me unfortunately .... which was located on the first floor. The hotel was undergoing some renovation at the time and not all the rooms were opened. And to be honest, there were not that many visitors despite this being December which was supposed to be the peak month. The economy was clearly bad ....