Gunong Jerai in 2022

Finally, my wife and I had a most relaxing vacation at Gunong Jerai last month. It's one place that we have never been to together. I had visited the place way back during my bachelor days in 1982. After we married, we had tried going up that mountain once with friends, even gone to the extent of booking one of the bungalows there, but at the last moment our booking was cancelled because some government officials from Kedah wanted to use the place. After that incident, we said "forget it" to this place as there were other more accommodative hill destinations around the country.

But lately, some friends had told us how much they had enjoyed an overnight stay at the Gunong Jerai Hill Resort. We were intrigued. Would the place have changed since the last time we tried to stay there? I gave the hotel a call. Yes, there were rooms available and you could walk in anytime. No need to make reservations or bookings. This was during the Muslim month of Ramadan, mind you, or otherwise the place would be overrun by vacationers.

So we packed our bags and drove up to the hill resort (almost 1,000 metres above sea level). From the foot of the mountain till the hill resort, it was a journey of some 11 kilometres. A steady 30-minute climb uphill through many twists and turns along the route. But we made it without any difficulty. We asked for an upgrade to our room and was given an apartment unit which looked down onto the Kedah coastline and the padi fields around Yan town. Fabulous. (Note: Most pictures will appear at the end of this story.)

The hill resort covers some five acres or two hectares and it is possible to walk around the place freely. We noticed some day trippers around the place too. We decided to stop for tea at their café behind their reception area. We ordered some pastries and were delighted with them. They weren't too bad at all.

Like I mentioned earlier, this short sojourn up Gunong Jerai was meant to be a relaxation. And so it turned out to be. We spent about two hours on the balcony looking out to the coastline and islands as the sun gradually sank down. And all too soon it was time for dinner at their halal restaurant. Staff were very polite, waiting patiently to take our orders. Saw See ordered their chicken chop while I went for their mee rebus tulang which was described on their poster as their best selling item.

They weren't wrong on this point. The bowl was large and filled to the brim. In it was a huge chunk of bone with a lot of tender meat still dangling from it. This bowl of mee rebus was certainly worth every bit of the RM17 that we paid for it. It was quite a memorable dinner. Heartily recommended. But a word of caution: it's beef. So if anyone can't eat beef, I'm sorry....they'll have to order other food items from the menu.

Breakfast the next morning was also in the restaurant. Because it was the fasting month, there wasn't any buffet on offer. But we could order from their menu. Not many things to choose. Either a breakfast of nasi lemak or some localised Western breakfast, We plumbed for the Western breakfast of eggs, baked beans, ham, sausages and toasted bread. Not too bad, actually, although the bread came after we had finished out food. The kitchen's hiccup, maybe? Despite its simplicity, we quite enjoyed it.

Now, we have some two hours to kill before checking out from the resort. So what else could we do? Go visit the nearby waterfall, of course! We got the direction from the reception and went walking down the well-defined path until we could hear the water thundering down in the distance. Soon enough, we clambered over some rocks to reach the waterfall. But too bad we couldn't find the way down to the pool. We must have missed it. 

Looking at this waterfall, I wondered whether it was the same one that my friends and I had reached 40 years ago. Possibly, because there can't be too many waterfalls around the resort. All too soon, we had to head back to the apartment. By one o'clock, we were already on our way down the mountain. No doubt only a short vacation, but it was quite relaxing and done on our own terms.

Our accommodation. It was quite a spacious apartment, Very clean and well kept. Balcony gave a breath-taking view of the Andaman Sea and the padi fields around Yan. 

The bathroom was of the sunken type and may provide a small challenge to the more senior folks with mobility issues. However, there are railings to hold on.

We spent our time just sitting here and looking out ahead.

Enjoying the late setting sun and  and watching the last rays turn the sky into a brilliant orange

Another view of the setting sun, this time from inside the apartment

We stayed in one of these apartment blocks.

Other than the apartment blocks, these wonderful chalets are available for short stays. Other facilities here include a playground and two small pools.

The resort is officially 986 metres above sea level

The Kedah coastline at Yan comes with Bunting island in the background. The island is connected to the mainland by a short bridge. Many people claimed that the bridge is a white elephant, popular with anglers and nobody else. Actually, there are four islands sitting off the coast. Apart from Bunting, there are also Song Song, Telur and Bidan which couldn't be seen from the resort.

It's called the Simple Day Café. Very popular with day trippers to Gunong Jerai.

An exterior view of the café. The restaurant is located in the building on the right. That's where we went for dinner, breakfast and lunch.

My bowl of mee rebus tulang, one of the best selling items on the restaurant's menu. the serving is quite generous.

In my opinion, these three iconic pine trees is representative of the hill resort itself. They are magnificent against a brilliantly blue sky and can be enjoyed from the restaurant.

On a clear day, the padi fields of Yan stretch out for miles and miles. This cyclist is just one of many who come up to the resort grounds on a day trip.

The hill resort provides a camp site for anyone that wishes to stay outdoors. They'll have to register with the reception first. 

There's a botanical park at the hill resort but we did not explore it. Instead, we chose to walk down the well-trodden path to the Alor Naga waterfall. It's about a 20-minute easy walk one-way. Very difficult to lose one's way if everyone keeps to the walkway. Nevertheless, resort guests should inform the reception if they intend to visit the waterfall.

At the end of the 20-minute trek is the waterfall itself, but one will have to clamber through some gap in the boulders. 

I think it is possible to get to the pool below but I did not find the way. However, prudence should dictate that one should only go down there in a group of people; not when you come here alone or with just another person.

And lastly, before we left the hill resort, we spied some tourists going up this way to the mosque or masjid atop Gunong Jerai. It's a modern squarish building but capped by a dome.