Bala’s Chalet and Hotel Cameron Highlands

This cosy little English Tudor styled guesthouse or hotel is located five minutes after Tanah Rata town and along the way to Brinchang town near Ye Olde Smokehouse.

The location is pretty central if you plan to stay at Cameron Highlands for a few days. A road to the left that goes uphill leads to Bala’s Holiday Chalet, and you can see signs of this.

*Update 2015: Bala’s Chalet is now known as Planters Country Hotel since 2013.

Bala’s Chalet and Hotel Cameron Highlands

The main entrance to the building

Bala’s Chalet and Hotel were built during the pre-war era and still maintain the original structure, making this a great place to visit or even stay.

Owner K.Balakrishnan bought over the property and turned it into a highland resort guesthouse with 30 cottage-style rooms offering a fantastic stay to travellers and holidaymakers.

The British India Restaurant at Bala’s Chalet.

The property is also known to serve one of the finest tea and scones found in Cameron Highlands, and this has been a talk of the travellers for many years.

One of the dining areas is called the Jim Thompson Tea Room, which is beautifully decorated as English as it can, and the British India Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The menu consists of a fusion between English and Indian for full meals, and for breakfast, they serve home-baked tea, scones, pies, and sandwiches.

An old signpost showing where everything is located.

The beautiful floral decoration at the Chalet.

The gardens outside Bala’s Chalet are well taken care of by a loyal gardener who has worked there for the last 47 years.

A trip to the gardens will tell you why as you see the lawns well manicured with flowers and plants growing from every corner possible.

A nostalgic iron swing is part of the decoration in the garden.

During my visit here, I chanced upon a lovely classic cast iron swing. These are pretty rare as they do not make these anymore, and I wish I could have one for my garden.

Room photos at Balas Chalet in Cameron Highlands

Do check out the room rates on weekends and school holidays as the rates are much higher than regular weekdays, plus it can get fully booked and super crowded at Cameron Highlands.

The cheapest room starts at about RM120.00 (US$34.00) for two people. Also, many foreigners stay here because Bala’s Chalet is listed in some of the international travel guidebooks.

Again I would recommend you try the place for their food if you are not staying as very few people know how to cook a good English meal these days.

Please note that this review was done in 2009, and much has changed over the years, namely the prices of rooms.

Conclusion

For those who want a different kind of hospitality experience, this is one of the recommended places to stay when you visit Cameron Highlands.

If you are interested, you can book a room at Bala’s Holiday Chalet in Cameron Highlands. For your added information, the Chalet is now re-branded as Planters Country Hotel, but many locals still refer to the place as Bala’s Chalet.