Before the current lockdown during the CMCO, I had the chance to stay at instagrammable eco-friendly resort, Happi Village. Located in Bentong, Pahang, it took just under an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur to reach, including a quick stop for petrol. In a time where international travel is near impossible, getting out of the city for some fresh(er) air, peace, and a sense of space was much needed. If you’re looking for a quick getaway outside KL, Happi Village is a good option.
The road to the hotel is as expected, a dirt path that goes past several other small hotels and a stable. With a focus on sustainability and being environmentally friendly, Happi Village has its own passionfruit and fig farm, which stand opposite the car park and the walkway to the hotel.
Check-in was fast – there’s no ‘traditional’ lobby, as the resort is beautifully open-plan and surrounded by greenery. Staff are friendly and welcoming. Near the check-in counter is the swimming pool, which is not too big and not too small. During our visit, it was totally empty.
The building structures are minimalist, made of wood and steel, with creepers and foliage growing on and around them, melding nature to metal.
There are 3 types of rooms: Ground Floor, Upper Floor and Premium Ground Floor. We chose the Upper Floor as it came with its own outdoor bath with a view of the farm, which was around RM500/night.
The room was spacious enough for two people, with an open cupboard for you to put your luggage, food etc. But… We were very surprised to see there’s no door to the bathroom, which could make for awkward moments if you’re not familiar with your roommate.
The open concept continues in the toilet – there’s a glass panel separating the toilet and the shower but no ‘door’ as such to give you privacy when doing a number two. There are blinds for the bathroom – our rooms looked out at the small field that separates the rooms from the open lounge and pantry area across the way – and mosquito netting for the window. However, there is no glass panel so you can hear everything.
This is great if you love the sounds of nature, but the downside is if you have noisy neighbours with noisy kids, you’ll hear them.
The bed was delightfully soft and fluffy, and don’t be alarmed if you see ants and beetles in the room, as the sliding glass doors leave enough space for them to come in. We were warned the heating takes time to warm up, so don’t expect a toasty hot shower at night. The bathroom has one (dim) light, so if you’re suffering from bad eyesight, use your phone light.
You can choose to add-on meals – we didn’t and chose to drive to the town of Bentong nearby for food. There’s a Malay restaurant around five minutes drive from Happi Village, which also looked quite nice.
The #instagrammable outdoor bath is what you see if you look up Happi Village on Instagram and really is a lovely feature, but we wish it was a little better maintained. While we understand the ants and leaves that naturally fall in to the bath overnight, it did look like there was moss that hadn’t been cleaned for a while growing on the bottom. Some rooms also have a little more privacy with the bath, although you can still clearly see your neighbours (so no hanky panky!)
We accidentally discovered we could look down into the Ground Floor room’s bath upon looking over the edge of ours. The water is nice and warm though, so it does make for a good soak once you’ve cleared the leaves.
If you’re planning to bring food, bring a tumbler for water as the room only comes with two cups – no kettle or cutlery etc like in traditional hotels. You can collect hot or cold water from the open-air pantry which is a two minute walk across from the rooms, but bring an umbrella in case it rains as there’s no sheltered walkway there (like in our case where we were stuck in our room without an umbrella). There are some mosquitoes (especially with the outdoor bath), but we came prepared with an plug-in mosquito repellent.
Go: If you’re looking for an eco-friendly, back-to-nature, romantic getaway from KL
Do not go: If you don’t like bugs, sounds of nature/dogs barking (the owner has dogs), open-plan rooms, mosquitoes
Website: http://happivillage.my/
Address: Lot A848, PT 14333, Kampong Janda Baik, Bentong, Pahang, Malaysia, 28750
Phone number: +6012-321 7215
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