It's kind of hard to miss. Set on a hill overlooking a golf course, the resort has an impressive frontage. Inside everything is oh-so-British, from the cosy fireplace to the wood-panelled library.While it wasn't quite as luxurious as my accommodation at the Rasa Sayang resort, my room had everything I needed, as well as the romantic touch of a deliciously comfortable four-poster bed.
The resort makes much of the history of the area, which was settled in 1885 by British surveyor William Cameron. Colonials flocked to the highlands, keen for a break from the sweaty heat of the tropical lowlands, and soon figured out the area was ideal for growing tea.
We experienced a traditional English high tea at the resort, complete with dainty china and many-tiered cakestands crowded with scones, sandwiches, cakes and pastries.
The atmosphere is so refined and proper. Looking around at the elegant antique furniture, the whirring ceiling fans, potted palms and uniformed staff, we could have been transported back in time.The history of the area is something the resort trades heavily on. But the heady days of the British Empire are only part of the Highlands' attraction. Even more interesting is a more recent development - an unsolved mystery that has captured the imagination of many a visitor.
Jim Thompson was an American businessman who settled in Thailand after World War Two. He is credited with saving the Thai silk industry, at the time on the brink of extinction, and making it the world famous export it is today.
One afternoon in 1967, while visiting Malaysia, Jim Thompson disappeared from outside his house and was never seen again. His cigarette case and and a small silver box containing medicine were left on a table outside the house.
Did he go for a walk and get lost? Was he kidnapped and murdered? Or as some in the area believe, did an evil forest spirit snatch him up? Massive search parties combed the jungle but they found nothing.It later came to light that Thompson had been a member of the Office of Strategic Services, the US military branch which later became the CIA. Did this have something to do with his disappearance?
We'll probably never know - after all, even if he had been hiding out somewhere all this time, he'd surely be dead by now - but we can follow in his footsteps. The resort offers a number of walking tours and trails, including the 'Jim Thompson Mystery Trail'. Tourists can visit the cottage where he was last seen and explore the area themselves. Apart from the romance of the Jim Thompson story, the native flora and fauna are worth a look.
Guests who aren't keen on hiking in the hills or playing golf on the course opposite can indulge in other, more restful pastimes, like picking up thai silk souvenirs in the resort's Jim Thompson silk shop, or better yet, taking refuge in the resort's Spa Village for any number of luxurious treatments.
The spa features therapies based on ancient ritual and the knowledge of the area's indigenous people, the Orang Asli, who used plants, herbs and flowers in their traditional medicine.
Visitors can choose from treatments based on fresh main ingredients like roses, mint, chrysanthemum and avocado. There are herbal baths, scrubs, massages and facials to serve every whim.
I was lucky enough to visit the spa for a rather special experience: the Fresh Strawberry Escapade. Find out all the juicy details in my next update...
Amy Williams travelled to Malaysia courtesy of Malaysia Airlines and Tourism Malaysia.
Find out more about Malaysia.
Read more Yahoo!Xtra Adventures.
