Philea Resort and Spa is a five-star award-winning resort with eco-tourism touch. Where else can you find a resort utilizing 8,000 pieces of disused railway sleepers for fencing and staircase, 6,000 tons of marble as block fencing and planted 3,000 trees within the conserve to offer the tranquil atmosphere of a village. It is all here in Philea Resort and Spa, Ayer Keroh, Melaka.
When told we would be spending a night at Philea Resort & Spa, my heart jumped for excitement. I had heard much about Philea Resort & Spa, but never really had the chance to stay a night or two there.
Arrival at Philea Resort and Spa
When we arrived at Philea Resort & Spa as part of the itinerary for media familiarization trip for Kembara Cuti-cuti 1Malaysia, we were ceremoniously welcomed by usherettes in yellow-green Malay traditional costumes.
Not far from the receptionist area, there was a group of musicians playing keronchong in front of recycled shipwrecks decoration in the lobby.
We were briefed and divided into two groups for room inspection.
Instead of using buggy to reach the rooms, the staff took us for a stroll along the well-landscaped pathways leading to the rooms. To be honest, I was intrigued by the uniqueness of Philea Resort and Spa. I had not seen any resort quite like it. More so, when we first caught the glimpse of villa made of pine logs. I had not entered the room yet but I was satisfied why Philea Resort and Spa had been awarded as the “First Log Resort” and “The Largest Log Resort” by the Malaysia Book of Records, “The Best Green Hotel” by Melaka Tourism Association and most recently “Top 10 Eco-Friendly Hotels 2012” by Agoda.com – to name a few.
As we continued walking on the bridge, we saw a beautiful and tempting swimming pool. In a case we failed to fight the temptation, we would have taken the dip in the turquoise-watered swimming pool given the heat of Melaka and thereafter treated ourselves for a body massage by the pool. Paradise! I remembered hearing someone mentioning, “It’s as if we are not in Malaysia. If we tell our friends, we are in Japan, they will believe us”.
There are three varieties of rooms to suit different tastes and budget. Pavilion Suite, Phile Suite and Royal Villa.
Philea Resort and Spa : Pavilion Room
There are 180 pavilion rooms using pine logs specifically designed to resemble a village with panoramic views of the whole resort. The Pavilion rooms feature individual verandas in its lower rooms while upper rooms include private balconies. In one unit, there are four pavilion rooms. Amazingly, the furniture are made of logs or quality wood. We took turn exploring the room from the luxurious bedding to its spacious bathroom.
The rooms are equipped with flat-screen LCD televisions, complimentary tea or coffee making facilities, wireless Internet access, in-house movie channels and in-room safes.
Grandiose study table.
Even the ceiling fan is custom-made. Look at the fan leafs.
Out of the three varieties, Pavilion rooms are the cheapest.
Philea Resort and Spa: Philea Suite
The Philea Suite features spacious built-up area complete with an exquisite bathtub and is located in the middle of the valley facing the pool and man-made waterfall. Unlike Pavilion Rooms which are twin-sharing, Philea Suite is the most suitable for couples as it provides for king size bedding. Also, there is a Cleopatra sofa near the king size bedding. The dim-lit room evokes the sensual feeling for the night stay.
Some of the fixtures are one of its kind. You will definitely love it.
Philea Resort and Spa: Royal Villa
Royal villa requires you to pass through the solid entrance door to enter and the whole villa is fenced so as to give a sense of privacy.
Treating you as the royals, royal villa is big enough to cater for family. As the name suggests, please expect to be pampered with royal treatment such as in-villa arrival and departure assistance, entertainment, wellness experience, plunge pool as well as an option to dine in the privacy of the villa. Those seeking solace amidst the lush greenery, you could enjoy your day at private gazebo area at the compound of royal villa.
There are only 2 royal villas at Philea Resort and Spa. Dignitaries who have graced royal villa are the like of Tun Mahathir and Tun Siti Hasmah and Shah Rukh Khan.
The food served on us at Cravo-cravo was really good.
Specific Purpose Visit to Philea Resort and Spa
Apart from being the ideal vacation with pristine greenery surroundings, Philea Resort and Spa is a perfect venue to tie the knot. The Philea Ballroom can cater for a small group or large celebration for up to 500 guests. Not only that, the beautiful environment of Philea Resort and Spa is perfect location for wedding photography. You may want to check the special rates for the newly-weds and soon-to-be-brides-and-grooms.
My Experience
We were pampered with our one night stay at Pavilion Room. It is indeed a worldly paradise. Throughout our stay, there was nothing to complain about as Philea Resort and Spa provides perfect vacation. Oh yes, if there’s one thing to complain, it must be the short time that we stayed at Philea Resort and Spa. I will definitely recommend Philea Resort and Spa to you! Thank you Philea Resort & Spa for having us.