Majestic. The first thought that came to mind when I arrived at Terrapuri.
Terrapuri
Owned by Terengganu born entrepreneur, Alex Lee, Terrapuri showcases century-old Malay houses with rich heritage value. The conservation and restoration project, now known as Terrapuri began when Alex turned part of his grandparents’ wooden shop in Marang into a backpackers’inn and he was influenced by his guests to better value local culture, arts and architecture.
To date, Terrapuri has 29 wooden houses which have been transformed into luxurious villas with spa, Malay restaurant, meeting centre, reception, library and art gallery. The traditional Malay themed was why Terrapuri had become subject of advertisement shooting and film scene of Malay epic film Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa.
Each wooden house carries different themes. Some houses are fisherman houses where antique boat frame could be seen under the stilted houses. Some are Malay traditional houses with Arabic calligraphy engraved in the wooden architecture. One of the houses showcases traditional wooden house with Chinese influence – a nyonya styled.
Interesting to note that Malay traditional houses do not use a single nail to be built. Instead, the beams are fitted together using wooden pegs (“pasak”). The walls are made of timber panels slotted into groves in the beam. The traditional houses are named after their place of origin. They are Rumah Kedai Buluh, Rumah Paloh, Rumah Belukar Titian, Rumah Tasek, Rumah Dusun, Rumah Binjai Rendah, Rumah Tembakang, Rumah Gelugor Raja, Rumah Seberang Takir, Rumah Jeram, Rumah Kubang Jela, Rumah Nibong, Rumah Pulau Musang, Rumah Pengkalan Kubu and Rumah Sungai Mas.
We had a short briefing and did some inspection of the antiques that added to traditional Malay feel. Then we were given a key to Rumah Seberang Takir, in which we would be spending a night. By we, I meant Gael, BellaEnveus and I.
Like other traditional Terengganu houses, Rumah Seberang Takir is raised about 8 feet above ground to avoid the flood during the moonsoon season. Some believe the raised floor is also important to avoid crawling animals like snakes. Rumah Seberang Takir was relocated to Terrapuri in 2006 half damaged. The wall of the house made from many woods was reconstructed using old cengal wood.
The interior of Rumah Seberang Takir
Wooden bath tub is what you need most as Terrapuri is blessed with scorching hot weather during the afternoon.
Paloh padi a.k.a the rice storage house.
Swimming pool
Beach!
The early morning wake up to watch the sunrise.
Activities
A stay at Terrapuri can be complemented with true Terangganu experience such as Kuala Terengganu City Tour, kayak tour, island tour, fireflies sanctuary, squid jigging tour, fishing expedition and many more.
Location:-
Terrapuri Kg. Mangkuk, 22120 Setiu, Terengganu, Malaysia Tel : +(609)6245020 / +(609)6312081 Email : info@terrapuri.com Website : www.terrapuri.comOne night stay at Terrapuri was made possible by Terengganu State Government and Gaya Travel Magazine through the Terengganu International Squid Jigging Festival 2014 from 11th-17th April 2014.