Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong

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Resorts World Genting – A variety of Malaysian adventures, all in one place
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 Resorts World Genting – A variety of Malaysian adventures, all in one place By Momar Visaya Published: June 20, 2013 | No Comments Works in tandem with Resorts World Manila to offer travelers, foodies more choices The advent of the budget and low-cost airlines – and consequently the more mainstream ones slashing their airfares – has invigorated regional travel around Southeast Asia. Just check queues in the airports at any given time and you will see. This summer in the Philippines, we found ourselves flying to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to experience what this neighboring country has to offer us in terms of tourism destinations. KL is a quick four-hour trip from Manila, so if your favorite airline ever comes up with budget promos to this city, grab it and enjoy a long weekend exploring the country. Forty five minutes away from the beautiful KL airport is Genting Highlands, a picturesque hill-top city and one of Malaysia’s top tourist destinations. Now also known as Resorts World Genting, this award-winning hill resort offers 6,000 hectares of fun-filled attractions, entertainment and luxury for the entire family. It all began back in 1964 when the late Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong was working in Cameron Highlands. There, he envisioned a place where people who live in the lowland areas can visit to enjoy fresh, crisp and cool air atop a mountain peak with an elevation of more than 6,000 feet. Like the Philippines, Malaysia can be hot and humid specially during the summer so a quick jaunt to the mountains is a definite must do. His vision eventually became a reality and now, Resorts World Genting an expansive integrated hill resort offering six hotels (with over 10,000 guest rooms), more than 100 dining outlets, and one of the longest cable car rides in Southeast Asia – the Genting Skyway, which spans 2.1 miles (3.38 kilometers) from the Highlands Hotel at the peak to mid-hill at Gohtong Jaya. The Resorts World brand has also become a byword in the Philippines via Resorts World Manila, the first integrated resort in the country. Just like its counterparts in Malaysia and Singapore, Resorts World Manila also offers superb hotel brands, upscale shopping choices and sumptuous culinary feasts for the discerning foodies. This gives picky global travellers a chance to enjoy the best of various worlds – a weekend jaunt in Southeast Asia can be made easier by staying at Resorts World, whether it is in Malaysia or Manila. One can fly to Manila first and enjoy 2 to 3 days to enjoy the thrilling recreational, lifestyle, leisure alernatives and world-class attractions at RW Manila and then fly to KL to see the flagship projectof the Genting Group, the pioneering integrated resort nestled on a mountain peak within the Titiwangsa Mountains of Malaysia. And that is exactly what we did. As a family destination in Malaysia, RW Genting offers a smorgasbord of options even to the pickiest of tourists. With six hotels, a tourist can definitely find a room to match his budget. We stayed at the First World Hotel, one of the largest hotels in the world with its more than 6,000 rooms. In fact, the hotel was a Guinness Book of World Record holder (under Feats of Engineering for Big Buildings) when it opened its doors in 2005. It’s hard not to miss the hotel as the exterior of its two, main 28-floor towers is painted in bright hues of yellow, blue, red, and green. First World Hotel Malaysia’s location is immediate to Genting Highlands Theme Park which has both an indoor and outdoor theme park area boasting more than 40 rides and a separate water park, and is quite near several other Genting Highlands hotels. The award-winning integrated resort is a global tourism destination meant to cater to the many diverse cultures and visitors from all walks of life. Over 20 million visitors, both Malaysians and international visitors, visit Resorts World Genting each year. Not bad for a place initially conceptualized by its founder in the mid-1960s as a retirement home. Adventures The two theme parks offer many rides, depending on how adventurous you are. There are rides safe for the faint-hearted and there are thrilling rides like the double loop, corkscrew roller coaster for the more adventurous types. Among the more famous rides are the Sky Venture, Corkscrew, Space Shot and Flying Coaster. While the theme parks take care of all the excitement a family with young kids could want, First World Plaza covers the shopping and dining part, along with many more indoor activities. RW Genting also offers a theater where guests can enjoy an array of weekly live shows, from music to magic. During our visit, we were able to watch Freeze 2, a magical variety show that features music, dance, ice skating, magic and a lot of death-defying acrobatics and jaw-dropping stunts. One of this spectacular show’s highlights was the young acrobat who made her way up as she built a tower by stacking chairs on top of each other up to about 10 chairs. That was truly a gravity-defying acrobatic display already worth the entrance ticket. A Resorts World Genting vacation is not just for families, it is also for those who love a beautiful and natural environment but with all the trappings and modern services of a resort. Aside from the lush surroundings and refreshing atmosphere, the Genting Highlands is also home to the only casino in Malaysia that has been used as the backdrop for many popular Asian and Hollywood films. For the ultimate in relaxation and pampering, guests may indulge at the M Spa and Fitness. With a bubbling jacuzzi, stimulating steam room and a truly relaxing atmosphere, the spa can be the best way to end a busy day of just roaming around the resort. For our second day in the resort, our hosts brought us to the other attractions worth experiencing. We started with the Skyway Tour and to put it quite simply, we we just amazed at the awe-inspiring and breath-taking view of the 130-million-year-old rainforest from within the comfortable confines of Southeast Asia’s fastest cable car system. This one is not for people with vertigo or people who have problems with dizzying heights. Genting Skyway can carry more than 2,000 people per hour with 8 passengers per gondola, and there is a hundred of them here. At the maximum speed of 6 meters per second (21.6 km/h), the 2-mile trip up to the mountain peak takes approximately 15 minutes, depending on the weather. Our guides then brought us to the strawberry farm, where we met the owner. He offered us freshly-picked (but of course) strawberries and chatted with us while we waited for our company. Then came the fresh strawberry shake to cap off this part of the tour. Next stop was the tranquil and serene Chin Swee Temple, built by the founder of Genting Highlands, a year after he constructed the first resort and casino on the peak in 1975. According to our guide, Lim Goh Tong spotted a lush rocky outcrop that reminded of his village landscape back home. Inspired, he decided to build a temple here to venerate Buddhist figure Chin Swee. Chin Swee Temple is a sprawling complex with beautiful and panoramic views. The most prominent and photogenic structures are; the resplendent nine-story pagoda lit by lamps and decorated with 10,000 Buddhas; the Sky Terrace, a massive square (35,000-square-meters) with an amazing view of rainforest valleys below and Kuala Lumpur; ‘Ten Chambers of Hell’, a sloping hilltop walk past story-telling statues built into small cave recesses (a vivid, disturbing yet englightening trip); and a giant 15-meter high Buddha statue, a sight to behold. Foodies With more than 100 restaurants scattered all over the resort complex, tourists will have a hard time deciding on where and what to eat. From ‘kopitiam’ (local-style coffee shop) to haute cuisine, RW Genting is a huge foodie town. We tried a couple of the restaurants and we had a grand time exploring each one’s offerings. From the buffet dinner at Genting Grand’s Coffee Terrace, where we savored Malaysian dishes like lamb rendang and nasi lemak to the set lunch at Genting Palace Restaurant where we devoured the Prawn Salad with Mixed Fruit Platter and Crispy Almond Chicken Fillet, everything was divine. The winning dish however was the Steamed Lampang Patin Fish with Ginger Condiment and the dining experience was delightfully capped by the yummy dessert called Spring Snow Glutinous Ball Stuffed with Mango and Cream. The restaurant’s chef told us that he worked as a hotel chef in the Philippines for a few years prior to his stint now at RW Genting and that he was happy that Filipino journalists were in town to try his food. For our last dinner in Malaysia, we went to Bubbles & Bites, RW Genting’s latest restaurant. The place is modern and it serves continental cuisine in a relaxing setting. The pizza, pasta and lamb dishes we ordered were all delicious and perfectly complemented our bottles of Rosé and some sparkling wine. So next time you find yourself in Manila – or online, checking for affordable airfare deals, consider a relaxing weekend stay at the Genting Highlands to discover what this Southeast Asian neighbor’s hilltop resort has to offer.
http://asianjournal.com/news/resorts-world-genting-a-variety-of-malaysian-adventures-all-in-one-place/(www.asianjournal.com) (Las Vegas June 20-26, 2013 Sec B pg.3) - See more at: http://asianjournal.com/news/resorts-world-genting-a-variety-of-malaysian-adventures-all-in-one-place/#sthash.1XqwlPiM.dpuf