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Adeline Villa & Rest House, Gopeng- an unbiased review

We had heard about Adeline Villa and Rest House from friends and family for quite some time. We always wanted to visit and experience this place’s delightful food and the Gopeng area’s outdoor activities. Today, we finally made it here, as we are attending a function in Kampar, a small town not far from Gopeng.

Considering this opportunity, we extended our stay before the function and spent a night at Adeline Villa. We also planned to partake in the two most popular outdoor activities in Gopeng: white water rafting and caving at Gua Tempuroung. While we will upload two articles about our thrilling adventures in the cave and on the river, this article will focus on our unique experience at Adeline Cilla & Resthouse

1. How to reach Adeline Villa

In this era of the internet and GPS, I won’t delve into detailed directions but provide you with GPS coordinates. When we drove from Kuala Lumpur, using Waze, simply search for “Adeline’s Villa Gopeng” – easy-peasy! However, if you encounter difficulties, refer to the location map below. The GPS bypasses the Gopeng town.

As we exited the North-South Highway and transitioned to the old road connecting Gopeng and Ipoh, we felt ourselves gradually leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the city. The scenery transforms into a charming countryside setting. We passed through quaint Malay villages such as Sungai Itik and drove onto the small road leading to Adeline’s Villa. The narrow road is well-paved, accommodating only one vehicle at a time. We drove cautiously and didn’t hesitate to use horns while navigating sharp turns to alert oncoming cars. Horns are not seen as rude gestures in this scenario but serve as a considerate warning. After leaving the main road, the winding small road eventually led us to Adeline’s Villa, situated on our right, approximately twenty minutes from the main road.

2. Arriving at Adeline Villa

We reached Adeline Villa’s free parking area around 10:00 am and received a warm welcome from the staff at the reception. The reception area is open, with a roof providing a basic setup, which perfectly complements the villa’s nature-centric concept. As expected in such natural surroundings, there are mosquitoes, so our insect repellent was very useful.

The reception area provides a map of the villa, highlighting the locations of the chalets, restaurant, and other facilities. 

Watch the video we shot at Adeline Villa. It is at the end of this article. 👇👇

3. Visiting Adeline Rest House through a jungle trek

After leaving our luggage in the car, we joined the nature guide for a thirty-minute jungle trek instead of choosing the night walk. The trail is conveniently located at the back of the villa, just beyond the restaurants, two cafes, meeting rooms, and a small outdoor pool.

Our guide, Along,  is an experienced and knowledgeable individual who has been associated with Adeline Villa for many years.

According to Along, Gopeng holds a significant place in history as a tin-mining town, boasting a heritage of innovative mining techniques and a diverse community of laborers, including rubber estate workers, spanning over a century. The town is adorned with remnants of its mining past, such as the hundred-year-old giant water pipes built in the early 1900s, diverting water to the Gopeng Tin Mine.

We ventured into the forest at the back of Adeline Villa, part of the Bukit Kinta Reserve Forest. This area was once inhabited by indigenous people who have since relocated to the waterfall area, which we visited later.

Along the trek, our guide, Along, points out the Senduduk plant and invites us to taste its small fruits. We also encounter other common flora, including the lemang, pokok rampai, durian, and black lily. We take a moment of silence to immerse ourselves in the soothing sound of crickets.

Along mentioned that porcupines inhabit this area but are mostly nocturnal creatures, making them difficult to spot during the day. Nevertheless, he shows us the spots where porcupines have dug their burrows.

While not too challenging, the trail offers a pure encounter with nature. He showcased various plant and tree species, explaining their names and uses. Eventually, the trail leads us to Adeline Rest House.

4. Arriving at Adeline’s Rest House

Following the trail, we reached Adeline Rest House.

There are noticeable differences between the villa and the rest houses. While the villa accommodates smaller families (like ours, with only two of us), the rest house is designed to cater to larger groups of up to fifty or even a hundred individuals.

The rest houses are arranged in a dormitory-style. We explored one of them, featuring two stories with multiple beds. The presence of a large table makes it suitable for company meetings and group activities. Additionally, 17 individual toilets and showers are available inside the rest house.

Along took us around the rest house area, which includes a newly constructed large utility hall that can accommodate up to 100 people. It’s an ideal venue for companies organizing team-building activities or company trips.

After the tour, we visited the nearby waterfall before returning to Adeline’s Villa for lunch.

5. Latar Merkor / Ulu Geruntum Waterfall

Afterward, we drove for approximately ten minutes to reach the popular jungle waterfall. The first level of the waterfall is just one minute from the entrance. By ascending the left side of the waterfall, you can reach the second level of Lata Mekore in a minute. To continue to the next level, you must cross over to the opposite side of the river. Near the second level is a section with a rope nailed onto the rocks to assist with the crossing. Once you’ve crossed the water, you will find a trail leading up to levels 3 and 4 of the waterfall.

We didn’t plan on scaling up the waterfalls, so we took photos at the first level and then returned to Adeline Villa.

6. Food delights at Adeline Villa

One of the main reasons people keep returning to Adeline Villa is the delicious food they offer.

The buffet-style meals comprise a delightful mix of local Malay and Chinese dishes. Surprisingly, the spread is quite elaborate for a basic lodge in the forest.

All the food is freshly cooked on-site, with the kitchen behind the main buffet counter ensuring regular refills to keep the variety abundant.

Among the cuisines offered, my favorite is their stir-fried paku, a type of local produce harvested by native people from the jungle. The sup tulang, simmered over an open fire, is also a must-try. The noodle station offers a range of local favorites, such as Ipoh shredded chicken noodles, Penang prawn mee, and asam laksa. To satisfy our sweet tooth, they have an assortment of desserts, coffee, and tea, including the local favorite, Ais Kacang. Another specialty is the salt-baked chicken, prepared with rock salt in a huge wok. 

Adeline Villa takes pride in making everything from scratch, ensuring that nothing is outsourced.

Apart from the main restaurant, two cafes are conveniently located just two minutes from the reception. These cafes offer a perfect spot for late-night conversations with friends and family, as they remain open until midnight.

It’s important to note that Adeline Villa is an eco-friendly resort, encouraging guests to immerse themselves in nature. Therefore, both the restaurant and the cafes have open-air concepts, providing a pleasant ambiance with the soothing sounds of nature and refreshing breezes instead of artificial cold air from air-conditioning units. So let’s embrace the natural setting and enjoy the wonderful food and atmosphere at Adeline Villa!

Adeline Villa also fosters a sense of togetherness, encouraging team building and family bonding. One unique rule is that guests must clean their plates and cutlery after every meal, promoting good manners, especially among large families with young children. This creates a communal atmosphere that adds to the overall experience of living amidst the wonders of nature.

Booking.com

7. Meet Adeline Kuo: The visionary lady behind Adeline Villa

We enjoyed meeting Adeline Kuo at the restaurant during our buffet lunch. Adeline is a hands-on individual, involved in every aspect of the operation. From overseeing food service to ensuring top-notch customer experience, she tirelessly moves between the reception and restaurant, ensuring everything runs seamlessly.

Adeline Kuo’s vision was to create an idyllic escape for city dwellers yearning to reconnect with nature. She established Adeline Rest House with just RM5000, gradually transforming it into a full-fledged nature campsite. In 2010, Adeline took on the challenge of providing chalets that offer all the comforts of home within the embrace of natural surroundings, culminating in the creation of Adeline Villa.

We experienced the beauty of living in harmony with nature throughout our stay. Nestled amidst lush greenery, chalets of various sizes are strategically placed on different sections of the hilly terrain, catering to different needs. The chalets have air conditioning, en-suite bathrooms equipped with solar-powered water heaters, and comfortable basic bedding with mosquito nets.

8. Our stay in the ensuite chalet

We stayed in a cozy ensuite chalet during our visit with one queen-sized bed and one single bed. The room was equipped with air-conditioning and a fan, allowing us to have a choice to relish the natural surroundings by simply opening the window and switching off the air conditioning. However, a minor drawback was the presence of mosquitoes. Fortunately, they provided mosquito coils as an option for our use.

The chalet offered a simple and comfortable setting, though we did not have a table to place our belongings. To accommodate this, we utilized the single bed to keep our loose luggage, considering it was just the two of us staying in the room.

9. My honest review of Adeline Villa

Our stay at Adeline Villa was truly enjoyable. The highlight undoubtedly was the food. The buffet-style meals, offered for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, consisted of home-cooked dishes with diverse menus. The passion for preparing the food was evident, making the dining experience delightful. The kitchen constantly cooked in small batches to ensure a fresh and replenished buffet line. The array of choices was so vast that we couldn’t sample all of them.

One of the best aspects of our stay was how Adeline Villa took care of all our activities, including the Gua Tempurung expedition to see the vast limestone cave and white water rafting at Sungai Kampar. The arrangements were seamless, and they prioritized everyone’s safety, which we deeply appreciated.

The chalet rooms were basic at the forested hillside, providing everything we needed for a forest getaway. While not offering five-star facilities, the air-conditioned room,  ensuite toilet, and comfortable bed fulfilled our requirements perfectly. We aimed to immerse ourselves in nature, embrace the friendly atmosphere, engage in exhilarating outdoor activities, enjoy the lush greeneries, and not seek luxuries at an upscale hotel.

In conclusion, we were so pleased with our experience at Adeline Villa that we look forward to returning whenever we visit Gopeng again!

Watch the video we shot during our trip to 👇👇Adeline Villa.

We also upload a video we shot during our trip to Adeline Villa. Please click the image below to bring you to our YouTube channel (shot in high definition!). You may also want to check out our visit to Gua Tempurung and White Water Rafting in Gopeng.

syahrin

Wednesday 20th of March 2024

can i know if all the food is halal.

kwankp

Tuesday 26th of March 2024

I remember the food served was pork-free, but I am not sure if they have applied for halal certification. The best option is to confirm with them. Phone 05-359 2833