The State of The Smokehouse

This entry was drafted in Septeber 2016

2009, 2012, 2015 and now 2016. Those were the times we made the trips up Frasers Hill and stayed at Smokehouse. And over the years the place had suffered a steady decline.

Last December was the worse in terms of the facilities. At least now after some renovations were made, a few more rooms were opened and the place felt to buzzing again. But other things especially good had suffered.

Not only that you get less portion - a decline in quantity - the quality had also been really poor this time. I wasn't talking about breakfast, even the once-famous afternoon tea with scones - their flagship meal - had lost their shines.

Gone were the complimentary hot chocolate for nightcap in a small pot, where you enjoy a chat at the main common room in front of the TV or during the cold season, some fire. We only got a mug, and it wasn't fantastic.

It was a great shame since they had done a good job renovating the place. And looking at the stream of people coming over the couple of days, they shouldn't have much problem filling up the place especially during afternoon tea. If the scones continue to decline, they might just lose their business.

The rooms remains cosy and Parameswari, the housekeeper of almost 30 years was still there greeting us, remembered us from our previous stay. The nights were still cool and the beds were still warm. The hot shower in the morning still reminded me of my student days in England. The common room was still inviting and terraces and the dining tables were still inviting. The charm were still there but the glow was missing.

Such a beautiful establishment deserved a better group of people running them ...

Archery Time

Near the Golf Club, there was an old stable dating back from the 40s called The Paddock. It was till operational to today but mainly for show, where for a small fee, you can jump on a horse and with the trainer, you would be taken around a small course for a brisk walk.

You could also do a bit of archery there. Idlan decided to skip the horse since it was much bigger than he thought, and took to the archery instead. The adult bow was a bit too big for him, while the children one was too small. He had to settle for the small one in the end.

10 minutes later, he was still at it and it looked like he was keen to take it further. Since then, he was asking me if there was somewhere in KL where he can learn archery. It looked like we had a Hawkeye in the midst ....