Casabrina Vacation Villas : 5 Star Hotel In Pahang

At Casabrina Vacation Villas, each day brings new sensations to heal mind body and soul. Located just across the Selangor state border, in the state of Pahang and under an hour's drive from downtown Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, is a place where time is measured not by schedules and clocks, but by the rhythms of nature. It's 130 million-year-old rainforest is home to a fascinating range of plants, animals, birds and reptiles. Forested rolling hills, sun, sky, wind and rain create a living tableau that shiftsfrom moment to moment before your eyes.Surrounded by lush ancient rainforests and its friendly inhabitants are two exclusive 6 starvillas, uniquely tropical and rustic but of modern architecture. Nine more are underwayto being built. Constructed with arduous love and meticulous attention to its naturalsurroundings by Developer, Felix Tee and designed by renowned Balinese architect AAYoka Sara, Casabrina promises the eco-conscious traveler an unforgettable experienceof luxury and indulgence steeped in nature.Casabrina Vacation Villas and Spa, is the perfect getaway for soul searching singles,lovebirds, families, special interest groups and top management meetings . Awaken tomorning mist covered rolling hills and watch mystical sunrise through fading mist andleafy openings of the jungle's canopy. The ultimate destination to rejuvenate the body,mind and soul through sheer indulgence of the senses and attentive world class service.Facilities: 6 Star accommodation on an individual room basis at either the two suite VillaAranya or the four suite Villa Amertani, while sharing common facilities or bookboth Villas as a cluster with six executive suites for 14 paxs for a secluded, privacyassured holiday. Kids under 6 years old, stay for free with Adults. The four suite Villa Amertani comes with a Huge private swimming pool, Jacuzziand Sauna. The two suite Villa Aranya comes with a medium size Dip Pool, Jacuzzi and Sauna. Airport Transfers. Melaleuca Spa Services; Foot reflexology, Body Massage, Body Scrub, SportsMassage. Driver with day transportation from 10am to 6pm. After 6pm rates, apply. Helicopter service with Helipad at Casabrina. GPS Location: North 03 39' 46.9,East 10150' 32.5 Villa comes with private chef, housekeeperschild minders and tight security. Daily tropical fruits basket and bouquet flowers. 24 hour Pantry with pre arranged food, snacks, tidbits and beverages. Coffee machine using high standard coffee beans. Astro TV in each room and Astro HD TV on a 60 inch flat screen at the diningpavilion. Free WIFI Broadband internet connection.Fair Copy2Activities:Casabrina Vacation Villas offers guests a meditative retreat into vast green quietspaces, bordering onto the timeless, surrounded by a wonderland of eco places toexplore and adventures to experience on a safe and guided basis: From sunbathing poolside with close up view of enchanted forests or enjoying along soothing Melaleuca spa session before tucking into a gastronomic lunch,tea or dinner to tree top walks on hanging bridges and the vigorous thrill of whitewater rafting at the Jeram Besu Recreation Park. It's all there, waiting for you.Visit an Orang Asli(aborigines) Settlement or explore an array of awe-inspiringWater falls with a quaint delicious picnic packed for you. Catch your own fresh water fish during a quiet afternoon of fishing with line andtackle and have it cooked any which way you like by our gourmet chef fordinner or enjoy an active session of paint ball war games(minimum group of 10) Golf at the nearby 100 year old Bentong Golf Club or any of the public courses atRaub, Bukit Tinggi or Awana Genting Highlands. Trek through ancient rainforest bursting with butterflies, birds, cicadas, andendless flora and if you are lucky, come upon Rafflesia, the world's largest flower. Catch sight of Malaysia's tropical birds and monkeys perched on centuries oldtrees on the River Cruise and Kenong Rainforest Day Tour. Get an adrenaline rush by flying fox abseiling or delight in bird watching, wildlifeobservation, kayaking, feeding and playing with wild fish (Kelah, Sebarau, Kejar,Tengas) Experience the enchanted avatar' forest trails of Ngeram, Palas andInterpretive at Merapoh, Taman Negara. For the night safari, guests will need tostay overnight at Merapoh, Taman Negara. Thrill seekers may also enjoy 4x4off-roading at selected sites. Visit the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary established in 1989 by theDepartment of Wildlife and National Parks. Guests are encouraged to participatein elephant rides and to experience bathing and feeding the elephants aroundnoon. Visit Deerland World of Nature. Experience close contact with animals includingmonkeys, deers, snakes and sun bears. Visit Fraser's Hill, an hour's drive from Casabrina Vacation Villas. Stroll around thecobblestoned courtyard or tee-off at the 18-hole golf course near by. Naturelovers will enjoy horseback riding, petting farm and flower gardens. Visit nearbyFair Copy3Genting Highlands, the City of Entertainment for a day or night out. For History buffs, the Lipis Heritage Tour will take you back in time to Colonial BritishMalaya.For all activities, two weeks prior notice with confirmed reservations at Casabrina, needto be made.For Reservations visit our website at www.casabrina.net: or call, email:Tel +016 9803222 or +6016-505 0517Fax: +609-3615 242 +603-5192 9372Email: reservations@casabrina.net, hisham@casabrina.net or khshamila@hotmail.comCasabrina is not just a luxurious holiday destination but is also a wise investmentopportunity. Out of the 11 villa hotels immaculately designed by renowned Balinesearchitect AA Yoka Sara, seven are offered for investment sales, which comes with a 15year bank guaranteed rental plan.Call+6012-7713155,+6016-9803111or email:investmentsale@casabrina.net,deva@casabrina.net or ad47deva@gmail.com for moreinformation.Casabrina Vacation Villas, Lot 1460, Jalan Tras, Mukim Tras27600 Raub, Pahang Darul Makmur, Malaysia(www.casabrina.net) is located after SangLee Village, on the old road between Bentong and Raub in Pahang, Malaysia.Road Directions to CasabrinaFrom Kuala Lumpur, take the Duke Highway, or the MRR2 Ring Road to connect with theKarak Highway in the direction of Kuantan. After passing the highway exists to GentingHighlands and Bukit Tinggi, exit the highway just after the Bentong toll to make your wayto Bentong Town. Drive in the direction of Raub Town and after 10 minutes or so turn leftat the T-Junction after the signpost that says Ke Bukit Frasier, Tras, Sang Lee. Your landmark here is the Lee Rubber Factory on your right hand side, which faces the T-Junction.Make your way past Sang Lee Village and look for the old English milestone that says381 to Kota Bahru. The gated entrance to Casabrina is located after 500 meters, fromthis milestone, on your right hand side.Fair Copy4For Current Rates, please visit our website at www.casabrina.net.All Inclusive rates means Plush 6 Star, accommodation at either the two suite Villa Aranya or the four suiteVilla Amertani. Kids under 6 years old, stay for free with Adults. A bespoke gastronomical Asian, Western or Fusion Menu, for Breakfast, MidMorning Tea, Lunch, Tea, Dinner and Supper. Airport transfers from and to KL Sentral, Brickfields( KLIA Airport In the City) Driver with day transportation from 10am to 6pm, for Resort related activities. After6pm rates, apply. Villa comes with private chef, housekeeperschild minders and tight security. Daily tropical fruits basket and bouquet flowers. 24 hour Pantry with pre arranged food, snacks, tidbits and beverages. Coffee machine using high standard coffee beans.Media QandA1) Q: Mr Felix, What inspired you to build Casabrina ?A: I needed a sea change to wellness. City living and the business world canoften be an unhealthy environment to be continuously in. So after traveling theworld for business and many times to Bali, I discovered that there was no suchplace within a reasonable distance to KL, where one could live with a certainlevel of sophistication and yet in symbiosis with nature. I believe that mostailments afflicting humans is caused when one loses real relationship with nature.I built Casabrina to be a place to regain health and to be in wellness.2) Q: when did you start and how long did it take.?A: After listing Unisem Berhad in 2000(As the Co founder, I am still a Directorthere.wwwunisemgroup.com). It took me 6 years to build what you presently seehere now.3) Q:Why did you choose the famous Balinese, AA Yoka Sara as your Designer andArchitect for Casabrina and what inspired his designs for the 11 Villas ?A: I first saw his artist impression in Bali and delighted in his designs in articulatingform and function. I invited him to design my family home in Damansara Heightsin 2000. Working with him, I found that we have a lot in common in our ethos, IFair Copy5then invited him to conceptualise and design Casabrina, first as a weekendhome. However as the 27 acre estate was just too rich for one week end home Iasked him to plan and design an appropriate development.. His love for natureand of the lay of land, saw him walking the land for 3 years in rain and sun todetermine the number and type of Villas that the topology of the land canaccommodate, in order to offer a high level of privacy and quiet to each home.He finally came up with 11 locations over 27 acres with individual designs andlayouts to fit each location, which optimizes and captures the harmony of theVillas with the elements, nature and the earth. With the advent of the East CoastEconomic Development Council (ECER)our location has now been mandated bythe ECER for Tourism, which is why Casabrina has now evolved to become aResort with an emphasis on ecotourism and wellness.4) Q:What are the development components making up Casabrina?A: Comprising of 14 individual titles, the resort has 27 acres approved fordevelopment. Buffering the resort on the left and right ,I have title to 25 acres ofancient rain forest on one side and 15 acres of an overgrown old rubber estateon the other side, which is now secondary jungle. The rear of the resort bordersthe Krau forest reserve. The resort will comprise of 11 Villa Hotels of between 6 to 8suites each, sharing common facilities of a Clubhouse with Restaurants, Day Spa,Conference and Cultural entertainment Centre, helipad, car parks, tennis courts,landscaped gardens and fish ponds, a reception facility and a managementoffice. We plan to have noninvasive developments on the 25 acres of ancientrainforest, like treetop walks, flying fox abseiling and tree houses for wild lifeobservation. The development components with ensure that we are rated 5 star,by the Ministry of Tourism and mandated as such by the ECER, for the ensuing taxand other benefits.5) Q:Tell us why Casasbrina will be a Green' Resort.A; To ensure Casabrina's symbiosis with nature I feel personally responsible, andcommitted to the future of guests wanting to heal and regain their heath atCasabrina. I call this the Casabrina experience.. My greying hair turnedblack and my uncontrollable hypertension, normalised after living here!...NoJoke! Having completed building clean room projects of over a billion ringgit overthe last 30 years, I bring all that experience to develop and build Casabrina atboth the macro and micro level. Our plans and designs are already in place toensure that operationally we will save energy and resources, recycle water andmaterials and minimise the emission of toxic substances throughout the resort's lifecycle. The wood component being Berlian(iron wood) will harmonise with thelocal climate, traditions, culture and the surrounding environment. All this willensure that we are able to sustain and improve the quality of our guestsexperience, whilst maintaining the capacity of the ecosystem at local and globallevels. At the work flow level our designs for form and function, will make efficientuse of all resources. This will contribute to significant operational savings for thebusiness in the long term and enhance workplace productivity for our staff.Fair Copy6Some examples of our greening the development of Casabrina are as follows;a. The roads were designed to be narrow, to reduce the long term groundimpact of vehicular traffic on the hillside and to cater mostly for electrifiedcars and mopeds, to minimise noise and emission pollution.b. For better water quality we minimise chlorine content in our potable waterby combining filtered and UV'ed Ground water(70%) with City water(30%).Seagull filters( the ones that is used on Boeing Aircrafts) are then used atthe tap level to ensure super clean drinking water.c. Our internal pathways and garden walkway lights are tiny led lights fittedbelow a stair of water plants. The light attracts insects and become foodfor tiny frogs to spawn there. These tiny melodious frogs( not big enough toattract big snakes) then form the eco-environment in the landscapegardens.d. Run off rain water is collected at a dam in the jungle and pumped up forirrigating the landscape, ponds and our organic vegetable patches.e. To minimise Mosquitoes at Casabrina, our ground staff are trained toobserve and practice good environmental habits, by elimination all manmade and natural breeding grounds for the mozzies to flourish.f. To control the Oxidation, Reduction and donating Potential (ORP) and PHof Water in our swimming pools, a computerized system doses the rightamount of Chlorine daily to maintain a healthy alkalineacid balance inthe water.6) Q:What is your biggest challenge in developing Casabrina?A; The same challenge when I first cofounded Unisem Bhd 21 yearsago.Changing the mindset of financial institutions involved in the industryconcerned. Back then, in Chip assembly and testing, the West were relocatingtheir assembly lines and testing business to Asia to reduce operating costsignificantly in anticipation of lowering the cost of semi-conductor chips, which bythen had become a commodity so that significant increases in sales of productsusing such Chips could be achieved. Software and hard ware technology wererapidly changing. Product Life cycles were dropping drastically to 12 to 18months and the internet was rapidly changing the way we live and do business.All this meant one thing there was going to be a real demand for quality chips ona consistent and evolved basis to go into all computerised and mobile devices ofthe future, on a global basis.A few of us, experienced and competent enough in this industry saw all thiscoming but could not convince the financial institutions then to fund us ahead ofFair Copy7securing firm orders, because before we could get firm orders the Clean RoomFacility for Chip assembly and testing had to be prequalified. So it was a chickenand egg situation. Fortunately they was a breed of local and foreign investorwho were prepared to listen and research our risks points to a reasonable level,without exaggerating the risk factors to the point where it would deem Malaysiato become a failed state!...well the Investors benefited from the listing of UnisemBhd in 2000 and that was proof of the pudding! Subsequently most of the FinancialInstitutions that declined to lend us, came back to offer us carte blanchefacilities!...such is life! Being given an umbrella when the weather is hunky dory.For Casabrina, our core business is selling holistic wellness in a location that istremendously therapeutic because of mother nature, and located just under anhour's drive from KL. Because of the low density of the development we havepositioned it as a 6 Star Villa Hotel Resort, at affordable international rates. We arethe first in Malaysia to set up a hillside Boutique Villa Hotel Resort without a typicalHotel component attached to it.As Banks tend to shy away from Resort lending at the development stage, weopted for the investment sale route. Only 7 Villas are offered for sale on either anenbloc basis or individually for us to raise sufficient money to complete the entiredevelopment.Now we are facing problems even getting end financing loans for high net worthbuyers, from our local banks,even at a low 70 % loan to value ratio(70% of RM15Million for the six suite completed Villas). We are told that disposability is a riskcriterion that the property at its present location cannot meet, notwithstanding thestrength of the borrower and the developer's indemnity for the buy back, we areproviding.so the current mindset is that unless they can see the peak of the KLtwin towers, no end financing is possible for a multi-million ringgit property, just 50minutes from KL, as they think disposability will be an issue, in a worst casescenario!So what I see as a feasible and a sunrise Villa Hospitality business, located soclose to KL, emphasizing ecotourism, wellness and a holistic way of life, for guestsfrom the Nordic Countries, Russia, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific, issomehow missed by the heads of Risk and Credit of most of our local banks. ItsDéjà vu for me all over again.7) Q: Who are the Operators of Casabrina?A: As we presently have only two completed Villas, comprising of 6 rooms, we aremanaging it ourselves under brand Casabrina. We are on the look out to partneran International Villa Operator, who can bring financing, marketing, Wellness andother supporting expertise to complete the overall development here.8) Have you any future plans for brand Casabrina.Fair Copy8Yes after we have completed our flag ship resort here, we plan to develop otherlocations locally and abroad.9) Q: What are your hobbies and how do you wish to be remembered?A: Observing Nature and Photographing Nature in its evolving forms, to teachthe young and concrete jungle lovers' on how to be friends with nature andeducate all concerned in Bentong, Raub, Pahang and Malaysia as whole, on theneed to; walk the earth gently, respecting its inhabitants, preserve our forestsresponsibly and keep our rivers clean as ultimately, the only asset we really haveis our health. Without an environment of pristine forests and clean rivers to inspireus to live holistically, to recharge our mind, body and soul to regain our health, weage prematurely and live in sickness in one form or the other, without evenknowing it, from youth to mid- life, and if we do make it, suffer some more in ourgolden years.If at all I am remembered.i hope It will be for what Casabrina stands for andthat the Casabrina experience' improves the quality and value of lives of visitorsand guests, from all over the world, many years after I am long gone.

...ROAD DIRECTIONS TO CASABRINA VACATION VILLAS:From Kuala Lumpur, take the Duke Highway( preferable) or the Middle Ring Road 2(MRR2) and connect to the Karak Highway heading towards Kuantan. Go pass the exits to Genting Highlands and Bukit Tinggi and exit the Karak Highway, after the Bentong Toll, Make your way to Bentong town. From Bentong Town, drive in the direction to Raub Town and after 10 minutes or so turn left at the T-Junction after the signpost that says Ke Bukit Fraser, Tras, Sang Lee. Your land mark here is the Lee Rubber Factory on your right hand side, which faces the T-Junction. Make your way past Sang Lee Village and look for the old English Milestone that says 381 to Kota Bahru. Approximately 500 meters after this milestone, look for the gated entrance to Casabrina on your right hand side.GPS location: N3 39.959', E101 50.658' Google Map