The Sticks — Hotel in Selangor

One of the best glamping experiences I've ever visited and stayed for 3 days 2 nights. The place is nearby sungai chilling and it's really in the jungle but with nice infrastructure that makes the area and the stay comfortable enough. There are several choices of small houses of 'tendoks' if you will. Tendok means half tent and half pondok, so their tent creation is really unique and special. Some can fit 6-7 people, some can fit 4 and minimum is 2 people. It depends which tendok suits your personality. I chose the bamboo house tendok which is really in the jungle itself. It's all made by bamboo which was cool. The room was comfy and cooling at night especially. Lighting could be improved by adding 1 or 2 more lights because one stand lamp is not enough to light the whole room especially at night. Luckily we brought our own modern lantern to light up extra. Some insects or mosquitoes are around but it doesn't really bother you much as long as it is outside haha.

For this staycation, I've ordered full board meals included, meaning breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner to be prepared for us during our stay. And all I can say is wow. Their food is very delicious to my surprise. It's very home cooked style like how our moms would cook in the house. As you explore my pictures, you'll see that breakfast has the English or continental breakfast. For lunch it's usually Asian style or rice with several lauk, very yummy, and then afternoon tea is usually fried banana with roti telur. And dinner, they have bbq or steamboat, which you can choose I think. We managed to eat both in separate nights. Their bbq was awesome and their steamboat really surprised me because of their fresh ingredients of chicken, fish and so on. Very satisfied meals I'd say. Basically the highlight for this staycation is their food haha.

But that's not all, they have nice flowing river nearby as you enter the premises, so we had the best time playing by the river and swim a bit with the big floaty tyre we can borrow and float around the river. Very relaxing and fun times.

There are other people staying at this place, so who knows, you might make few friends while you're there. Get to know and mingle. Disconnect from the bz phones all that. By the way, phone signal is quite bad there especially for Digi and maxis. Totally empty. Only line that works is Celcom, which I had bought the prepaid earlier on to have 4G and so on. And even though can't get 4G there but there is some signal called H+, good enough that you could WhatsApp or watch video still but not all the way. But with a place like this, you're not supposed to play with your phone that much, you have to enjoy the nature and the scenery and fresh air and the greeneries they have to offer. It's the best place to find yourself and relax with friends.

It's a perfect place for short getaway for couples, or with group of friends. The owner and workers who works there are very welcoming and super friendly that makes your stay more special and comforting throughout. Lookout for 2 cats and 2 dogs around the premises too. They're very friendly and don't really disturb you much. I loved to play with their cats haha, they've very playful and visits you at your table when you have food (typical cats🙄). Haha. I highly recommend to anyone who loves nature and chill holiday 😁👍🥳 just visit their website for more...

There are some places that you'd really love to go to get away from the hustle bustle of the city. The forests around Kuala Kubu Bharu in Selangor, Malaysia is one such place. The lush green forest has its serenity broken only by the rustle of water flowing downstream in the river. Located in this jungle is a small boutique hotel, The Sticks. It is an ideal place to detoxify yourself from the constant noise of the city and internet connectivity.

Why should you stay at The Sticks?

Unlike other traditional hotels where your luggage is safely secured onto your room, here you have to take it along a few flights of moss ridden steps, across a hanging bridge and finally onto your room. Although the little trek might be a bit exhausting but the clear jungle air helps calm you down. The resort is run by the Gan couple and both of them have perfected the art of hospitality.

The rooms and the common area

Located in the forest, the rooms are bamboo huts covered by a thatch roof. The accommodation is classically spartan with a bathroom that gives you a feel of bathing in the forest itself. One of the most authentic Malay cultural remnants is the small bucket of water left outside to wash your feet before entering.

The whole of the property is centred around the central dining area where all the talking and drinking takes place. Set in a casual vibe, it has tree stumps, hammocks along with the good old chairs. Wooden tables sprout out in between with a splattering of colours in the form of cushions. I spent my afternoons lazing in the hammock watching the sun set in the horizon.

Activities at The Sticks

The evenings and the early mornings are perfect for a dip in the chilly waters of the river. But one activity that gave me the most satisfaction was walking around the trail that borders the property. It is filled with quite a few chirping birds and naughty monkeys. I draw my lungs full of the fresh air and instantly feel my sinuses clearing out. You can also do a plethora of adventure activities nearby in the district of KKB with paragliding, white water rafting and taking the top honours.

Food at The Sticks

Dinner at The Sticks was one of the most sumptuous I have experienced in a long time. Uncle Rubin cooked up an extensive barbeque which had beef, chicken, squid, calamari and some super fresh prawns. It was served on a traditional coconut leaf along with a plethora of sauces to keep munching along with some local Malaysian beer. This night barbeque is a daily feature and you can order what your likes are. The lunch is also quite tasty with a plethora of Malay food on the table with the roast chicken taking the centre piece.

The Sticks is one of the most beautiful places to stay while in Malaysia. The deep forest cover offers you a break away from the noise of city life and you can enjoy serenity in a never before seen manner. If you're getting bored, the adventure activities makes sure you're never out of moments...

I just spent the most delightful 6 hours at this gorgeous hideaway in KKB. A old and dear friend celebrated his 70th here today with family and close friends. We were served lunch and tea and basically given a free run of the compound. Let’s start with parking. It is limited and if you intend to stay or visit, you have to provide your car registration number so they know you’re coming. Excess to the resort is quite an adventure. For the able bodied, you can take a walk and use the steps and bridge to get to the main hall. For those of us with wonky knees, they will provide a four wheel drive to transport you, weather permitting because believe me, in some ways perched in the caboose of the four wheel drive might be more precarious then the walk. Once safely in the main dining hall area, we checked in and were briefed on facilities and activities. Next lunch…simple, delicious home cooked meal served in tin plates (extremely nostalgic for this army brat). The five offerings of vegetables, chicken cooked two different ways, prawns and just about the best damn curry I’ve tasted in awhile is enough for me to give lunch a 5 star rating hands down. (One thing, teach your amazing chefs to make a mean sambal belacan. That would have been the proverbial topping!). After lunch we just hung around while some of the more fit oldies dared the trek down to riverside to soak sore knees in icy water and just enjoy the current and softly beating sun dappling through the jungle leaves. At 4pm we walked back to have tea with fried popiah, pisang goreng and keropok lekor. When it started to drizzle, it seemed a perfect conclusion to a lovely day. Cool breeze, hot beverage and yummy snacks. The owners Michelle and Rubin are friendly, accommodating and helpful. On hand all the way through to cater to a whole group of old foggies. Would I come again? Most definitely..for the curry chicken alone, I would. I commend the owners and staff for keeping it simple but so warm with the most wonderful personal touch. Thank you for a lovely experience. Note : the steps down to the riverside do need a handrail of some sort and I was assured by the staff that they are in the midst of doing it. I did notice on the way back that the walk using the bridge does have a handrail. Excellent. Keep up...