RESORT SPA
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Castles & Dreams A
A new Malaysian wellness resort, modelled on a French Chateau, is aiming to be the fi rst of its kind in the world by offering a completely organic spa experience to guests
t the top of a mountain in the cool, fresh air, a medieval-style wall stands protectively around an 18th century castle, set among lush green pine trees.
Since late 2011, the castle has been home to the spa and organic wellness resort called The Chateau, where reception staff wel- come guests in perfect French. T e resort’s L’Assiette haute cuisine French fi ne dining restaurant beckons guests in one direction, La Santé organic wellness spa in another. T e twist? T e pine trees are actually rain-
forest, the staff members are Asian and the castle is only 10 years old. For this is not, in fact, France, but a tourism development called Berjaya Hills, 45 minutes outside of Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia.
FRENCH REPLICA T e Chateau Spa and Organic Wellness Resort is owned by Berjaya Hills Berhad, part of the Berjaya Corporation Group of Companies – a public listed Malaysian con- glomerate. As part of its leisure and tourism portfolio, Berjaya also owns Berjaya Hills – 16,000 acres (6,475 hectares) of jungle set on a hillside. Since it acquired the land in 1990, Berjaya has invested over myr1.2bn (us$381m, €310m, £243m) to turn it into an attraction popular with KL-based families. As well as T e Chateau Spa and Organic Wellness Resort, Berjaya Hills has a French themed village, botanical gardens, Japanese village and teahouse, an organic farm, horse trails, an animal park and a golf course. T e French village was built in 1994 and is
modelled on the village of Colmar in Alsace, France. In 2002, Berjaya built a castle on the outskirts, inspired by the 18th century Haut Koenigsbourg chateau in Alsace. Originally, the castle was to host luxury condominiums but due to the economic climate the castle lay empty until April 2010, when a decision was made by Berjaya to invest myr250m (us$79m, €65m, £51m) to turn it into a spa and wellness resort instead. Following an extensive 18-month refur- bishment, the transformed site reopened
The castle is modelled on the 18th century Haut Koenigsbourg chateau in Alsace, France
in October 2011 with a 128-bedroom resort, comprising three restaurants, two lounges, an outdoor saltwater pool, terrace and an organic giſt shop. T e 13,550sq ſt (1,259sq m) European-inspired spa is called La Santé.
LA SANTÉ La Santé spa features 12 single treatment rooms, three doubles (including one for females-only) and two for wet treatments – one with a hydrobath and another featuring an Austrian-made Aquaveda heated bed for wet treatments and scrubs. Other treatment beds are supplied by Gharieni. The heat experiences by Thermarium
include a herbal-infused sauna and salt grotto/mud chamber. T e spa also features an outdoor relaxation area, an enormous reception room plus a spa café, a hair salon with Logona products from Germany, a gym
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equipped by Cybex and a workout studio. Other facilities include three consultation rooms, a nail studio and a retail boutique. Guests at the Chateau can choose between
a deluxe or premier bedroom and a 60sq m (646sq ſt ) spa suite, which comes with an outdoor whirlpool. T e Chateau also off ers 13 spa programmes, which run for between two and seven nights and focus on beauty, stress relief, body cleansing, wellness, fi tness and pre- and post- natal experiences. T ere’s also a couples and a men-only retreat. Each programme includes physical and
nutritional consultation followed by a tai- lor-made treatment/experience package depending on needs and goals. Some pro- grammes include counsellors who work on an as-needed basis and specialise in advice on stress management, detox, relationship enhancement and weight management.
SPA BUSINESS 3 2012 ©Cybertrek 2012
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