Over the holiday break, the boys had their first experience glamping. It has always been part of the plan to take them camping because it’s such a character-building experience that I felt it was an experience the boys had to have. There’s nothing like having to put up your tent at the end of a long day of hiking and cooking your own meals over a campfire to help you learn to appreciate the creature comforts you enjoy every day; no meal ever tastes quite as good as the one you fall hungrily upon when you’re exhausted to the bone. In this rapid day and age of “busy-ness” and technology, camping is also a chance to “unplug” and reconnect with nature (which we know offers numerous benefits).
But how do I convince the boys to give up their warm beds for a night out in the woods? We make it easy – we start with glamping, a step in the right direction. For that, we went to Sailor’s Rest in Janda Baik which offers a range of accommodation depending on preference.
They offer tents – glamping style, chalets, a bungalow…
…or the boat house. G1 spied the satelite dish immediately and asked why we didn’t pick this one. Considering that the whole idea was to get away from technology for a bit, that would have defeated the purpose.
We stayed in the tents which come equipped with beds, a fan, and lights! Now how spoilt is that? We could also have hot showers in the bathrooms located within walking distance. Breakfast is included in the package and is provided at the communal dining area at 7:30am. A buffet dinner is also available on request but we chose to “rough” it out with some camp food.
The boys had a lot of fun playing in the river beside our tents. They were exploring the river banks and catching rocks in their fishing nets. There were fish but we weren’t able to catch any.
G2, my nature boy, was as happy as a pig in mud. He wasted no time getting every inch of himself drenched and tried to help everyone else experience the full effects of nature in all its wet glory – much to their displeasure.
All in all, it was a wonderful “back to nature” experience sleeping with a backdrop of nature which was surprisingly noisy. All manner of insects came together to play us a clamorous lullaby as the sun went down. Luckily the boys were so tired that they fell asleep almost as soon as their heads touched their pillows. Well, okay, after Mama entered the tent and laid down martial law.
The best part was that they didn’t even ask for the iPad once! Well, okay, I lie. G2 asked for it as soon as we got back into the car to go home. The boys would have been completely technology-free except that one of the unnecessarily helpful staff turned on the cartoon channel on the TV in the dining area during breakfast and we had two addicts immediately hooking up their IV lines. Ah well… nearly there.
Accomodation Details for Glamping
- Adults: RM95/night
- Child (4-12 years): RM75/night
- Booking fee: RM50 per tent (non-refundable if no show)
- Check in: after 2pm
- Check out: before 12pm
Things to note:
- Pack food – you won’t be allowed to eat in the tents but you will need it if you don’t plan to drive out for food.
- Most of the eating places are shut on Monday so if your trip straddles the Monday, definitely plan your own meals.
- Mozzie repellent – lots of it.
- Aqua shoes work best for the river exploration.
- No open fires so maybe ditch the marshmallows – unless you want them for your hot chocolate.
- There is a field so you can bring a football to play.
Nurture for the Future 