Fraser’s Hill or Cameron Highlands?

If you are touring Malaysia and would like to visit a hill resort but do not have time for both, which one should you visit, Fraser’s Hill or Cameron Highlands?

Fraser’s Hill is closer to Kuala Lumpur and therefore quicker to get to if time is an issue (2 hours compared to 4 hours for Cameron Highlands).

Both resorts are at a similar altitude (15oom) and enjoy a relatively cool climate (by simmering Malaysian standards).  Fraser’s Hill was the damper and colder of the two during  our visits but that may have been due to the time of year (August for Fraser’s compared to December for Cameron Highlands).

Both were named after Scots and were originally intended to be Raj-style hill stations with English style bungalows, rose gardens and so on. Fraser’s Hill retains more of that atmosphere due it being by far the sleepier of the two.

Both have golf courses (9 holes in Fraser’s) and both have hotels called Ye Olde Smokehouse. We stayed in that hotel in Fraser’s Hill. Nice if you are feeling nostalgic about England. They served traditional British fare, the rooms were spacious with 4 poster beds and there was a cozy bar (empty). A bit like an up-market Fawlty Towers in the tropics. No, that’s being a bit unfair. It is actually a smart hotel for a special occasion or a romantic getaway.

Manuel, get the Major his gin.

Both resorts have jungle trails. Leeches tried to attach themselves to our legs at Fraser’s whereas we didn’t encounter any at Cameron Highlands but that could have been due to the weather. Both resorts have waterfalls nearby.

Jeriau Waterfall, Fraser's Hill

Overall there was not a great deal to do at Fraser’s Hill. There was a definite off-season feel to the place with many establishments closed. Besides the hotel there were only one or two places to eat and just a couple of general stores were open. To be fair our visit was 16 months ago and I am aware there were plans to develop the place so perhaps things have changed since.

On the other hand there were plenty of attractions during our recent trip to Cameron Highlands and a much greater choice of restaurants, shops and accommodation. 

We had a nice time at Fraser’s Hill but I’m not in any great hurry to revisit. As they say, ‘Done that, been there and got the T-shirt’ (actually I didn’t get the T-shirt as there weren’t any on sale).

If I had to chose between the two I would suggest Cameron Highlands.

Ye Olde Smokehouse, Fraser's Hill

9 thoughts on “Fraser’s Hill or Cameron Highlands?”

  1. nice descriptions.. i’d like to visit again soon, perhaps minus the hike near any leeches, hahaha someone said it has change now.!

    1. Thanks. Yes, I would also like to go back to Fraser’s Hill. There’s a hike nearby up a mountain called Bukit Kutu which is supposed to be interesting although it is easy to get lost so perhaps a guide is necessary.

  2. Hi, I googled and found you. Between FH and CH, which road is up the mountain is more steep and winding? And did you use the newer road up CH? Thanks.

  3. My group just hiked Pine Trees trail to Twin peak last Saturday. We had a good time there. On the way back to KL, we stopped at KKB for lunch. The “tau fu yu” at an eatery, opposite the post office in KKB town is delicious and cheap. We had a few other dishes as well which are as delicous. The Kaya puffs nearby are also fantastic.

      1. is an easy trail, easier than Nuang. the trail is clear like highway…:) i took less than 6 hours to complete. some may take 8 hours.

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Google photo

You are commenting using your Google account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s