Malaysia’s Talulah Hill Lets You Live Out Your Farm-life Fantasy

“IS THAT REALLY A FARM???” my daughter Leanne queries, her eyes wide at the sight of this picturesque orchard. From a ridge above the property we look out to gently sloping hillsides leading down to a verdant little valley. Beyond that is virgin forest and a mountain peak, both blanketed by morning fog. “I know what a farm looks like—this place looks too pretty to be a farm!” the 10-year-old quips. 

Her reaction is amusing but reasonable. For most of her life, this young lady has only seen one other farm: our family’s coffee plantation back in the Philippines—a place of no-nonsense agriculture that is not exactly a kid-friendly playground. But now our family is spending the weekend at a dreamy little farm stay called Talula Hill, at the foot of Malaysia’s Mt. Lambak in the town of Kluang. 

Before planning this Malaysia road trip, I’d considered Kluang (in the middle of Johor state), merely part of that long stretch of highway separating Singapore, where we live, from Malacca or Kuala Lumpur. However, the promise of fresh countryside air, endless greenery and easy days under wide-open sky was too inviting. Better still, Talula Hill is only 130 kilometers, a three-hour drive, from the Lion City, making for a hassle-free cross-border getaway.  

The Farming Lifestyle 

A homey reception area and cafe awaits us on the ridge, and soon enough we are checked in and headed down the valley on a little golf cart. The farm stretches out before us, its trees arranged in neat rows over terraced land. Not too long ago, this was a private retreat for the Tan family, until it was opened to visitors in 2022. These days, I am told, the weekends are fully booked with folks like us who are looking to escape the concrete jungle.  

A paved access road leads to the resort accommodations: a cluster of four “farmhouses” that host a total of 15 rooms. Our five-yeas-old boy Julian and I enter our deluxe twin-bed cabin (it hosts up to three pax at around RM512 per night), and he quickly makes himself comfortable in the cozy bed. Leanne and my wife Joanne, on the other hand, admire their room’s floor-to-ceiling window and the scenic balcony outside. Thankfully there’s no TV or screens of any sort (yay!), but they do have Wi-Fi and the usual in-room necessities (AC/coffee/tea/hair dryer, etc.). 

But of course, this is a nature retreat—so the best things to do are outside the room. Midday finds us at the nearby event hall in the company of the lovely Fieza, our concierge-host, who gets our creative juices flowing with a painting workshop. “It’s still too warm for outdoor activities”, she says. “Best to cool down and take in some artsy vibes with a nice drink.” I heed her advice and get to work on a landscape vignette. Mixed with the sound of Joanne and the kids having fun with their projects, this hour of quiet relaxation helps melt away my weariness from the drive up. 

Later in the afternoon, we are off on a buggy again for a tour of the 12-hectare property. The first stop will no doubt be the kids’ favorite: the farm animals. While the little ones go crazy chasing ducks and feeding goats, Fieza takes us adults over for a peek into the (relatively more grownup) subject of sustainable farming. In one shed, an army of black soldier flies provide a ready source of food for the poultry while their squiggly larvae help process some of the resort’s organic waste. “They may look insignificant, but they do matter a lot when it comes to keeping our farm sustainable,” Fieza explains. At the nearby plots, fruit trees bear pomelos, coffee, durian and other crops. These are sustained by homemade organic fertilizers and pollinated by the resort’s own colony of stinger-less bees. 

We move to the vegetable garden where the little ones help plant the next harvest of beans. “We should do this on our farm!” Leanne exclaims as she and her kid brother happily poke holes in the soil for seeds to be inserted. Their hands caked with dirt, they gawk at bulging tomatoes and bundles of long beans still attached to their stalks. Then we all sample fragrant, freshly plucked herbs. This bountiful produce supplies Kefi Café, up on the ridge overlooking the farm, where in the evening head chef Saiful treats us to an exquisite dinner of Malaysian and western classics. The meal of perfectly done salmon carbonara paired with hummus, garden salad and a tasty ayam penyet (deep-fried chicken thigh served with a fiery sambal sauce)—plus a delectable kaffir lime–laced panna cotta dessert—cost around RM200 with drinks, but it was the perfect ending to our first day in this idyllic place. 

Nature in the Raw 

The next morning the kids are up and about early, and raring for another close encounter with nature. I have a nagging feeling that they might find today’s activity to be a bit too intense—let’s see. A few hours later we’re walking slowly inside nearby primary forest. Before us, a narrow trail of mud and dried leaves lead deeper into the greenery. We’ve just followed a pathway from the resort into the Gunung Lambak Recreational Park, a protected area and a popular “training mountain” for first timers into the boonies. 

Before today, my kids had never been in a real jungle, and I am more than slightly concerned. (“I want to see bears and tigers!” Julian declares with much excitement) “This is one of the easiest trails in this forest,” says our wilderness guide Evon. “Don’t worry it will be an interesting challenge for them!” We march into the wild, big sis holding a hiking stick while little bro clutches his mother’s hand as they navigate this new and exciting environment. Along the way, Evon points out wild mushrooms, centipedes and a giant ant, along with a few other creepy crawlies. We skip over fallen logs and past steep inclines with rope holds, at one point even crossing a shallow river with a mini waterfall cascading off its edge. After an hour, we reach our destination: an incredibly huge, century-old tree. 

“This trail leads all the way to Mount Lambak’s twin peaks, but maybe we will tackle that when the children are a bit older,” our outdoorsy guide muses. Joanne and I glance at the junior trekkers resting amidst the tree’s massive roots. They are tired but contentedly munching on snacks and gazing up with awe at the wilderness around us. 

We retrace our steps back to where creature comforts await. Just how challenging the morning’s exertions were evident in our collective sighs as Talula Hill’s farmhouses come into view. “We can’t wait to be back in the room!” Leanne blurts as the smiling Fieza arrives to pick us up on the buggy. “Can I feed the goats again???” Julian chimes in. Indeed, it’s great to have the opportunity to experience nature in its raw state, but it’s also great to return to a place like this resort, where mother nature surrounds my family with its gentler, more nurturing—and yes, kid-friendly–side.  

On our last night at Talula Hill, we indulge in a feast worthy of the great outdoors: a sumptuous bespoke barbecue at the farm’s picnic grounds. A chef mans the fire while we savor grilled seafood and meats. We sit around a picnic table, and in the fading daylight recount our highlights of this tantalizingly short weekend. Tomorrow we will reluctantly make the return trip back to Singapore and urban life. Leanne will surely remember the feeling of cold mountain spring water around her legs, while Julian will continue raving about the animals, and will no doubt ask us to buy ducks and goats for our own farm.  

Joanne and I are just happy to see our kids learn from their exciting new experiences—though next time we should really stay longer. We all look at each other and together declare that we will have many more holidays like this. 

Talulah Hill; deluxe twin-bed cabins from RM512 per night. 

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