GENTING HIGHLANDS

 

Overview

Also another highlands of the popular nature in Pahang is Genting Highlands that is 1,865m above sea level. It is a hill resort developed by Genting Group that runs Resorts World Genting and a chain of resorts and hotels on the hill.

Genting Highlands is situated within the Banjaran Titiwangsa, also known as the 'spine' of Malaysia, and borders the states of Pahang and Selangor.

Property Developments

The hill resort first started in 1965 with the building of an access road from Genting Sempah to the top of Gunung Ulu Kali and then the Highlands Hotel in 1971. The hotel is now known as the Theme Park Hotel. Expansion of the resort was rife since then and in 1997, the Genting Skyway cable car system opened a 3.38km ride up to the hilltop from Gohtong Jaya to Resort Hotel, another of the five hotels run by the group. The other hotels are First World Hotel, Genting Grand Hotel and Maxims Hotel.

Genting Group expanded its First World Hotel to host 7,351 rooms, along with a reconversion of its outdoor theme park to the RM1 billion project called 20th Century Fox World theme park. It is due to be completed this year (2016). The 'City of Entertainment' is also the licence holder of the only legalised land-based casino which is owned by the Genting Group subsidiary, Genting Malaysia Berhad. The First World Indoor Theme Park still has its rides and attractions including Funtasy World Video Game Park, Sky Venture, SnowWorld and Genting Bowl.

The resort hosts four performance venues which are the Arena of Stars, Genting International Showroom, First World Plaza and Genting International Convention Centre that are often used for concerts and performances of a variety of international artists.

Just like the neighbouring Cameron Highlands, Genting has its share of farms, including a strawberry, mushroom and a vegetable farm. The Awana Genting Highlands Golf and Country Resort is also on the hill and the Chin Swee Caves Temple – 4,600 feet above sea level – is a 10-minute drive from the Resorts World Genting.

Genting Premium Outlets lists as another upcoming attraction on the resort and is expected to open in the final quarter of this year. It is primed to be Southeast Asia's first hilltop Premium Outlet Centre and will encompass a space of 600,000 square feet.

Accessibility and Transportation

Genting is just a one-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur by car and is accessible via the East Coast Expressway. There is also a toll-free alternative which is the old Gombak-Bentong Road that passes through Genting Sempah. The Jalan Batang Kali-Genting Highlands route starts in Hulu Selangor and makes the trip to Genting Highlands easy for Perakians, Penangites or Kedah-ans. Also in an attempt to encourage visitors, Resorts World Genting provides shuttle buses running on an hourly basis from the Gombak LRT station to the hilltop.

The resort accommodates a handful of eatery options, and a clinic for its visitors.