The Banjaran HotSpring Retreat is not only a great place to relax amidst the lush landscape and limestone background, but you get to enjoy the natural geothermal hotspring as well as view the various caves, one of the more famous attraction in Ipoh, Malaysia.
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| Jeff's Cellar |
A very interesting concept, Jeff's Cellar is the brainchild of the
founder of Sunway Group which developed and owns The Banjaran HotSpring
Retreat, Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah.
During
the day, if you were to walk past Jeff's Cellar, which is located in the
grounds of The Banjaran HotSpring Retreat, you would see a huge old
gate that is locked and seems to be overgrown with plants.
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| Locked gate |
You would not be wrong if you thought yourself to be in a medieval era with the steel gates above as well as the crests below which can be found on both sides of the entrance.
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| Jeff's cellar crest |
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| Entering a dungeon? |
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| Another locked door |
Should you get the opportunity to view Jeff's cellar, do grab it as it is very interestingly built into a 280-million year old limestone cave. Most of the interior of the cave is pretty much left in its natural state and basically only platforms were built in the cave to create various levels. Check out the huge limestone chambers and the natural stalagmites and stalactites that have taken millions of years to be what it is today.
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| Water feature |
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| Highlighting the stalagmites and stalactites |
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| Limestone |
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| Water feature |
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| A raised platform on the left and the water feature on the right |
Jeff's Cellar has been around even before The Banjaran HotSpring Retreat was developed. With the gracious permission of Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah, Jeff's Cellar is open to guests of The Banjaran HotSpring Retreat.
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| Jeff's Cellar |
Open nightly from 9pm to 11pm only to guests of The Banjaran HotSpring Retreat, you can lounge away in the limestone cave that has been enhanced by soft and soothing lighting whilst enjoying a glass of wine.
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| The Cellar |
If you are fortunate, you will meet the main person responsible for the upkeep of Tan Sri Jeffrey's personal private collection of vintage wine bottles and have the opportunity to view some really special limited edition bottles which are stored in The Cellar.
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| The private collection of Tan Sri Jeffrey |
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| Jackie Chan Reserve Release |
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| Jackie Chan Reserve Release |
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| Private Collection |
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| Chinese wine bought at an auction |
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| Interesting bottle |
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| Rows and rows of vintage wine |
Visiting Jeff’s cellar is a unique experience, and not just for the
wines! The cellar is built in a grotto with some of the most spectacular
cave concretions a visitor could see anywhere in the world. At the cave
entrance, the walls are covered with rare hemispherical calcite or
aragonite concretions a few cm in diameter that look like a field of
mushrooms. These were formed by seeping of calcium carbonate-rich water
through the pores of the rock and precipitation of crystals in the shape
of half golf balls.
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| Soft and soothing lighting (left) and Jeff's Cellar crest (right) |
The main room of the cave is lined with a series of
calcite concretions, such as stalactites (hanging concretions),
stalagmites (ascending concretions) and columns (joined stalactites and
stalagmites), at the foot of which lay pools enclosed by calcite walls
called rimstones. These concretions were formed over thousands of years.
Rainwater containing carbon dioxide slowly percolated through the
limestone, dissolving some of it and came out along the roof of the
cave, enriched with calcium and carbonate ions. The cave atmosphere
caused these ions to combine and form the calcite concretions that we
see today.
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| Care for a glass of wine? |
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| Cozy atmosphere |
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| Area for private dining and entertainment |
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| Part of the decor in Jeff's cellar |
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| A unique bottle |
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| More decor |
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| Making it interesting |
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| Limestone walls |
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| Awning above to prevent the leaks |
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| The bar area |
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| The private dining area |
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| Out on the balcony |
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| Another special corner seating area |
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| Kegs on display |
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| More decor |
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| Another little cozy corner |
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| Making it authentic |
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| Another shelf of bottles |
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| Beautiful leather sofas |
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| Another cozy corner |
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| Rows and rows of bottles |
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| Thought this an interesting display |
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| Bottles on display |
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| And even more bottles |
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| The well in front of Jeff's Cellar |
Considered as one of Ipoh's best-kept secret, visitors to Jeff's Cellar can take in the sights of a private wine cellar with several special edition and vintage wine bottles in a natural limestone cave.
This is something that you have to see with your own eyes to experience the ambience of being transported into another era.
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