Are you dreading the sweaty December humidity and the crowded malls along Orchard Road this festive season? Well, we’ve found a wonderful Old England Christmas escape for you—and you don’t need to endure a grueling 14-hour flight to London to experience it. Hidden just a short 1.5-hour flight from Singapore, the Malaysian highlands is a surprisingly magical old English Christmas getaway.
Just a quick scenic drive up the Titiwangsa Mountains lies a misty, nostalgic holiday secret in the Cameron Highlands. It offers a perfectly preserved slice of Old England, with real mountain mist as temperatures drop to a crisp 15°C to 18°C in the evenings, and authentic festive magic. Here’s why it’s a wonderful December trip.
Why is this secret highland retreat a festive must-do?
Visitors can expect an immersive festive atmosphere where colonial manors are transformed by lavish pine decorations, the rich scent of traditional winter feasts, and the warmth of seasonal gatherings—which feels like you jumped into a classic British holiday movie.
Excitingly, luxury estates like the Cameron Highlands Resort and the historic Smokehouse Hotel offer cosy holiday traditions where you can sink into a plush leather armchair, sip warm mulled wine, and soak in the festive cheer while listening to live Christmas carols.
Additionally, culinary menus are inspired by Christmas traditions in the United Kingdom. During the day, heritage dining rooms serve festive high teas with scones, rich clotted cram, locally plucked strawberry jam, and classic finger sandwiches. By evening, there’s glorious traditional roasts on the table, complete with roasted vegetables, towering Yorkshire puddings, and classic English desserts like winter crumble.
Wonderfully, the physical environment itself provides the ultimate old English backdrop for your holiday photos. Enclaves built in the classic British Tudor style are heavily decorated with green pine garlands, rich crimson ribbons, and thousands of fairy lights. Plus, the mountain mist rolling across the towering trees and gardens mimics a foggy English winter day.
For a deeper tradition, visitors can complete their trip by attending the Christmas services at All Souls’ Church in Tanah Rata. Interestingly, this historic church was established in 1958 to serve the expatriate British community. From singing traditional hymns to a nostalgic glimpse into the region’s colonial past through the architecture…it will feel like Christmas Eve in York.
Other things to do
Cameron Highlands offers plenty of other attractions to fill your December itinerary. From watching the sunrise over the rolling green tea terraces at BOH Tea Plantation and sipping tea straight from the source, to adventure activities in the forest, eating at Brinchang Night Market, and strawberry picking at local farms…it’s the ultimate escape from the city.
How to get there
The quickest way to reach this misty festive retreat is by catching a direct flight from Changi Airport to Ipoh. The quick hop takes just under one hour and 30 minutes to Sultan Azlan Shah Airport. From there, simply grab a private taxi or pre-book a transfer up the mountain for just over one hour and 30 minutes.
