WE feel the crisp, chilly air throughout our drive up the winding route to Genting Highlands. It’s been years since my last visit to this hill resort in
Pahang.
Nestled near the border between Pahang and Selangor, driving to Genting Highlands takes an hour from the centre of Kuala Lumpur city.
“It is so near to Gombak where I studied, so I used to drive up here with friends to have fun and enjoy the fresh air,” I tell my sister, my passenger.
I rented a car then and made a slow drive to Genting Highlands, enjoying the greenery of the mountainous road.
However, our ride today is smoother as I am driving the new Toyota Vios 1.5, thus taking a shorter time to reach the peak.
Resorts World Genting used to have an outdoor theme park but it was closed down a couple of years ago to make way for a bigger and better one.
The new outdoor park has yet to be completed, so the resort has introduced other attractions.
NEW DIMENSION OF FUN
After closing for 1½ years, Skytropolis Funland is a new edition to the indoor entertainment space. It opened to the public last December.
On the walls and ceiling, mega LED screens over 50 metres in length invite us to join in the fun.
Previously known as the First World Indoor Theme Park, it used to have only children’s rides and a family arcade. However, this newly revamped indoor theme park is a portal to a new dimension of fun. Skytropolis Funland is bigger and there are many attractions, not only for children but all thrill seekers.
The park is not yet fully completed, 13 rides are ready while nine will follow soon. Divided into Child, Family and Thrill categories, each ride has
been specifically designed for a kaleidoscopic atmosphere. Fifteen rides were brought in from the previous outdoor theme park and given entirely new looks.
The 15 rides include the Super Glider, also known as the Superman roller coaster. However, there are also new rides at the park so return visitors like myself can try the new Power Surge, an intense highflying ride that will make you go round and round and upside down. Sky Tower takes you up to the top of an Art Deco tower and drops you at a thrilling speed while Bumper Boss is a super-sized version of bumper cars.
Similar to First World Indoor Theme Park, visitors can purchase pay per ride tickets priced at RM11 (from Mondays to Fridays) and RM16 (on Saturdays and Sundays as well as public holidays and school holidays). Wanting to try out everything, we opt for the Skytropolis Funland Preview pass (RM64), which offers unlimited experience on the available rides.
Apart from Skytropolis Funland, there’s the Big Top Video Games Park which is a carnival-style park. Covering 2,020 sq m, the circus-themed arcade on level two of Skytropolis offers some 150 game machines including game kiosks, redemption machines and video games. Using a cashless system with the EZiCash Card, you can top up at the kiosk easily. My sister and I try a few but our favourite is the Jurassic Park video game in which players can battle their way through exciting missions!
IN THE VOID
Another new cool attraction is The Void, a highly anticipated hyper-reality experience featuring cutting-edge technology and world-class content! Unveiled last year, The Void brings a new immersive experience by using custom VR technology along with a physical stage which allows players to explore and engage with. The game requires two to four players in each game.
There are four iconic story-line experiences - Ghostbusters, Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment, Ralph Breaks VR and Star Wars: Secret of the Empire.
Opting for Star Wars, we listen to a short intro video on the do’s and dont’s, then the employees help us to get equipped. We suit up with head
mounted displays, backtop computers and haptic vests which allow sensory effects to be felt from multiple points using haptic feedback.
Our mission takes us on a Star Wars journey under the orders of the rebellion. We disguise as a stormtrooper and travel to the molten planet of Mustafar to recover Imperial intelligence vital to the rebellion’s survival.
During the game, we each get a blaster to shoot the enemy and hav to complete the mission. We can feel the impact of blaster bolts and smell smoke from the surrounding environment. We also have to solve an interactive puzzle to escape the enemies. It’s so realistic, we can feel a bit of shock whenever we get shot!
The prices for Star Wars and Wreck It Ralphs are RM138 each, while the Ghostbusters and Nicodemus are priced at RM96 each.
LUNCH
Exhausted and hungry, we head to Sky Avenue, the high street lifestyle mall offering retail shopping and dining experiences. There are quite a number of eateries, yet our eyes catch sight of Harry Ramsden’s, a famous fish and chips chain from the UK.
Ramsden opened his first Fish and Chip shop in 1828 at a little wooden hut in the north of England and finally this iconic British chippie has made its debut in Malaysia, at SkyAvenue Genting! Just opened in January, the brand introduced its first and only Harry Ramsden’s chain in Asia known as the Laughing Fish, a concept created specially for Resorts World Genting.
The restaurant is designed to represent a traditional English restaurant and pub giving guests the jolly ol’ Britain feel. The restaurant can seat up to 124 diners at a time. Arriving slightly after noon, customers are building up but we manage to get a table. The interior is warm, with the walls filled with old-school British bric-a-brac, memorabilia, vintage photos and quirky quotes.
We order a few dishes including the star of the menu - fish and chips. The restaurant offers only cod and haddock and you can opt for the regular, large or legendary size with a side of your choice of either gravy, mushy peas or curry sauce.
First, we start off with the Laughing Prawn Cocktail (RM26) served with marie rose sauce and my favourite Baked English Brie with Thyme and Garlic (RM26) served with the homemade boule bread.
We order fish and chips - cod and haddock - coated in a secret batter. While the cod is light and flaky, the haddock has a chunky flavourful texture which goes really well with the curry sauce. Served with freshly cut double-cooked chips, the fish is cooked upon order.
We also eat the oh-so-juicy Grilled Beef Bangers (RM35) served with potato mash and onion gravy which I recommend for those who don’t eat fish, and if you’re in the mood for breakfast go for the Traditional English Fry Up (RM27) which is a set of fried eggs, baked beans, chicken sausage, grilled tomato and mushroom with signature bread loaf.
Psst.. fish and chips go well with frizzy mocktails so we order Laughing Fish Signature Lemonade, which is a refreshing mix of citrus zest, and Laughing Fish Rose Lemonade, which has a twist of fragrant rose and citrus mix. A single serving costs RM16 but we opt for the sharing mug (RM28) which is served in a cute fish mug!
GOLD CLASS
After lunch, we take a stroll around SkyAvenue. We find a huge Uniqlo store, two-storey H&M shop, Sephora and many international brands shops.
Heading downstairs, we come across Bona Cinemas, the first overseas high-end theatre by Bona Film Group which has 56 theatres all over China. Bona Cinemas offers four cinema halls with 4K high definition projectors and the latest Dolby Atmos audio system with 791 comfortable seats.
It is also the first cinema in Malaysia that combines Gold Class theatre with D-BOX. We watch Shazam! on VIP-style dynamic seats, equipped with individual high tech patented motion system. How cool is that?
The interior of the theatre is spacious with 48 ultra-comfortable seating which has a power button that can adjust the angle of the seat and foot rest, allowing us to adjust our seats to the most comfortable, reclined position. We also get to control the level of the motion of one to four intensity level.
During the show, the D-BOX seat moves and the two-axis configuration tilts you left and right, front and back accordingly. It brings the immersive entertainment experience as if you are part of the scene.
HIGH LINE FEAST
For dinner, we head to High Line, a luxe food market concept which offers seven dining options. It has a private terrace overlooking the still-in-construction outdoor theme park and seats 80 guests while the funky indoor dining area can accommodate 307.
Meat lovers can opt for the Carnivore which offers stuffed-to-the rafters American- style deli sandwiches while seafood lovers can try something fresh from the Seafood Market. There’s also Asian Heroes which serves Malay favourites, Jon Bing which serves Chinese crepes known as xien ping, and many more.
If you come in groups, I recommend the seafood bucket priced at RM88 per bucket. Inside there are generous portions of prawns, clams, mussels, squid, corn and broccoli. You can choose the flavour too, either kam heong, butter cream or spicy sambal. This can be shared with two to four people!
The Nasi Lemak Tai Ko served with half Canadian lobster is a must-try (RM88). The lobster is perfectly cooked, and the nasi lemak and spicy sambal really complement each other.
VISIT TO OUTLET
Got more time? Hop on Awana SkyWay, Genting’s state-of-the-art cable car system that transports you from SkyAvenue Station to Awana Station. With a top speed of six metres per second, the 2.8km journey takes 10 minutes.
We opt for the glass-floor gondolas which give us a thrilling ride overlooking the 130-million-year-old rainforest.
Passengers can stop at Chin Swee Temple and continue to the next station at no extra cost. We, however, stop at Genting Premium Outlet for more retail therapy.
SEVEN-SPEED VEHICLE
THE new Toyota Vios offers great handling especially on a hilly, steep route. The vehicle is an automatic transmission with seven–speed Sport Sequential Shiftmatic, a CVT type tuned to have a feel like a conventional automatic transmission. Drivers can shift gears manually using the gear shift, but the paddle shifters give a sportier feel.
On top of that, drivers can choose the driving mode. I enjoy the Eco mode driving in the city for better fuel-saving performance but for long journeys, especially picking up speed on a hilly road, the Sport mode is the way to go!
As far as safety is concerned, the Vios is fitted with seven SRS airbags that will deploy according to the location of the impact during an accident. The newly added Hill-start Assist Control prevents the vehicle from rolling back when moving off on a steep slope. It will maintain brake pressure momentarily when the driver lifts the foot off the brake pedal and begins accelerating forward.
I’m totally impressed with the Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert systems which are usually found on more expensive models. With BSM, the driver is alerted to other vehicles in the car’s blind spot by a flashing indicator in the right or left wing mirror, while the RCTA supplements the rear view camera by detecting vehicles that are approaching from either side of the car.
For Vios 1.5G and 1.5E, the car is equipped with Front Digital Video Recorder which will record your journey, and is very useful for providing visual evidence in the event of a dispute relating to an accident.
For additional coverage, there is also a Rear DVR available as an optional accessory. This activates automatically whenever the engine is started and the display is integrated with the Front DVR.
Oh, and don’t you think the new Toyota Vios has a sleek, sporty look! Check it out now and book a test drive at www.toyota.com.my.
THE ALL-NEW TOYOTA VIOS PERFORMANCE
Four-cylinder, 16-v, DOHC with Dual VVT-i
CVT seven-speed with Sequential Shift
Power : 107 PS / 6,000 rpm
Torque: 140 Nm / 4,200 rpm
Paddle Shifters*
SPORT mode & ECO mode 5.7m (G) & 5.1 (E and J) turning radius
TRAVEL FILE
PARKING
Monday – Friday: RM2 per hour/ max or RM12 per day
Weekends and public holidays: RM3 per hour/ max or RM18 per day
UPCOMING EVENTS
1. THE DARK NIGHT IS COMING - Batman has been fighting crime since 1939, so let’s celebrate the 80th year
of the DC Comics’ Dark Night, happening from May 10 to July 10.
2. IMAGINATRICKS - Hold onto your seats as the unimaginable returns in Imaginatricks, an uproarious fusion of acrobatics, dance and comedy in this latest action-packed show. Prepare for a rollercoaster ride of emotions throughout this hour-long special, where jaw-dropping stunts are performed by a stellar cast of record-breaking stuntmen, world champion ice skaters and talented dancers. Shows start from May 25 at Genting International Showroom.
Plan a weekend trip to Genting Highland and save on accomodation with Booking.com promo code.