MANGALA Resort & Spa, which opened in 2016, won the World Gold in the Environmental (Rehabilitation/Conservation) Category at the FIABCI Prix d’Excellence Awards 2018 in Dubai recently.
It was the first resort in Malaysia to receive such recognition.
The five-star resort offers 65 luxury villas in four designs, spread over 26ha.
This resort is a hidden gem and Gambang’s best-kept secret.
Not many people have discovered it and the owner is going on a drive to promote it internationally.
For those who know and have been there, they have made it their second home.
The resort’s name means “harmonise” or “peaceful”. It is surrounded by tracts of matured oil palm trees and has its own wetlands and lakes. More than 100 species of birds and other wildlife call this place their home.
Developer Datuk Franky Chua Goon Eng said more than RM70 million has been invested to develop the resort (excluding land cost). Money was also spent on landscaping and facilities.
“We invested in the landscape before undertaking a major construction of the resort, which is why you can see matured trees, shrubs and other flowering plants today. Because of that, you will also find many wild and happy animals all around. There is a great eco-system here.”
Chua said the resort records an average of 50 per cent occupancy rate and this is expected to increase as the property is now affiliated with the Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
“We are the eighth property in Malaysia to be affiliated with the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. We hope with all this recognition and the campaign we are embarking on, we will have more tourists coming in from all over the world. Right now, our guests are from Malaysia, Singapore and China.”