Gaining by giving

Where can you find a retreat which can lift your self-esteem, enhance your mood and help rediscover your life purpose? Perhaps at The Shorea. Here, besides a nature-rich haven, it offers opportunities for altruism, which research has shown significantly boosts mental and physical wellbeing.

Positioned in the Berembun Forest Reserve in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, guests are encouraged to enjoy the local lifestyle and contribute to the Orang Asli community located next to the relaxing sanctuary.

“The Shorea CSR (corporate social responsibility) is an interwoven part of our unique retreat concept that blends guests experience with engagement with the local community,” says the owner of the retreat, Lai Chee Seng.

The retreat has an established CSR team to address the sustainability aspect of its hospitality services. “Our CSR activities include the food and educational aids to the Kampung Orang Asli Pantai, the weekly Outdoor English Classroom at the community kindergarten, the Kampung Pantai Youth Soccer and Sepak Takraw Games,” Lai elucidates.

“The integral local experiences enjoyed by our guests help us to spread the awareness of sustaining the local communities and their identities,” he adds.

The venture started out rather unintentionally. In September 2012, Lai had wanted to build a holiday home for his family, and he found the Berembun Forest Reserve to be the ideal spot to realise the boutique private villa.

As an architect, Lai built The Shorea based on his personal passion for nature and tropical design. Part of the inspiration was also fuelled by his travels to Shimla and the Himalayas, India, where he got the chance to experience exclusive residences that serve as private mountain escapades from the lowland cities.

Hence, The Shorea “embodies a creatively designed concept that is beautifully framed within a natural setting to heighten one’s senses”, Lai highlights.

The construction of the Shorea employs mainly reclaimed timber for its main structures, a reflection of its name “Shorea”, which describes a genus of about 196 species of tropical rainforest trees prized for their high quality lumber. Recycled local roof tiles, locally sourced natural stones and refurbished building elements such as staircases and railings are utilised. Passive cooling designs like wind tunnels and ventilation screens are used to air the interior and minimise air-conditioning.

The main challenge for Lai at that time was to integrate the architecture into the natural topography and the undulating terrains, while minimising the building footprint on the landscape.

“This resulted in an interesting building concept raised on stilts and multiple platforms to maximise the forest view,” he shares. “The Shorea aims to actively enrich our guests’ experience while maintaining the delicate natural ecosystem.”

Capable of accommodating up to 40 adults, The Shorea has eight villas with 15 rooms spread across two wings, namely The Shorea Resort and The Shorea Estate. As a central element, each wing features a main infinity pool set against the rainforest vista.

The Shorea Resort consists of modern, air-conditioned villas with individual pools. Guests also get to experience an open-concept dining at a special private pavilion.

Meanwhile, The Shorea Resort offers naturally-ventilated wooden villas with open views towards the rainforest. Private dinners can be served in the more secluded villas.

Besides the surrounding environment and facilities, another distinguishing feature of The Shorea is its hospitality concept with a strong Malaysian tradition and authentic F&B offerings.

“Guests are treated like our friends, and all experiences, like the romantic private dining, corporate nature retreats or multi-generational family get-togethers, are customised to suit individual requirements,” Lai says.

On top of that, the retreat serves a mixture of western and local food, including BBQ under the Stars and Del Pollo Roast Chicken, with regular revamps to its menu to cater to guests’ needs.

“Most of our guests love our hospitality, the magnificent forest reserve view and the jungle trekking as well as the infinity pool. It is a great experience for most of them and we have many repeat guests,” he enthuses.

The Shorea:
Kampung Kolam Air, Mukim Pantai, Jalan Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan
Contact: [email protected] / (017) 300 5600 / (017) 300 5810

This story first appeared in EdgeProp.my live! magazine. Download a FREE copy of live! magazine here.