Cameron Highlands remains a favourite getaway among both Malaysians and tourists for its cool, fresh air; abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables; beautiful flowers and a public walking golf course. From Kuala Lumpur, a drive to the highlands located in the state of Pahang takes just about five hours.

The towns of Tanah Rata and Brinchang in Cameron Highlands are the most popular with visitors and this one time colonial hill station has seen many changes in recent years – there’s even a Starbucks here!

One of the oldest hotels in Tanah Rata is the Cameron Highlands Resort, previously the Merlin Inn Resort, built in 1973.

Business partners who only want to be known as Datuk Yee and Bala together own four hotels including the latest addition to the highlands – Hotel De La Fern.

According to Yee, who is also the chairman of the local tourism board, 2008 saw 650,000 tourist arrivals. Yee and Bala are also into property development. Their company developed part of Brinchang town where one of their hotels, Rosa Pasadena, is located.

Given its popularity, it is no surprise that property prices in Cameron Highlands have been rising over the years.

Several property projects are being developed here and these include hotels and apartments. Even a mall is in the pipeline. There are also the exclusive 4- to 5-storey bungalows fitted with lifts and these will be put on the market soon, with an indicative price of RM3.2 million, or RM407.7 per sq ft.