During our recent stay at the Philea Resort in Melaka, we grabbed an opportunity to talk to Ronald Choong, the General Manager of this exciting eco-Resort.

You can read the Philea Resort feature by clicking here.

Luxurious Magazine: Ronald, thank you for taking the time out to answer some questions; if someone who had never been to The Philea Resort asked you to describe it to them in a few sentences, what would you say?
Ronald Choong: If you choose to try out something truly unique, Philea Resort & Spa would be the most appropriate choice. It is the largest log resort in Malaysia and is built beautifully into a natural environment.

Luxurious Magazine: In your opinion, what are some of the things that will make a stay at Philea Resort a memorable and unforgettable experience for your guests?
Ronald Choong: The resort is designed to give our guests a “wow” impression upon his/her arrival at the main lobby. From thereon, we aim to deliver a unique experience that touches on the 5 senses of the guest, i.e. sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing.

LM: How long has the Philea Resort been open to the public, and what type of involvement have you had in creating this wonderful place?
Ronald Choong: The Resort has been open since June 2010. I have been lucky enough to participate in the overall concept, planning, and development and now the operation of the property.

LM: Do you/The Philea Resort have a philosophy?
Ronald Choong: The Philea Resort philosophy is aimed at providing a truly unique experience to our guests through our level of service, commitment and care.  We have developed a core spirit called the Philea’s Spirit, encompassing seven values in our Greetings, Care, Commitment, Cleanliness, Respect, Fun and  Image.

LM: Do you have any additional services planned over the next couple of years to make your guest’s stay at the Philea Resort even more pleasurable?
Ronald Choong: We planned to introduce a shuttle bus service and package tours to the guest soon. There are plans to set up more recreational activities like paintball, archery and other team-building games within our own “Forest” team-building course. One other area which we are looking into is upgrading our Wifi services with a fibre optic cabling option.

LM: Tell us more about the Philea resort’s view on Ecology and Sustainability and what materials you have incorporated in around the resort.
Ronald Choong: From the initial construction stage, we have decided to maintain as much as possible the natural terrain of the site by building the log cabin on the level of the slope without undue cutting of the earth.

We even built our ballroom, restaurant and meeting rooms using the existing building at the site then, even though it had limited our planning and designing options. We have decided to reuse used railway sleepers not only for recycling purposes but also to blend them into our log house cabin to give our guests a more natural feel.

The special lobby bench, reception counter and bar counter are built out of quality wood retrieved from sunken ships.

To ensure the ecology is sustainable, we have planted 3,000 trees in the resort to create a habitat for small creatures and birds. In conjunction with the green concept adopted, we have started projects to reuse and recycle whenever possible.

LM: Aside from the facilities within the Philea Resort, what other local attractions would you recommend guests visit?
Ronald Choong For those who wish to walk, I would recommend the guest to try out the Melaka Butterfly & Reptile Sanctuary located just next to our property. The other places of interest located within short driving distance are the popular Melaka Zoo, Crocodile Farm, Botanical Garden and the Water Theme  Park.

Luxurious Magazine: Thank you for taking some time out of your schedule to talk to us and for your wonderful hospitality during our visit to the Philea Resort.