My husband and I were really craving a ‘mini adventure’, somewhere to unwind from city life, easily accessible from KL, with fresh air and entertainment for the kids. Located a mere hour’s drive away from KL, The Dusun in Seremban’s Pantai Hills checked all those boxes. It is the perfect weekend getaway in Malaysia for those who want to get close to nature without making a big journey.
What started as a durian farm has turned into a retreat with six different houses, two infinity swimming pools (one with a kids paddling pool), a terrace where breakfast is served, and a path around the grounds to do some exploring.
You can’t help but feel in awe when you arrive and the first impression is of the infinity pool dropping off into the jungle below. However, upon further inspection, the place could use a little paint and a touch up here and there.
Our home for the weekend: Sora House
There are two designated houses for families. The Sora House and Emas House. Each house is completely different and as such, I can only properly review the house that we stayed, the Sora House.
Sora house is the most modern of all of them and has a big airy feel to it with a high ceiling. It accommodates five comfortably with a master bedroom and a second bedroom upstairs with a double and single bed.
Note that it is an open air concept. The master bedroom can be completely closed during the night but the rest of the house – including the beds upstairs – is all open to the elements. That said, this is not the place for you if you get squeamish around creepy crawlers. This is really a jungle retreat and unless life-threatening, the staff will not remove any animal or bug from your house, and there are a lot of bugs. I was surprised to find that there were no mosquito nets on the beds, however, they do have electronic mosquito repellers and I have to say, I didn’t get eaten alive at night. If I slept upstairs, I think I would have slept more soundly with a net.
The house was fully equipped and great for families with a fridge, water dispenser, stove, dishes and all of the basics – including wine glasses and bottle openers.
Other Happy Go KL families have stayed at the Perling House below the second pool, that has two units connected by a joint verandah. These houses are new but more traditional in style, with wooden interior and lovely old-style furniture.
Food at the Dusun
Breakfast is provided and served on the main terrace with both nasi lemak or a few western options. If your children are as picky as mine, I highly suggest you bring your own cereal or toast. We also brought our own watermelon and other fruit and kept them in the fridge in our room.
For lunch and dinner, you have the option to order in advance when you book, and have the food delivered to your house. We did this for one dinner and one lunch, and for our final dinner we brought our own food for a BBQ on the balcony. You can also book this in advance. I highly suggest this option! It was good fun with the kids, and while the food they served was quite tasty (the Asian options more so than the western), it was nice to be able to cater to the kids. After 7pm, there are no staff on the grounds but there is a fridge on the main terrace with beer, wine and juice which you sign out and they add to your tab. You can also bring your own!
What to do at The Dusun
There is a number of activities to keep the kids, and you, entertained. For the little ones, there is a small playground just outside the Sora House which my two little ones enjoyed. Of course, the two swimming pools, including one with a small paddling pool, provide hours of entertainment. Unfortunately, the paddling pool didn’t look as clean as it could because it is not tiled as the other pools are. I assume they did this intentionally so it isn’t slippery.
Around the premises there is a small paved path called ‘Dusun Walk’ that takes you around the houses, and along the way you will find a chicken coop, a small garden, a patch of jungle with a trail, and another path to the Deer Park. We did not visit the deer park, as my kids were quite happy with the little path.
If you feel like a more intense activity, there are different options. You could drive to the entrance of the nearby park and walk down to the stream where the kids can play, or do a small hike to a waterfall, as we did. The manager arranged an Orang Asli guide to take us. It took us about 1hr 20 mins each way and I highly recommend this hike. If you have really small ones, make sure you have a hiking backpack or carrier to help them along.
Eco-friendly and socially responsible policies
I believe its very important to take note of the policies of the places that you stay to note the impact on our world. I immediately spotted the solar panels on the roofs and the solar motion sensor lights along the path. In the houses they ask you to divide your waste into compost, recyclables and general waste. The recycling is taken to the recycling centre in Seremban. No plastics are used and each house has its own water dispenser. Bring your own water bottle to refill for outings!
Most of the employees are from the Orang Asli indigenous group and the local community. Using the local guides gives back to the community where you are staying. The level of English of the staff and guides is low to non-existent, but the manager is lovely and can answer any questions for you.
Overall, I would say that The Dusun is a lovely getaway and very family friendly. However, I found that for the price of the stay, I would have liked to see the houses in a little better condition (Sora House starts at 900 RM per night). The environment, pools, staff and everything else was lovely!
There are similar jungle resorts nearby, read our reviews of De Serenity and Awanmulan too.
Note: If you would like to stay at The Dusun, book in advance as they are generally fully booked!
We paid for our stay at the Dusun, Seremban. All opinions are honest and our own – as always! This post contains affiliate links. By booking your stay through our links, we’ll get a small commission at no cost to you.
