OUR STORY
A SERENDIPITOUS EVENT
In 2011, an old kindergarten friend randomly introduced Pantai Hill Orchard Resort to us. When my wife and I arrived at Kampung Pantai, an old man with short white hair greeted us on a motorbike with two dogs tailing.
He wore no helmet and chaperoned us up the narrow and windy roads through the gates of Pantai Hill and into his personally built home. We walked onto his verandah where it effortlessly displayed a majestic view of the Berembun Forest Reserve.
Above, eagles were circulating and soon a pair of hornbills noisily flew across the vista. We were mesmerized. He introduced to us this one acre land and it only took us weeks to decide. We put up our apartment for sale and several months later, we moved out of Kuala Lumpur in search for a new adventure.
BEREMBUN AND IT’S MYSTICAL ENERGY
During the days before the house was built we would spend hours by the cold pristine stream, dreaming of the day we could actually live here. The attraction was addictive, we came often and each time leaving with charged energy vibrating through our bodies.
We would hear stories from locals of guardian spirits, wild horses, rhinos and tigers. We felt the forest was ancient and exuded an enchanting allure.
AIDED BY SYNCHRONICITY
For nearly a year we could not find a suitable builder or even someone willing to do it. One day a local farmer introduced us to his contractor friend. A man with experience and a spirited persona. He spoke the Hokkien dialect, something uncommon in Seremban, but suited us well.
A bond was created and we found our man. We designed and built our home with a little common sense, some creative eye and many visits to wood and antique junk yards. Working with only a building contractor and 4 crew, it took us 15 months to complete this project.
By 2013, we suddenly had a home – of open walls – enveloped by the cacophony of the Berembun forest. At a time when Kuala Lumpur felt like a sour used car, Pantai Hill Orchard Resort was fresh and teeming with life. literally every micro-inch of it.
THE BIRTH of SPYDER HILL
We lived here for 4 years before deciding to open our home as a homestay. It was a choice for side income and to enable a lifestyle that complimented our photography work. We were influenced by the likes of Llyod Khan the self- taught architect and 70’s icon of alternative homes.
Incorporating that energy with many other influences and ideas, our house was birthed. Spyder Hill is a fusion of Negeri Sembilan kampung house with rustic features blending into nature. Its architecture and interiors will send you back in time – the vernacular of old Malaya. A pleasing wooden house with upcycled 60s & 70s furnishings. Today, we are a Seremban staycation where you can enjoy the jungle in modest comfort.
Only a 10 minute walk to the stream and into the Berembun Forest. Hike into one of the world’s oldest rainforests, immerse under a waterfall, swim in fresh water pools and interact with village life while sampling their local food.
This is the essence of your stay with us.
Enhancing your experience at Spyder Hill are our co-dwellers. Meet Cheeto the cat who moved in before us and Donnie & Darko our dog guides who were rescued as puppies. This family of 3 loves attending to guests and compliments the Spyder Hill flavour.
