SANCTUARY: Upon arrival at Malihom, one would be greeted by a ‘forest’ of carved wood from logs and tree stumps on an open field, done by Japanese wood artist Katsumi Mukai, one of the first artists in residence at Malihom
Malihom is a family project, by the grandson of one of Penang's pioneer tycoons, and was meant to be a retreat for the family until they realised that it was seriously under-utilised. It's very much a family project, as Datuk Seri Stephen Yeap's wife, Irene, an architect, designed the estate; and his eldest daughter manages it. Up there, a stay in unique rice barns - dismantled and shipped from Chiang Mai, and redesigned to make them, into villas with modern comforts - includes board. The fare, prepared by a Myanmar cook, has a heartfelt simplicity to it.
Several top management corporate retreats have been held, which make good use of the 'boardroom' which is on the side of the hill facing the sunrise. Recreation includes an infinity pool which is more than 10 metres long, and guided jungle walks. Balik Pulau and the surrounding area is also worth exploring, like Pulau Betong and Gertak Sanggul.
The main drawback is that you'll probably have to forego sampling much of Penang's famed street fare in George Town, if you want to maximise your time in Malihom. But a trade-off might be going there during durian season, sometime around June and July - when durians are just at Malihom's foothills.