I must have some kind of radar.  For our one night in Tanah Rata, after going through all the choices on Hotels.com (I was working towards a free night) and reading some reviews on Trip Advisor, I chose Gerard’s Place based on the value it represented and the views in the photos that looked “birdy”.  I had yet to learn that the warm, friendly and cheerful owner – Jay was also a birder!

As you enter, there is a map of the surrounding area with places to go hiking marked out.

The gardens surrounding the property are very birdy as I suspected.

Here’s a Verditer Flycatcher on the roof of a neighbor’s apartment.

The entrance to Gerard’s Place actually says “Carnation” on the front with a smaller Gerard’s Place sign below.  This is why I suggest going to Father’s Guesthouse when you first arrive and letting Jay pick you up as it could be confusing when you don’t know your way around town.  It’s on top of a hill and a 10 ringgit taxi ride if you are down town for dinner and need a ride back.

The guesthouse has several rooms, some with private bath and some with shared bath.  We had a shared bathroom (G1) since it was only 1 night, otherwise I’d go for the ensuite.

The common room opens onto a patio with a nice view of the garden so you can sit here and watch birds.  There is free wifi only accessible in the common room.  We left very early on the Taman Negara shuttle, but Jay left some toast, butter, jam and coffee for our breakfast.

Beautiful flowers in the garden.

I highly recommend Gerard’s Place especially for birders.  Jay will happily point out the best spots and even drop you there if she is heading into town.  She is in the local bird club and has a nice book about the local birds you can buy to help you identify what you saw and keep as a souvenir.  If you are headed to Taman Negara, ask Jay to book you on the shuttle, it will pick you up at the front door early in the morning.