> Quick view: The Festival of Lights package at TUI BLUE The Haven Ipoh costs RM500 nett for a lakeview suite. Book it for a Saturday, Deepavali weekend or a group of five. For a quiet Tuesday, the resort's own website is RM24 to RM35 cheaper if you don't want the extras. Christmas and New Year's Eve buffets are separate, and both early-bird prices need prepayment.

The Haven sits between limestone hills and a lake on the edge of Ipoh, about 15 minutes from the city centre by the resort's own description. The resort published no package in October. This month there is one, and two festive buffets have opened for early booking as well. We read all three offer pages and the posters, then priced the package against the resort's booking engine on 2 November.

What the Festival of Lights package includes

The book and stay window is 1 to 30 November 2026. Every version comes with daily breakfast, welcome drinks, light refreshments and snacks in the suite, and late check-out until 2pm. You also get one English high tea set for two per stay.

  • 1-Bedroom Deluxe Suite Lakeview (868 sq ft, 2 guests): RM500 for 2D1N, RM900 for 3D2N
  • 3-Bedroom Deluxe Suite Lakeview (1,180 sq ft, 5 guests): RM800 for 2D1N, RM1,500 for 3D2N

All are nett, including the 10% service charge and 8% service tax. The poster shows these against RM669, RM1,200, RM1,070 and RM2,000. Those crossed-out figures are not what you would otherwise pay: the online rate for a 1-Bedroom on a normal weeknight is RM470.61.

Is it cheaper than booking online?

That depends on the night, because the resort's online rate moves a lot. The booking calendar showed these lowest 1-Bedroom bed and breakfast rates for November, rounded to the ringgit:

  • Mondays to Thursdays: RM465 to RM476 on most nights
  • Most Fridays and Saturdays: RM517 to RM529
  • Sat 7 and Sun 8 Nov (Deepavali weekend): RM719
  • Sat 21 Nov: RM706, followed by RM635 and RM627 on 22 and 23 Nov

So on a normal weeknight you pay about RM24 to RM35 more for the package. That buys the high tea set, snacks, welcome drinks and two extra hours at check-out, which is fair value if you would use them. On an ordinary Saturday the package is RM17 to RM23 cheaper and you keep the extras. Across Deepavali weekend or 21 November the gap passes RM200.

The 3-Bedroom is the clearest win. At RM800 for five, it works out to RM160 a head, and it beats the RM933.75 weeknight online rate even before counting the extras. That online rate was searched for two adults, so five people could pay more.

Three things to confirm before you pay

The 3D2N "per night" label. Both the page and the poster print RM900 and RM1,500 with "night" beside them. Read literally, two nights would cost RM1,800, more than twice the 2D1N price, so we treat these as totals for the stay. Our table does too. Ask the resort to state the full amount in writing.

Deepavali weekend availability. The offer lists no blackout dates, but "other terms and conditions apply". When we checked, the package was not on the online engine, so it goes through WhatsApp, phone or reservation.havenipoh@tui-blue.com. Because the online rate is RM719 that weekend, confirm the RM500 applies before planning around it. Monday 9 November is a replacement holiday in most states, so those rooms may go quickly.

The high tea is still one set. A group of five in the 3-Bedroom gets one set for two, not five portions. The offer also doesn't give a child rate, an extra-guest charge or a cancellation policy, so ask if any of those matter.

Christmas and New Year's Eve buffets

The package ends on 30 November, so it can't cover a December stay. The buffets at Cuisines Restaurant are priced separately, carry a halal logo on the posters, and start at 7pm. Junior means ages 6 to 12 and senior means 65 and above. The ++ adds a 10% service charge and 6% service tax, so the nett figures below are our sums.

  • Christmas Eve, 24 December: slow-roasted turkey and Australian roast beef carvery. RM152++ adult, RM134++ junior or senior (normal RM168 and RM148), about RM176.32 and RM155.44 nett
  • Christmas Day, 25 December: roast turkey and herb-crusted New Zealand leg of lamb, with live carols by EqualSounds Band. Same prices
  • New Year's Eve, 31 December: Mongolian-style char-grilled chicken and beef, roasted lamb and seafood, until the countdown. RM134++ adult, RM118++ junior or senior (normal RM168 and RM148), about RM155.44 and RM136.88 nett

Christmas needs booking and payment before 10 December, and New Year's Eve before 21 December. Neither combines with other promotions, vouchers or discounts.

For two adults and two children, Christmas comes to about RM663.52 early bird, against RM733.12 at the normal price. New Year's Eve comes to about RM584.64 against the same RM733.12, a saving of about RM148.48.

One oddity is worth checking when you pay. The New Year's Eve poster says "10% off", but RM168 to RM134 is about 20%. Christmas, at RM168 to RM152, really is about 10%. Both the poster's price boxes and the web page show RM134, so that is the price to ask for.

Staying over for the buffet

December online rates are published too. The 1-Bedroom calendar rate is RM498 on 31 December and RM690 on 24 and 25 December. A couple staying for the countdown would pay about RM808.88 for the room and the early-bird dinner. Christmas Eve comes to about RM1,042.64. Check the live rate before booking, as these move.

Who should skip it

If you're coming alone or as a couple for one quiet weeknight and just want the lake view, book the online rate. If spa is the point, the resort's separate RM700 Haven Signature Wellness Retreat is still on the engine. For regular Ipoh hotel buffets with lower prices, see our Ipoh hotel buffet price guide.

*Image: TUI BLUE The Haven Ipoh*