Sarawak

Old Jan 11th, 2006, 01:49 AM
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Sarawak

We hope to be staying in Kuching for 7 days, then splitting the remaining time (8 days) between hotels outside the capital.

Any recommendations ?

Maudie mentioned the Damai Lagoon Resort. What trips can you do from there and what is there to see in the surrounding area?

We are not great ones for lounging around the poolside, we prefer to be out and about.

If we wanted to fly to Miri, what is the best place to stay ?

We were thinking of spending the last two days at the Highland Resort, about an hour out of Kuching. Has anyone been there? Is there much to do?

Laurie, we are giving Batang Ai a miss!

Gill & Tony.
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Old Jan 11th, 2006, 02:43 AM
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There are 2 hotels at Damai Lagoon, both holiday inn's as I recall. Damai lagoon is about an hour from Kuching but ther hotels offered a shuttle service whem I was there. Damai lagoon is very conveniant for the cultural centre (5 mins walk)

Kuching is ok, I wouldn't want to spend anything like 7 days there though - 2-3 days at the most. Avoid the crowne plaza hotel (a 3+
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Old Jan 11th, 2006, 02:44 AM
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... a 3* hotel (and a poor one at that) that likes to think it's a 4-5* hotel.

The Hilton is much better.
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Old Jan 11th, 2006, 04:01 AM
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Gill & Tony, good choice! In Kuching, I highly recommend the Hilton and the club floor if you can swing it. You get a great breakfast and in the evening, cocktails and snacks from 5pm till 8pm.

You may want to consider spending a night or two at Bako National Park. We did a day trip there and really enjoyed it and wished we had spent a night there. They have loads of trails and the place is stunning.
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Old Jan 11th, 2006, 05:58 AM
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I, too, would recommend the Hilton in Kuching. We also stayed on the Club floor and thought the extra amenities were well worth it. Our suite had a gorgoeus view of the river and Fort Margharita.

I loved Kuching and could spend a week there with a side trip to Bako (that's probably what I'll do next time). I had also looked at the Highlands Resort, but ended up not going there. We would have gone there for the spa as we aren't golfers. It looks to me like there isn't much else to do there.

We took a drive out to Damai and saw both of the resorts. I wouuld be quickly bored there, I'm afraid. Kuching is a charming town, and I'd prefer to stay there.

I hope Hornbill will respond to your post, as she lives in Kuching.
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Old Jan 11th, 2006, 06:04 PM
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hi kathie

i wanted to respond earlier but find it sooo difficult to give an opinion on this. on the one hand, there are people who finds kuching charming with lots to do (like yourself) and then there are those that will find kuching boring.

to be honest, i can understand why people think KK has more to offer as a travel destination, mountains, nice islands, orangutans etc.

kuching's charms are subtler. it hasnt marketed itself as a holiday destination very effectively i think.

i agree with laurie and kathie that you should consider going to bako and even staying overnight there (basic accomodations though) for all the treks and wildlife. bako is quite unique in that it has many ecological systems in a small peninsula. there are lots of wildlife - proboscis monkeys, macaques, wild boars, giant monitor lizards etc. and some beautiful stone formations at the beach.

kuching is a walkable city - lots of five foot ways and sidewalks. you can do heritage walks that will allow you to appreciate our colonial past - the GPO or general post office, the old courthouse (now the tourist information centre) , the sarawak museum all are beautiful colonial buildings. you can walk to parks.

on weekends there is the weekend market. you should one of the days skip the hotel breakfast and go scout for the laksa or mee sua or popiah.

of the two resorts at damai, i prefer the holiday inn beach resort - some rooms recently refurbished - very large too. what can you do there? well, you can climb mount santubong (NOT easy) or do some of the simpler jungle treks. can do a bit of kayaking. i dont know if they can arrange a trip to (i think) satang island (just a deserted tropical island) or whether that is something that you need to arrange from hilton. if you like golf, you can do that too at damai golf club. but thats about all you can do in damai.

if you want to go to a better beach, you can try sematan palm beach resort. its new and is quite basic (but there is airconditioning and hot water). sematan is a small sleepy fishing village about 1 1/2 hours from kuching. the beach there is massive - i had no idea! i look to my right, beach as far as my eye can see , i look left, beach as far as my eye can see!! contact number 082-711112.

the owner does scuba diving and snorkelling trips. there is an island talang talang, which is normally off-limits to folks as it is a turtle sanctuary (open day once a year to release turtles - very nice), where the snorkelling is good. he also rents out kayaks and bicycles. its also not too far from gunung gading natioanl park where you may be lucky enough to view the rafflesias in bloom. contact number 082-711112. they normally include breakfast and dinner in the price. but you could ask for barbecues in the evening

in and around kuching, most people will do semonggok (orang utan rehab centre but smaller scale than sepilok in sabah) and throw in jong's crocodile farm close by. if you like caves , you can do fairy caves and wind caves in bau. there are rock climbs at fairy caves but i dont have the contacts

you dont have to go that far to see an authentic long house. there is a bidayuh (land dayak) longhouse not far from semonggok called anah rais that you can visit to get the feel of a real 'living' longhouse.

the highland resort is mainly for golfers. it is cool and there are walks to do, one of which you look over to kalimantan, indonesia. there is a spa too which didnt appear very private to me so i found it a little difficult to relax! other than that, i dont think there is anything else up there.

i hve been to miri but many years ago and stayed with an aunt. am told that rigah hotel (? may hve been taken over by marriott) is the nicest there. will you not go to mulu national park to see the caves (there are fairly good deals from kuching - just go to travel agents - and i would imagine from miri). i really think they are worth the time.

well, that took a long time. hope i have given you some idea about what you can do in kuching and answered your questions about miri , damai and the highland resort.

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Old Jan 11th, 2006, 11:18 PM
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Thank you all for your information.The Hilton, Club Floor, sounds good and we are members (except all of our points have expired since we stayed at the Hanoi Opera in Vietnam not so long ago, actually).

I am sure that we will find plenty to do in (and around) Kuching. We like to explore and are fascinated by practically everything.We love museums and anything with a cultural heritage.

We do not play golf, but Tony will bring his binoculars.I think that we will be happy just walking at the Highland Resort.The scenery looks stunning and we would love to see the view over Kalimantan.We stayed at a similar place in Nepal for a couple of days and it was so relaxing.

We still have not decided what to do with the other days. From what you tell me, there is not so much to explore at Damai. Bako National Park sounds really good.

If any one else has any ideas to add, they would be most welcome.

Looking forward to warmer weather. It is freezing here in the U.K. Even our cat won't go outside.

Once again, thank you for all your help.

With best wishes,
Gill.
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Old Jan 21st, 2006, 01:08 PM
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Hi
If i were you i would go to Bako National Park for 3 days (2 nights).
Go to the Sarawak Cultural Village, thats next to Damai Beach Resort. If you want, climb the Mt. Santubong.Go to Buntal, a small fisher village, for great Seafood (choose the smaller restaurant, not the one with the lanterns).Discover the Sunday Market in Kuching. Walk along the waterfront and Main Bazaar. Visit the Sarawak Museum in Kuching. And maybe go for a longhouse tour ?
Have fun in Kuching.
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Old Jan 22nd, 2006, 12:14 AM
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hi gill and tony

i just found out that there is a boat tour one can do in the evening to view wildlife at santubong (about 1/2 hour from kuching) and you get to see proboscis monkeys, crocodiles, macaques etc (not guaranteed of course) and later in the night, see the fireflies come out. they also throw in seafood at buntal (small fishing village) for an added price.

i dont know if all the travel agencies run this tour but cph does (next to everrise supermarket in town). its not cheap (i was told about 150 ringgit per person). might be worthwhile. if i do check it out, will let you know whether it is worthwhile.

also, like most kuchingites, i go out for breakfast on sundays and would be happy to take you on a typical sunday breakfast in kuching if you like.

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Old Jan 22nd, 2006, 02:38 AM
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Hi Gill & Tony,
We loved Kuching and would go again as it is only 5 hours from home! We did go for a holiday though in the true sense of the word so we did spend a bit of time around the pool at Damai.In Kuching we enjoyed the waterfront anytime of day or evening, walked for miles all over the city, the museum, the wet markets, Little India street, the view from the Civic Centre, Fort Margharita and exploring the "other side of the river", Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, a visit to a Dyak Village, a trip up the river, a steamboat meal, Bako National Park. At Damai we enjoyed the pool, went snorkelling off Satang Island - arranged through the hotel, a jungle walk down the road from the hotel, Beach Seafood Restaurant (they sent a car for us), Cultural Village, took the shuttle into Kuching for the weekend market, great meal at the camp area down the beach and up the hill - walk back along the boardwalk past the tennis courts, more lazing by the pool, then onto KL for some shopping! We do like to keep busy too, I guess we went out every day, usually morning, then spent time by the pool (bar!) as it was fairly hot in the afternoons. Hope you have a good time, we want to go back sometime soon, but for now Europe beckons!
Cheers and happy travels!
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Old Jan 22nd, 2006, 10:28 AM
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Thank you PrisMaSean, Hornbill & Maudie.

Hornbill/Enzee, we would love to take you up on your Sunday breakfast offer.

We are just making the final adjustments to our itinerary. We hope to be able to meet you on Sunday the 9th April, if that is fine with you.

Our email address is on our homepage:

http://www.epinions.com/user-gilland..._~View_Profile

Hornbill, you visited the Highlands Resort & Spa. How easy is it to get there and stay for a day? Do you have to buy an entrance ticket in Kuching. If so, how much is it and what does it include?

We are now thinking that we may just pay it a visit, rather than stay there as we cannot find any current websites for 2006.

With best wishes

G&T
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Old Jan 22nd, 2006, 10:05 PM
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eeks! i may be away april 9th. a couple of friends are taking a three week holiday early april and i am hoping to join them for part of their trip. nothing finalised and probably will only join for a week anyway. so if i am here at any part of your trip in kuching, we will do either breakfast or dinner. i find breakfast easier because (whisper) there is no real 'distinctive' kuching/sarawak dinner and i run out of ideas after a seafood dinner! well, we can hope i will be back by april 9th and enjoy a breakfast together.

i have gone into your epinions website but can't find your email address.

anyhow, with regards to borneo highland resort, i am told you would normally call them up to arrange for their vehicle to pick you up from the bottom of the mountain. its more than 20 km from the city, so you would need to find a way of getting there - taxi or local tour agents. it sounds expensive with an agent (i was quoted $160 ringgit return trip for two people) . a day trip would include pick up from the foot of the mountain, a tour at the top and a lunch and my agent says that costs another 80/90 ringgit per person.

i didnt know all this before because i went with a group of colleagues and all this was organised and paid for by the hospital that i work for. i loved how green and lush everything looked and the cool refreshing air. but there is not much else apart from that (unless you are a golfer). if i were to do it, i would combine it with a tour of the bidayuh longhouse (anah rais or benuk - the bamboo bridge in benuk is worth a look - very clever) and/or semonggok orang utan rehab centre (feeding times 9am and 3 pm). it is actually all in the same area, a few km apart . maybe getting a driver for a day would be the easiest. you dont really need guides. at the longhouses, you would hve to pay a lady who can act as your guide and answer questions that you might have.
i dont know if this will influence your decision but just to let you know that the highland facility is more like a clubhouse, so that shower rooms are common. you have the toilet in your room but not a shower.

i have some pics of the benuk longhouse, a recent semonggok trip and the highland resort. you can email me at [email protected]
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