Sarawak Hotel Reviews

Worth visiting: Iban Longhouses, Bau caves, Jungle walk. Use the inhouse travel agency. They provide good consulting. Or use one of the many free agencies along Riverfront. And don''t forget to see the official Tourist Info Office! They have more catalogues available, and they sell these beautiful, colorful vintage posters "Visit Borneo", 4 pieces, 20 Ringgit.

Walking along the river promenade was terrific. CyberCity & City Laundry near the hotel were great! We enjoyed the services of Borneo Adventures on our overnight longhouse visit; overall, they delivered!

We moved around with a rented car and were attending the Rain Forest Music Festival. The excursion to Kubah National park was a good idea since we have only 3 full days to explore Kuching.

If you visit Kuching, you must visit Bako National Park. The boat ride there must be one of the most beautiful in the world. The thoughtful boat man slowed down every time he saw me reach for my camera so that I could take a better photograph.

Kuching has it all. A rich collection of good mainly chinese restaurants, cultural village & nice beaches nearby. Amazing nature parks not too far away, a beautiful waterfront and lots of things to explore within the city.

Recommended places to visit: Bako National Park, Semenggoh Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, Sarawak Cultural Village.

The Sarawak Cultural Village is worth every ringgit you spend to get there and to see it. the Matang Wildlife Sanctuary was a rather rundown compared to the last time I was there several years ago, with several signboards missing or broken. The river is still lovely and clean, though.... Downtown Kuching is a pleasure to explore. Make sure you do beyond the front row of river-facing shops, and you will find much better prices for some souvenir items. Oh, and if you want to buy Sarawak''s famous pepper, don''t buy those expensive little ''Sarah Spices'' packets. There''s a little old lady at a pepper dealer called ''Yeo Hong Chuang'' somewhere along that front row of shops. There you can find peppercorns in huge sacks, sold by weight at a fraction of the price of those little SS packets.

Miri is the nearest town in East Malaysia bordering Brunei Darussalam. From Miri town, travellers can go to oil-riched Brunei by road in less than 30 minutes. Places for shopping - Imperial Mall and Boulevard Mall.

Miri offers balance itinerary for those who wants to have a bit of everything that this Borneo site offer. A good drive to Niah cave follow by a dip in Lambir Waterfall should pretty much cober the eco-tourism part. After which, shopping in the town and dine in its hotel restaurant balance the urban side. I recommend shopping for traditional artifacts which really makes a good souvenirs and decoration for our home. I myself bought an infant carrier which was handmade by the Iban tribe. It costs only RM180 which is about $85 S''pore dollar.people are friendly but still must be wary when enjoying oneself in their disco.

A long bazaar opposite the waterfront were the only place we spent most, as our main purpose were to shop for Sarawakian crafts...they have so many choices of items here. TopSpot was a great place to dine on a range of seafood at reasonable price.

Kuching is a very peaceful and relaxing place. I enjoyed very much riverside walking at all time night and day. Sea side is a bit far (one hour by car) and beaches accessible only from hotels. Sarawak Cultural Village (Pantai Damai area) to be seen but a bit expensive (45 RM).

Try to dine at the Seegood Restaurant, just next to the hotel. The food is superb, and quite reasonably priced for a big portion. The service is also very fast.

Kuching is very easy to get around. There is a free shuttle bus for tourists which also makes things easy. We went to the Sarawak museum which is excellent. It''s a real mish-mash of artifacts, history, and biology. We walked back from the museum to the river front and eventually back to the Holiday Inn. We have 3 kids aged 3, 6 and 8 and they all walked the distance with little or no moaning. Nice play area on the riverfront. We also booked ourselves on a tour to the Oran-Utan sanctually and a log house. Excellent value, especially the Long house. We had the minivan and driver to ourselves and had a great time. You can hire a car very easily if you wish. Recommended restaurant : "The Steakhouse" in the Hilton is lovely. Upmarket, great for a nice dinner for 2, and wonderful pricing. Wins awards and gains commendations frequently.

Kuching was a wonderful laid-back city. The people are VERY friendly and the choice of restaurants and bars is extensive. There are lots of tours that leave from many of the hotels which allow you to explore the Borneo jungle and experience some of Sarawaks amazing wildlife. I would strongly recommend a stay at Bako National Park where you can sit and eat your lunch while watching monkeys frolic around and you can go on some great treks...the tour we booked from the Telang Usan Travel Agency provided us with a local guide who made the visit to Bako extra informative! I would also recommend a trip to Semongoh Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre. You can watch the orangutans being fed, and if you are very luck like we were...have an up-close and personal encounter.

We actually stayed longer than intended; we took in a longhouse trip which was very interesting. I can recommend Borneo Inbound Tours; their staff seem very knowledgable and they are not as expensive as some of the other tour companies. Kuching is a beautiful place, the waterfront is really attractive and relatively clean compared to other cities in Malaysia. There is a vast choice of restaurants from budget to (relatively inexpensive) top end ''bistros'' offering excellent food. There are some good coffee bars too as well as plenty of lively bars. All in all, Kuching is a relaxed and harmonious place, we loved it and may very well return there.

You have to go to the Semanggoh Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, it is amazing!! Thanks to the hotel staff for arranging an all-in-tour.

Quite nice and relaxing location, with a lot of selections to keep you going for at least a week. Astonishing nature and calm environment in contrast to the fuzziness of KL. Highlights: Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Center (at feeding time), Baku (proboskis monkeys) National Park (worth staying overnight as well), Longhouse visit (worth spending a night, under difficult conditions though), Crocodile Farm (at feeding time only!), Sarawak Cultural village(+Damai beach), Sarawak Museum, Gunung Gading Park (preferably if you are lucky to visit the park at the rafflesia blooming period).

For first time visitors in Kuching and Sarawak, a visit to the Sarawak Museum and the Cultural Village should be on the top of the list. The bazzaar is a heaven for souvenirs and relatively cheap. At the back of Crowne Plaza (infront of Holiday Inn) is a very good seafood restaurant.

Bako NP and Orang Utan rehabitation centre were worthwile day trips arranged from within the hotel. Try out the new Magenta restaurant.

I use the city tram tour which is provided by Sarawak Tourism Board to get around Kuching town. It is free provided you get a sticker from the hotel or Tourism offices. For those who really into shopping - India Street and Main Bazaar are the two places that should not be missed. I also went to Damai to visit Sarawak Cultural Village. Excellent alternative for those who do not have time to go to longhouses. I must say, the performance by the dancers at the Sarawak Cultural Village is superb. For those who are into ethnic rhythm - check out their CD - Tumu'' Kame'', you will not regret it.