I currently am planning to be in Kuching 3 1/2 days in August. I want to see Semmenggoh, Sarawak Museum, stay overnight at Bako, and go on a Kuching Kayak trip if there is time.
I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to stay a day or two longer to relax at the Damai/Santubong Area? Is it worth cutting time somewhere else to do this? The beaches don't sound great, but places like the Permai Rainforest Resort or the new Damai Puri Resort (replacing the Holiday Inn Lagoon, I think) caught my attention.
Any opinions?
travelb
1
jafrocubic
Hey,
If you're going to be in Kuching for olnly 3 or 4 days, I would recomend going to Bako National Park or one of the many other parks close to Kuching. Bako is nice because it is easy to get to and it hosts a wide variety of different eco systems that can be found all over Borneo within a small and easily accessible area. Spend a few days there and just check it out. I passed through Kuching about a year ago with the intention of only staying for 3 or 4 days and stayed for over a month. It's a fantastic city with tons of cool stuff to do all around it. I highly suggest staying at the Singghasana Backpacker's Lodge. The owners (Don and Marina) and the manager (Richard) are some of the nicest people I've ever met and they have easily the nicest place I've ever stayed in over in Asia! Speaking from experience, I would factor in the possibility of staying in Kuching for much longer than you'd planned, if I were you.
2
julie_l
I guess it depends on what you're cutting out in order to give yourself extra time on the Damai peninsula. If you want to stay in one of the Resorts, the Holiday Inn Damai Beach is much better than the ex-Holiday Inn Damai Lagoon.
As for the Singghasana Backpacker's Lodge, I found it to be overpriced compared to other only slightly more expensive options (ie. you can stay in a 3-star hotel for about RM20 more per night if you book through a local travel agent), especially if there are two of you, though it is definitely the nicest 'cheap' option available.
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