Damai Beach & The Sarawak Cultural Village

  Santubong, Malaysia
Monday, August 6, 2007

What was most irritating about travelling from Bako to Santubong was that there was no direct bus there and we had to travel back into Kuching, walk from the bus terminal to Holiday Inn to catch a shuttle to Damai Beach.. which cost 10 ringgit.. shouldn't it be free for guests? Hmmm..

Holiday Inn Damai Beach

 
My first impression of the resort was not very good - the whole place gave a very 80s vibe, from the lobby building to the pool to the hotel buildings.. guess I was expecting more for the price.. However, the room did not disappoint.. was very big and spacious and aptly decorated complete with a lovely tub.. rub-a-dub-dub! Hee.. Beware though, their bath foam does not lather, so a bubble-bath is impossible unless you have your own bath gel.. lucky me huh..

Bubblemaker

 

Tranquility @ Damai Beach

Basking in the setting sun

 The beach at Damai is.. well, not too bad.. Though the sand is not particularly fine, it has a very relaxed atmosphere without the crowd and hawkers bugging you to buy trinklets or rent a jet-ski.. you can just chill and enjoy the peace and calm around you.. and the west-facing beach means you reward with a gorgeous sunset on a clear evening.. aah.. lovely!

Awesome scenery

There's a new(er) 'cliff-top' wing of the Holiday Inn with a fantastic view of the rest of the resort as well as the South China Sea.. complete with a nice, landscape swimming pool.. couldn't resist taking more pics.. hehe.. the rooms here seem to be much more luxurious too.. though it's a bit of hassle making our way here from our room, be it by shuttle or climbing an uneven and seemingly-not-too-safe stairway by the beach.. but staying at the cliff-top means far from the beach.. so it's a compromise I guess..

Pool with the view

A dip in the pool

Orang Ulu Longhouse

Apart from the excellent award-winning Sarawak Cultural Village, there seem to nothing else nearby - even the nearest settlement (Santubong village) is a good 4km walk away.. really a place to get away from it all.. But anyway, back to the Sarawak Cultural Village.. basically, it showcases the settlements of the 7 main ethnic groups in Sarawak.. complete with inhabitants performing daily/traditional tasks.. so the experience is as authentic as it gets.. no need for me to put up pictures of everything there cos u can get it at their official website.. but here's some of what I enjoyed.. like playing on the swing below the Malay hut and climbing up the harrowing steps of the Melanau hut.. hee.. As you can see, Imp was not so nimble.. hahaha!

Impressive Melanau tall house

Swinging good time

Fearless climber

Watch your step!!