About Sarawak accommodation

Sarawak is Malaysia's biggest state, and it plays big. Borneo's rainforest runs right up to the edge of Kuching, wild proboscis monkeys live along a coastline of sea stacks at Bako, and millions of bats spiral out of a single cave every evening at Gunung Mulu. Even the capital has its own personality. Kuching means cat in Malay, and the city has leaned all the way into it with cat statues on nearly every corner.

Whatever brings you here, caving, wildlife, or a proper bowl of Sarawak laksa by the river, there's a stay to match. Options run from waterfront hotels in the city to jungle lodges built right at the park gates. Here's how to pick the right base.

Where should you stay in Sarawak?

• Kuching Waterfront and City Centre: Sarawak's capital and the best all-round base. Riverside dining, the cat statue trail through Padungan, and an easy day trip out to Bako.
• Damai and Santubong: Beach resorts tucked under Mount Santubong, about 40 minutes from Kuching. The easiest way to pair a beach stay with a Bako day trip without staying inside the park.
• Miri: A coastal city in the state's north and the real gateway for flights into Gunung Mulu National Park. Worth a night either side of your Mulu trip if flights don't line up.
• Inside Gunung Mulu National Park: The only way to wake up next to the caves, with the bat exodus visible most evenings from the park itself. Rooms here book out fast in peak season.

How much is Sarawak accommodation?

A comfortable room in Kuching averages around AU$70 a night, and it climbs from there the closer you get to the waterfront or the more remote the location.

• Budget stays: From AU$15 per night. Simple guesthouses around Kuching's old town and Chinatown, an easy walk to the waterfront.
• Mid-range hotels: From AU$45 per night. City-centre comfort with a pool, usually a short stroll from the cat statues.
• Riverside hotels: From AU$90 per night. Waterfront rooms with proper Sarawak River views.
• Luxury resorts and jungle lodges: From AU$180 per night. Beachfront pools at Damai, or a balcony looking straight onto Gunung Mulu's rainforest canopy.

What is Sarawak known for?

Your hotel is just the base. Here's what most visitors build the trip around.

• Deer Cave and the bat exodus (Gunung Mulu National Park): One of the world's largest cave passages, big enough to fit 40 jumbo jets inside. Every evening, millions of bats spill out in a spiralling ribbon that stretches across the rainforest. The whole park is UNESCO-listed.
• The Pinnacles (Gunung Mulu National Park): Razor-sharp limestone spikes rising 50 metres out of the jungle on Gunung Api. Reaching them is a proper multi-day trek, not a casual lookout stop.
• Proboscis monkeys and sea stacks (Bako National Park): Sarawak's oldest national park, and one of the easiest places on earth to spot the endangered proboscis monkey in the wild. Coastal trails wind past sandstone sea stacks carved out by the surf.
• Kuching, the Cat City: Kuching literally means cat, and the city has run with it. More than twenty cat statues sit along the waterfront and through Padungan, some dressed up for whatever festival is on that month.
• Sarawak laksa: Kuching's signature breakfast, a coconut and tamarind broth with shredded chicken, prawns, and egg strips over rice noodles. The late chef Anthony Bourdain once called it breakfast of the gods.
• Semenggoh Wildlife Centre: A semi-wild orangutan sanctuary about 24 kilometres from Kuching, set up in 1975 to rehabilitate orphaned and injured orangutans. Turn up for the morning or afternoon feeding time and there's a genuine chance of watching one swing in out of the forest canopy.

What are the best hotels in Sarawak?

• Hilton Kuching: Right on the Sarawak River in the city centre, with two pools and some of the best river views in town.
• Pullman Kuching: Sits atop The Hills shopping mall, a five-minute walk to the waterfront, with five dining options including its signature Puzzle restaurant.
• Puteri Wing, Riverside Majestic Hotel: Panoramic waterfront views next to the Riverside Shopping Complex, close to Fort Margherita and the Sarawak Museum.
• Damai Beach Resort: Ninety acres of coastline under Mount Santubong, with two pools and easy access to Bako and Kubah National Park.
• Mulu Marriott Resort & Spa: The only proper hotel inside Gunung Mulu National Park, with rooms looking over the Melinau River and a free shuttle timed to flights at Mulu Airport.

Tips for booking a stay in Sarawak

• Pick your base first: Kuching for the cat statues and easy day trips, Damai or Santubong for beach plus jungle, Miri or Mulu itself if the caves are the whole reason for the trip.
• Book Mulu months ahead: flights in run on small propeller planes with limited seats, and rooms near the park sell out fast in the June to September dry season.
• Filter for a pool and aircon: Sarawak's heat and humidity sit high year-round, and a decent pool matters more here than it might elsewhere.
• Choosing between Hilton and Pullman: Pullman generally has the more spacious rooms, Hilton the better river outlook. Pick based on what matters more to you.
• Start the day with Sarawak laksa: most Kuching hotels are a short walk from a stall serving it, and it beats a standard hotel breakfast.
• Plan Semenggoh around the feeding times: the morning and afternoon sessions are your best shot at a sighting, so build your Kuching day trips around those windows rather than the other way round.