Hotels near Cat Monument

“Kuching” means cat in Malay and become the name of the capital city of Sarawak. Some said the name comes from the Mata Kuching tree which used to flow through Kuching which is widely available in Malaysia and Indonesia. Some say, it is from the Chinese word “Cochin” which means port when Chinese traders were here back then. There is a hill called Bukit Mata Kuching which is thought to be named after this fruit. Known from a letter of a British woman which was written to her son, ‘Kuching’ is also said to be name after the Kuching River, a tidal stream that runs from Tua Pek kong Temple to Chinese History Museum and located at foot of the hill.

There are three main cat statues in the city centre. Firstly, the cat statue in front of Holiday Inn which has become the most photographed cat statue. This statue has the most cats with father and mother cat and seven kittens and this is the Kuching North City Council statue. The second monument is near SOHO at Jalan Pandungan where there are four white cats, and there are rafflesia flowers on the top of the pole. The third and the biggest are the Kuching South City Council cat statue and also known as the Great Cat of Kuching. This tall statue was created by local artist Yong Kee Yet and often dressed up for festivals such as in santa outfit during Christmas day and red Chinese shirt during Chinese New Year celebration.

Tourist Attractions

Cat Museum

The World’s first Cat Museum is located at Petra Jaya in the Kuching City North City Hall and only 10 kilometres or 20 minutes away from Cat Monument. It has four galleries covering a total area of 1,035 square metres. Cat lovers will find a range of 2000 exhibits, photos, feline art and cat souvenirs, artifacts, statues about cats from all over the world. The responsibilities of the Cat Museum are to carry out research, collection, presentation, documentation, promotion, publication, education and awareness of historical heritage, cultures and the natural environment. There is also an Egyptian mummified cat as one of the exhibits in the museum. A fee of RM3 is charged for camera and RM5 for a video camera available here.

Mount Santubong treks

Mount Santubong is a mountain which located about 35 kilometres north of the state capital Kuching town. It only takes only about 45 minutes to reach from the city centre and it takes around 40 minutes to reach here from Cat Monument by using Sultan Tengah road. The Santubong area is one of the best places in Sarawak to see the rare Irrawaddy dolphin, finless porpoises and Indo-pacific humpback dolphins are sighted in the waters off Santubong. There is a well-kept Malay village at the foot of Mount Santubong. For precautions and comfort, you should wear a pair of walking shoes with good grip and bring at least large bottles of drinking water per person to keep you hydrated during trekking.

Bako National Park

Bako contains a wide range of vegetation, swamp forest, scrub-like padang vegetation, mangrove forest, dipterocarp forest and other vegetation. Bako also contains a rich variety of wildlife such as long-tailed macaque monkeys, wild boar, lizards and silver leaf monkeys and a coastline covered with small bays and beach. There are also the rare and unusual proboscis monkeys on trails such as Telok Paku and Telok Delima and Bako’s nocturnal creatures also include the flying lemur, pangolin, mouse deer, various bats, tarsier, slow loris and palm civet. If you take a night walk through the forest near the park, you may catch sight of some these creatures, as well as spiders , glow worms and fireflies that shine when a flashlight is played on them. From Cat Monument at Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, it takes approximately around 35 minutes to reach here by using Bako road.

Hotels

Grand Margherita Hotel

Grand Margherita Hotel is Sarawak's first international hotel and situated near Kuching Waterfront and also a minute away of Cat Monument and 20 minutes away from Kuching International Airport. There are also places nearby such as Chinese Museum, Tua Pek Kong Chinese Temple, Fort Margherita and souvenir bargaining hot spot, Reservoir Park or The Amphitheatre as well as you can visit the Sarawak Museum. This hotel offers 288 comfortable rooms and all the kitchens here are certified Halal. You can enjoy a comfortable and luxurious stay here and soak up some sun by the hotel's swimming pool. There is a spa for you to unwind and relax and many other facilities such as business centre, gym and services like free WiFi access, housekeeping, laundry and many more.

Riverside Majestic Hotel

Riverside Majestic Hotel offers views of Kuching Waterfront and Cat Monument and it is just 20 minutes away from Kuching International Airport. Offering rooms with free Wi-Fi, the hotel has an outdoor pool and 4 dining options as well as squash and tennis court, cardio exercise room and services like free Wifi, babysitting and laundry service. Riverside Majestic Hotel is strategically located in the heart of Kuching's business, entertainment, dining and shopping district. Besides that, there are also meeting suites where they are an ideal space for family and business needs.