Promoting authentic Sarawak dishes

KUCHING: Damai Beach Resort and Sarawak Cultural Village recently launched their Sarawak Authentic Cuisine Promotion.

It aims to promote authentic Sarawak cuisine to local and foreign guests. Assistant Minister of Tourism Datuk Talib Zulpilip launched the promotion at the resort’s Treez Restaurant.

“Sarawak boasts a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society. This rich diversity is also reflected in the cuisine of the state,” said Talib, who is also Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) chairman.

“Eating out is an experience; here, you will find varieties of eateries that range from deluxe and exquisite restaurants to roadside and hawker stalls.”

Meanwhile, Damai Beach Resort resort manager Zulkifli Othman said the resort had always striven to preserveSarawak’s heritage in its everyday operations.

“From details such as room decor and lobby layout, to our recreational activities and even resort signage, this preservation of ethnicity is one of our strongest selling points.

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Damai Beach Resort plans ‘ballroom by the sea’

Kuching’s Damai Beach Resort will soon begin its RM4.9 million refurbishment plan which will see it coming up with the country’s first “ballroom by the sea”.

The 25-year old beachfront resort, nestled at the foothills of Sarawak’s famed Mount Santubong, will also undertake the refurbishment of its rooms, main coffee house, kitchen, as well as its central lobby areas under the plan.

“We are aiming to get it all ready before next year July’s Rainforest World Music Festival here although the refurbishment of rooms is expected to be completed even earlier by October this year,” said Damai Beach Resort’ Director of Business Development Caroline Yeo.

The ballroom which will feature long, glass windows, giving the impression of being in the ‘middle of the sea’ to patrons, will be able to seat 700 people theatre-style and 500 people dinner-style, Yeo told journalists from Peninsular Malaysia on a familiarisation trip to Kuching organised by the Sarawak Convention Bureau recently.

Plans for the ballroom had been submitted and some revisions are being made for improvement in various areas, she said.

The hotel will also retain much of the natural flora and fauna around the beach area when building the ballroom.

“We do not cut any trees unless it is really necessary,” Yeo said.

The Damai beach resort is just five minutes’ walk from the Sarawak Cultural Centre which is the grounds for the annual Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival.

Also only 35 minutes away from Kuching town, the resort is a major ‘place to stay’ during the event which brings both artistes and music lovers from around the globe to this part of the world to celebrate the diversity of music and sounds amid the lush rainforest settings.

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Mount Santubong Climbathon to be an annual event

KUCHING: The Commission of Kuching City North (DBKU) has decided to make the ‘Santubong Mountain Climbathon’ an annual event starting this year due to overwhelming response.

Kuching North Mayor Mohamad Atei Abang Medaan announced this at the prize-giving ceremony of this year’s Climbathon held at Damai Beach Resort yesterday.

More than 500 people took part in three-category event.

Mohd Atei said he looked forward to closer cooperation from tourism players so that the event could be promoted to attract international participation. A brand name like Santubong could be a tourist product to be included in the state tourism calendar, he added.

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Sarawak Flip Flops beach fest strikes right chord with party-goers

SATURDAY night at Damai Puri Resort and Spa was certainly a night to remember, as over a thousand revellers and party-goers converged on the resort to attend the Flip Flops Beach Carnival Kuching 2011.

People began to arrive as early as 9am to experience the other rides and activities the carnival had to offer, but what they were really looking forward to was the rave party which began at 8pm.

Sponsored by BarZing Boutique Club along with the resort, and organised by Events Horizon, a host of international deejays were flown in from countries such as Indonesia, Italy, Australia and the US to perform at the fest.

Stage lights and sound systems began to flare, signaling the start of the party.

DJ Boyguth from BarZing, Kuching was first to get the party started as he opened for DJ Co2an from Melbourne, who really got the crowd going despite the heavy rain.

Many of the attendees who were gathering on the grounds began to disperse when the rain started but as it gradually became a drizzle, the crowd swelled to the thousands.

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Sarawak resorts and homestay programme can increase tourist revenue

SANTUBONG, Damai and Buntal are already famous for their resorts and have the potential to be developed further to bring in the tourist dollars.

Since 2006, 11 people from Kampung Buntal have entered a homestay programme but many still are in the dark as to the existence of this homestay.

“There are many tourist attractions here but we cannot promote it thoroughly,” said Junaidi Buyok, the new chairman of Kampung Buntal Homestay.

He explained that in 2006, 20 people had taken the homestay programme course but only 11 from this village had been chosen to take part in the programme led by Junaidi’s late wife Rosnani Rosli as the chairperson. Rosnani died in a road accident in August this year.

He said the programme was under Community Development Department (Kemas) until 2007 but now it is placed under State Tourism Ministry.

According to Junaidi, an allocation of RM5,000 had been distributed to the 11 participants to upgrade the toilet facilities in their respective houses in Kampung Buntal.

Besides that, Malaysian Fisheries Development Board (LKIM) had also helped this programme by promoting handicrafts, seafood products and its by-products like ‘keropok lekor’ Sarawak, ‘belacan’ (fish and prawn paste) and also salted fish to sell to tourists during the Kampung Buntal Agrotourism Fest and World Rainforest Music Festival last July.

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Peace and tranquillity at Damai Puri Resort, Sarawak

True to its name, Damai Puri Resort in Sarawak is where tranquillity reigns. Jitter bugs, chill out.

The brochure promised tranquillity in Borneo. And they were not kidding.

I’m not one to lie back and relax during a trip. What, laze around the pool or the beach? Have a snooze-in or watch TV? Are you kidding me? I’m going to get my money’s worth and spend every minute doing touristy things, buying touristy stuff and eating touristy food. Most, if not all, of the time.

But I heartily embraced the peace and tranquility that Damai Puri Resort & Spa promised over the three-day Merdeka weekend last month. I really looked forward to it because 1) it’s 45 minutes away from my favourite city in Malaysia, Kuching, 2) it’s located along Damai Beach with its famed backdrop of Gunung Santubong.

The pretty private stretch of beach fronting the hotel is just the right size. Not too small that you feel crowded out and not too big that it gives you that oh-my-gosh-I-ain’t-gonna-walk-it feeling even before you set out. It’s a bit rocky on both sides but that gives the beach a certain charm.

What greets you on arrival is the hotel’s majestic entrance, followed by a floor-to-ceiling glass wall a little away from the reception area which looks out to the sand and sea and mountains beyond. It’s breath-taking, and I mean that literally!

I spent a lot of time just sitting on the comfy sofas soaking in the awesome views; also on the deck chairs, in front of the delightful Infinity Pool reading a book, sipping a cocktail, pretending to soak in the sun (a very hot one) and glancing up ever so often to absorb the view.

I was promised a glorious sunset but the point where the sun dipped into the ocean was blocked off by trees and the walls of another development. Bother. Still, the horizon was a glorious burst of colour fit for a painting.

From the resort, you can make out Satang Island, also popularly known as Turtle Island because it’s a nesting site for the green turtles that come ashore to lay eggs between April and October. The island also boasts a beautiful white sandy beach. And the sea around it is rich in corals and perfect for snorkelling. If you are so inclined, the hotel can arrange for a trip out and perhaps even a picnic.

Back to the resort. On the opposite side of the grounds, there is a pool meant for the kiddies. Next to it is the recreation centre, where you can get set up for canoeing. General manager Peter Ng said that pretty soon they would be offering scuba-diving at nearby “secret” locations where the wrecks of British and Japanese World War II ships have recently been found.

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