Damai Beach July 08 Two families with children in their teens and twenties. We had a wonderful time at Damai Beach and close by, as well as making many trips into Kuching. The friendly service and warm gentle welcome of the staff was terrific. The food was excellent, particularly at the Treez restaurant, which is on site. We wanted to use the gym earlier than the scheluded opening time. No problem, it was opened. All trips could be organised at the resort, whcih we don't usually do, but it was reasonably priced and the drivers were reliable and a great help. We visited Bako National Park, saw orang utans at Semmongog, walked to the Cultural Village and spent a day waliking around the beautiful city of Kuching. We took a sampan and toured the river of Kuching and bought great souvenirs nearby. Many of the beautiful lold buildings remain and the government buildings under constuction are truly amazing. A highlight for those who like something truly bizarre is the Cat Museum, which is room after room devoted to all things cat.

Stayed 4 nights in May 08 for a short family break with 2 preteen children on a Baruk Suite on the hillside wing. Resort has a tag line: 4 star resort with 5 star aspirations - which is about right as a description at a little push. Booked directly with the hotel - reservations efficient and friendly and good value for money rates about US$150 per night with 2 breakfast. Children's breakfast extra. Took over 1 hour in a taxi (US$15) in heavy traffic to get from Kuching airport to resort and just under an hour on the return (US$20). Had requested 2 queen beds which was not available due to airconditioning problem in assigned suite. They were clued onto the fact we are a family of 4 and had a replacement suite with king bed and 2 extra singles. Not a comfortable solution for the kids as the extra beds were creaky eventhough mattresses are thick. Check in otherwise efficient. The Baruk suites are a unique ethnically based design - 2 storey individual roundhouses with 20 foot high conical ceiling perched along a clifftop with absolutely stunning views overlooking the bay and forest-covered Mt Santubong in the foreground. The layout of the suite with its large patio doors means the views can be had whilst lying in bed - brilliant! Room size is good and the bathroom has Jacuzzi and separate shower cubicle. Downstairs is an open area with a deck chair, a couple chairs and small table and bar counter with sink etc. We did not use this area at all as frankly the view is much better from the balcony upstairs and the bar counter furnishings has seen better days. Overall the Baruk suite is very good indeed. There is currently a programme of reroofing the 10 suites in stages over the next several months. The resort has 2 wings - beach and hilltop. There are 187 steps (yes we counted) up from the beach area. Good for us as we needed the exercise - an efficient shuttle service is available. 2 pools - beach and hill top. The hilltop pool is underused and views are good from the adjacent terrace. Staff were polite and helpful when approached but not always proactive and attentive particularly at the food outlets. Food delivery can be slow even when not busy. Food range is fairly limited - in the main restaurant the local food is significantly better than the western offerings. Treez restaurant open only in the evening served decent local food too. The poolside outlet at the hilltop served pretty ok sandwiches and salads. Did not try the beachfront seafood restaurant. Prices generally good (main courses US$4-11), US$1.5 for a 1.5l of local mineral water etc) and good portions for a Malaysian resort and particularly decent given the hotel is isolated with a captive market. Did not try any off resort seafood restaurants that other reviews have mentioned - we were ok with the food choices over the 4 night stay. Beachfront services like manicures, massages also seemed well priced. Gym equipment is pretty limited - a couple of treadmills, bikes and a few other bits and bobs. Kids club looked ok. Usual facilities like canoes, table tennis, tennis, squash, beach volleyball, basketball hoop etc are available but mostly underused. Local tours available from travel agency onsite. No night life/entertainment at all except for a couple of entertainers with guitar and violin doing the rounds of the restaurants/bar in the evening. Private beach is clean with soft sand stretching along the 400m (at a guess) bay with clear, calm water (dry season). Resort decently maintained with refurbishment onging in stages (e.g. Baruk suites, hilltop rooms). Refurbishing activities contained and not disturbing There is a wide choice of rooms ranging from single storey seafront chalets (in clusters of 3), rooms in 2 storey blocks and various suites (executive suite is nearest the beach with a balcony immediately overlooking the beach, family suites with downstairs children bunk beds and upstairs king bed, long house suites of parlour and bedroom on the hillstop 2 storey blocks and of course the Baruk suites). Malay suites are not available according to the resort (they are perched even further up the hillside and accessible via stairs only - impractical unless you are real fit). Something for everyone depending on beach or view preferences. The nearby Sarawak cultural village is worth a visit for a couple hours of exploration. For those wanting a quiet, restful, beach resort set in a beautiful natural surroundings with good recreational facilities, decently priced food and friendly staff - Damai Beach is an excellent choice. We will be back ourselves.

Despite the name, the Damai Beach Resort is no longer a Holiday Inn; it changed hands in April 2008. The facilities are actually pretty good; decent sized pool, main restaurant with indoor/outdoor seating, "Fishermans Catch" restaurant, and Trees restaurant up on the hill. Lovely beach, with soft white sand, and a dramatic mountainside rearing up behind the hotel, covered in rainforest trees. Rooms were OK, not first class, but pretty good, with tea and coffee making facilities available. The problem that Damai Beach has since it changed hands is in regard to the staff - I think a lot of them have changed as well, and they still need a lot of training to recognise that the guests are also customers of the hotel. We tried the Fishermans Catch restaurant - excellent food, by the way - and service was OK. On the second night, we tried the main restaurant - what a mistake...limited menu, and the slowest staff we've ever seen, far more interested in talking amongst themselves than service. We waited about half an hour to get a beer and a cola, and when we questioned the time, we were informed that they were "very busy". Given that the occupancy rates can't have been more than about 20%, this was laughable. During our whole stay there, we only saw about 30 other guests. There is a swim-up bar, but again, service lets it down - we sat there for about 30 minutes, and saw no staff at all - lost sales for the hotel, and a bad impression for the guests. My advice is complain - we complained about the service, and the following morning the food bill from the main restaurant was waived, and the restaurant manager came and spoke to us at length about how he would try and improve things. I hope he does, because it could have been a very nice resort. Generally, the place could do with some refurbishment; some of it looks a bit tired (buildings and gardens), but it has great potential, and I hope they get it together.

Damai Beach is a great family resort. Good service, lovely location and an accommodating hotel. The pool and beach are surrounded by high forest-covered peaks. It's a bit of a distance out of central Kuching, about a half an hour from town by taxi / shuttle. When you go to town it's a very appealing place. A charming waterfront, Chinatown, and some decent shopping make for a lively interlude. Fundamentally though, Damai Beach is a resort that's perfect if you want to pool-blob, have a cocktail and lie on a lounger with a good book. Everything was very, very nice about the place. Good-sized pool, fine food and super service. Nearby is the fabulous Sarawak Cultural Village which is absolutely superb and well worth a day's excursion. The food is quite good. Very highly recommended.