we are off to Borneo ........

last weekend we decided to spend a couple of days over in Kuching, Malaysia. 

Kuching, officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia.

We booked on AirAsia as they had one of their 'deals' going that included the hotel accommodation and airfares. If booking any flights thru AirAsia just be aware of the small 'hidden' charges like baggage weight, choosing ones seat etc. Though this would apply to all 'budget airlines'. The AirAsia staff, both at the airport and on board were excellent. Always polite and smiling!!

The airfares, airport transfer and two nights in the Pullman Kuching Hotel was - in total - $590.00 SGD. Which we considered reasonable for the two of us.

We arrived at Changi Airport by 3.30pm on Friday and went straight to the Rainforest Lounge area where we booked in for the next couple of hours while we waited for our flight. While there John had a refreshing shower, a late lunch and coffee before boarding our flight at 5.15pm for Kuching.

The flight was via a budget airline (AirAsia) and as we expected, the seating was a little cramped, but being such a short trip of only one hour and 20 minutes, it was not an issue.

Kuching airport was a nice surprise and we were through customs and immigration quickly and efficiently. We soon came through the exit doors to see our driver patiently waiting to take us to the Pullman Kuching Hotel.

The Pullman is a 5 star hotel just 10 mins walk from the main waterfront along the Sarawak River in Kuching. We found it to be very convenient to everything we wanted to see and do while there. But have to add here that we have stayed in many 5 star resorts in the past and all of the hotels have the usual shampoo, shower gels, shoe shines etc .... but was pleasantly surprised to see a prayer mat, a bible, a yoga mat, exercise weights, scales etc in the room as well.

The staff at the Pullman were very attentive to our needs, from the cleaners to the reception desk, from the doorman to the waiters in the restaurants .... everyone was always cheerful and caring. The reception staff were always there to ask about our day, what we would like to do next, was our room comfortable etc.... I realise this is "their job' but not every hotel has such caring staff!

 The room we booked was just the standard basic double room, as we are out most of the time. The room at the hotel was clean and comfortable with a huge bathroom .... that is always a big plus in my book!!

We dined in the PUZZLE RESTAURANT that evening and it is advertised on the Pullman website as:

Puzzle, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant offers a relaxing indoor and al fresco dining experience while those whose who wish to dine in privacy can do so via that restaurant’s private room. At Puzzle, international dishes with a focus on Intra Asia Cuisine are available throughout breakfast, lunch and dinner. Guests can choose to enjoy their meals from the buffet line or simply order à la carte. A special ‘Chef’s Table’ is also available to whip up tantalising dishes to each guest’s desire.

 

 the next morning we had our buffet breakfast in this same restaurant and was one of the better buffets we have experienced for variety of food that was freshly prepared and cooked. I would loved to have taken many photos but was feeling rather conspicuous!!

The staff in this restaurant were very quick to attend to our needs, clear the table, to bring water or coffee and were pleasant at all times.

Another area we dined at in the hotel was the Cafe CH@t ... very relaxed, very 'summery' and the menu is quite extensive there too. The morning coffee or afternoon tea's were to die for as you can see by the following images.

 

but what surprised me while sitting there were the number of people that came up to the counter, looked in the display cabinets and then walked away ......  we did the same on the first evening there as we thought that was all they served. It was not till we actually sat down and read the menu that we realised that the cafe also served full meals and not just afternoon tea or light snacks!

We had lunch and dinner in this cafe on the Saturday and each meal was well served and enjoyable as seen in the following:

I now have a favourite drink ..... it is Lemon Grass with Ginger Fizz and you can see the image of this on the lower right in the above collage. It was deliciously refreshing!!

On the first morning staying at Kuching we did the Sememggoh Wildlife Centre Tour to see the Orangutan.  This was suggested by the reception staff at The Pullman and we were not disappointed as you will see in the next blog post on our Visit to Semmenggoh Wildlife Centre.

Thank you to everyone at The Pullman Kuching 

for making our stay so enjoyable!