Where to Stay in Kuching (Sarawak)
Part of the Kuching (Sarawak) travel guide — see every topic in All Kuching (Sarawak) Guides.
Kuching is small, so where you stay matters less than in most cities — but the old town is clearly the right answer for a short visit. It puts the waterfront, the museums, Chinatown and the food within walking distance, which is unusual in Malaysia and is most of what makes Kuching pleasant. Damai, forty minutes out under Mount Santubong, is the beach alternative. Prices across the board run below peninsular Malaysia for the same standard.
The old town
Around Main Bazaar, Carpenter Street and the waterfront: heritage shophouses converted into design hostels and small hotels, plus several larger riverside properties with balconies over the water. Hostels 35–80 ringgit, boutique hotels 120–350, riverside four-stars 250–600. Everything is walkable, the food is on the doorstep, and the waterfront is a two-minute walk. This is where to be for a two-to-four-day visit and there is no real argument against it.
Damai and Santubong
Forty minutes north-west, at the foot of Mount Santubong, with beaches, resorts, a golf course and the Sarawak Cultural Village. Resorts run 250–700 ringgit. It suits a beach-and-nature stay, families, and anyone attending the Rainforest World Music Festival — for which it books out months ahead and prices multiply. The trade-off is that you are forty minutes from the city's food and museums, and Kuching's food is one of the main reasons to be in Sarawak.
Inside the parks
Bako National Park has basic lodges and hostel beds at headquarters, bookable through Sarawak Forestry, from around 50–250 ringgit; they fill and need booking well ahead. Staying transforms a Bako visit, because the wildlife is active at dawn and dusk when the day trippers have gone. Kubah, Gunung Gading and Matang also have park accommodation. Longhouse homestays on the Lemanak, Skrang and at Annah Rais are booked as packages including transport and food.
Practicalities
Book far ahead for the Rainforest World Music Festival, Gawai in early June, and Chinese New Year. Park accommodation needs booking through Sarawak Forestry and is the item most likely to derail a plan. A tourism tax per room per night applies, plus service charge and tax. Air conditioning is worth having — Kuching is equatorial and humid year-round. And note that the old town is genuinely quiet at night, which is not true of most Malaysian city centres.
Where to Stay at a glance
| Best area | The old town — walkable to everything |
|---|---|
| Hostel / boutique / riverside | RM 35–80 / RM 120–350 / RM 250–600 |
| Beach option | Damai, under Mount Santubong — RM 250–700 |
| In the parks | Bako lodges RM 50–250 — book far ahead |
| Book early | Music festival, Gawai (1–2 June), Chinese New Year |
| Note | Cheaper than peninsular Malaysia for the same standard |