Damai Puri Resort and Spa: Tropical Getaway

Been to Maui, Kauai, Waikiki, The North Shore Oahu, La Cote d'Azur, Santorini, Cabos San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan...

...but we North Americans seldom think of East Malaysia when we dream of romantic getaways with waves gently lapping endless white sand beaches and soothing ocean breezes...

Damai Puri Resort and Spa, located minutes outside Kuching, is such a retreat...

As you check-in...a glimpse of paradise

...step onto the veranda and feel the ocean breeze

...a private bay for Damai Puri Resort and Spa guests

...pan the horizon and experience tranquility

take a dip in one of the pools... 

..."red sky at night, sailors delight"

  

...corridor to the spa wing

...misty, blustery morning

...waves rolling onto the sandy beach

The resort is a sanctuary catering to your every need..

but should you decide to try some local cuisine...

Our host, Valentine took us to a seafood restaurant nearby the resort.  Built on stilts over the ocean, during the rainy season and high tides, patrons are willing to wade knee deep through the parking lot in order to feast on the delicacies offered...

The following photos do not do justice to the dishes we enjoyed...

fresh cockles in shell, sautéed in scallions and brown sauce

wild young ferns, "fiddlehead-like",
locally and daily harvested along the riverbanks

...sautéed with garlic and preserved bean curd

Sarawak black pepper braised chicken with local greens

Mud crabs stir fried in chilli sauce...

Hong Kong style fresh fish...
hand picked from a tank moments ago

simply steamed with ginger, soya, oil...
garnished with fresh cilantro and slivers of carrot

  What a delicious introduction to Sarawak style dining! 

Jungle trekking with a local guide is an activity available through the resort but unfortunately our schedule did not allow for it nor the Hawker's market adjacent to the Damai Puri. 

The Sarawak Cultural Centre is only a hop, skip and jump from the resort and is a "must see" if one wants to learn more about the fascinating indigenous cultures of Borneo.

Sarawak Cultural Centre is the venue for the
annual Rainforest World Music Festival,
an event attracting international musicians and attendees

...beautiful vistas

Malaysian folk dancing

...mundane foreigners...

Totem-like pole carvings by the indigenous people

Sarawak longboat

Mundain crossing over a bamboo trestle bridge

...courtesy request...

IGNORED

...typical interior of a traditional Borneo house

xylophone-like traditional instrument

  

stilted structures provided protection from predators

stilted longhouse...

...time to leave...

...this "Garden of Eden"

...Sarawakians are very, very courteous

Damai Puri is not a mundane destination, on the contrary,

it is a MUNDAIN destination...spectacular setting...great hospitality...highly recommended for a special getaway!