Batang Ai National Park is located in Lubok Antu near Sri Aman (about
250 km from Kuching). The area consists of a tropical rainforest and a
hydroelectric dam with a reservoir measuring 24 square kilometers, making
it the largest artificial lake in Sarawak.
Hilton operates a 5-star
longhouse resort at the park. The resort is only accessible by boat and
Hilton provides a shuttle service departing Kuching at 8 am in the
morning. It must be booked 24 hours in advance and the trip takes about 4
hours. It is possible to sleep on the air-conditioned shuttle van
depending on your fatigue levels and benzodiazepine plasma concentrations.
😉
It should be noted that the shuttle van is not free even if you have
a hotel booking at Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort. The shuttle service
costs RM 175 per person for a return trip from Hilton in Kuching to the
jetty at Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort. This is not mentioned on the
website except in the Fine Print (TM) which says a service charge may be
applicable. There was one other Canadian woman traveling with us and she
was charged twice for the shuttle despite having canceled her travel
companion’s booking.
The shuttle trip for the both of us cost RM 350
return trip, which is more expensive than the night’s stay at the Hilton
Batang Ai Longhouse Resort itself. That said, the driver was very friendly
and accommodating and the van shuttle service itself is quite comfortable.
I was told that the shuttle is not run by Hilton management but outsourced
to Borneo Adventures. It is possible to take a regular bus to Lubok Antu
and then a taxi to the Batang Ai jetty for people on a shoestring
budget.
There is a scheduled stop at Lachau – the
midway point between Kuching and Batang Ai. It’s a small and sleepy town
with shops selling knick knacks and traditional Iban art to tourists.
There are also several coffee shops for lunch and a beer if you’re feeling
hungry. The shuttle stops here for 45 minutes and you can take this opportunity to void your bladder should you be inclined. The next stop
will be 2 hours away at the Batang Ai Jetty.
The 20 minute boat ride to
Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort is free and departs at regular
intervals. I recommend taking the 12:15 pm boat to the resort to make the
1 pm check in time. There is a waiting area at the jetty with washroom
facilities.
The boat ride takes about 20 minutes to arrive
at the Hilton Batang Ai Resort. The wind factor can be a little intense as is shown on Phoenix’s features. It literally distorted the identifying characteristics of her face. I’m still not sure why it didn’t happen to the rest of us though…
The lake is tranquil and peaceful and
provides a nice setting for the upcoming R&R you can expect at the
Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort.
There is also an upper deck to sit on
if you don’t mind the noon sun.
Thats a bloody rip off for the transportation. Like your sunglass and shirt, what brand is it?
Never been there cos l’m not a nature guy and l prefer cool places. Btw, HB, u look very happy, smiling gleefully from ear to ear in almost every pic. Dat’s gud! Very gud! And u’re definitely not fat, unlike in a photo of u l saw in sumbody’s blog! This is just nice. Am sure chicks love a bit of meat…ummm l mean, flesh…argh! Whatever lah! Nice and cuddly! I’m sure they dont want a pack of bones! LOL!
Do you know what the logistics of driving your own car up is? Is there some sort of safe parking? Is petrol going to cost much more than the transport service? Sorry, just curious. I’d like to go there one day. Are you on any sedatives or anxiolytics? Just curious, ye know. You don’t have to answer 🙂
too expensive. driving your Vios there cost you half that price..
damn far! ok, now show us the resort! 🙂
Holy Hell! Yar, at this point I would do anything for some island R&R…..hey cool on that tatt-video-recording idea….I need to figure out my shit and see if I know what I want by then!
It’s absurd man! RM350 for a shuttle service per pax?! I would have rented a 4×4 or even a decent 2.0 sedan. How would you rate this place overall? Worth every penny?
Phoenix is Faye. And Faye is Phoenix.
Phoenix wears the same watch Faye has on several previous photographs. Same sunglasses, too.
What are you hiding it for?
Roland: Yeah, I was surprised at the expensive transport too. But it’s not Hilton’s fault though, they outsource the shuttle to a local tour company.
The shirt is from Tropicana Life, a local streetwear label with an outlet in Mid Valley Megamall, probably around RM 89.90. The sunglasses are DKNY’s. It belongs to Phoenix.
suituapui: You don’t have to be a nature person to go there. It’s fun and relaxing. It’s in the middle of the jungle surrounded by a lake and the only way in or out is by boat. It’s very private. I know you’re married, you can go with someone other than your wife perhaps? 😉
The resort has air-conditioned rooms and it’s at an elavated surface surrounded by lakes so there’s a breeze coming in that’s actually quite cooling.
Yeah, it’s a very chilled vacation away from Sibu. I kinda like rural resorts. That’s probably why I look happ(ier) than usual. 🙂
What photo of me on someone else’s blog? Did I take that photo or did the blogger? I don’t mind at all but would be interested to see just now fat I actually look since I weighted 85 kg at one point.
JW: Yeah, it depends on whether you’re driving from Sibu or from Kuching. The route is shorter if you drive from Sibu, which was the original plan before it was scrapped. Driving has its own set of problems, namely fatigue (and more importantly) driving while intoxicated. 😉
The petrol is definately not going to cost more than a single person’s journey (depends on what car you drive) but for my Toyota VIOS, I can get to Kuching from Sibu on a full tank (about RM 80) with still gas to spare when I reach there. That’s a 1.5 liter car though, YMMV depending on your car.
Parking is available at Hilton Batang Ai Resort jetty. It should be safe (since there’s an outpost there and the gate is locked at night) but it’s unshaded so you basically park in the open. It’s not an issue if you’re just be parking there for a couple of days though.
As for the answer to the last question, for the duration of this trip, I was feeling kinda Xany and Exhilarated (the hypnotic). 😉
fred: Yeah, I know…but I wanted to go to Kuching first and I didn’t want to drive to Kuching. It’s okay to drive there but driving back would be torture considering you’re sleep deprived and probably hung over…
Prime conditions for an accident.
essentric: Coming right up this Saturday. I’ve got three more posts to clear today. 🙂
Skwermy: Great! We’ll get one together and video each other. I’ll think of a design I want in the meantime too. 🙂
Anak Pak Lah: The shuttle was very expensive, so I wouldn’t recommend that. Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort on the other hand is worth every single penny. Highly recommended! It’s a very private and chilled out place. Excellant weekend retreat for lovers.
Faye: *sigh*
It’s not the same person. I can explain the watch bit, I saw Faye with it and thought it looked nice so I got the same watch for Phoenix. I don’t think they have the same sunglasses. Think of the logic mate, for all practical purposes, it can be safely assumed that I am sleeping with Faye. Ergo, I would disclose the identity of Phoenix if it is indeed Faye. Problem is, it’s not her.
…and Phoenix doesn’t want to be identified in the resort photos for very practical reasons – it’s work related. She cannot be seen as being too close to someone like me (even though that’s in the past). That’s already a hint as to what kind of line she’s working in. 🙂
Indeed they do have the same sunglasses. Seen it before…
Gather a group more than 8, book from a tour agent and you get a whole trip (from Kuching, transport + hotel(2/room) + morning breakfast x 2, 2D1N) covered under RM350. Been there for 5 times and looking forward more. Excellent place to relax.
heard from irene you were in town bro. it would have been good to meet up and all that but i was half way there downing langkau down at the village. good to know youre all good bro. you da man!
been there once, when i was a kid, on a school trip . can’t remember much details from the trip, just the reservoir, blue water.. very nice and relaxing scenery haha!
U can try to use this link:
http://wuching.com/?p=8
to see your photo. I think it’s in early 2007…and gosh! U look SO different! ROTFLMAO!! Sorry!
eh. looks pretty nice! might wanna book a room there for myself and a companion, can you let me know the rates or something?
Dude, I encourage every Sixthseal.com fans to just accept Phoenix as Phoenix.
Haha… Phoenix doesn’t name for no reason. It is a legendary bird. So everywhere she flies, the wings just swirl up tornado-like wind.
Am I making sense? Whatever. LOL
Can you go with your own transport? Just curious. I am planning to do a driving around Borneo trip when I get a chance.
al’sera: Really? I thought that was just a popular sunglass design. I’ll check with Faye and see what kind of sunglasses she has.
mocky: That’s a great price, inclusive of breakfast and transport! I’m planning to go to Pelagus resort next, any good ideas on what tour packages to take for a cheaper rate? If I book straight from Regency, I would have to pay around RM 600++ for a night’s stay non-inclusive of transport.
dave: Hey David! It’s good to hear from you again. I have missed the intelligent conversations (?) we had back in Luconia. We must hook up next time I’m in Kuching. It’s gonna be next month. 🙂
bongkersz: Yeah, I think I went there too when I was a kid and I forgot all about it. The amazing thing is how well the Hilton resort is preserved despite the time that has passed.
suituapui: OMG! I don’t even remember taking that photos. Even worse, I don’t remember ever having met Wuching! (Sorry Wuching, I was on a lot of drugs at that time).
That’s kinda scary when you come to think about it – to totally not have any recollection of the incident. Oh well, it happens a lot to me when I take certain benzos and drug combos. I was still using a lot when that photo was taken. I think I was still with the ICU nurse at that time so it’s probably benzos and opiates.
…and mate, that’s nothing. I’ll show you a photo of me from rehab soon. Will post it up. It’s scary, I’m at least twice that size (the face) when I’m 85 kg.
Irene: It’s a nice place to chill with a companion. The rates we got are RM 249 for the queen longhouse style. That’s the rate for just the room, you can opt for buffet breakfast and dinner packages as well (add about RM 100) which works out to be cheaper since if you order a la carte, you’ll be spending more than that (our bill came up to RM 250 for food and drinks).
However, the buffet stuff they serve is good though, but not as good as the a la carte menu if you want a traditional Iban cuisine experience, which was what we wanted.
e: Thanks, Eddie! 🙂
fish fish: Yup, it’s possible to drive there (not the entire journey, the resort is only accessible by boat). You can drive from Kuching and then park at the outpost (where all the other people park). The Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort itself is only accessible by boat though so you’ll have to leave your car there for the duration. It should be safe though since the gate is locked at night and Hilton maintains a skeleton crew at the jetty side.