Kuching Getaway: A Short 4-Day Reset

Our flight to Kuching was in the morning, so we did a quick online check-in before heading to the airport. Since we had some time to spare, we stopped by the airport lounge. I have to say, Brunei's lounge is actually one of the better ones I've visited. The breakfast buffet spread was excellent and really suited my taste buds. We ended up spending quite a bit of time there before boarding our flight, which was only about an hour long.

Once we landed in Kuching, we headed straight to Harbour View Hotel near the Kuching Waterfront. After dropping our luggage at the concierge, we went for a walk around the area. There's a temple right in front of the hotel, though we didn't go inside. Instead, we visited the Chinese History Museum, which had free admission. It was interesting enough, though nothing particularly memorable.

My original plan for the first day was actually to get a massage. Along the way, we passed by the famous Cat Monument. To be honest, it's a little strange seeing it sitting right in the middle of a busy traffic junction. We also stopped at Sam's Ice Cream and tried their gula apong ice cream along with a cold brew coffee. The ice cream was excellent—I really enjoyed the gula apong flavour. The cold brew, however, was another story. It tasted quite sour, and I'm still not sure whether that's how it was supposed to taste.

We wandered into a sports shop afterwards, but I didn't end up buying anything. Looking around only confirmed that I still prefer Skechers for my footwear.

Hmm.. a bit too flashy for my age aye?

Unfortunately, the massage centre I initially wanted to visit was closed, so we decided to head for lunch at the famous 126 Laksa. The laksa itself was decent, but the dining experience wasn't particularly enjoyable. The place was hot, crowded, and quite uncomfortable.

On our way back, we managed to get a massage at Borneo Wellness Spa instead. They didn't offer spot massage treatments, which was slightly disappointing because that's usually what I prefer. I find targeted treatments provide firmer pressure and better relief compared to full-body sessions.

Later in the day, we visited Vivacity Megamall, one of the largest shopping malls in Kuching. My wife got her Chagee fix while I picked up a mug from Typo. Dinner was at Hai Di Lao, which my wife had been craving. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The service was top-notch, the ingredients were fresh, and the soup bases were excellent. We even got to watch the famous noodle-pulling performance. It was definitely on the expensive side, but that's pretty much expected with Hai Di Lao.

As if one dinner wasn't enough, I followed it up with a second round at Soru Yokohama Ramen. The ramen bowl was huge, and I appreciated the free-flow eggs. The truffle sushi was just average, but overall I enjoyed the meal.

The 'chasu' was absolutely delicious! Big slices!

The following morning, we had breakfast at Ted Lin Coffee. I really liked their butter coffee and toast. My wife ordered the ho fun, which was decent.

After breakfast, we headed over to the Borneo Cultures Museum. It was interesting, though not quite a must-see for me.

Next, we made our way to Commons on Carpenter Street for coffee and cake before stopping by Borneo Delight for a quick lunch. I ordered the mee sua, which was nice enough, but one of the standout meals of the trip actually came later at Ceylonese Restaurant. Their cheese naan was fantastic and easily one of my favourite foods from the trip.

The rest of the afternoon was spent taking a leisurely walk around the Kuching Waterfront, soaking in the atmosphere and enjoying the slower pace of the city.

On the third day, breakfast was at The Bagel Man. I had the Chipotle Chicken Bagel with blueberry cream cheese and paired it with a latte. Everything was excellent, and I can see why it's one of the more popular breakfast spots in Kuching.

After breakfast, we visited Chuggy's Water Park, one of the largest water parks in the area. Later that evening, we had dinner at Grandma's Restaurant and enjoyed their pakote. The day ended on a meaningful note as we attended the prayer meeting at Blessed Sarawak Church.

On our final day, we started with breakfast at Hong Hin Cafe. I had the colo mee pok while also trying their laksa and mee sua. The colo mee was definitely the highlight for me.

Before heading back, we made one last stop at Mon's Bakehouse for cakes and an orange espresso drink. We also picked up some souvenirs, including layer cakes and perfumes from Lab 13. Our final meal in Kuching was fried rice at Oriental Cafe, which was perfectly fine, though nothing particularly special.

And just like that, our four-day Kuching getaway came to an end.

It wasn't an action-packed holiday, nor was it filled with famous attractions. Instead, it was a simple trip filled with good food, coffee, a bit of shopping, some sightseeing, and quality time together. Sometimes that's all you need—a short escape to slow down, recharge, and come back feeling refreshed.

Kuching may not be flashy, but for a relaxing reset, it delivered exactly what we needed.