Damai Beach is one of the most easily accessible public beaches in the vicinity of Kuching, located 34km from Kuching Waterfront.
The beach itself occupies a scenic bay on the Santubong Peninsula at the foot of majestic Mount Santubong. The bay is shared by the Damai Beach Resort (a hotel) and Damai Central which is a public multi-purpose complex with a food court, convenience store, toilets etc.
The bay is also home to the Sarawak Cultural Village, one of Sarawak's top tourist attractions.
On my most recent visit the beach was clean, the sand was fine and soft and the water was inviting. I enjoyed a swim and only afterwards did I notice the red flag flying at the Damai Beach Resort, warning hotel guests of unsafe conditions such as jellyfish, catfish or dangerous currents. That probably explains why the beach was deserted. I didn't see any jellyfish and the sea was calm. I sometimes think these red flags are flown more than they actually need to so that if any guest has an accident they can say 'we told you so' and avoid any liability. As for catfish, I didn't know they could be dangerous but apparently their spines can have nasty stings.
In front of Damai Central is a giant statue of a rhinoceros hornbill looking out to sea. The hornbill is of course Sarawak's State Bird.
After working up an appetite on the beach you can sample famous Malaysian and Western dishes at the food court at Damai Central. During our visit, members of the cast and production crew from Sarawak Cultural Village were enjoying their lunch break.
Damai Central is open daily from 8am to 9pm.
The exact location is marked on this map:
At the time of writing there is no public bus transport to Damai from Kuching.
There is a free public car park here, next to Damai Central and opposite the Sarawak Cultural Village.
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