The pristine beaches of Sematan, in the western part of the state, have been a favourite destination among local holidaymakers ever since the 1970s, even with the arduous four-hour jouney through a narrow gravel road back in the day. Today, with the improved road condition and development, there are many homestays and resort accommodations for guests, making Sematan the go-to place for a weekend getaway.
Even though it was a bumpy journey through a small dusty gravel road linking Kuching to Bau in the 1970s, the sea beaches at Sematan, in the western part of the state, have always been a popular destination among local holidaymakers. Located about 105km from Kuching city centre, the journey from the city to Sematan could take anything from three to four hours.
But today, the road conditions have been much improved with the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway, which is partially completed. Along with the development, there are various homestays and resort accommodations that can cater guests, as during weekends and public holidays, visitors from Kuching and neighbouring places can now be seen swarming to the beaches of Sematan.
The most recent resort facility established in the area is the Roxy Beach Hotel, also known as the Roxy Sematan Canopy and Villa, which is located about five kilometres from Sematan Bazaar.
The resort was officially opened on April 11, 2021, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic period. It was a bold move by the developer-proprietor, Tecktonics and Sons Holdings Sdn. Bhd.
“The occupancy rate has been very encouraging ever since the opening, despite the pandemic. At present, the occupancy rate during weekends and holidays is about 98 percent, while on weekdays it is about 70 percent,” general manager Raymond Edward said.
Visiting the seaside resorts has been a common practise for many who have been confined to their homes for too long during the pandemic, as an alternative to overseas travel, which was not possible during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
I had the opportunity to visit the resort during my latest trip to visit my home town, Lundu, recently.
I took advantage of the lower room rates during week days (from Sunday to Thursday), and checked in with my family on Sunday afternoon. There were not many guests at that time, so we had the whole resort to ourselves to enjoy the leisure hours.
Roxy Sematan is a resort that provides standard accommodation and facilities equivalent to those found in normal hotels like those in the cities. This was especially so at the Roxy Villa, a three-storey main building of the resort, with a reception area and a restaurant on the ground floor, where in-house guests could enjoy their complimentary breakfasts.
There are also two swimming pools (one for adults and one for children) beside the restaurant, which are open only to in-house guests.
The upper two floors consisted of 24 hotel rooms of various types: Deluxe Twin, Deluxe Twin Corner, and Deluxe King.
At the back of the main block, there are 33 townhouses for rent. These terrace houses are suitable for those who come as a family or in groups.
An Air Cabin and four units of Mongolian Tents are situated right by the seaside, commanding a nice view of the sea, and you can listen to the soothing sound of the roaring waves, especially as the tide comes in.
Next to the beach, there are also 11 units of “Tentainer” rooms, housed in a container-based building, with the Lepapa Mart — a mini market on the ground floor to cater for the needs of the visitors. Daily essential items such as noodles, cookies, biscuits, candies, ice-creams, cooking oils, and food stuff for barbecues and hot pots can be found at the mart.
The beach is clean, long and wide, extending far into the sea during low tide, where visitors, young and old alike, could enjoy activities. It is perfect for strolling, building sand castles, chasing after the crabs, picking up sea shells — although not many can be found these days — or simply for having fun wading in the waves.
If you do not want to get your feet wet, you can spend your day enjoying the cool sea breeze at the benches along the shore, and children can have fun playing on the swings.
As Sematan bazaar is small and usually quiet at night, and there are not many eateries operating at nighttime. The proprietor of the hotel took the initiative to set up the Papa Food Court by the seaside to cater to the needs of the holidaymakers. There are food stalls selling drinks and cooked food, including local dishes and western food, as well as seafood.
The food court is open from 9.00 am to 11.00 pm daily.
The resort also offers various facilities for sporting events and outdoor activities. You can rent a jetski at RM150 for 20 minutes, an ATV Quad Bike at RM73 for 20 minutes, a small ATV at RM53 for 20 minutes, a kayak at RM21 for 30 minutes, and a bicycle at RM11 for 30 minutes.
Boat ride services to Talang Talang Island are also available at RM100 per person, inclusive of entrance fee to the turtle island. The boats can cater from four to 15 people per trip.
The resort also has a special barbecue area which can be rented at RM63 per session, with one table and 10 chairs provided. Barbecue sets are also available for rent.
I could see two of the three blocks of apartments by the same developer taking shape at the beach nearby. When construction is completed, there will be a total of 186 units of beach apartments available. This will be a future residential area, open for the locals, or city folks who might be interested in getting themselves a weekend retreat.
