The completion of the first section of the 32-km Pan Borneo Highway from Sematan Bazaar to KM Zero at Telok Melano has opened up the remote villages of Kampung Telok Melano, Kampung Telok Serabang, and a few other villages in the coastal area of Sematan district. Roxy Telok Serabang offers a holiday experience that is easily accessible, but secluded enough to give you time and space for you and your loved ones.
The completion of the first section of the 32-km Pan Borneo Highway from Sematan Bazaar to KM Zero at Telok Melano has opened up the remote villages of Kampung Telok Melano, Kampung Telok Serabang, and a few other villages in the coastal area of Sematan district, which were formerly only accessible by boat along the coast of the South China Sea from Sematan.
For the past few years, the pristine beaches of Telok Melano have been a popular holiday destination for nearby city folks over weekends and holidays. Taking a photo at the KM Zero marker and signboard seems to be a must for most visitors, as it marks the western end of the Pan Borneo Highway. The other end of the highway will be at Serudong, Tawau, Sabah.
Behind the signboard is the seaside. I arrived at the location on a weekday, so I managed to avoid the crowd. At the time, it was quiet, with only a handful of visitors. Most of the food and drink stalls were not operating, but I could see several quad-bikes were lining up in front of a canopy, which visitors can rent to roam around the beach area.
Telok Melano is actually not the most western part of Sarawak. The westernmost point of Sarawak is, in fact, Tanjung Dato. It is gazetted as a national park but is not easily accessible at the moment. You can only reach there by hiking or by boat.
Before my visit, I browsed through the internet, looking for nearby accomodations should I decided to stay for the night. I found that there are several resort-style homestays around Kampung Telok Melano, along with a few cafés and eateries along the beach near to the villages.
During my previous trip last month, I visited a private resort some five kilometres from Telok Melano — the Roxy Telok Serabang.
The general manager of the resort, who is also in charge of the Roxy Sematan, Raymond Edward, explained that the Roxy Telok Serabang is operating based on the theme of “Back to Nature”.
Most of the natural features of the jungle and beach are kept with minimum alteration during the construction process of the resort. Only concrete slabs were laid to form a footpath along the sandy ground for the convenience of the visitors to move under the shady trees.
As one arrived at the location, there was a short distance of gravel road from the main road to the resort.
Vehicles have to be parked at the car park by the side of a stream, and we have to cross a suspension bridge and two long wooden bridges to get to the longhouse style hotel rooms, which is the main building of the resort. There are 10 units of accommodation at the longhouse. Each room can accommodate up to three people.
Besides the longhouse units, there are also six units of unique Igloo-shaped lodging houses, made of white-coloured canvas materials. The igloos were built below the shady trees just nearby the sandy beach — a private beach only accessible to Roxy Telok Serabang’s guests that gives visitors of this small resort great privacy.
The igloos have transparent windows facing the beach, where the occupants can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the beaches and sea while staying inside. The units are also equipped with black-out curtains for those who prefer more privacy. The iglooes are air-conditioned and can accommodate up to six people, making them suitable for a group of friends or family members coming together.
At this resort, holidaymakers could have a different experience of staying in a jungle and by the seaside, enjoying the cool sea breeze, relaxing on the benches and chairs, or sitting on the swings that resemble the shape of the Weaver Bird’s nests, under the shady trees in front of the beach.
Activities that can be carried out here include hiking, kayaking, campfire and barbecue, besides exploring the beaches by strolling along the clean sandy beaches, getting a cool dip in the sea water or wading in the waves.
If you are lucky, you might wake up to an exceptionally beautiful sunrise at a certain time of year.
There is also a canteen operating in Roxy Telok Serabang where food and drinks are readily available.
