Royal Mulu Resort Sarawak Review

Sarawak Royal Mulu Resort Review

The Royal Mulu Resort is the only Eco-friendly resorts located in Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One has minimal options to get there but to take a small turboprop plane offered by Mas Wings, a Malaysia Airlines subsidiary. Travelling by plane is the quickest and easiest choice.

Update 2018: The resort is now under the management of Marriott Resorts.

Royal Mulu Resort Review

Before I go on, I edited this article as the Royal Mulu Resort is now known as the Mulu Marriott Resort.

This rainforest resort is also accessible by land or boat, but this is not recommended unless you enjoy slow and long journeys, which may take up to 10 hours.

Flying will only take you about 30-40 minutes from the Miri Airport in Sarawak and does not cost an arm or leg to get there.

Gunung Mulu National Park has been one of the few hard to reach places in this region. Not many Malaysians would visit this place, too, and I wonder why.

 Maybe nature is not on top of their travel list. I have been there 4 times from 2006 to 2008 due to work and pleasure, and I still would like to visit again, given a chance, as it is one of my favourite places in Malaysia.

Airport at Mulu SarawakMulu Airport.

Arriving At The Mulu Airport

On arrival at Mulu town, you will be greeted by the smallest airport in Malaysia. The Mulu Airport opens only twice a day for the two flights there.

The planes used to fly here was the old turboprop Fokker 50 or Twin Otter plane, while these days, they use the ATR 70 planes, which can seat 70 passengers.

They are louder than your usual jet planes and fly much lower. The plane stops right in front of the Mulu Airport door on arrival, so no long walks here.

And everything else is manually done. No conveyor belts for your bags. They bring it and dump it on a table for you to collect.

Mulu town is so small, it has an airport, some houses for the airport staff, a clinic, an airport restaurant and a cafe serving local food and drinks, an occasional local restaurant, a small school for the locals and of course the resort which is about 5 minutes drive from the airport.

Tuk Tuk Mulu ResortReal Thai Tuk-tuks double as hotel transport.

Usually, when you make the booking to stay there, the resort will send their transport to pick you from Mulu Airport. Do not be surprised if they send you a Thai style tuk-tuk to shuttle you back to the resort.

Mulu Resort Welcome Dance Penan PeopleTraditional Penan welcome dance.

On arriving at the Mulu Resort, you will be greeted by a traditional Penan dance performed by the hotel staff.

Most visitors will stop and take pictures or just admire the unique culture displayed here. Then you get ushered to the reception area for a nice cool welcome drink while checking in.

Mulu Resort SarawakRoyal Mulu Resort Sarawak.

You will find that the resort is built entirely on stilts which are 3 metres above the ground. Something unique in conserving the natural rainforest.

Every morning, the staff will conduct a flag-raising ceremony in the courtyard. Quite interesting if you are there to witness it before breakfast.

Mulu Resort Old PhotoBar, lounge and reception area.

The lounge and reception area also doubles as a sports bar and karaoke at night. You will find the place most peaceful until someone hits the karaoke. I am not a big fan of karaoke, by the way.

They also have a nice little souvenir shop selling several handicraft items and daily necessities but warned that the prices are almost double. Seriously, there are no other shops in Mulu. No convenient shop, nothing.

Lobby of Mulu ResortReception and lounge area.

The staff are amicable and always smiling and trust me, I have been there 4 times and no complaints.

They also have spots and a recreational department just outside the reception, and you can book your adventures for cave exploring, hiking and many other activities available.

Walkway at Mulu ResortThe Royal Mulu Resort is built 3 meters above the ground.

Again, I just love the concept of the entire Royal Mulu Resort built on stilts. It is very refreshing, and by just walking around the resort, you are bound to see something interesting in the form of flora and fauna.

 Bugs, lizards and beautiful flowers are easily spotted, making this a perfect Eco paradise in Sarawak, Malaysia Borneo.

Rooms at Mulu ResortRooms units on stilts.

There is a small balcony at the back of the rooms for you to sit and enjoy the rainforest. Have a glass of wine or beer and just absorb the Borneo rainforest's natural sounds and smells here. Nothing is obstructing your view of the balcony.

Room at Mulu Resort Twin sharing room.

The rooms may be on the retro side, mostly made out of good wood, so they are quite nice, actually. Complete with air conditioning, television, telephone and shower with hot and cold water.

For the extra adventurous couples, the room walls are made of wood. So keep the sounds low at night.

Open Area Mulu ResortThe balcony of the lounge.

River by Mulu Resort Relaxing by the Melinau river.

The resort also sits just next to the Melinau River in Mulu. This river is used daily by the local Penan people that live around Mulu. The resort also operates trips via the Melinau river to various tourist attractions here.

Mulu RiverJetty by Melinau River.

I visited several places using a longboat from the resort jetty. In fact, I visited almost 90% of the sites using the Melinau river.

Life vests are given for safety, and the longboat drivers are mostly locals who know the rivers well, so safety is well taken care of here.

Mulu Resor Sarawak LaksaSarawak Laksa but Mulu style with extra-large Prawns RM45 (US$15).

Eating in Mulu will be an exciting experience. Why you may ask? Well, because there are no other restaurants in the vicinity for hundreds of miles, you have no choice.

Except for local travellers, there are a couple of local restaurants out from the resort. Serving very local food, if you are gain for it, why not try some.

Inquire with the resort for transport to the local restaurants. One of them is just outside the resort, and another is on the way to the National Park. More of this in my next blog about activities in Mulu.

Mulu Resort Food A local fried rice dish that costs RM36.00.

About the food here, most packages include full board, so everything is taken care of. But I know that some travellers may have overlooked this and the price will be costly.

For a start, they have an ala carte menu where the price of simple fried rice is about RM36.00 and a Malaysian fried noodle (mee goreng) can cost you RM40.00. No kidding. Portions are slightly large and nicely prepared with garnishing.

I missed out on one item on the menu, which they had. It was an extra super large burger which I would say is the largest burger in Malaysia. I had a picture of it on the menu, but I cannot find it. If I do, I will post it here.

Anyway, the burger was so huge, it was estimated to be about 25cm wide! I wish I had tried it. The sad part was that on one of my trips there, I ordered the burger, but the cook said that the main cook who does it was on leave. So, just my luck.

Cultural Show at Mulu Resort Cultural show performers.

The other interesting attraction is the Ethnic Cultural Shows at the resorts' restaurant every evening. Dinner is served buffet-style, and the show would take place during dinner.

Performers are actually the hotel staff who are really talented—an eye-opener to the foreigners and the locals.

View of Mulu Resort Melinau river view from the hill.

There are a ton of activities around the National Park. One can choose from hiking to trekking or visiting the local Penan villages. The main attractions are always the world heritage Mulu Caves.

There are also several other caves like the Clearwater Caves, which can be visited. Talk to the hotel to arrange for this.

Sunset at MuluMulu hill sunset.

And what more can you ask for when visiting a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a beautiful sunset seen here on top of a hill I trekked.

This hill is just in front of the Royal Mulu Resort, and it is an easy trek, even children or elderly people can do.

Room rates and packages at Royal Mulu Resort. Prices are in packages, and the last current package was a 3D/2N was RM970.00 (US$325.00) for Single and RM1370.00 (US$450.00) for Double. However, please check with the local travel agencies as well for the current rates.

Royal Mulu Resort Video

Mulu Marriott Resort & Spa
Sungai Melinau, PO Box 1145
Mulu, 98008 Malaysia
Tel: +60 85-792 388 / +60 85-421 121

If you are on a tight budget and still want to visit this place, there are few other lodging choices around the National Park.

These are fundamental lodging compared to the upmarket resort. Alternatively, there are other lodges available for a stay which are priced much cheaper.

Mulu Accommodations: 

Benarat Lodge or Benarat Inn - Simple lodge with 28 rooms, attached bathroom/shower. No air-conditioning, no TV. Basic setup.

This budget lodge is located just nearby the Mulu Marriott Resort. Telephone: 085-419337 or make a booking for Benarat lodge or Benarat Inn.


Mulu National Park Longhouse Rooms:
  • Deluxe Longhouse rooms are air-conditioned with ceiling fans and en suite bathrooms and offer a combination of double and single beds sleeping 2 - 4 persons. Rooms are serviced daily and have tea and coffee making facilities. The price begins at RM180 (US$60) twin share and includes breakfast.
  • Rainforest rooms with ceiling fans, single and double beds and en suite bathrooms starting at RM110 (US$35) twin share and includes breakfast.
  • A dormitory with 21 beds and shared bathrooms is also available; beds cost RM37 (US$12) per night and includes breakfast.
  • Contact email - enquiries@mulupark.com
  • Telephone: +6085 792301
Lizard at Mulu Resort
A local lizard was seen at the resort.
Some of my other Mulu Caves and Park articles include exploring the many caves in the Mulu National Park. 

They are the Clearwater Caves at Mulu Park, Deer Cave at Mulu Park, Lang Cave at Mulu Park and the Wind Cave at Mulu Park, all located in the Mulu National Park Sarawak.

Conclusion

For a truly and Eco-Friendly place dedicated to Nature, Adventure and all things Eco, you should pay a visit to the national park here.

It is one of the last remaining untouched places in this region, and one of the best places to enjoy this would be at the Royal Mulu Resort Sarawak.

Malaysia Asia

Blogging since 2007, but writing online since 1997. I belong to the 1st generation of worldwide bloggers, which is of course old-school. Since 2008, I created Malaysia Asia and this travel, flood, gadget and lifestyle blog has won numerous physical awards from tourism boards around Malaysia. (Not those online awards). After 12 years of blogging, I have semi-retired and now blog about things I like, do product reviews and enjoy life. My work has been featured in Lonely Planet, CNN Travel, Yahoo Travel, Wall Street Journal, and many other international publications. Find out more about me and thank you.

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