Our Relaxing Stay At TreeTops Jungle Lodge

As we sat sipping cold beer on the deck of the wooden longhouse and watching the sunset, I thought back over the wonderful day we had just had. We were staying at the TreeTops Jungle Lodge just outside of Miri, Sarawak. At this rural home stay the pace of life is slow, the surroundings are green and wild, the home cooked food is fresh and the hosts are welcoming.

As it was low season, we had the longhouse all to ourselves. The wooden structure was built over a pond filled with fish; our room was basic and simply had a bed with a mosquito net. The outdoor shower had one chilly temperature which felt refreshing in the afternoon sun but less enjoyable after the sun went down. Luckily for us, this rustic accommodation was still digital nomad compatible as it had WiFi (which unfortunately was as slow as the relaxed pace of life, but still did the trick.)

Our day began with toast and cups of tea and then as I had some work to do I lazily made my way to the hammock. I wrote a few articles in this idyllic “office” setting which reminded me why I have the greatest job in the world.

After I finished my work for the day, we had a quick lunch and headed straight to the beach where the Treetops Jungle Lodge owns a large hut by the sea. On the grassy path we startled a large snake, which made us watch our step for the rest of the way. The owner, Mike, had warned us about the jellyfish but that didn’t deter me from heading straight for the warm, salty water.

We had the beach completely to ourselves with not another person as far as the eye could see. We lay on the sand and talked, made sand sculptures and shouted at the braver crabs which wandered too close to our towels. On the way down I had picked up a sun-warmed ripe Mango and I ate it on the beach, getting sticky fruit juice everywhere.

As we headed away from the beach we decided to wander down some of the trails in the surrounding village and jungle. The setting was tranquil and only occasionally interrupted by a speeding moped, often driven by young boys who sometimes looked no older than eleven or twelve.

We arrived back at the TreeTops Jungle Lodge and headed straight for the small plunge pool to cool down, as if we weren’t relaxed enough.

When we retired back to the longhouse, Mike came down for a chat. An older English gentleman who has spent most of his adult life in Borneo, he gave us great advice on what to see while in the area and shared stories from his own travels. Our conversation was eventually interrupted by a bell ringing from up at the main house, signifying that dinner was ready.

We walked up onto the large wooden deck to be greeted by a sumptuous home cooked dinner spread with succulent greens, fluffy white rice and spicy, juicy, fall-off-the-bone chicken, followed by vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. At 22RM each (£4.50/$7.20)it wasn’t the cheapest meal that we have had in Southeast Asia (still by no means expensive), but it was up there with the best.

When we had finished our rice wine we headed back to the longhouse and started sipping that cold beer as the sun began to set. As we reflected on the perfect day that we had just enjoyed, drinking that 5RM Tiger Beer (£1.00/$1.60), we couldn’t help but remark that we could get used to this.