> Quick view: The Waterfront Hotel Kuching is holding one Halloween hi-tea buffet this year, on Saturday 31 October 2026 from 1pm to 4pm at Café Via Mare on Level 4. Adults pay RM89 nett, seniors RM70 and children aged 6 to 12 RM45. A group of 10 paying adults gets an 11th adult pass free, hotel guests get 15% off and OKU guests 20% off. Seats must be booked and paid for in advance on the hotel's website, and nothing is refundable.

*Image: The Waterfront Hotel Kuching*

What the hotel is offering

The Waterfront posted the event on its own promotions page under the name "Treats & Tricks", while the poster calls it "Tricks & Treats". Either way, it is a three-hour hi-tea buffet with Halloween activities on top:

  • Spooktacular Style Awards, a costume competition with Kids, Adults, Family and Most Creative categories
  • a Kids' Halloween Colouring Contest
  • a Mystery Box Challenge, where you feel inside a box and guess what it is
  • prizes for the winners (the hotel has not said what they are)

The hotel's campaign photo shows a sweets-heavy spread: cake pops, pumpkin-shaped breads, cupcakes, and labelled trays of Egg Custard, Pumpkin Mousse, Chocolate Fondant and Chocolate Fudge Cake. The terms say photos are for illustration only and items may be swapped, so treat that as a guide to the style, not a menu.

Café Via Mare is the hotel's all-day restaurant. Its window seats look across the Sarawak River to the Astana, Fort Margherita and the State Legislative Assembly building, which is reason enough to ask for a river-facing table when you book.

How to book, step by step

  1. Open the event page on thewaterfrontkuching.com and press Book Now. It takes you to a ticket page on the same site.
  2. Pick 31 October on the calendar and choose how many Adult, Senior citizen (60+) and Children (6-12) tickets you want.
  3. Pay in full. A booking without full payment is not processed.
  4. Print the voucher or booking confirmation and show it at the door. Walk-ins are not allowed.

The booking page only has those three ticket types. There is no box for the in-house guest or OKU discount, and no price for children under 6. If either applies to you, WhatsApp the hotel on 012-722 1730 or call 082-227 222 before paying, because a confirmed booking cannot be changed afterwards.

What it costs: worked examples

All prices are nett, so there is no service charge or SST to add.

  • Couple: 2 adults = RM178.
  • Family of four: 2 adults and 2 children aged 6-12 = RM178 + RM90 = RM268.
  • Three generations: 2 adults, 1 grandparent and 1 child = RM178 + RM70 + RM45 = RM293.
  • Office or friends group of 11: pay for 10 adults (RM890) and the 11th eats free. That works out to RM80.91 a head, a saving of RM89 for the table.
  • Hotel guests, family of four: 15% off makes it RM75.65 an adult and RM38.25 a child, so RM227.80 in total, RM40.20 less than walking in from outside.
  • OKU guest: 20% off brings the adult price to RM71.20.

The group perk counts adult tickets only. Seniors and children do not add up towards the 10.

Is RM89 good value in Kuching?

For context, when we checked Kuching's hotel buffets in late September, Grand Margherita's regular Saturday hi-tea was RM75+ an adult. With the usual 10% service charge and 6% tax, that is roughly RM87, so The Waterfront's RM89 nett is about the same money. What you get extra is the Halloween set-up, the contests and the prizes. Pullman Kuching's Sunday hi-tea was RM98+, which is dearer.

The Waterfront does not run a weekly hi-tea at the moment, so this is a rare chance to eat in Café Via Mare outside its usual breakfast and a la carte service.

Who it suits, and who should skip it

Good for: families with primary-school children who will enjoy dressing up, groups of 10 or more adults who can use the free pass, and anyone already staying at the hotel that weekend.

Skip it if: your plans for 31 October are not fixed, since you lose the full amount if you cannot come. Skip it too if you want a savoury meal. The photos suggest a dessert-led table, and a 1pm to 4pm slot is a late lunch at best.

Making a weekend of it

If you are coming from Miri, Sibu or the Peninsula, note that the hotel's own "Purchase Ahead, Save More" room offer (up to 20% off when booked 21 days ahead) blacks out Fridays and Saturdays. A Friday 30 October or Saturday 31 October night will be at the normal rate. Only bookings made on the hotel's website count, not Agoda or Booking.com, and room rates there exclude 8% SST and, for foreign guests, RM10 tourism tax a night.

After the buffet, the Kuching Waterfront promenade is right outside, and the 4pm finish leaves time for a sampan across the river before sunset.

Fine print that trips people up

  • One date only. The ticket is valid on 31 October and becomes void after that.
  • No refunds or changes. Once confirmed, you cannot cancel or reschedule.
  • No walk-ins. Advance booking is required, and seats are limited by the restaurant's capacity.
  • No stacking. Promo codes for this event cannot be combined with other promotions, vouchers or loyalty cards. Ask the hotel whether the group perk and the hotel guest discount can be used together; the terms do not say.
  • Allergies: the hotel says it is not liable for reactions, so tell the staff before you eat.

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