Flying Business Class on Singapore Airlines to Brunei Darussalam - The Empire Hotel & Country Club

Brunei Darussalam - Just a 2 hours 10 mins flight time from Singapore which makes it an ideal close holiday destination for a short relaxing getaway. An Economy ticket on Singapore airlines cost around SGD480-SGD550 while a Business Class ticket costs around SGD1580. As the oil-rich country is quite small, spending 2-3 days visiting the country should be sufficient. 

As most of you know by now, I tend to travel on my own without engaging any tour agencies.   I plan my own trip and do the entire research reading books and googling on the internet. I usually rent a car or rely on taxis, trains and buses to get around. The shocking thing is that Brunei has very few taxis and you can wait for hours by the road. Each taxi trip cost around SGD30-40 and they do not use any meter. They charge you for each trip and you need to get your hotel to call for a taxi. So I highly recommend hiring a car instead as I spent close to SGD300 on taxi just for 3 days in Brunei. On the other hand, hiring a car would cost less than SGD200 for 3 days! Brunei is a small country and is really easy to drive around!

The capital city is Bandar Seri Begawan where I stayed at The Empire Hotel & Country Club (http://www.theempirehotel.com/) which was awarded "Best Golf Resort in Asia Pacific by Asian Golf Monthly 2011!" 

The Empire Hotel & Country Club room rates are not expensive starting from SGD250 a night for a Superior room and up till SGD2000 for the Ambassador Suite Room depending on the dates you choose. It is the number 1 hotel in Brunei and is highly affordable! The entire hotel complex cost US1.1 billion dollars to build!!!

The hotel is situated by the South China Sea and the swimming pools are facing the sea. You can also laze by the private beach for hotel guests only. The hotel facilities were amazing with indoor and outdoor swimming pool, squash court, indoor badminton courts, tennis courts, bowling alleys, gym, large golf course etc. I tried the Body relaxation massage at the Spa resort and it was one of the best body massage I've ever had. Overall, a comfortable and relaxing stay especially those who enjoy the resort-style kinda vacation!

This hotel's luxury style reminded me of my hotel stay in Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi which I shall blog about in the next few blog posts.

Check out www.theempirehotel.com for more information!

♥ Lora Christelle Lim ♥
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Brunei Darussalam - 2 Majestic Mosques

Brunei Darussalam - A country whose majority of population consist of Muslim Malays, Islam plays a central role in the people's lives. Alcohol is banned in the country and Bahasa Melayu is the official language. A visit to the mosques requires women to be entirely covered up. I was given long black clothings to put on before entering the mosque and it's interesting to see how they had a mini wardrobe of black robes for tourists visiting the mosque. We also had to remove our footwear and hat when we went inside. 

A secret tip: Visit both mosques in the day and in the night to see how amazingly beautiful and different they look!

1. The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque - constructed in 1958 at a high cost of USD5 million dollars where the Sultan spared no expense to import Italian marble and pillars, granite from Shanghai and golden crystal chandeliers from England, luxurious carpets from Saudi Arabia and a golden dome made entirely from real gold. It is situated in an artificial lagoon right in the heart of the city of Bandar Seri Begawan just facing the famous water village - Kampong Ayer. The interiors were beautiful but no photos were allowed inside. The mosque which can fit 3000 people only recently allowed visitors and tourists inside for a glimpse. This mosque has been rated one of the most beautiful mosques in the world and you have to see it to understand how magnificent it looks.

2. Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque - built to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sultan's reign in 1994, this is the largest mosque in Brunei. It's sheer grandeur and luxurious interiors proved how meticulous the architects were in designing such a beautiful place of worship. The Sultan of Brunei visits this mosque for prayer and there is high security in this place. This splendid mosque acts as a symbol of the devotion to Islam of the people and being surrounded by a beautiful garden and waterfalls, the place has a peaceful tranquility.

♥ Lora Christelle Lim ♥
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Brunei Darussalam - Kampong Ayer & Proboscis Monkey River Hunt

Brunei Darussalam - The famous Kampong Ayer also known as "The Venice of the East" is the world's largest water village made entirely out of stilt houses and wooden walkways. It is built on the Brunei river and consists of a cluster of 42 villages. The water village has their own schools, mosques, homes and also a hospital. It is a proudly preserved heritage area of Brunei and many tourists can visit the area using a boat.

After a tour of Kampong Ayer, we decided to go on a river hunt for Brunei's famous Probiscus Monkeys distinguished by their long noses who are under risk of extinction. The monkeys can only be found on the island of Borneo. We spotted a few of them using a pair of binoculars. They were extremely afraid of people and loud noises and we were lucky to have a private boat all to ourselves. We spent a few hours searching along the river and deep into the mangrove swamps to hunt for them. Other tourists boats did not manage to see any monkeys as they were too noisy! The boatman also taught us how to drive the boat so he can take a rest while we had fun along the river!!! We gave him a big tip of course for such excellent service!

♥ Lora Christelle Lim ♥

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