Planning a trip to Brunei is easy. I share with you in this blog some practical tips when planning a trip to Brunei.
Travel books
Brunei is not big in tourism, there is only limited tourist information on the country. I bought a pdf version of the Brunei chapter on the Lonely Planet website, which costs me only US$1.75. It provides sufficient information to plan the trip so I didn’t read the Borneo Lonely Planet guide.
Flight
Royal Brunei Airline codeshares with Dragonair and flies direct to Bangar Seri Begawan. I booked my ticket on Royal Brunei Airline’s website, which mysteriously costs less than the Dragonair flight, even though they actually are the same codeshare flight. It costs me only $1800 for the air ticket (including taxes and charges), while it usually costs more than $3000. Just keep checking until you find dates that have cheaper flights if you are flexible. Flight duration is 3 hours, but flight times are not that good. Departure flight leaves HK around 3pm. Return flight leaves BSB around 11am. So there is not much you can do on the first and last days of the trip apart from flying.
Hotel
MUST STAY at the Empire Hotel. I stayed in Sheraton and went to visit another 5-star hotel Rizqun Hotel. Empire Hotel is so much better than the other two 5 star hotels, but doesn’t cost much more. Empire Hotel is further away from the city centre, but it is served by public bus. It is worth spending the extra time to travel to the Empire Hotel. The sheer extravagance of the hotel makes it a tourist attraction in its own right.
For budget travelers, 3-star hotel costs around HK$400 a night. However, smoking is very common in Brunei, so don’t be too upset if your room smells of cigarette smoke. You get what you pay for.
Visa
Visas are required for HKSAR and BNO passport holders. For single entry tourist visa application, bring your flight confirmation, passport and 2 photos. Multiple tourist visa application has to be supported by itinerary of the exact dates and reasons for leaving and returning to Brunei. I found it too inflexible and did not bother with it. Visa application form can be downloaded from www.mfa.gov.bn. The Brunei visa office is in Lippo Centre, Admiralty. Phone: 25223794. Visa application hours: Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 12:00 noon.
Money and cost
I exchanged Brunei money at Frankie Exchange at Worldwide House in Central. It is the only money changer I can find that carries Brunei money. ATM is common in BSB, so you may withdraw money from ATM when you get there.
The cost of things in Brunei is slightly cheaper than Hong Kong, but more expensive than Malaysia and Thailand. Credit cards are accepted in hotels. No need to bring too much cash.
Local Transport
It costs B$1 (HK$5.4) to travel on public bus, which are clean and similar to mini-van in Hong Kong. Taxis are disproportionately overpriced. There is no metre taxi and fares have to be agreed before getting in. Depending on where you get the taxi, it costs B$10 (HK$54) to B$20 (HK$108) for a 10 minute journey.
Food
Food at local restaurants is good value and tasty. Restaurants serve a mixture of Malay, Indian and Chinese style food. We didn’t have a bad meal in all the local restaurants that we sampled. On the contrary, food at the Empire Hotel is disappointing, even though the price is 5 times that of local restaurants. Anyone who plans to stay at the Empire Hotel as a resort and does not plan to go to the city centre should bear this in mind.
Alcohol
No alcohol is sold in Brunei. Before I went, I thought this would offer a good chance to detox for a few days without alcohol. However, if I were to go again, I would bring a bottle of wine with me. I missed sipping chilled white wine when I was sitting at the sea facing balcony of my beautiful room at the Empire Hotel.
Dress Code
Generally men and women do not wear shorts, even though it is 30C. Tourists are more relaxed but I would recommend modest dress in the city centre. I only wore my swimwear and sleeveless top inside hotels. I wore a pair of shorts on the boat ride from BSB to Bangar. The man in front of me kept staring at my legs which made me very uneasy……
Sightseeing
There are many mosques in BSB. Non-Muslims may visit the inside of mosques outside of prayer times. Since they pray so many times a day, plan your visit time well. There are clear signs to remind you to take off shoes before entering mosques and museums.
Many mosques and museums are closed on Thursdays and Fridays (their weekend). It works perfectly for us to go to Brunei on our weekends because it does not coincide with their weekends.
Tropical Rainforest
Brunei has one of the most pristine tropical rainforest in the world. The famous canopy walk in Ulu Temburong National Park takes you above the emergent tree level and offers a great view of the forest. However, it is rather pricey to get to the national park. The park can only be reached by boat and can only be arranged with a local tour. Day tour from BSB costs B$100 (HK$540) per person and staying overnight in the national park costs B$245 (HK$1300) per person. I cannot imagine the experience to be much different to what Malaysia offers across the border at a much more reasonable price.
To sum up my impression of Brunei in a few words: eye-opening and culturally interesting.
Brunei is different to all other Asian countries. It is an oil-rich country, but wealth cannot be seen at the street level. People dress modestly and drive really old cars. There is not a big disparity between rich and poor because 70% of the workforce work for the government. People are well-mannered, friendly, helpful and content.
Despite its unspoilt rainforest unmatched anywhere in the world and interesting Muslim culture and architecture, I don’t think Brunei is everyone’s cup of tea.
I would recommend Brunei to people:
- who have already been to most parts of South East Asia and are looking for some different experience
- who are interested in flora and fauna in rainforest, particularly for those who enjoy remoteness and tranquility
I would NOT recommend Brunei to people:
- who find it essential to enjoy a holiday with a few alcoholic drinks, especially in hot climates.
- who are looking for luxury. Even at the Empire Hotel, the quality of food is not that high. Resorts in Sabah are much better.
- who want a beach holiday. Beaches in Brunei are brown in colour, unlike the white sandy beaches in Thailand.
So if you ask me, is Brunei worth visiting? Definitely yes! Would I go again? Probably not.
