The quiet sultanate of Brunei, though charming in its own ways, has yet to become a popular travel destination. Since its capital city Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) does not have a thriving tourism industry so hotel choices are naturally limited.
After a quick initial selection, we were left with 2 choices: 4-star Radisson Hotel and 3-star The Brunei Hotel. Our decisions, though, are usually not swayed by the ‘star-rating’ but more dependent on past guest reviews. Both have garnered good reviews on booking platforms and are reasonably priced. Radisson Hotel is close to night market which I was keen to visit while Brunei Hotel is near the Waterfront.
In the end, The Brunei Hotel’s location is the main reason why we chose it. We arrived in BSB in the evening via bus service from Miri, Sarawak, with the bus final stop at Waterfront. The hotel is a mere 5-minutes walk away from the stop, which made it very convenient for us carrying our heavy backpacks. Our travel period coincided with Hari Raya holidays so the night market will be closed during the festive season, hence we struck Radisson Hotel out for our trip.
Located in a low-rise building, The Brunei Hotel’s location is its key advantage with attractions within walking distances. Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is around 0.5 km away, Royal Regalia Museum also at 0.5 km away and Brunei Water Village at 0.9 km from the Hotel. There are also shops, eateries and a supermarket within close distances. When we travelled back from Istana Nurul Iman Open House, we took a public bus which stopped at a terminal minutes walk from the hotel.
Our superior double room was clean with simple, utilitarian design. We paid BND 140 a night for the room with breakfast. The international breakfast buffet had a good spread though we chose to have it for only a day.
The en-suite bathroom with shower and a bowl basin on a small countertop, which we felt was too small to hold our toiletries. The toiletries provided were basic ones, so for anything fancy, you would have to bring your own ones.
The streets near the hotel were quiet by the time it reaches around 7pm in the evening. So for 2 nights in a row, we had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, Choices. The food was good and well-priced yet business did not seem to be good. On the first night we were there, there were only 2 other customers and on the second night, it was empty at 7.30 pm dinner time.
We sat at the same table in one corner of Choices and watched the traffic outside as we waited for our food. The vehicular and pedestrian traffic were surprisingly light. We found out later from the taxi uncle who drove us to the airport that few people now stay in BSB, most locals would have moved out. With it being their festive season, most locals would not be in town.
This was my dinner on the first night; Sarawakan Laksa, vermicelli in spicy broth, at BND 12. Kind of funny actually, since I travelled from Sarawak to Brunei, we did not try this dish till we were in BSB.
Sumptuous dinner on our second night after much energy spent walking in the afternoon. Delicious assam pedas with rice, fried spring rolls and dessert.
The stay was not extraordinary but the hotel is one we would recommend if location is your most important consideration. The staff at the hotel were friendly and helpful too.
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Read about our trip to Mulu and our itinerary in Borneo – Mulu / Brunei Itinerary 2018 .
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