tennisboy
Nov 8, 07, 10:54 am
I have never been to Brunei and I will be staying for 4-5 nights in early December at the Rizqun International Hotel Brunei. Can anyone tell me about this hotel?
Also I am interested in massages---best place to get one? Reasonable price?
Also I love great food..where is good to go?
GibSpmuh
Nov 13, 07, 10:39 pm
The Rizqun International Hotel is in the Gadong area of BWN, which has the biggest shopping mall in Brunei (Centrepoint) nearby - not much of an achievement given most of the other shopping options in Brunei though :D. It's a reasonably new hotel, and probably the second best in Brunei (after The Empire Hotel - which is probably worth a visit if you've got transport, just to grab a bite to eat and take a look around if nothing esle). I haven't stayed there myself, but have been past there and it looks impressive enough :).
As for a massage, there's a Martha Tilaar Spa nearby the hotel in the Gadong area - though the pricing there isn't that cheap from recollection (certainly not compared to most of the rest of SE Asia anyway, but that's to be expected).
For food there's plenty of places in strolling distance around the hotel - both local style and international. For a unique taste experience try the local dish of ambuyat - it's worth trying once anyway :D.
The Gadong area doesn't have much in the way of sights, but it's not too far to go into BSB to take a look around at the various Mosques and the Sultan's Palace (from outside the gates anyway). If you like nature then a trip over to Temburong is worthwhile too, the tours are a bit overpriced, but would be difficult to get into the national park independently unless you've got a longboat handy :D.
Just remember, if you enjoy a drink then be sure to bring some with you - because there's no alcohol for sale in Brunei (but the duty free limits are pretty generous when bringing your own in). It's a strongly muslim nation as well, but folks there are very friendly, and it's a very relaxed and laid back destination. So long as you're not looking for nightlife it's an enjoyable place to spend a few days, I was pleasantly surprised anyway.