What to do in Brunei?
 

Subj. As a tourist, if one is NOT interested in religious sites?

Friend of mine is planning to fly there a rent a car. I am trying to convince him that it is not that smart idea.

Hiring a car seems a waste.

In 2005, I took a boat around Bandar Seri Begawan. The guide pointed out various fauna, city attractions, and the sultan's palace. IIRC, there's also a museum downtown dedicated to sultanate memorabilia.

Other than that, it's very sleepy, but at least the roti canai and teh tarik work.

What's curious about Brunei is what it's not: glitzy. There's just none of the sparkle of wealth you'd expect to find in an oil-rich sultanate. You leave Brunei wondering where all the money is.

I went there back in 2008. I doubt much has changed. The Empire hotel is worth staying at. Very good for what you pay (or at least what we did). No drink though, of course.

The highlight of our trip was Ulu Temburong national park, and the journey to get there. It's in the "other" bit of Brunei so you need to take a speedboat from BSB and then a shallow-bottomed boat once you get up the river a bit. Quite a journey.

We did hire a car but it's not really worth it. It takes very little time to get from one end of the country to the other and there's not a huge amount to see. BSB is worth wandering around in for a day or so, but that's about it.

If I were heading back to that bit of the world I'd skip it and go to Sabah. But if you are there, the national park is the thing to do.

How long does your friend plan to stay there? IMHO 2 days are the max I will stay there for sightseeing.

Fly in on Friday evening, fly out on Sunday afternoon.

No idea why anyone would rent a car there. There's shuttles and taxis, and no problems getting around. Was there 3 years ago and stayed at Empire Hotel. Definitely burned into my memory as one of the nicest places I stayed at. You can spend 2 hours in their natural lagoon and not get bored.

As for non-religious sightseeing: Take a short downtown lake boat tour, ~30 mins is plenty to get an idea, also of water buildings. You'll need to haggle as they will try to upsell you to some half day tour of some remote water villages.

Afterwards, the memorabilia museum downtown is very well worth a visit, and you can easily spend 2 hours there. There's a sizeable model of the Sultan's Dreamliner in the lobby, so FT needs are fulfilled as well ;)

2 hours lagoon, 1 hour boat tour, 2 hours museum and call it an excellent Saturday.

Remember there will be ZERO booze available to your friend. And since there are no bars, the only place to hang out at night are coffee shops (and not the good kind). So bring your own, get a nice room at the Empire hotel, and enjoy a bottle of Red Wine on the huge balcony.

So, to answer the initial question: Renting a car is a bad idea, going to Brunei is not.

This seems quite interesting, Brunei River Cruise: http://www.bruneirivercruise.com/sig...ng-cruise.html

I remember staying at the Pusat Belia one time and the Capital Hotel the other...back then the only places that were even semi-affordable. Am sure there's more choice now. The two big mosques are impressive, the water village was worth a stroll and of course the Royal Regalia Museum (including that life-size march replica in an air-conditioned hall).

Didn't get to see Jerudong Park or the national park, but I'd prioritize the latter if it's more easily accessible now.

I've been playing with the idea of a day or two in Brunei and the bold may steer towards "Yes." A drink on what seems like a wonderful balcony would be nice. Can someone provide insight into how this works re would I be smuggling booze in? Is it ok b/c I am a non-Muslim foreigner? :confused::confused:

As an aside, what are the not good kind of coffee shops?

Cheers

Yes. You are allowed to bring two bottles of booze (i.e. Scotch) or wine, or 12 cans of beer - they don't specify the measurements. I know that 2x1L is fine. You need to declare this at customs and sign a paper declaring it's for your own use. Keep that paper. Since they xray every piece of luggage, they would find it btw, I would never think to smuggle anything into that country in the first place though. The hotel safe at the Empire holds bottles of 1L Scotch standing up, don't think that's a coincidence ;) There's a small fee for importing a carton of cigarettes, if that's your thing, but none for booze.

There are several places in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan that serve alcohol. They don't officially exist, but if you do some research, you'll find out where to go.

Several Chinese restaurants sell "special tea", aka beer in a teapot. If you find any place selling pork, there's a good chance they sell beer too.

There's also a famous hotel that has a hidden "lounge bar" with unmarked doors. It's frequented by the Police and various members of the Sultan's family - no need to worry about being caught drinking alcohol there. You'll need a local to tell you the location, just stop any white expat on the street and ask them, there's a good chance they'll have been there.

Brunei is so...sterile. I don't quite like this place but...you tolerate it.

Yes, the Museum of the Sultan's Stuff is worthwhile