All About Brunei Darussalam

Introduction

Brunei Darussalam, is a Muslim country full of
cultures and heritage that is still preserved from generation to generation in spite of the raging flow of the modern era. Brunei Darussalam is located on the north west of the Borneo Island with a total area of 5,765 km2 and population of 401, 890 people according to the July, 2011 population census. Among the great nations and countries in the world, Brunei Darussalam is well-known as 'The Kingdom of Unexpected Treasure'.

It was given such a name for Brunei is famous for their heritage and culture for which I had mentioned before. Why??  Because, only if you ever come to know Brunei Darussalam then you will know that this small country holds a very large numbers of treasures in its very small land. There are a lot to offer and so much things to find out, in which that includes the most valuable mangrove vegetation wildlife which most of them are endangered species while some of them are already extinct  in the world.

Brunei Darussalam is reigned and governed under the constitutional sultanate system, or well known as the Malay Islamic Monarchy. The current ruler of Brunei Darussalam, which is the 29th Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, His Royal Highness Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzadin Waddaulah and his son as the Crown Prince, and of course next in line for the throne, Prince Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah. And here is a picture of our current Sultan.

Accommodation

As for the accommodation available in Brunei Darussalam, there are quite plenty and in fact, is regarded as one of the most important factor in the Tourism Industry. You can find hotels with a rating from 1 star to 5 star ratings. 

Empire Hotel and Country Club

 The Empire Hotel and Country Club Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan, a 5 star hotel which is also a member of The Leading Hotels of the World that is globally recognized for luxury with a total of 360 rooms, 63 suites with palatial villas  on some 180 hectares of land. All in all, the Empire Hotel and Country Club is regarded as one of the most magnificent and luxurious hotels or resort in Asia.  

Radisson Hotel, Brunei

The Radisson Hotel, graded as a 4 star hotel is  located in the Bandar Area near the Royal Regalia Building, is a spa hotel in which caters mostly in health care and beauty amenities as there are many types of pools for kids to adults. with health clubs and fitness facility for their guests. They also provide a small conference room, guest rooms and a 24-hr room services. 

Asma Hotel

Asma Hotel, a 7 storey hotel with its very own grand entrance and public areas, located in Jalan Jerudong is vaguely a  new addition to the Brunei  wide range of hotels. This hotel is the closest hotel to the Jerudong Park Playground, the Polo Club and the Royal Brunei Golf and Country Club. This hotel is best suited for those who want to have an easy way to the Jerudong Park or leisurely spends their time at the Country Club. 




Eating Areas 


As for the eateries and restaurants in Brunei Darussalam, you can find most of the international food available in many of our most specialty restaurants for example the western food, korean food, cafeteria, fast food, japanese cuisine and not to forget the Bruneian local food and delicacies.

Seri JS Restaurant

This restaurant is located along Jalan Jangsak, Kampong Kilanas. This restaurant is well versed in serving mixed types of some international seafood cuisine and most well known for their seafood expertise. Seri JS Restaurant is  very famous for their Big Prawn Noodles. Here, they also serve the local Bruneian favourite delicacies, that is the Ambuyat.

Jollibee Fast Food Restaurant

Offers a wide range of fast food, from Fries to Burgers, and even Spaghetti. Jollibee is one of the most famous and a local favourite place for people to eat, both locals and foreigners. The food served here suites and suffice everyones taste.  This Jollibee branch is located on the Centrepoint Hotel building, next to The Mall in Gadong  areas. After eating at Jollibee, you can just go straight to the gadong properties for a wide choices of shops or to The Mall. 

Excapade Sushi 

Excapade Sushi, one of the Japanese Sushi restaurant, serving a varieties of Japanese  food and cuisine from sushi to miso soup and regular rice cuisine. This is the Excapade sushi in Gadong area. With the pleasant atmosphere within the restaurant, it gives the customers a very enjoyable and harmony of the restaurant.

  Tourist Attraction 

As for the attraction and places of interest in Brunei Darussalam, there are quite a lot actually, for such of a small country it is. Although all the category of these attraction differs from one another, but it all come down to just one thing, that is 'The Beauty of Brunei Darussalam'. 

Mangrove  Forest

Mangrove Forest is one of the most visited attraction in Brunei Darussalam. Its habitats and the mangrove itself is what tourists and foreigners would pay to see and go to. This is mainly because, these animals and habitats such as the mangroves, the water and even the insects which can be found there is rare to them. Even the most common animal for us, the Monkey or 'Ambuk' is one of the endangered species to them.

















And this picture on the right is also an extremely endangered species in the outside world of Borneo, but can be found very easily in the Mangrove Forest downstream of Brunei River. This is what people call as the "Big Nosed Monkey' or its specific name is the Proboscis monkey. It has a very unique features and the most famous one of all is its big blumpy nose.

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque

 This is a bird eyes view of the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin (SOAS) mosque. It was built surrounded by lagoon with a replica of 'the Bahtera' built in the middle of the lagoon. This is one of the great 2 mosque and this one is located at the city center, the Bandar Seri Begawan. It was completed in 1958, and was named after the 28th sultan of Beunei, Omar Ali Saifuddin, who was known as the Architect of Modern Brunei. And below is a picture of the SOAS mosque during the night.

Function and Conference

International Convention Centre 

The International Convention Centre, shortly known as the ICC, is the largest meeting venue in Brunei Darussalam. It has made the country capable of hosting high profiled events and to name the few - ASEAN Ministers Meetings (AMM). It has the state-of-the-art-technology making it an excellent venue for big events. The halls and meeting rooms are provided with various kind of facilities meeting the demands for conferences and exhibitions as it can also be used to hold bazaar and charity sale as well as fun fairs.

BRIDEX hall 

Bridex hall is located at Jerudong Park Polo Club. It was just about a few years ago built and has already been serving and used for many big occasion and ceremony. It is used for a big functions and also private function  where people usually rents this building to be used for Wedding Ceremony as  well as the Tahlil and Doa Selamat. Only those affordable could rent this BRIDEX multi purpose hall. Below is a picture of the BRIDEX Dome after daylight was over  

Entertainment

Jerudong Park Playground 

Jerudong Park is also known as ‘The Free Disneyland’, features many types of games suitable for every age group in the families  to have a time-out with their beloved and precious members of the family.Here at the Jerudong Park Playground they have many kinds of games from bumper cars, go-carts to water paddling and even the most famous trademark of all Theme Parks, the Musical Carousel. The picture below shows the Musical Fountain that was one of the most famous attraction of JPark, where the water was lit up in many colorful neon as it dances according to the music. I was still a kid back then, and as far as i remembered, this one was during the Michael Jackson's tour to Brunei

Activities

Golf

You can go to the  Empire hotel Golf and Country club in Jerudong to play Golf, or the Royal Brunei Airline Golf Course in Berakas 

Kayak

You can also go for a try to kayak at many designated choices such as the Brunei River, Serasa Beach, Muara Beach or even the small rivers in Brunei Darussalam and have a taste of whats its like paddling your own kayak.

Yacht sailing

You can also try sailing on a yacht at Serasa Beach where there they provide and give rent to those who wants to try to sail on the Yacht

Transportation

These are all transportation that is very common and regularly used in Brunei Darussalam. The bus and boat only serves at $1 per person while the taxi normally charges on how far it is from and to throughout the journey in meter scale 

Tourist Information Center


For more information regarding the Tourism Information Center, just log on to www.bruneimipr.gov.bn. 
Tourist Information Center can be found at the Brunei Darussalam International Airport or at the Bandar area.