Ideas for overnight trip to Brunei

Hoping someone can help. We are arriving in Brunei at 6.30pm from Brisbane and departing next day for Bangkok at 12.00noon. Can anyone give me ideas on what can we do on the night we arrive and the next morning. If we stay in the City, how far is this from the airport?

Any suggestions on accomodation - we are 2 families (2A 2C) and (1A 1C) travelling on a budget.

Looking forward to any ideas.

Ideas for overnight trip to Brunei

The airport is very close to the two main town areas in Brunei. Less than 10 minutes. There is the old Brunei town area, which adjoins the river and water village and is perhaps the best place to stay to get a flavour of the town. The other precinct is the Gadong mall area about 5 mins away that has a new shopping mall and night food market.

You will need a stopover transit visa on arrival if you don%26#39;t have already. I think that costs $10. Go to the right hand immigration booth and beat the rush to get one. The airport taxis are a bit of a rip off, but not much you can do about that as transport in Brunei is pretty poor.

If budget is an issue, somewhere like the Brunei Hotel (check their website) is quite affordable and clean and central in the main old town area. It%26#39;s probably got the best location for your needs. From there you can walk everywhere you need to go. A short stroll to the river and you can grab a water taxi for around $20 (barter first) to give you a 15 min tour of the water village and around. There is also a smaller shopping centre in town the Yayasan Centre that I think is open until 10 -plus a nice restaurant on the river front (the Portview). The old picturesque mosque is also located there.

Given that Royal Brunei planes from Aust are often late, you might not have that much time in the evening once you get through. Also, many shops do not open the next morning until 10.

Doing something like that would give you a good taste of Brunei. Don;t bother checking in too early the next morning for your plane - sometimes they don%26#39; open the check in counters until 2 hours before hand and usually it%26#39;s not very busy.

Let us know if you need more info. Cheers. Geoff

Ideas for overnight trip to Brunei

Hi Geoff, thanks so much for your suggestions - sounds like you are a Brunei regular. When we get the visa at the airport, can we also exchange currency or should we do this before we leave Australia?

Do the water taxi%26#39;s run all the time or do they start at a set time in the morning? Will 6 of us fit or will we need 2 water taxis? It doesn%26#39;t sound like we will have a chance to do too much, so I%26#39;d like to have our itinerary planned and fit it as much as possible.

Thanks again,

Kim

Hi Kim... We lived in Brunei for 2 years and have since been back to visit regularly. There are a couple of exchange booths for currency at the airport, but may be handy to have some money changed beforehand to avoid any visa delays. Singapore currency is also accepted in Brunei at the same rate as Brunei $ - so either is acceptable. You would also be able to pick up some Brunei dollars at Brisbane airport - we have done that before.

The water taxis can seat six and should be running from daybreak. There%26#39;s no real booking, but there%26#39;s usually lots of them waiting for fares in the main part of town on the river. You can decide how far you want to go. Generally around $20 or $25 will get you a 10 or 15 minute ride around the water village - or pay a bit more $30 or so and they can take you for a river (obcured) view of the Sultan%26#39;s palace (Istana). Negoiate a price beforehand.

The Brunei Hotel is in a good location, but some of the reviews I have read on Trip Advisor aren%26#39;t all that good. But you will only be there for a few hours, and prices are good. The Sheraton is not far away (10 min walk further from main part of town) but I think is a lot more expensive. Check them out and see what you think.

On the evening of your arrival, I was thinking you could go for an evening walk along the river and check out some shops. You would be able to see the water village across the river, and walk past where the taxis are berthed to check out your trip the next morning. Then a short walk to the mosque and see it at night, which is quite picturesque.

Send any other questions about accommodation or anything else.

Happy to help.

Cheers

Geoff

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