Do you have any must do's to share? We have just started formulating our itinerary and research is in its infancy so quite open to suggestions.
Starting with Brunei, I did a TR earlier this year on our trip -
A Date With a Sultanate
As we spent time with my wife's relatives we may have done things a bit differently. However what I would think are the highlight's are :-
The absolute must do is a visit to Temburong
A Guide to Brunei's Ulu Temburong National Park . It will take up most of the day but is well worth the time and expense. There are a number of companies who do the tour. All basically involve a fast ferry ride through, literally, crocodile infested mangrove rivers, a short van ride and then a trip upriver in a longboat. They wanted to see our passports because the boat passes through Malaysian waters but we convinced them our Photo Drivers Licenses were a sort of I.D. card. You should check with the tour operator.
A short boat trip up river from Bandar Seri Begawan to see the proboscis monkeys. This is easy to arrange, ours was done through the hotel. The trip was only about 30 minutes each way plus time pulled on the riverbank looking at the monkeys. You pass by the Royal Palace grounds on the way.
Still on the water, hire a water taxi to do a tour around the Kampung Ayer- water village. Again very easy to just negotiate a price with the numerous water taxis.
The centre of Bandar is not very special and is actually pretty quiet. But the Royal Regalia Museum is worth a visit. It is free and air conditioned. I have a feeling you are not allowed to enter in shorts but cannot remember precisely.
The Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque is a very attractive building by the river in the centre of town. You can visit it but non-Muslims are only allowed about 20 metres inside the door. You definitely can't enter wearing shorts.
The Gadong Night Market is worth a visit for the food. There is little else to buy there.
A visit to the "The Empire Country Club is interesting to see what is billed as Six Star Hotel and grounds. It contains a lot of bling. When we went there it was very, very quiet. To me it seems to far out of town to be worthwhile staying there. However, if you like staying a luxury hotel with attached golf courses then it may suit you. Like 99% of Brunei it is alcohol free.
You don't go for Brunei for shopping. The locals go to KL or Singapore for that. There is very little nightlife but the food is excellent and very cheap. Almost all the locals we met were exceedingly friendly and often stopped us to have a chat about where we were from, where we were staying etc. Apparently, the best place to go for food is Kiulap which is next door to our hotel that we picked at random.
Home | alafiahhotel
We did a lot of walking around, which astonished the locals who always drive everywhere as petrol is dirt cheap. The city is almost completely flat and the sidewalks are pretty good.
We haven't been to Sabah but if you are going to Sarawak let me know. We have been to Kuching twice and have driven the Pan-Borneo Highway from Kuching to Miri.