Friday, November 7, 2008

Relax in Brunei (6)

The Royal Regalia Building is actually an exhibition hall, which keeps a broad collection of items about the royal family of Brunei.
Me outside Royal Raglia House
The main items include two royal chariots used on the coronation ceremony in 1967 and the jubilee ceremony in 1992, a miniature of the banquet hall in the royal palace, and many gifts for the Sultan from ppl of all around the world.
Royal Chariot
The royal chariot is man-powered by 48 royal guards, and the whole parade consists of other dozens of guards and a band playing traditional Malay instruments.

The Empire Hotel & Resort is the latest pride of Brunei. Currently a 5-star one, it is targeting 7-star rating so that Brunei can catch up with Dubai.
EmpireHotel01
All hotel rooms are with sea-view balconies, and the whole “Empire” also contains some resort villa, a country club and a 18-hole golf court.
Empire Hotel 02
The miniature of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque in the lobby. Amazing crystal lamp!
Crystal Camel
The treasure of Empire, the crystal camel. Made of one whole piece of natural crystal, it’s valued over B$250,000.
Swimming pool of Empire Hotel Empire Hotel 04
The “swimming pool” is actually a series of pools that all with the view of South China Sea.
Empire Hotel 06
The main building of the hotel is located on a small bay with beautiful (I guess artificial) beach.
Empire Hotel 05 Empire Hotel 03
The interior decoration of the hotel lobby looks like a “show-off”. Dozens of huge marble pillars give you a feeling that how trivial you are.
Another highlight of the hotel is the brunch buffet they serve during weekends. The price is B$44 per person, not quite a bargain, but you can get a taste of many extraordinary French-style desserts and cakes, also other “regular” stuff like oyster, sashimi, sushi, etc.
The Empire is in the Jerudong area, so not quite convenient for sight-seeing or shopping. But inside it has the country club, a lot of sports utilities, beautiful beach, a shopping gallery (expect some nice handicrafts, but not cheap), and even a cinema and a library! So it’s ideal for a 3D2N pure relaxing trip. And the price is quite reasonable for a 5-star beach resort: normal rooms are less than B$300 per night, and even further discounts from time to time.

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