I booked my Brunei trip for November 2025 with no expectations—just the goal of completing my ASEAN‑10 journey. With a limited budget and less than three days to spend in Bandar Seri Begawan, I set off on another solo adventure.
My flight arrived at around 10:20 pm, too late for sightseeing. Since I couldn’t install DART, I booked my ride thru the hotel I booked via agoda. The ride cost me around 17 BND (about 768.00 PHP). The price was good enough based on the prices I saw on the internet and it was a sure ride to get to my accommodation.
First impression? Quiet, not much people in the airport, lights were dimmed and it was definitely very clean. And oh! JOLLIBEE!
By 11 p.m., I arrived at Qing Yun Resthouse near the waterfront, less than 30 minutes from the airport and conveniently close to major tourist places.
DAY 1
I started my regular tourist trip the following morning with walking around the area at about 6:30. It was very fortunate that it was not raining when I was walking around. All walking distance spots I went to that morning were: The Waterfront, The Big Brunei Wall, Yayasan Sultan Bolkiah Complex, The Frame, Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque and Kianggeh Market.
You can pretty much see all of this in less than 3 hours. I stayed a while at Kianggeh Market for breakfast, people watching and just looking at what produce and stuff they have in the market. They offer a wide variety of vegetables, some I don’t see in the Philippine markets. The market was very clean and there was no weird smell. They also have steel tables and benches available for those who want to eat. There was also a wide variety of local food available and it was pretty cheap from 1 BND and above, 1L bottled water was also cheap compared to the stores next to my accommodation. The market was also a stop for tourist, while eating I saw some Chinese tourist arrived in buses, apparently it was a tourist destination. I enjoyed people watching while eating my breakfast.
I went back to the hotel to relax. At around 2:30 I asked the hotel if I can be assisted in booking a DART ride to go to The Mall. Coming from the Philippines, The Mall may seem underwhelming but it’s a cozy mall. There weren’t many people and the air-conditioning was a relief from the hot weather. My favorite part in going to the mall is going to the supermarket. I think the supermarket is also a great place to learn about a country, it’s a cultural experience in itself and I make sure I visit one when I go abroad. A lot of products were imported in this supermarket and there were also lots of Filipinos working at the supermarket (I can hear them talking in Filipino). I waited and stroll around The Mall until 4 p.m. for the opening of the Gadong Night Market. There were so many food option at the night market, and it was affordable. I ate a variety of food, it was definitely delicious (just like what they said in social media). However, I might have gotten allergies from either the lekor or the chicken.
I went back to Yayasan and the Frame after my little food trip in Gadong for some night photos. It was a different feeling of peace and calm. There was not much people around and you can hear the prayer from the mosque.
DAY 2
My flight was not until 11:05 PM, it’s late but it gives me time to visit some of the places I still want to see. I went to the Big Brunei Wall and The Frame again for some photos and just to absorb the peace and calmness of the surroundings. Then went back to Kianggeh Market to buy some “pasalubong.” I took the public bus for 1 BND and visited Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, it was free to enter. The staff were hospitable and even guided where I can go – it was my first time entering a mosque.
I took the public bus again to get back to Bandar, the bus driver was very nice and gave me a little tour – mentioning what buildings there were and finally getting to the hospital and mentioning free healthcare for citizens (oh, wow).
I decided I wanted to know what jollibee taste like in Brunei so I asked him to drop me of where I can go to the nearest Jollibee and there was none so I went down to the bus station and walked to Jollibee. Luckily it was open and I get to order some brioche burger, the lady taking the order was super nice, most staff were Filipino. The meal was not available in the Philippines and was quite expensive compared to what we have, it was 17 BND. To be honest, it tastes different than what my Filipino palette is used to.
Went back to the accommodation to rest and freshen up before checking out. Then I walked to The Royal Regalia Museum (about 500 meters away). The museum visit cost 5 BND (or 225 PHP). It exhibits memorabilia used in royal ceremonies, state visits and photos from the decade rule of the sultan. They have a secured baggage area so if you are on your way to your next destination you can leave your stuff in the ticket booth area and look around the museum. The staff were also nice and helpful. The staff at the reception also helped me get to Gadong night market by booking me a Dart ride. I am very lucky to have encountered wonderful people during this Brunei Trip.
Could not miss another food trip and buying some pasalubong at Gadong Night Market, I had some wonderful Bakso for my early dinner. Spent more than an hour looking at food stalls and people watching while waiting for my ride to the airport – an hour of which looking at an old lady asking for money, lots of people pass by her and gave her money (1 BND or 5 BND) she probably made around 50 BND during that hour which made me question my life choices and wondered if I can do that as a career (just kidding! but it was probably a part of the Muslim culture of giving alms).
After that, time to go home and get back to the real world with our plastic bag full of pasalubong.
Here is the breakdown of the expenses for this trip (Note that this trip was done last November 2025) in Philippine Peso:
| Flights and Travel Essentials | |
| Flights via Cebu Pacific Air Roundtrip | 5,129.43 |
| Travel Tax | 1620.00 |
| Airport Transfer (To Hotel) | 768.00 |
| Airport Transfer (To Airport) | 450.00 |
| E-Sim | 571.06 |
| Insurance | 350.00 |
| Fare (by bus) | 225.00 |
| DART | 247.50 |
| Accommodation | |
| Qing Yun Resthouse Bandar (Twin Room with Bathroom) | 3,438.55 |
| Food and Other Expenses | |
| Water | 250.00 |
| Food | 1,268.50 |
| Royal Regalia Museum | 225.00 |
| Pasalubong | 1,275.75 |
| TOTAL EXPENSES | 15,818.79 (USD 270) |
REFLECTIONS
Over the past three years of solo travel, I’ve learned to prioritize experiences that fit both my schedule and finances. Popular attractions like The Empire Hotel, Kampong Ayer, Istana Nurul Iman, and proboscis monkey tours were tempting, but time and budget constraints kept me focused on accessible sites.
Brunei may not be bustling with tourist crowds, but its quiet charm, hospitable people, and cultural richness made the trip memorable.
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