Doesn't this picture look VERY familiar? Maybe, you've seen it SOMEWHERE.. Oh, yes- it's the exact photo on top of my blog! This picture was taken by my husband sometime in 2005. It's composed of 3 different frames, put together as one to give you a panoramic view of the lagoon surrounding The Empire Hotel & Country Club, in the small but rich sultanate country of Brunei Darussalam in Asia. This hotel brings back fond memories of weekend stays , company functions, wedding receptions and dinners with family & friends.
Within the tourism industry and beyond, people would rate this place as a '6-star' hotel. What makes it deserving of its rating is its luxurious facilities and amenities. There are over 540 rooms in this hotel and some of its rooms were decorated with marble-clad bathrooms, walk-in showers, European furnishings and Italian down feather pillows and duvets- all these can be found in deluxe, superior and ocean view rooms. In one of our weekend stays in this hotel, we used a deluxe room. My children who were very young then, enjoyed the beds at the most part because they were really comfortable. Although they had so much fun playing at the beach earlier on the day, the best part was getting to bed. During the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in 2000, then President Bill Clinton, was said to have used the hotel's Emperor Suite, tagged as "The World's Leading Presidential Suite". This room has its own private elevator access, swimming pool, steam room & sauna, movie theatre and grand piano. Surely, this room is fit for an emperor and his royal entourage!
This hotel is undoubtedly a class of its own and very opulent. There were several times when we used the hotel's facilities but most of which were spent at the beach, building sandcastles or playing on top of the huge inflatables in the water. We were so glad that we got the chance to stay in the hotel on a weekend, and simply enjoy the 'free' accommodation given to us by our friend. If you happen to visit Brunei, you may want to try and experience staying at The Empire. At least, you'll feel pampered like royalty even for a night!
On my last visit to this hotel, my friends and I took numerous pictures as mementos to bring with me to Canada. Beyond the opulence of this marvellous destination, it was the friends I made and the precious moments spent with my family that matter most.
Very nice!
ReplyDeleteHappy blogging!
It's a beautiful photo!
ReplyDeleteI just love a good hotel.
ReplyDeleteAs a resident of Brunei for ten years, I had the opportunity also as a very 'normal' person to experience some of this world's pleasure and comfort intended foremost for the rich...I gave birth to my fourth child in Brunei's Jerudong Park Polo Club Hospital, a unique medical facility where the interiors of a typical ward would put shame to some 4 star hotels! I was fortunate enough that the facilty was opened to the public who can pay of course a fee as it was initially used only for royals and their exclusive staff....on the Empire Hotel, I only visited it once before I left Brunei for New Zealand but was in constant communication with fellow Filipino Architects who were involved in the project and I know how opulent the design was...down to the rich details, first class materials and workmanship.....though for every project there would be a budget, this Empire Hotel was built and completed beyond the cost it would take to satisfy a dream design. This is a special project by one of the Sultan's brother.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the additional info., Leila! Nice inputs!
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