Miri Marriott (2 + hours drive from Brunei)

Venue Type: Hotel with pool and (soon to be constructed) “Kids’ Club”.

Description: A lot of families living in Brunei choose to drive to neighbouring Malaysia for holidays (as opposed to flying to other locations) and stay at the Miri Marriott (There are other nice hotels in Miri, but this seems to be the most popular option). This is a way for families to enjoy a resort holiday while experiencing a “road trip” in Borneo.

The rooms are luxurious, the pool is huge and has a fun little kids pool with a slide. One small section of the pool is partially shaded. On weekends in the afternoons (sometimes), a “floating bouncy castle/obstacle course” is set up in the main pool. The buffet breakfast overlooking the pool is lush.

Combining a visit to Miri Crocodile Farm, Piasau Boat Club and Taman Awam makes for a great holiday. Overall, the Miri Marriott is a great way to spend of few days if you want to “live in luxury”.

Location: Jalan Temenggong Datuk Oyong Lawai, 98000 Miri, Malaysia http://goo.gl/maps/xBtXm

Website: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/myymc-miri-marriott-resort-and-spa/

Other info: It is well worth it to become a Marriott member (When you check in, you’ll be asked). Free nights’ accommodation and discounts in the restaurants are offered to members.

Taman Awam – In Miri Malaysia (2 + hours drive from Brunei)

Venue Type: Public gardens, swimming pool and suspension bridge.

Description: One of the attractions in the city of Miri (Malaysia) for parents with kids. If spending a few days over the border in Malaysia (See Miri Marriott post), this is a convenient place to visit to break up the day. About a 10 minute drive away from the Miri Marriott, Taman Awam is a lovely venue set on a hilltop amongst fairly well-kept gardens. The trails through the gardens are nice to explore with little stone carvings and sculptures placed in the wilderness. Avoid the middle of the day due to the heat.

Location: http://goo.gl/maps/DJYBy

Entry Fee: Free

Serves Food: No.

Nearby locations: Miri Marriott, Miri Crocodile Farm, Piasau Boat Club

Kampung Meritam’s Mud Volcanoes (just over the border in Malaysia)

Venue Type: National Park…with “mud volcanoes”.

Description: Have a family mud bath in these naturally occuring “mud springs”. Caused by some fissure between plates…blah subduction…blah blah tectonic…fault lines, these cool mud pools are great fun to visit. Only about 20 minutes into Malaysia (about an hour’s total drive from Bandar) it makes quite a nice morning to splash about in the mud, wash off and drive back via Kulah Lurah border post (where you can pick up some supplies to take back into Brunei) and have a bite to eat.

The shower facilities are great and admission is free!

Location: http://goo.gl/maps/TDQ0b
(Once you’ve gone through the Kuala Lurah border post, look for the signs to Kampung Meritam on the left hand side as you drive along Jalan Kualah Lurah…if you get to the T-Junction, you’ve missed it!)

Admission fee: Free

Serves Food?: A small local shack serves meals, snacks and water.

Nearby Facilities: Kualah Lurah border post.

McDonald’s (Gadong)

Venue Type: Fast food restaurant.

Description: It’s a McDonald’s with a small but clean play area. What else do you need to know?

Location: http://goo.gl/maps/wgpnJ

Nearby Facilities: Gadong Mall, Westpark #1 and #2 Funlands, Fratinni’s Pizza-making.

Jerdong Park Playground

Venue Type: Theme Park.

Description: The Sultan’s famous theme park is being slowly renovated. Now only one tenth its former size, plans are apparently afoot to restore it to a semblance of its former glory. Featuring a carousel, pedal boats, bumper cars, mini-golf, a ferris wheel, a huge outdoor playground, a train, a mini piate ship and more…this place sounds promising…

Its usefulness is somewhat sabotaged by the heat which limits the times young ones can be taken there. 4pm onwards is manageable (and there is a 30 minute window of “downtime” around 6pm for cultural reasons); Depending on your household bedtime(s), this may not leave much time to take advantage of all the facilities.

Location: Jerudong Park Playground, Jerudong.
http://goo.gl/maps/jtSC6

Admission fee: $50 for a family of four (unlimited rides).

Serves Food?: Lots…there’s a Burger King, KFC and assorted other stalls that sell food for about $5 per meal.

Nearby Facilities: Jerudong Park Playground, Polo Club, Tarindak Restaurant.

(A grumpy post script: On the second day of re-opening, the ferris wheel was closed due to a mechanical failure. Time will tell if this theme park will be able to maintain its assets).

Muara Beach Recreational Park

Venue Type: Outdoor Park and beach

Description: A large playground with swings, slides and climbing frames. Bike/scooter paths are also well maintained. Fairly well shaded, but it still gets hot during the middle of the day. Picnic and BBQ facilities are dotted about the park under trees.

Clean toilets and showers are convenient if you plan on using the beach. The beach is clean and doesn’t seem to have any sand fly problems. It is unpatrolled, so keep your eyes on the kids at all times.

Location: Jalan Pantai Muara, http://goo.gl/maps/A9nel

Admission fee: Free

Serves Food?: Small food and drink stalls open up in the afternoons.

Nearby Facilities: Serassa Yacht Club

Kianggeh Market

Description: A small (by SE Asian standards) local “traditional” market located by the Brunei river. Fresh fruit, veggies, spices, fish and tatt for sale. As Brunei goes, this is one of the more authentic local “cultural” places to visit. You can catch a boat from the steps to Kampong Ayer (if  you’re brave, ask to go to “Jeti 3” in the water village where there’s a local restaurant that serves food over the murky Brunei river – most meals are about $5. The boat ride is $1per person one way).
Overall, this is a fun little market that interests kids with all sorts of sights, sounds and odd smells (make sure they keep their hands to themselves!).

Location: Kianggeh Market, http://goo.gl/maps/0wrP9

Other info: Parking is awkward, so parking along Jalan Residency is probably best.

Nearby Locations: Kampong Ayer, Fratinni’s on the Water, Radisson Hotel.

Entry Fee: n/a

Mendaki Bukit Kampong Mentiri

Description: A small jungle-walking recreation park with 3km, 2.1km, 1.7km and 1.2 km loops. These walks are not designed with little kids in mind, but this is one of the easier venues to take them (our 2 year old sits in a backpack, while our 4 year old walks/”complains” around the 1.2km track). With easy parking, toilet facilities and fairly clear trails, this is a relatively safe and easy place to wander off into the equatorial jungle with the kids (There are LOTS of jungle walks to do in Brunei that can be done with a child-carrier/backpack…but this venue’s walks are more shaded, less hilly and shorter than other places in Brunei).

The jungle views as early as 2 minutes into any of the walks are lovely.

Location: Jalan Kota Batu, Mentiri
http://goo.gl/maps/cHhUF

Price: Free.

Nearby Facilities: Nothing immediately nearby.

Other Info: Avoid the hours of 9am-3pm because of the heat. Take hats and lots of water.

Youth Park (Taman Belia Skate Park)

Description: A fairly clean skate park with a distinct lack of teen juvenile deliquents loitering with intent.
This is a nice little space for kids to ride, scoot or skate about. The trees keep the sun away until about 8am.

Location: Stadium Rd, Bandar http://goo.gl/maps/0KCJL

Cost: Free

Nearby Facilities: It is across the road from the National Stadium Playground.

Empire Hotel “E Kids Club”

Description: Featuring a pool, a massive artificial lagoon for swimming and kayaking, a small clean beach, swings, a small waterslide, an indoor play area (with a nap room and baby change facilities) and a shaded pool deck for ordering food…this place is brilliant for families.

Cost: For Empire members, all facilities are free (Membership is $100 per month, but there is a massive joining fee…about $3000). For non-members, it’s $50 per visit.

If you are a guest of the hotel, the facilities are free (a cheeky idea which works is to spend a night in the hotel sans kids…get them babysat…enjoy a night imagining you’re a crazy young couple in love again in a “6 star” hotel room…then have someone bring the kids to the hotel in the morning to take advantage of the facilities)

Location: Empire Hotel
http://goo.gl/maps/B6pih

Serves Food: Yes. Expensive. $16 for minimalist fish and chips.

Other info: Pools are open from 7am, but the Kids E Club doesn’t open until 9am.

Nearby Facilities: The Polo Club, Bukit Shabandar

Website: http://www.theempirehotel.com/