I wished I had entered The Empire looking somewhat glamorous and all-dressed up in my stilettos but here am I at The Empire with my salt-sprayed hair,semi-drenched clothes and a plastic bag full of soiled clothes and shoes. Picture an unkempt-looking girl in her flip flops and shorts entering one of the most luxurious hotels in Brunei that is made fit for the Royalty.
Thankful that no one gave me a second look of the way I dressed, I quickly grabbed my camera from my bag and sling it over my neck. I never knew that my DSLR could one day be a great tool for hiding my face and identify. Okay, I am just going to hide my face with the camera so that no one knows that the author of Deenise Glitz was actually here in her shabby-looking outfit and flip-flops. I promise that no one knows except you.
Upon arrival at the Empire, I get to see one of the most shiniest black cars in my life with our national car flag. Who could it be? We later got to know that our President, Dr. Tony Tan was also residing in The Empire! Wouldn’t you have this feel-good feeling when you know that you are staying in a hotel which even your President of your country would choose to stay? Am I dreaming about the fact that I am going to stay here for one night? Slap me back to reality, please.
All smiles and sunshine. The service provided here by their staff is superb.
Our welcome mocktail drink which tasted so pleasantly on our tongues.
Even though we were looking all scrubby and disheveled, we did not receive any second looks from the hotel staff. But we were in fact treated like royalty as the staff escorted to our rooms.
Even the seating area,outside the lift lobby, was adorned with semi-precious stones like Lapis lazuli and malachite marbles. I was instantly transported to the inner chambers of the world’s most majestic palace. Yes, The Empire sprawls over 180 hectares and it does feels like I was in a palace with almost everything you could have asked for.
Here’s a room tour in snapshots.
All I wanted to do was to plop right on to the bed and lie on those Italian tailored bed linens made from Egyptian cotton and hug those luxurious down feather pillows to sleep.
Thank goodness we each had our own hotel room. I believe I will get punch in the face if I slept with someone else because I spent at least 20 minutes taking pictures and checking out the room.
Personalized welcome letter from the General Manager of The Empire, John Scanlon. It’s such a sweet and pleasant gesture from them. The letter was personally written by the General Manager himself! I am so going to keep this letter in my treasure box. Definitely a worthy keepsake to remember this memorable stay at The Empire.
Just as I was checking out my hotel room and pulling out drawers to see if there’s any other surprises, the phone rang and guess who? The people working at the concierge called to check if I needed anything else. That’s what I call good service!
I think Dr.Tony Tan was about to get onto his car and this would be a great opportunity for us to take a photo with him. Sadly, we had a dinner to catch with the Bruneian bloggers and the peeps from Royal Brunei Airlines.
Dinner at Azhani’s house with the Bruneian Bloggers
By the look of the photograph above, you would think that we were playing some kind of a ice-breaker games right? But no, we are fashion models for Royal Brunei Airlines’s new collection of eye masks. The chic eye mask make a cool accessory with your pyjamas while sleeping on the plane. Who says you can’t wear your Pjs onboard?
That night we had a western foodfare. We were welcomed with grilled and barbecued food by the Bruneians.There were hamburgers, salads, wraps and fries which were all prepared by Azhani and her husband.
After dinner, we sat around in the living room to mingle and chat further.But by then, I was feeling quite drowsy perhaps by the intense smoke from the grill or the vigorous jerky motion I experience on the speedboat during the snorkelling trip earlier on. I had no idea what’s the cause of it but thank goodness that drowsy feeling wore off after we returned to The Empire.
I didn’t know that there would a full load of surprises during my stay at the Empire. The moment I entered the room I saw a bottle of mineral bottle and a cup placed beside the bed. The curtains were drawn and the lights were dimmed. Awww… it’s so nice to have someone doing all these little things for you while you’re away.
