Monday, October 9, 2017

The Palm Garden Hotel and Brunei's Best Health Club the Fitness Zone

Anette 1:22:00 PM Brunei, Hotels, Southeastasia, Travel

During our visit to Brunei we stayed for the first half of our trip at Palm Garden Hotel Brunei, a 3-star hotel in the outskirts of Bandar Seri Begawan. There were a few other interesting hotels to choose from in the area, but what finally made us go for this hotel was the reasonable price (around 65 BND/night), the free airport transport and the sport facilities including swimming pool available for free for staying guests.

Check the room availability for Palm Garden Hotel Brunei on Agoda.com.

This post is divided into the following sessions:

The Guest Room

The guest room we stayed at, a Standard Double room, was nothing special but enough for our needs. The room was old but clean, and the bed was comfortable. We also had a nice pool view from our room. Considering that the price we payed for the room also included free access to the hotel's fitness club we were quite satisfied with a simple room (we also spent the saved-up money for a luxurious stay at the Empire Hotel the second half of the trip).

Above: Standard Double bed

Above: Desk and a small TV

Above: Complimentary water bottles and nescafe coffee sticks

Above: Bathroom with shower

Above: Bathroom with complimentary amenities

The Breakfast

The hotel plan we had booked with didn't include any breakfast, but for those who book their breakfast plan will get their meal served in a restaurant/cafe called The Energy Kitchen situated in the building next to the hotel.

The first morning we chose to have brunch at the hotel's restaurant after our morning workout, and we were quite satisfied with the large variety of nutritious meals one could choose from.

The price of their dishes is slightly above what you'd pay for in other local restaurants, but if you're conscious about eating high-quality ingredients this might not be a major concern. Either way, this is definitely the place to go if you find yourself in Brunei longing for healthy / organic food.

In addition to the organic food they also serve delicious and healthy smoothies.

There are however a number of restaurants and a large grocery store within walking distance from the hotel, so don't despair if you prefer eating elsewhere. In our case we stopped by the restaurant a couple of times during our stay, especially to get some fast energy after our morning workouts at the hotel's fitness center.

The Fitness Center

And last but not least, our main reason for choosing this hotel: The hotel's 3-floor fitness center called The Fitness Zone Kiulap. The Fitness Zone was situated in the building next to the hotel, which also is the same building where the Energy Kitchen is located. All staying guests are welcome to use the health club for free, so we ended up starting every day at the hotel with a nice refreshing workout.

Above: The Fitness Zone health club

Above: The entrance to the Fitness Zone
At the gym, they offered all sorts of exercise equipment, free weights and a large variety of group exercise classes. This was a place where anyone from beginner to expert could find something suitable for their level.

Above: A room with exercise bikes in the Fitness Zone

Above: You don't have to be great to start but you have to start to be great
In addition to the various equipment available the fitness center also had a couple of studios where daily classes were held in the exercise genres cardiovascular, indoor cycling, dancing, body toning & muscle conditioning, mind & body and high-intensity interval training. We joined a couple of classes, and it seemed that these classes were popular among locals participants coming from all over the city.

Above: The time schedule of Studio 1 & 2 is filled with a variety of fun classes that guests staying at the Palm Hotel can join for free

Above: At the gym you can find the necessary equipment for all sorts of exercise

Above: Quote by Michael Jordan along with his basketball outfit
According to some of the locals we talked to this was without a doubt Brunei's best gym, and during our stay, we heard rumors that even Brunei's prince comes here to do his workout (unfortunately we didn't run into him though haha).
As you already probably know Brunei is a country with a large amount of oil wealth, and this was apparently also the case for the locals coming to Fitness Center for their daily workout.

Above: A fancy sports car parked outside the gym

What can I say... The hotel rooms might not have been all that grand but if you're looking to stay active during your trip to Brunei you now know where to go!

The fitness center operates Monday to Thursday from 6:30 am to 11pm, and from Friday to Sunday 7am - 10pm. Note that it is closed on Fridays between 12pm - 2pm.

Others

The hotel was situated 10 minutes to the center of Bandar Seri Begawan by taxi, but thanks to a local shopping area only a 3 min walk from the hotel we didn't feel the need to go into the city center that often. In fact, we only spent one-day sightseeing downtown. You can always join day trips with pickup from the hotel included, and the hotel staff also kindly offered to drive us to some close-by attractions such as the Pasar Gadong Night Market.

Above: The hotel pool

The Palm Garden Hotel was a great choice for us, especially as my hubby and I like to stay active. If you fancy some yoga while on holiday this might just be the right place for you too!

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below

-Anette

Basic Info

Name of Hotel:	Palm Garden Hotel
Star Rating:	3 ★★★
Map
Access	- 3 minutes walk to the nearest shopping mall - 10 minutes by taxi from Brunei International Airport - 10 minutes to the center of Bandar Seri Begawan by taxi
Check-in:	Check In 3PM - 7PM Check Out Until 10AM