Mangrove Paradise Resort

Went there last weekend with my parents and 3 brothers. No, we didn't spend the night there. My dad merely just want to have a look on what all the fusses were about.

It was officially opened on 1st October 2009 and it is located in Kg. Sungai Belukut. And before anyone of you ask, it's not as fancy as any resorts you might have in mind. It's not like the resorts in Langkawi or even in Mauritius....that's would be a dream holiday!

Mangrove Paradise Resort has 15-fully furnished chalets, a restaurant, conference hall, surau and 2 swimming pools. All the chalets are overlooking the Brunei river and each chalet cost $128 per night. M going to be honest here in my entry coz I don't want to give any false impressions on any tourists out there who's planning to spend their time there and get their hearts disappointed.

Although m very proud of the opening of the MPR coz as far as our tourism industry is going, this is the first of its kind in Brunei. The first thing I noticed once I stepped down from the car was the smell! Yes, the unpleasent smell of the river! No, I couldn't blame anyone for the smell coz it is expected from the river but somehow it made me very uncomfortable!

The tide was low when we came hence you can see the base of the mangrove along the shore. The pathway leading to the reception and the restaurant (and others) are made from planks and woods so if you planning to go there, please restrain yourself from wearing high heels - unlike me!! But we were not planning to go there and considering that it's a last minute decision, it's hardly my fault that I wore high heels. Gosh, my brothers were laughing when they saw me walking sideways after my heels caught in between the planks - in more than one occasion!

From the local blogs that I had been reading and from the mouths of some friends that I know who had spent their times there, I somehow can conclude that there are many disappointed guests compared to the satisfied guests. The most disappointed remark would be the service in the restaurant. Considering that we had ate before we came to the MPR, so we didn't try to dine there but as one of my friends said, it took minimum of 1 hour for their foods to arrive!! What? And from what I read from fellow local bloggers, most of the guests left the restaurant without eating anything! Hmm.. I guess it's that bad huh?

Anyway, I won't comment more coz it's really unfair for me to criticize without spending at least a night there. Besides, the owner - the family - happened to be someone we knew while we were staying in Muara. 2 of his children were my brothers' classmates and in support of Brunei tourism, I hope they can accept criticism with open mind and hope to improve better.