Pusat Belia - Hostel in Brunei

There aren’t that many hostels in Brunei. In fact to my knowledge, there is only one in the whole of the sultanate. The one hostel is housed in the Youth Center or popularly known as Pusat Belia. It is the cheapest accommodation you can find at least in Bandar Seri Begawan if not in the whole of Brunei. It is probably the best and only place to stay in Bandar Seri Begawan if you are on a tight budget.

The building itself is located smack in the middle of downtown Bandar Seri Begawan the capital of Brunei. You can find the Sheraton hotel to the right and the Kianggeh open air market to the left about 5 mins walk. Easy access to Kampong Ayer, Royal Regalia and eating establishments barely 10mins walk from the hostel itself. Of course being in the center of town, you can get to any destinations in Brunei very easily with the bus interchange also close by. Buses from this interchange goes to all parts of Brunei except probably Temburong which you can go to by speed boat. If you intend to go to Temburong for the Belalong National Park, the speed boat pick up point is no more than 15mins walk away. Basically a lot of major tourist attractions are just near by.

The hostel in itself is very basic although each rooms are air conditioned, which is of course the most important piece of equipment to have in this weather. The hostel is segregated with separate dorms for boys and girls, each with their own common bathrooms. It cost B$10 per person per night for a bed. And each room you may find 1, 2 or 3 double-decker beds depending on the size of the room. Rooms are limited. On occasion, it has been known that there is no one manning the reception especially in the odd hours. In such a case, what you can do is just get yourself a bed and pay up in the morning. Or if you can find the security guard on watch, you can pay him instead.
The center has its own swimming pool which you can use as long as you like for a mere B$1 though it closes at 9pm. There is also a cybercafé within the premises itself. They charge a minimal price of B$1 per hour which also closes at 9pm. There is no kitchen and no cooking of any form is allowed in the rooms. With cheap food around town, I cant imagine why you want to do this.

The reception is located on the ground floor and easily located if you come in from the main road side entrance and crossing a small bridge over a narrow canal. The reception staff goes off at 9.30pm. So if you arrive later then that, do let them know in advance so that they can arrange for someone to meet up with you upon your arrival. Reservations can be made by dropping them an email at pusatbelia@hotmail.com Or contact the hostel’s supervisor, Mr. Harjimmey directly at his email address jimy5192@hotmail.com Should you need to call them up, their number is +673 2223936 / 2222900 Ask for Harjimmey or Firdaus.