Kuala Belait, Brunei Darussalam

It's a little under 20km from Seria to the neighbouring oil town of KUALA BELAIT. There's nothing very enticing about the place, but with all buses to and from Miri in Sarawak stopping here, it's a spot you may have to visit. The town is ringed by suburban development that caters for the expat community, while central Kuala Belait is characterized by the many workshops and businesses that the local oil industry has spawned.

Buses stop at the intersection of Jalan Bunga Raya and Jalan McKerron, across which is the town's taxi stand. There are just two hotels, one of which, Hotel Sentosa (Tel:03/334341; B$101-150) at 93 Jalan McKerron, has 36 capacious, well-appointed and welcoming rooms. The alternative is the slightly less expensive Seaview Hotel (Tel:03/332651; B$101-150), 3–4km back along the coastal road towards Seria. You can change money in town at HSBC (Mon– Fri 9am–3pm, Sat 9–11am).

Jalan McKerron houses several good restaurants, the best of which are the tastefully decorated Buccaneer Steakhouse at no. 94, whose mid-priced international food is aimed squarely at the expat market; and the Akhbar Restaurant, at no. 99a, with a Malay and North Indian menu which includes excellent dosai. Of Kuala Belait's handful of other restaurants, two in particular, the first-floor Healthy Way Tandoori at 30 Jalan Pretty (the town's main drag, a block east of McKerron), and Jalan Bunga Raya's Orchid Room, are worth a visit – the former for its naans, tikka masalas and lassis, the latter for its good-value three-course Western set lunches (Mon– Fri; B$5).