Hi Huneybees,
All thanks to
Bintan Resorts, I got to enjoy a couple of days with my hubby at
Bintan. He's been busy with work and I've been busy blogging, it was really nice to be pampered for a change.
Bintan is in fact just 45 minutes ferry ride away from Singapore and it is an island in the Riau archipelago of Indonesia and the island has beaches with beach-front International hotels and resorts; the most prominent of these beaches is the Bintan Resorts set over an area of 300 hectares (740 acres) of tropical environment. The archipelago of the Riau islands is right opposite to this resort across the South China Sea.
It happened to be the Chinese Valentines' Day that day and we got to spend a little romantic time together. I even prepared a little surprise for him! I brought this mighty cute Pocky treats that he loved in strawberry flavour and what's special is that the biscuit comes in heart shapes!
Snack snack snack and in just a blink of an eye, we were whisked onto the lands of Indonesia and greeted by the huge Garuda statue right outside the ferry terminal. It is the national symbol and definitely very welcoming to the tourists.
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| A welcoming dance when we arrived at Bintan Lagoon Resorts. |
So, for this trip, I signed up for the “Just U & Me” package (2D1N), which is a part of the Bintan Resorts’ inaugural ‘island-wide’ sale, a month-long travel super sale with all-in holiday packages available beginning August 15th.
Dubbed the ‘Great Bintan Sale’, this is the first time that Bintan Resorts puts together "pan-Bintan island" packages. “The idea is to take the traveller outside of the resort and showcase the myriad of activities Bintan has to offer—from great eats, indulgent massages and many more. Too often, we hear customers going ‘there is nothing to do in Bintan!’. So this packaging of our offerings – with savings of up to 60 per cent – is designed to dispel misconceptions people have," --- Ong Lu Yi, senior marketing manager, Bintan Resorts International.
There was already a shuttle ride from the ferry terminal waiting for us to bring us to our hotel - Bintan Lagoon Resort. It has a lot of facilities within its premises and one of it would have to be the 2 courses - Jack Niclaus (Sea-View Course) and Ian Baker-Finch (Woodlands View).
Hubby saw a little corner for golfers and he just can't control himself. Hehehehehe...
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| That's out hotel room! |
So, what's first on our itinerary was a 60 mins Couple In-Room Massage. I was a little shy as this was the first time we bared it all with 2 masseurs. But seriously, after the ferry ride, and all the late nights for the week, we were both slowly fading into dreamland within a few minutes of the relaxing massage.
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| See! We are all recharged and ready to go! |
After the massage, we had a little bit of them to relax, watch some TV, ouch up my makeup and dress up for our dinner at
RIN Restaurant. It is located at another resort -
East Wing of Nirwana Resort Hotel and we had our ride ready, waiting for us at the lobby already.
Tucked in a quiet corner of the resort, it was the best setting for a romantic time under the bright moonlight and if you opt for the alfresco dining, you can even feel the light sea breeze...
Rin Restaurant specializes in Kaiseki, a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner as well as various courses of teppanyaki cuisines, and guests will get to enjoy the added excitement and heat of watching the chefs prepare their meals right before their eyes.
Operating Hours
| Lunch | : 12.00pm - 2.00pm |
| Dinner | : 5.30pm - 10.00pm |
A lovely table with candlelights were already all ready waiting for us. Our appetizers arrived pretty fast and not only was I treated to some of the finest Japanese cuisine, the service of the staff was also very good. They are friendly and when I asked to move indoors, they even carried the whole table in! WOW service there!
One of the highlights would have to be the sashimi platter. Instead of the usual dipping in wasabi and soya sauce, the waiter suggested that we try the raw slices with a pinch of sea salt and a drop of lime juice. Seriously, I am converted! Not only does that brings out the freshness in the meat, the light tangy taste simply "woke up" our tastebuds!
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| Lobster Miso Soup |
Whilst waiting for our dessert, the Ocha Sherbet, the waiter did a little 'magic' trick for us. He simply had a bottle of chilled mineral water and 3 cubes of ice in the glass, and when he poured the water in, ice kept 'climbing' up creating a pillar of ice!
I know if has some science logic behind it, maybe salt or something. Any knows the trick? Share it with me? :)
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| A couple shot before we head back to our hotel. |
We headed back to the hotel and we could hear music right at the lobby. We could have stayed for a couple of drinks, but we knew we had to rest as it was an early morning activity waiting for us there...
The next day, our buffet breakfast was at the hotel's restaurant called Kopi-O. We spent a little more time there as it was pouring outside and our schedule was a little delayed....
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| A very interesting sandcastle at the buffet table. |
Well, since waiting for the rain to subside, we headed back into the hotel room to enjoy a bit of coffee in the balcony. We had a corner sea view, so it was pretty nice to chill out there.
I was still fearing that we might have to cancel our morning's activity, when the rain suddenly stopped and I was jumping with joy! I didn't get to go to the Bintan Mangrove the last time I was there, so I was super cite, that my plans were not cancelled.
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| The Bintan mangrove is very near the Pasar Oleh Oleh, so you might want to plan these 2 activities together on the same day. |
Did you know? There are about 70 mangrove species in the world today, some of which are critically endangered. With the continuing threat from the rise in sea levels and coastal developments, mangroves may vanish totally in 100 years. Experts estimate that on a global basis, these tidal wetland ecosystems provide at least US$1.6 billion (S$2.2 billion) worth of services each year, such as protecting the coastline from erosion, improving water quality, and providing habitats for commercial fish species.
Having awarded the 2003 PATA GOLD AWARD, the Bintan Mangrove Tour takes you on a back-to-nature encounter with Bintan island’s rich mangrove forests through the quiet waterways of Sebung River. We got to learn more about the mangroves and we even got to see some wildlife and checked out the local village lifestyle...
We don't normally get to see much nature especially in the bustling citylife of Singapore, so it was nice to be in the sun for awhile and learning to appreciate more to life than just money. I would say this is an exceptionally educational trip for the little ones, so that they can help to protect and save the Earth for the more generations to come...
We put on our life vests and it was time for us to set off....
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| Fishing platforms for fishermen to stand on while casting nets for fishes... |
Traditional life is still very much alive among Bintan’s mangrove forests, and you could say that the homes, boats, fishing traps and daily meals are largely derived from the mangroves. In fact, over 47,000 tonnes of fish are caught in Indonesia’s mangroves every year, and just one hectare of mangroves can yield over 160 kilogrammes of shrimp.
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| Inside lives the orang laut. |
On the tour, we were also introduced to the last village of orang laut (sea gypsies) and kelongs (over-the-water fishing houses built on stilts) of the river folk.
There was also an introduction to the traditional charcoal kiln that the villagers used to use. It's already no longer in use, but seeing the majestic view of it, I can only say our ancestors are simply miracle workers...
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| Palm tress where also found along the banks. They provide roofing for the villagers' houses... |
I have learnt about the mangroves and roots in textbooks back in schooldays, but having to see them up close and refer back to what I learnt is amazing. I even got to see the different types of roots that mangroves have -
Stilt Roost, Pencil Roots, Ribbon Roots, Knee Roots, etc...
The river also plays a host to a variety of exotic wildlife. We saw the silver leaf monkeys, monitor lizards, snakes and even a swooping kingfisher cut across our boat, but it was simply to fast for the camera. We were told that the riverbed is teemed with marine life including coral fish, mudskippers, crabs, prawns, mud lobsters, snails, clams and a variety of small fish. However, putting your hands into the murky waters are highly not recommended as there might be water snakes in there too!
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| The little holes are homes to the river lobsters. Food? |
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| This is the oldest tree in the forest, but it has already stopped functioning. |
Other than seeing the mangrove trees, there are also other species of plants...
The water turned clear towards the end of our journey and that meant that we are already in the sea. So it was time to turn back and we stopped by the kelong on our way back, where we were greeted by the villagers and checked out some of the fruits that they were selling.
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| Rambutans for sale! |
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| Would you like some coconuts? |
The one hour explore ride was over so soon and it was time for us to bid goodbye to Bintan and head back to Singapore. It was shortlived but I must say it was a great treat to chillax and spend some quality time with my darling hubby.
Fares are falling fast and they won't be around for long. These all-in experience fares include accommodation, ferry, land transfer and selection of activities, and are up for purchase only via participating travel operators. They can be used for travel every day of the week till December 15th 2013 (Dec 14th for overnight stays, Dec 15th for day trips), so be sure to check them out soon!
Check out much next blog post for the tour around Bintan Lagoon Resort~~~~
