One should be entitled to a "holiday" after our holiday to rest (and blog) and slowly ease into Work Warrior mode instead of plunging right back.
Contrary to my initial fears, I've just had an absolutely fantastic time!
Perhaps it's because my travel motto has always been to have low expectations so that I'll be pleasantly surprised, or maybe she was just darn unlucky, but I had a completely different experience from Xiaxue's, I'm happy to say.
The Crowd on the Day of Departure
I was a tad panicky by the claustrophobia-inducing crowd at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. It's the week of the Vesak Day long weekend, and it looks like everyone's eager to get out of Singapore!
Surprisingly the number of Singaporeans filtered out once we reached Angsana though - mostly angmohs, especially French and Aussies, a smattering of Japanese tourists as well. My colleague who's been to Banyan Tree says that Angsana, Banyan Tree and Club Med are considered the more high end section of Bintan.
I suspect being "high end" means they charge in USD$ at the resort - expensive even with the strengthening SG dollar!
Frankly, I would have prefered a more family resort like Nirwana since I was going with my parents. Unfortunately it's fully booked this round. We did manage to go to the Kelong Restaurant at Nirwana for dinner - the prices are in SGD$ and more reasonable too.
At this point my colleague reminded me again: Because I went on a public holiday weekend, family resort is sure to be very crowded and you'd have to fight for the pool real estate. So I guess it's worth forking out more for a more exclusive resort during peak season after all.
On the Ferry to Bintan
When you book your ferry with Bintan Resort Ferries, make sure it's the Aria Bupala vessel which has a spacious upper deck. I learnt from an online buddy's recent trip to Nirwana that it's a more comfortable ride upstairs.
I did lose my inhibitions and lie down on the sofa seats for a brief but refreshing siesta.
Advice from an Urbanite Beach Noob
("noob" meaning newbie in online gaming slang)
Do not bring makeup or contact lenses.
I don't know, in Singapore I find that I get better service if I look prettier and dress better. Maybe it has to do with people reacting well to pleasant things, or perhaps just that with my makeup face on, I am more confident of myself.
But in Bintan, I immediately ditched any fancy I had of looking like a glowing beach goddess and taking gorgeous photos of myself lounging lazily on the beach a la magazine shots.
I did not feel glamourous at all.
The humidity quickly overpowered me, and I sweated like a pig. I found myself repeating what I call the "Rinse and Repeat cycle":
1. Trudge to the beach, dip in the cooling sea water.
2. Float, float, float
3. Squeal as the waves nudge you here and there
4. Flop onto the deck chair to dry, pretend to read, and snooze
5. Get bored, proceed to the jacuzzi pool to be massaged by powerful jets
6. Have a lazy swim, get hungry and order meal to be served at the poolside,
7. Snooze, and repeat step 1 again.
Or, to summarise it: Dip, Dry, Dip, Dry, Dip, Dry, repeat ad infinitum until sunset.
Needless to say, after this initial optimistic photo, I took no more photos. I will die before I let you see me sans makeup and glasses. Surprisingly though, I have never felt so at ease in my natural self - flaws and all.
Most of the resorts occupy their own shop space at the Bintan ferry terminal. It's essentially a "waiting area" for you to rest as the resort staff sort out the luggages and usher you onto the bus.
They didn't utilise it properly though. Example, I popped into Club Med's "shop" to check out the rates or get some brochures, and the staff informed me they didn't have any at all, this was purely a reception area.
I'm interested because I saw some amazing pictures of Club Med on others' blogs. They mostly went on company team-building trips though. I am wondering about how much it costs if you book it yourself.
Angsana Resort
My photos didn't turn out very nice compared to some I've seen on other people's blogs. =(
But in my defence I must say that the architecture of the resort isn't very inspired. What makes it stand out is the service and the natural environment.
It took me some time to get used to the fact that the Lobby is on level 2. I kept pressing the wrong floor for the lifts.
In the next picture you can see the Lotus Cafe. At the very end that's the entrance to the Angsana Spa / Gallery, and more resort rooms.
If you turn left that's to the pool and the beach.
Angsana Gallery where you can buy expensive knick-knacks if you're so inclined.
And because they have nothing but ample supplies of sand for ashtrays, each one I came by was carefully imprinted with their Angsana resort logo of a starfish.
Angsana Resort is rather small. 4-storeys high of a longish building to maximise sea-front views.
It means long walks from the lifts to your room, but it's a small price to pay. I loved morning breakfasts on the balcony overlooking the gorgeous views.
Lush greenery and chalet-like building mean LIZARDS, LOADS OF LIZARDS.
I think I alarmed one of the cleaning crew when I walked out of our room and spied a HUMUNGOUS white/gray lizard hiding behind one of the pictures along the corridor.
Here's the Lotus pond with a dynasty of frogs living in it.
I realised why the swimming pool has a frog motif. During one of our evening strolls, the cacophony of frog croaks was deafening. Do not, on any account get a room facing the pond unless you have ear muffs.
The frog fountain in the day and at night. I am mightily pleased with the picture I took at night :D
Ground floor units would be good only if they're those pool or sea facing ones.
This one directly below us has its personal veranda, big garden and private jacuzzi.
I still see no point in spending more money to get the suite though. The pool's jacuzzi is a mere few steps away.
You know, I could become a morning person too, if I had a balcony or veranda like our room on the 3rd floor had.
Such bliss, to enjoy a morning cuppa as you flip through the day's papers.
You can see, my mom agrees.
One thing you want to be prepared for - They don't receive Singaporean channels very well. We tried to tune in to channel U to watch the news, but there was too much static.
Which is surprising as I'd passed by this fabulous rooftop garden without realising initially that there're satelite dishes tucked discreetly in a corner.
One thing to note is that when I went to Bintan Agro Resort last year, they received Singaporean channels perfectly. It takes longer to reach Bintan Agro Resort (1 hour 45mins) than Nirwana (1 hour), so I assume Bintan Agro Resort is further away from Singapore then.
It's not a big problem. I guarantee you'll be too bushed by night time to watch much TV. So much activity. And I say it perfectly tongue-in-cheek.
In any case they have VCD players and a wide range of VCDs readily available for rent (for a fee, naturally).
The amazing thing is, we passed by this angmoh standing by his room door, choosing from a folder of vcds that a staff had sent to his room.
The chap didn't show any impatience or annoyance that the angmoh took his own sweet time to choose. He simply stood there politely and patiently. He also made sure to make eye contact as we passed by and wished us a good evening. That's service!
Sigh. I really do miss the balcony. Let's have one more artistic shot of it, followed by the full view from it.
The Spa
The treatment rooms are open air concept. Located on the rooftop and facing the sea.
At night the drapes flapping in the seabreeze and the sound of waves make it a very relaxing experience. I reckon it will be very pleasant too during daytime if you manage to book a slot.
They have since stopped those tantalising-looking massages in a tent on the beach. The spa lady explained it's because of monsoon fears.
That's not very assuring since we planned to lay by the beach whole day! I wisely decided to keep this information to myself, in case my paranoid mom panics and holes up in the hotel room.
I only remembered to take a picture after the treatment. So please pardon the stripped bed on the right. The interior has very boudoir-like cosy furnishings.
We tried the 150mins package at USD$110 per person, and yes, it only lasted 2 hours with a 30 min cooldown period. I didn't feel ripped off at all though.
First you get a 30 min flower petals scrub that exfoliates your body. I feel that alone was worth it as she exfoliated places I myself could never reach or would be too lazy to pay attention to.
Certainly if you're lucky you can get your other half to do an exfoliating session for you once in a while, but we all know that guys don't do massages for their better half unless they have something else on their minds, eh? Wink.
You get to have a shower after the flower petals scrub. No soak though, that was a tad disappointing. I was looking forward to a good flower petals soak a la spa advertisements.
Following which the therapist massages your nude body for a good 1 hour.
And boy, is she thorough. She even massaged my boobs! I was pretty embarrassed. She literally saw my entire body in its naked glory. They really are professional about it though.
After that's a 30 min Indian head massage or facial massage - you get to choose. The Indian head massage was quite a novel experience. When it ended, she sounded a gong beside my ears 3 times. I joked with my mom that they must know we are too relaxed, that's why they're calling our souls back!
My masseur then asked me if I wanted to shower, but she advised that it's better to leave the oil on for 1-2 hours to benefit the body. I usually can't stand greasy stuff lingering on my body, but the massage oil they used was quite alright.
My parents' masseurs probably couldn't communicate with them well, as both of them took a shower right after.
Luckily my masseur pushed me in after the soak without letting me put on my glasses. I heard LIZARDS after the massage!
Here's the cooldown area where you get to sip hot ginger tea while the masseur gets the room ready for the next patron.
What impressed me about the massage is not the exorbitant price (perfectly tongue in cheek).
It was the level of service and attention to detail. My masseur always addressed me by name, example: "Miss Tiffany I am going to wash my hands before we start the Indian massage". I like that communication and knowing what was coming next.
I also liked that they had a chit for indicating what items you brought along with you, like camera and glasses. She didn't tell me about it, but she noted down what I brought, and asked me to acknowledge before I left. It shows responsibility and unintrusive meticulousness.
They are really very well-trained to anticipate customers' needs.
I left the spa feeling very pampered and relaxed in spirit.
World Class Service
I have something to confess. Because I got a wee bit alarmed at Xiaxue's bad experience, I included a note when I was booking through the internet: "As it's my parents' anniversary and I am giving them a treat I hope that they will have a pleasant experience."
Part of that is true anyway.
We got a surprise on the first night. They managed to catch us when we were out, and tadah look what we found on the table!
I don't eat any cakes that aren't chocolate, but the mom happily polished it off. It's a really sweet gesture!
Another detail that impressed me was that when we checked in, the airconditioning wasn't working.
On the 2nd day after housekeeping, we found a letter from a manager apologising for the inconvenience and explaining the cause of the breakdown. I thought that was a very nice and sufficient gesture already, but they even included complimentary gifts:
I am impressed beyond words. Most hotels I have been to are really impersonal. Some are tardy with the toiletries and you have to chase after them.
Again, am feeling very pampered. This is why they say money can make you feel like a king. But again, being rich doesn't mean people will fawn upon you. Sincerity can be felt, and I give all the staff full marks for excellent service.
Over there, I have the impression that it doesn't matter if you look gorgeous, you're angmoh or Asian, you wear branded threads, or you tip a lot. You can dress down, but the staff still treat you equally.
Food, glorious food.
There's a Veranda Lounge offering cakes (limited choices, at USD$4.50), and fantastic Iced Lemon Tea (USD$5.50).
Frankly, I should have saved some money and drank Iced Tea for the entire trip instead of being cheeky and trying out their cocktails like Angsana Daiquiri (USD$8.50) and Lagoi Sunrise (USD$8.50), or even rose wine (USD$9.50) and champagne (USD$13).
Even the smoothies are too milky for my taste.
Lotus Cafe at Level 1 features Indonesian and Western fare.
Fish and Chips at USD$13, Beef Burger at USD$12, Nasi Goreng at USD$11.
Only the Nasi Goreng is worth it. The beef burger was horrid. Thick beef patty - I couldn't finish it at all.
I really regretted it after seeing my dad's Nasi Goreng. It's tasty and surprisingly comes with so many other accompaniments: 2 satays, 1 drumstick, and prawn crackers with tasty belacan sauce.
We also took a shuttle bus (SGD$6 per person for return trip) to the Kelong Restaurant at Nirwana Gardens Resort.
It caters to Singaporeans and Malaysians mostly. Typical chinese restaurant decor with the usual seafood dishes. We ordered the Gong Gong, Fried Lobster, Steamed Prawns, Sambal Kang Kong, Squid.
Only the Gong Gong is nice, all big and fleshy! They have a special sauce for it too. No wonder it's their famed dish. Even better than the 2 plates I had at Bintan Agro Resort..
Please don't order the fried lobster. Try steamed instead. It came deep fried in butter till the meat is dry and hard. Virtually unrecognisable as lobster. Totally cannot compare with the Pantai Grill at Angsana Resort.
Prawns were also not fresh. Maybe due to public holiday, they're facing huge crowds. In general quite a disappointing experience.
The following is a really interesting kelong bar set even further out into the sea. I wonder if anybody has become so drunk that they fell into the sea. We didn't have time to visit though, as the bus leaves every 2 hours. If we miss it, we'd have to hang around for another 2 hours!
So what would I recommend? The Pantai Grill at Angsana Resort, definitely.
The night decorations of this open air restaurant by the beach are nice, reminding me of wayang backdrops. But the food isn't ala carte. It's buffet, and they don't have lobsters, only other grilled stuff. We ended up not eating dinner, since we had a heavy lunch so no point wasting money on buffet.
Sorry about the blurriness of the last shot - I just wanted to show you how vibrant it is at night - they have a live band to serenade you!
So if we can't eat dinner there, then why am I recommending it?
The Perfect Poolside Lunch at Pantai Grill
Half a grilled lobster (USD$16), Steak (USD$15) and Iced Lemon Tea (USD$5.50) - Perfecto.
I polished it off all by myself when the parents went to explore Pasar Oleh Oleh. I, on the other hand am not that adventurous. I wanted to maximise every minute at the beach and pool.
Actually for one person it's quite expensive. The irony is that usually on weekdays when I don't work, it's sufficient for me and my mom to hare a packet of char kuay teow or nasi lemak for lunch. But here I am splurging so much.
I guess going on a holiday means your perception of spending is totally warped.
Very juicy and tasty.
After a gigantic burp, lying by the pool reading and snoozing, then potter off for more Iced tea at the Veranda Lounge next to the Lobby.
I should have done this every single day. :D
Don't worry. I've saved the best for last.
Ooh la la, the beach.
I shall give you a sneak peak of the glorious beach first.
The beach which they share with Banyan Tree is simply paradise: clear azure waters and pristine white sand. The Banyan Tree side is nicer to look at, but painful to wade in due to plenty of rocks. This is the Nirwana side with the amazingly soft pillowy sand!
I read later that someone'd described it as "talcum powder". So true!
As compared to the Banyan Tree side which has more rocks (more Banyan Tree angled photos later):
The sand before Picassa's "I'm feeling lucky" button, already very beautiful:
After Picassa's "I'm feeling lucky" button. Wow! This must be a fake painted beach right?
I was pretty tempted to get some of this fine sand home for DIY exfoliation. The sand reminds me of my Body Shop Seaweed exfoliator facial wash!
Does this not look like turd? I made my mom slather on lots of this "mud" onto my back, arms, etc. I reckon it's like doing a mud spa.
Watching the sand and waves glittering in the sunlight made me tempted to just lie down and read my magazine half submerged in the water, letting the waves just wash over me.
Yes, that is my mom slathering mud over me. Quite a mistake to be lazy and leave my magazine on the beach, letting the waves wash over it. Because it rapidly disintegrated. Goodbye, trashy magazine!
Here's my mom showing my dad the horrible remnants of it, while her daughter foolishly falls asleep on the sand. At noon. You can imagine how my skin itched and peeled after the trip.
Oh yes. Don't bother with decency on the beach. And no halter neck or string bikinis either. Strictly strapless tops/bikinis! Decency or worrying about your fats wobbling is not worth it, for the end result:
Looking at these horrid tan / not tanned bits, I say with much feeling (pain, namely): to hell with decency!!
Of course, Indonesia being a Muslim country, there is a discreet note in the hotel room reminding guests to be mindful and not to sunbathe topless.
One of my favourite activities there was ruminating on how many different shades of azure blue there are. Layers of layers of layers.... mmmm, sleepy...
No tar glops at all. Plenty of jellyfish warnings though we didn't spot any.
The mosquito/sandfly issue is quite ironic. I didn't apply insect repellent at all, even though the hotel readily provides free satchets of it. I didn't get a single bite. But in Singapore I always get insect bites.
I also naively thought I shouldn't spend on sunblock etc because I don't go to the beach that often. I only brought along Body Shop Butter, which amused me to no end when I opened it after it'd been banged about in my luggage.
I am easily amused. My peeling and painful back on the other hand, is not as amusing.
Here are some photos of the sea view from our balcony at dusk and at night. We avoided going near the sea after dusk, because I read that sandflies are most active during sunrise and sunset.
That's taken around 4pm-5pm and we can see the moon already!
Here's the night shot.
The Banyan Tree side. You can see their villas peeking out.
Beautiful right? At this point I want to highlight my experience on Monday, a public holiday. As can be expected, capacity was full at the resort and all the deck chairs along the coast line at the Nirwana side were occupied.
So I trudged over to the Banyan Tree side which was not fenced up. Technically, Banyan Tree and Angsana are part of the same group.
I saw plenty of empty deck chairs and promptly flopped onto it. It was bliss, since I was looking at the same view as the top 2 photos.
An hour later, a Banyan Tree staff came to chase me off saying only Banyan Tree guests are allowed. I asked to speak to the manager and pointed out that there are still many deck chairs. Unless you tell me this is private property then you should go ahead and fence this private beach up!
I also told him that if Angsana and Banyan Tree are fighting over territory, as a guest I am not interested. But if it helps, I can give him my room number and name so he can lodge a complaint with Angsana saying that their guest encroached upon their territory.
The manager subsequently apologised and sent a staff to change the beach towels from the Angsana yellow ones to Banyan Tree green ones. Presumably so their esteemed Banyan Tree guests will not be offended at the different colours.
My point is? I paid to enjoy a beach getaway, and I am getting my beach getaway.
Subsequently I also went up to the Banyan Tree side and surreptiously took some pictures. I can't go in to Banyan Tree from the pool and beach side though, there was a huge sign saying "Only Banyan Tree guests are allowed beyond this point." I respect that.
Their infinity pool with excellent view of the sea is gorgeous.
It may be my imagination, but it seems that even the sky is more bluish at the Banyan Tree side. Just kidding.
Actually, if you don't feel up to a confrontation with the Banyan Tree staff, then follow what this couple did. My mom dubbed them the Lobsters, while I called them Barbie and Ken.
No deck chairs? No problem, they just marched to Banyan Tree side and carried their deck chairs over to the Angsana side. Why did the staff not stop them? Because they are angmoh? Because the staff did not notice? I shall give Banyan Tree benefit of the doubt.
Anyway Barbie and Ken are really avid beach goers. They have deep tans, and I saw them at the beach every day I was there. I wonder if they are aware of skin cancer at the rate they're going.
Last shot of an angmoh baby, so cute:
And there ends my fabulous beach adventure. Goodbye, Angsana Bintan!
