Friday, June 13, 2014 I'm off to Bintan, Indonesia with my friend Anna for a weekend of R&R.
After meeting at the ferry pier we check in (took all off 2 minutes), through immigration (about 2 seconds) then straight to duty free (much longer! One needs to decide what one would like to drink all weekend). We are going Emerald Class which means lounge access.....nothing like the Qantas lounge!! The most important part of Emerald Class is being able to get onto the boat last and get off first. Bonus for two reasons – one less time on the boat = less chance of being seasick and first in the immigration line in Bintan.
The 1 hour trip seems to go on and on, but we finally arrive. We are one of the first off the boat, thanks Emerald Class, so means no line for immigration :) a huge plus!!
After a very short wait we are taken by the hotel’s car to the hotel, about a 10 minute drive - Angsana Resort and Spa. Our room is a very long way from the lobby; I'm asking Anna if we are staying back in Singapore??!!!
There is a beautiful full moon which we enjoy from our balcony with wine, cheese and crackers. A lovely start to our weekend away!
Saturday morning we wake early, Anna heads off for a walk on the beach and I go for a run. It's already very hot and it’s only 8.15am!! I had forgotten how hilly Bintan is! Manage to run for 20 minutes before having to stop and walk (for another 20 minutes).
We meet at breakfast and take our time, love not rushing! It's still very hot, doesn't help that I'm still trying to cool down and there is no a/c – all open air; then very quickly the heavens open and continue for a few hours. Brings the temperature down a lot which is a pleasant change!!
We did go and lie under an umbrella for a while before giving up with the rain and heading to our balcony. Mid-afternoon Anna goes for a massage and shortly after the rain stops so I head to the pool. Ye ha!
We enjoy wine, cheese and crackers on the balcony before being taken by a golf cart to the Banyan Tree for dinner. A delicious (but expensive) Thai meal - well worth it and would return......once I've made my millions.
Sunday (June, 15, 2014) morning we have a walk on the beach before heading to breakfast. No idea where half these people have come from as it's packed!! Thankfully it wasn’t like this yesterday morning.
We have a couple of hours at the pool in the sun before having to pack up and check out of our room. Back to the pool for the afternoon, with a spot of lunch at the restaurant on the beach. Nice way to end our break.
It's been a lovely 2 days away; could do with an extra day but I'm sure that would always be the case no matter how long I was here for!
We are on the 5.35pm boat back to Singapore, which means a 4.30pm departure from the hotel. It’s good not having to be rushing off.
On arrival at the ferry pier there are people everywhere! Thankfully we have our boarding passes already so head straight to the lounge. We even get to skip immigration as the staff handles that for us - a nice touch!
