Live, Move, Explore: Bintan: Part 1

So this past long weekend (Friday-Sun) we went on a short family holiday to Bintan. Bintan is an island in Indonesia which is outlined by the bluest of oceans, filled with tropical jungles and the kindest of people.

I am going to make this blog post a two part installment because there is just so much I want to write about and obviously I don’t want it to be encyclopedia length!

I had heard a lot about Bintan when I first moved here. I suppose because it’s so close to Singapore that everyone typically goes there for holidays. There are many contrasting opinions of Bintan. The majority of people I spoke to didn't say it was that exciting. Although, I've found that when I speak to Singaporeans about activities and holidays they don’t take as much of a liking to it as I do. Which is totally understandable, seeing as they have probably done everything to do here many times. I've only been living here for just over 3 months and I intend to absorb everything I can whilst I’m living here!

We caught a ferry to Bintan from Singapore which took an hour and a half. It’s so exciting to be able to travel ‘overseas’ just by going on a short ferry ride. We stayed at the Bintan Lagoon Resort which was absolutely beautiful to say the least! We had our own villa, but used the resorts pools and dining facilities because they were far superior.

We were greeted at the resort by Balinese dancers and served cane sugar beverages. I could immediately tell I was going to love this place.

The entire resort is very open. It is filled with natural light and a cool breeze which makes it feel like a real tropical retreat. You cannot see any other buildings or cities besides the resort, so it makes you feel like you are totally alone on the island.

To get around the resort (because it is massive) you are to use golf buggies. There was one parked at our villa and you could see all the employees and other guests zipping around on them. They were seriously fun to use.

On our first day we arrived at around 10:30 am Singapore time, although Bintan is an hour behind. We were all so terribly hungry because we had to wake up at 6 and we had to wait until 12 pm Bintan time for the lunch buffet to begin. So we explored the island.

Bintan is filled with the most luscious greenery and flowers. It is honestly one of the most beautiful spaces I have ever set my eyes upon. I was completely blown away.

The lunch buffet was not the typical, stale looking variety of foods. It included many Indonesian dishes, salads and soups. It was very very classy. The traditional Indonesian dishes were so incredibly delicious. I loved the sweet and sour fish and the barbeque chicken. Usually sweet and sour fish is deep fried and coated in a disgusting, sticky sauce, but this was very clean and fresh! So so yummy. If you know me, you will know I am a MASSIVE sweet tooth, so of course I couldn’t look past the delicious Indonesian puddings and cakes. Indonesian tea was also served which was definitely one of my highlights.

In the afternoon my brothers and I spent close to 3 hours between the two pools. No shame. Both pools were massive and you could see through to the beach. There were sit-in pool bars, water slides and plenty of seating areas. It was so nice just to spend hours in the pool and on the sun chairs relaxing!

That night we went to a restaurant right on the beach called ‘Rice’. We sat outside, where the tables were located on the beach front. It was a beautifully designed restaurant, with all the tables illuminated by candles. You could hear the waves rolling onto the shore as you ate your meal. We were also treated with a Balinese band and dancers, which was such a highlight for me because I really wanted to see them perform! They were so lovely handing out flowers and they were more than happy to pose for photos.