Bintan Terminal

If we have "Philippine Eagle", Indonesia has "Garuda". They both seem to be super birds except that ours is real and the latter is a mythical bird. Garuda is a national symbol of Indonesia and thus replicas of it are all over the country. Now I know where the name of their flag carrier_ Garuda Airlines had gotten its name.

It was a huge statue and therefore couldn't be easily ignored. I found this one in the garden right in the vicinity of  Bandar Bentan Telani, a ferry port in Bintan, Indonesia.

I actually like this port in Bintan. Reminds me of our own Caticlan (Boracay) airport. Yeah, that's the comparison. Our airport (already??) and their ferry terminal, haha. Both are gateways to the best beaches in Asia.



Somehow, this ferry terminal looks more like an airport than most of our local flight terminals.

At the lobby, were not only eateries and resorts transfer booths, but rows of shops as well. I was surprised to find an outlet of  "Polo" and other branded goods.




If you missed buying take home souvenir products outside, no worry cos before your departure you could do some quick shopping inside this terminal. I thought some of the trinkets were even cheaper here.

The departure area got a lot of Singapore destinations promotional materials up on the walls and ceilings. Obviously, this part of Bintan is an extension of Singapore tourism.

A view of the terminal on board the ferry.



Haven't I mentioned that I love the ferry as much?

Ayana Resort & Spa, Bali

After Eat, Pray, Love _ I have added in my wish list  the three countries Julia Roberts had been in the movie. But ofcourse I'd go nearest first and the most practically viable, atleast  from where I'm coming from ( Phils.). .



Bali, Indonesia. It's hard not to acknowledge that the mentioned movie is in one way or another boosting the tourism industry of Bali. I am a random testament to that, haha.



For instance, the 5star resort that we were staying in was offering a package named exactly after the movie - Eat, Pray, Love Bali's Package which rates range from $299++/night to $599++/night, roughly P15k to P25k (in our local currency) per night, depending on your choice of accommodation.

For this Bali trip, we went high-end, made a pass on the massively crowded Kuta beach ( which could be like the station 1 and 2 of our Boracay ) and headed to a more secluded Jimbaran beach. This is the realm of luxury hotels. We were staying at the Ayana Resort and Spa, a cliff top luxury hotel.

No doubt about the beach being perfect. In my short and limited Bali experience, I actually haven't seen any beach here that wasn't. The resort has a private beach exclusively for the guests, it's the Kubu Beach.

We stayed in a cliff villa with best feature ever _ a private infinity edge plunge pool!! Is that luxury or what??

Facilities and amenities are endless. It got  lavish spa packages which mostly I haven't heard of yet before here.

Another thing that Ayana Resort is famous for is as wedding destination. It has this state-of-the-art glass paneled wedding pavilion that sits on the towering cliffs of Jimbaran Bay. This wowed me, so much so it made me wish a renewal of  vows with husband_ here when we hit a lotto jackpot, haha.

Aside from in- villa dining, this resort also got astounding list of dining options. One of the most famous ever is  The Rock Bar which is another flagship of the resort.

We went seafood indulging at Kisik Bar which is also another reason to enjoy a ride of  the resort's unique inclinator.

Ofcourse my Bali affair doesn't end here. .I've only just begun. .

The Rock Bar @ Bali

It's the most romantic day of the year_ today is Valentine's Day !

In my imaginary perfect world, husband  has to fly me to Bali, Indonesia and bring me  to The Rock Bar !!! at Ayana Resort .( please refer to the photo above:)  This photo was taken still with the sun a bit up.. You'll get mushy when you experience this state- of- the- nature cocktail bar at sunset. Perched at the base of the resort's towering cliff, it offers nothing lesser than  a breath taking view of the glorious ocean.




I heard you asking how to get down there? ( remember the resort nestles on top of the cliff, this bar is at the base of it) It's accessible via an inclinator . Boarding the inclinator is another one of a kind you would get to experience in this cosy cliff bar. If you're not prioritized staying guest of the hotel, you would have to injure the queue which quite long cos the inclinator could only accommodate four at a time.

Okey, for those who haven't been there yet, I'll  make it easy for you. Above is how gloriously pretty it is with the changing colors of the sun and the ocean. Need I elaborate more why I wanna be there tonight?

Spread the love. . .

Happy Valentine's Day lovers!!!

Nirwana Resort Hotel

Weather is not yet the cold December we usually have by this time of the year here in the Philippines. Have you noticed it? I'm so keen about weather these days. The global climate change has intrigued me a lot. The weird exchange cycle of wet and dry seasons ( atleast us here have only two, what more if we got the common 4 seasons,  that would be crazier:)) has never been so unpredictable as it is this year and the previous year.

So don't laugh at me if you saw me layering my outfits on supposedly summer season here or spending weekends on a beach during supposedly cold "ber" months.  

Hence the summer feel in December, I thought a beach post could still fit in before the year ends. Thu' I don't promise that this one would be my last beach getaway this year. Matter of fact I just got an invite for a day stay in a local beach. Only I'm not yet sure if I would have  time to attend to it with this busy yuletide season setting in. We'll see.

This particular beach day was a month ago. At a neighbor here in the tropics _ at Bintan, Indonesia. After an almost  one hour  fast speed catamaran ride from Singapore, we needed not to avail the regular coach transfer cos we had rented a car that we used around with our mini Bintan tour and finally sent us to the resort .

I was amused by the size of Nirwana Gardens. The whole resort has a total of five holiday stops. So big it housed giant animals_ it has an elephant park!!!. . to say the least. 

At Nirwana Resort Hotel, we were welcomed by a musical performance and were served with  welcome drinks ofcourse.

The reception lobby was relatively huge that when a friend saw my photos, she thought they were taken in an airport. See, we are  third world like that, haha. Show us a a big space and we would think of it as an airport, haha.

The lobby was full of tribal trinkets on display.

The accommodation was a sweet delight.

The facade of the resort hotel buildings reminded me of our own Shangrila, Boracay. There's small similarity in architecture but Shang.Bora is more awesome in many ways.

How can you refuse to idle your day in a haven like this? I can't. . I'm weak.haha.

You notice it too?? The whole Bintan trip I wore this black top intensively, haha. At overseas getaways, we actually are so random and always travel light. Usually with no extra clothes at all. Sometimes we would decide on our next destination right on the spot. Most of the time, no extra margin to prepare for our outfits, I hate that!!! haha.

Extremely opposite of the beaches in Batam ( Indonesia also ),  Bintan beaches stand mighty!!! Nirwana Resort Hotel best asset is the beach. With spanning hectares of powdery beach!!!! Best of all soooooooooooo uncrowded. Think about our white beaches in station 1,2 & 3 of Boracay, delete the images of crammed commercial establishments and the uber crowded beach goers. . then you get the image above.

What can I ask for?. . but to bring me back there. .now!!!! haha.  

Turi Beach

After the rainy beach restricted half day at Nongsa Point Marina & Resort (Indonesia), and the sun started to be a bit friendly, bestfriend  suggested that we jumped to Turi Beach which welcomes the guests and residents of  the first beach resort. These two famous Batam resorts belong to the same company. Both are famous on each own right.




If you were coming from Nongsa Point Resort, there's an access walk through by the beach.

Connect the previous photo to this, can you get the picture? Our goal was to reach that jetty, can you spot it? That jetty  was our landmark of Turi Beach by the sea side. Look, there was a couple walking ahead of us. The couple I assumed was also a guest of Nongsa Point M&R and like us chose to beach around Turi too.

Can you spot us (camouflaged by the trees) walking through the walk way. It was like approximately a 15 minutes walk to Turi but it was okey cos we enjoyed the scenic view of the ocean along the way.

Entering Turi Beach, we managed to get ahead of the couple we saw previously ahead of us on the walk way. Hmm, maybe slowed down by sweet nothings, haha.

I changed my sweaty top and underneath I put on a swimsuit in case the weather continued being friendly, so we could enjoy a swim even in the pool only.

People who have been here were right_ Turi Beach got prettier (than Nongsa Point M&R) swimming facilities like the beautiful double pools behind me with an infinity one.




Ofcourse I jumped in the water right away. . only to be cut abruptly by the  return of the rain. I'm okey swimming under the rain but when the water got cold. .brrrrI'm outta here!!!

When the rain ceased again, we spent the rest of the day touring around the resort.

The beach, especially during high tide was definitely not the best feature of the resorts here in Batam, Indonesia. Well, my basis was short listed thu' by only these two resorts. So, Outside Nongsa Point Resort and Turi Beach, I don't know.

But the sea was stunning, the underwater  nature wealth was visibly clear even with naked eye top view. The resort facilities were also awesome.The fusion of modern and traditional room accommodations is interesting.




The Riani Wing (behind me) features  Balinese accommodation with traditional teak and thatched roof. It's cheaper than the other type of accommodation in the resort.

The Tirta Wing offers modern rooms and located just right beside the Emerald pool. This is more expensive and newer than the Riani Wing.

Time to check the jetty we had seen even from a far. It said 220 meter away.




Hmmm, maybe 10 minutes walk?

Halfway there was an island bar.

From this bar you could indulge with this view.




I actually stopped here and didn't pursue getting there at the farthest end. I just let my lens worked from this end.

Lemme end this super photo loaded post here. The rest was nothing but tracing back our way to Nongsa Point Marina & Resort again.