Total duration 3D2N Singapore is 1hr behind Bintan. Ferry time is 1hrs on Bintan Resort Ferries from Singapore to Bintan. Afternoon ferry on 2nd February at 12:10pm and arrival in Bintan at 12:10pm. Return ferry is on the 20th February at 235pm and arrival in Singapore at 435pm.
(Itinerary without details) Day 1 Arrival in Bintan Day 2 To the beach and back Day 3 Home Sweet Home
This escape plan was planned as a short getaway before the CNY. We were here 4 years ago for when our kid was still an infant so it was a short revisit to the resort under the same company (Staying at Angsana instead of Banyan tree previously).
Budget nature: Budget buster.
Although this was in Bintan, we were getting something better for accommodation and therefore the accommodation was quite high. Similarly for the ferry, we also took the “business” class seats and that was slightly less than twice an economy class seat, with an change in timing costs at the last minute to rush back for our boy to see a doctor
Complexity: Easy.
Since all the transfers were arranged, there was nothing difficult about getting to the resort. We didn’t get out of the resort at all except getting over to Banyan tree restaurants through internal buggy arrangements.
Sunday morning started with a cloudy morning. The lack of curtains made the room bright even as early as 530am. I was woken up by my body clock and spent some time in bed writing up the happenings (not much in fact) the day earlier and even had time to wash the milk bottle and the utensils that I missed out washing the night before.
As mommy and K laid sound asleep, I decided to explore the island by myself, walking around barefooted like an islander. Proceeded past the usual building of the bar and then past the bigger villas, meant for families and further through a forest to the swimming pool. Dipped my foot in the slightly chilly water and took a couple of photos before heading back to the main beach. Took in the powdery sand with gentle turquoise waters view and returned to our villa, to find mommy and K downstairs, awake already.
Forest walk path to the swimming pool
Swimming pool near the shore
Swimming pool panoramic
Lounge beds near swimming pool
Entrance to swimming pool
Bad news was, K was having a fever. Worse news was, we forgotten to bring the paracetamol and we had to return home today, one day shorter than the planned. Obviously this meant that we had to forgo the SGD480 per night room plus ferry tickets to be paid for changing of time. What a bummer.
Went to the reception to borrow a comb and thermometer but they didn’t have at that time so I returned to the villa and together with mommy and K, we went to the dinning place to have our breakfast.
One set of Indonesian and one western, plus K had a bowl of honey stars, out of a choice of 4 giant glass jars. I ordered omelette, tomato and sausage and they delivered more than one plate of omelette, a mistake that they admitted later on. For Indonesian, there was some curry flavoured stuff, some kueh lapis and donuts. There was also toast with butter and a fruit platter to finish off. Fruit juice and coffee were the drinks. Very filling.
Jars of cereal
Indonesian breakfast
Indonesian main breakfast
Omelette with sausage and tomato
Hash brown with cheese omelette
We broke the bad news to the staff when they asked how we wanted our lunch. The orders were changed to just rice and some bread so that we could take those away. The staff helped to make arrangements for our sudden need to depart and managed to find the ferry arrangements. We were then due to leave on the 1pm boat from the island, checking our at 1230pm.
Wanted to try fishing and so we proceeded to where the makeshift fishing rods were and asked the staff at the bar for some fish baits. The staff came back with the squid fish bait and showed us how to attach to the hook. Walked to the pier and started to fish. As soon as the bait went under the surface of the water, we could feel the rod shaking as fishes attacked the bait. Then as I picked up the rod, we saw a fish trying to shake itself off the hook. We caught a fish!
Jetty
Turquoise water near the jetty
Fishing rods
Staff helping to put bait on the hook
Fish in the water
Caught a fish!
Quickly took a few photos to mark this momentous event when we caught a fish and then tried to remove the fish so as to release it back into the waters. Tried a few more baits later only to find the bait totally eaten without catching any fishes. I guessed they learnt.
As we were trying to lure the fish, I noticed something fell into the water making a splash. I asked if mommy had dropped something, like her handphone and it was! It slipped from her pocket when she sat down. I immediately informed one of the staff who was on the pier and he quickly jumped into the water and attempted to retrieve it. Through the clear waters, I directed him to the location and he got it back for us.
We returned back to the villa after returning the bait to the bar. Mommy put her handphone into the bag of uncooked rice that we have packed for the trip, initially meant as dinner for K. Since the kitchen cooked for K, we didn’t use it.
While mommy cooked soup for K, I did whatever packing there was. Then we went over to the reception to ask for the staff who helped us retrieve and handphone and gave him a small appreciation of SGD50. Later we visited the kids club for a while and K tried the old free house which he despised after climbing a little and went over to the new but not yet opened tree house to take the swing and cross the bridge. Mommy took some time off to explore the island later joined us at the kids club.
Kids club old treehouse
New tree house
Flying fox from the new tree house
Back at the villa, K started to have lunch first and so I returned to pick up the meals which was already ready at the bar. After k finished his lunch, both mommy and I quickly took turns for a quick bath before the resort staff came to pick up the luggage.
Another view of the beach
Panoramic of the beach
We did our checkout at the same bar, mommy paying the meals for SGD200ish, a price mommy found steep which I thought was expected since it was quite delicious and supply was a monopoly. We also had to pay for the transfer that didn’t come with the hotel booking and it was another SGD200ish. We waited until it was time to go and proceeded to walk to the other jetty, as it had left choppy waters there. Other than us, a couple of other families were also leaving the island. Boarded the fast craft and not long later, we were waving goodbye to the staff on the pier and the boat sped across the waters, creating water splashes that interested the kids seated at the back.
View of mainland Bintan
K was not as active as he was, probably due to the fever and also nearing afternoon nap time but he didn’t puke. 20mins later, we were at the same private pier and onboard the MPV by ourselves, each families getting their own. While on the road, K fell asleep real quickly and both his parents follow suit soon after.
The journey back to the terminal was uneventful and as the car stopped for us to disembark, K woke up. One hour of nap time wasn’t enough, evidently as his activity level stayed low. We went to the ticketing counter and mommy paid additional SGD78 for the change in tickets. The economy option was an additional SGD60 so it was not a bad deal to just settle for the Emerald, in return for priority embarkation and disembarkation, lounge use with free drinks and more comfy seats.
Emerald class tickets
After using the restroom, getting a free drink and getting online with the free slow WiFi, we were called to board the ferry. There was no need to rush since we had allocated seats and sat comfortably, except that my chair was automatically in inclined position upon resting my weight on it. Got a free drink onboard as well. K though constantly being sponged by us was enjoying the early bits of the onboard show of Alvin and the chipmunks (again, patience too short to last the entire movie). And before we knew it we were disembarking, going through immigration and one of the first few in line and waiting for the luggage on the small belt. Carpark fees was SGD42ish.
Trip was a nice return to nature, a getaway true to its name. While physically we were away from the day to day familiarity in the form of electronics and online games (no Pogo monsters on the island) that created time for bonding, such as fishing and playing sand. However, as unpredictable as life itself, the trip was abruptly shortened due to a fever and we weren’t prepared like we were used to, having forgotten to bring along our paracetamol, a lot of money spent wasted and value of traveling time under utilized. Nikoi Island could have been fun, evidently family oriented as observed by the number of families there but expensive due to its exclusivity. Our boy may have been too young to enjoy it all, and we would probably not be back anytime soon, considering other more convenient places available.
The weekend getaway started with a feverish morning originating from a sore throat. Coupled with a lack of precheck on the boarding timing, we started to move fast when we knew from the email booking that we needed to be there 1.5rs before our 1110am departure.
Quickly I continued to pack the last minute items while mommy cooked the lunch to be packed for the journey to Nikoi Island. We were all set to move by 910am and drove about half an hour to Tanah Merah ferry terminal. Parked at carpark A, we went to check in behind a long line of people checking in for the Bintan Resort Ferries. I quickly went over to the forex to exchange SGD50 at rate of IDR9400 for 1SGD before we getting our tickets and checking in the luggage at the next counter, without additional charge.
Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal
Bintan Resort Ferries
We proceeded to go through the checks and immigration which was quick and entered a crowded waiting area with snaking queues for boarding. We had about an hour left to boarding and so we went to Killiney for breakfast, sat at one of the few tables that weren’t cleaned up, probably because of the crazy amount of people there. People sure loved to cruise out of Singapore on a weekend.
Killiney at departure gate
This was a different experience we had since our last trip with K as we had booked the Emerald class and had a separate lounge to sit in and did not have the problem of looking for space to sit. As K was almost 3, we didn’t think that we had to pay that much more for space and settled with joisting for space, like the rest of the public.
Mommy took the job of ordering food while I kept K company at the table with his new Lightning McQueen toy. He had an episode of wanting to go to toilet to take a dump that I had to leave the bags at the table quickly as mommy was still in queue but when we arrived at the toilet bowl, he said no more.
After our breakfast of toast with kaya and butter accompanied with the boost of caffeine from the coffee, mommy went to line up while K and I went to sit at the waiting area seats. It was indeed a good strategy as we were one of the first few to board and had the chance to sit right in front where we could see where the ferry was heading and the giant screen in front.
Line forming
Boarding the ferry
The seas were pretty calm thankfully, reducing the numbers of up and downs, and K had drank up a bottle of milk. There were puke bags available and I was having it on standby for fear of puking incident. We didn’t have to use it although he managed to burp instead of puke. Alvin and the chipmunks were on TV for that short ride to Bintan island and K took the last 10mins of the ferry ride walking around the vessel.
Front view in the ferry
Deli inside the ferry
After disembarking, we realized that we were going to queue for a while with so many people in queue, much unlike the last time in Emerald class where they had the priority to get off first. Luckily for us, there was an express option for people going to Nikoi Island as a lady staff stood with a sign to Nikoi Island brought us to the front of the queue of immigrations and even waited on our behalf at the belt for our checked in luggage while we go through the security checks. We had the chance to use the lounge for free mineral water and restroom before our ongoing drive, which was meant for the Emerald class. This was not a bad deal.
Bintan terminal
Nikoi island VIP transfer
Bintan Executive lounge entrance
Inside Bintan ferry lounge
It was a seamless transfer as we were handed over to the driver whom brought us to a MPV for our 1hr drive to the next jetty. Having given K his smelly smelly, he soon fell asleep on the 1hr car ride (when he didn’t on the ferry as the smelly smelly was inside the luggage and he needed that to go to sleep). I took the opportunity to catch some shut eye since I was busy with K on the ferry whereas mommy had her rest on board already. The car, as far as I knew, went through uninteresting areas of vegetation and small villages made up of sparsely spreaded short concrete houses before hitting the coast. I had my data roaming on, as I had subscribed the night earlier, with the concern that there was no WiFi on Nikoi Island. The data roam package wasn’t overly expensive as I had initially thought it to be, 3gB for 30days usage for SGD30, and since we have another trip at the end of the month to Hong Kong, we could still utilize it. I was looking forward to some Pokémon Go action, but was seriously disappointed with the lack of gyms and pokestops being few and far between.
Our private transport to the Nikoi Ferry
Not long before we drove into a private boat pier. K woke and was a little dazed while I quickly used the restroom before boarding a big speedboat, 20mins trip to our final destination. The speedboat went quickly on the water, going past some floating houses before powering through the small waves. K was ok throughout and we disembarked with a lovely welcoming sight of the white sandy beach.
Cempedak private ferry
Toilet at the private jetty
Private ferry to Nikoi
Fishermen fishing while being away from the shore
Floating houses seen on the way to Nikoi
View of the beach from the ferry
Arriving at Nikoi
The staff immediately escorted us to the bar where we had a cold towel and a welcome drink and did the check in and getting information on what was available in this tiny private island. K had the liberty to go around playing sand (it was almost everywhere) and we proceeded to the lunch area afterwards.
Bar for check in and drinks
Nikki island map
Giant clam shells
Mommy didn’t booked the full board, as it was quite expensive, about SGD100 per person per day and was expecting to order a la carte but there wasn’t such options. We had to pay the set meals option anyway since there were no other restaurants around. The lunch consisting of appetizer and main course of fish which was very tasty, and definitely of a restaurant standard. There were however many flying insects that went around, something expected when staying close to nature. We had also informed on what we wanted to have for dinner if we didn’t want what was offered on the menu, and they could make adjustments. They could even prepare for K something different and we ordered steamed fish, broccoli and rice for him, thus reducing the need to cook.
The dining area
Appetizer made of chicken and vegetables
Fish and vermicelli
Mango sticky rice
Interesting wooden fan
We were escorted back to our villa and it was a double storey open concept villa with 2 toilets. The ground floor was totally opened without any doors, had its own hanging bed and sun decks and another bed shed facing the sea while the second floor had another toilet, a balcony, 2 side beds and the main bed in the middle. It was simple yet luxurious. There weren’t any TVs and air conditioning and the electricity was powered by solar. But there was WiFi, pretty strong one and it was throughout the island.
Path to the door less villa
Our villa
Staircase up to second floor
Ground floor toilet
View from the villa ground level
Bedroom
Side bed
Bedroom toilet
Sink at the main bathroom
Room balcony
We spent pretty much of the time in the villa, K lazing around at all the beds there were, especially liking the hanging one. I seen a large monitor lizard lurking as it headed towards the sea. K then proceeded to play sand as we had brought the scoops and shapes and he made a mess of himself throwing sand everywhere. There wasn’t a telephone (totally forgotten that the staff could been reached via Whatsapp) and so I had to walk to the bar to request of ice so as to have them placed in the ice box to keep some of the vegetables that we brought cool.
Giant monitor lizard
The second floor was particularly unsafe for kids and we had to keep a watchful eye on him. The balconies and the side walls were low and falling was possible if kids climb over them or could slip if they got too close. We kept reminding K to stay away from the balcony.
He spent the remaining daylight hours playing his Lightning McQueen toy, preference over going to the Kids club which I had the chance to pop by to see when I was out looking for ice but there wasn’t any activity ongoing then (next activity was treasure hunt). That we went to bath for K, a little challenging with only the rain shower that didn’t have a high water pressure and trying to get rid of the fine sand in his hair.
Kids club
Schedule of activities
Kids’ Club
Tennis court
Lounge area from the bar
Mommy cooked some soup for K before taking a bath when K suddenly had to pee, and peed in his pants before we could get to the toilet. Gave him a quick wash before putting on diapers for him and then we went out for dinner.
It was only 630pm Bintan time and it was already dark. We brought along a hand torch from the room and because there weren’t any street lamps, the paths were lighted by oil torches but wasn’t bright enough. The hand torch helped and we made our way to the dining place at no time.
Cloudy sunset
Dinner was served and again the food didn’t disappoint, only grouse was the black pepper on my medium well was a little too much for my throat to bear. K had his broccoli and fish mixed with the soup mommy cooked and mommy had chicken fillet that was more that she could finish. We ended the dinner with strawberry ice cream dessert, K didn’t like it surprisingly.
Dinner prepared for K
Chicken on bread
Black pepper tenderloin
Strawberry icecream
We went over to the beach where there was supposedly a bon fire happening where kids could go over there to heat up their mashmellows but then it started to drizzle, disappointingly. We borrowed a huge umbrella and proceeded to the kids club where there was a movie screening happening at 730pm. Kids could then gathered in front of the screens on giant bean bags. We sat there for a while but K wasn’t that interested and we headed back to the villa after some 20mins.
Kung Fu panda at kids club
Turn down service was done for our villa where the mosquito nets were set up and the mosquito coil burnt. I didn’t really felt the threat of mosquitoes the whole time I was here though. The night routine of cleaning up pots and pans followed by bathing. K again bumped his head against the wooden rounded railings around the villa while losing his balance when jumping on a pillow.
I went over to the bar to get some hot water as the flask cover was broken and we couldn’t boil any. The issue was immediately resolved and housekeeping brought a new flask over, minutes after I arrived back at the villa. It was initially hard to get to sleep as it felt a little warm, even with a small fan just above our bed, within the mosquito net. Then before we knew, we were all snoozing.
Total duration 2D1N Nikoi Island is in the 1hr ahead of Singapore. Ferry time is 1hr on Bintan Resort Ferries from Singapore to Bintan, land transfer of 1hr drive followed by a speed boat transfer of 20mins. Return is the same in reverse.
Ferry from Singapore to Bintan at 1110am, arriving at 1110am in Bintan. Return ferry from Bintan to Singapore is at 335pm and arriving in Singapore at 535pm.
This trip was planned as a getaway birthday trip for me. It was initially intended to be a 3D2N private island resort experience but was cut short due to my kid getting a fever and we absentmindedly left the paracetamol at home.
Budget – Expensive, made worse by forgoing one night stay.
As this was a private island, what would you expect? Accommodations were comfy but modest but they are all villas and nothing less. There were just one restaurant serving fine dining cuisine that was delicious no doubt, but without choice, one had to full board SGD100-ish a day. Had to booked an urgent boat on Emerald class which increased the costs further and the private land transfer from jetty to jetty cost money too.
Complexity – Easy
Since it was all integrated, what came with the price was the convenience and the exclusivity of private travel (except for the boat transfer to the island). The short cut to the front of the queue at the immigrations was awesome!
We woke to a cloudy day and then it was rushing rushing. The flight at 1305 meant that we had to leave by 1030 from the resort. By the time baby K was ready, we left the room at 915 for breakfast.
The staff was happy to see baby K and hi-5 him as we came. Had his last serving of papaya from the resort, ate some cereals and bread while I had some steak and mommy had the waffles. By the time we left, it was 1015. Rushed again, bathed baby K and called the staff to help with our bags as we booked the airport transfer (to save the hassle, came with a premium). Paid off what we owed the resort with all our rupiah and the rest by card as USD wasn’t accepted. About 400SGD spent including the day trip driver, not overly expensive.
Fish special.
Waffles.
Minute steak.
Room 205.
The drive to the airport was not too difficult, managed to arrive at 1130ish and we proceeded direct through the X-ray security before checking in. There was a queue already but it cleared rather quickly. Next we go through another X-ray checkpoint before the immigrations officer. Again the queue was cleared rather smoothly and we were going through DFS and past the branded stores.
Bali airport near departure.
DFS walkthrough.
Shopping inside the modern Bali airport.
Wanted to buy some foodstuff but couldn’t find anything particularly interesting and sharable so ended up at the waiting area, ready for boarding.
Waiting area at the gate.
The return flight was not too difficult with baby K curious to just walk around and sometimes become momentarily interested in the Pororo on screen. He had the post weaning meal which he only took some spoonful and soup that mommy cooked and brought aboard. After his meal, we each ate one after another as one of us had to hold onto this constantly moving toddler. Good thing was he managed to fall asleep while I gently rocked him as he sat on my lap to watch cartoon and that lasted an hour till we landed in T3, a different terminal where we initially flew off from.
Although it was a mere 5days trip that was planned without much objective other than escaping from the daily grind to celebrate mommy’s birthday, it was tough some days as baby K was having flu and was highly irritable, and he had learnt to become whiny, something that we really disliked in kids, before we had one ourselves. This also set us thinking about future trips, long ones that had lots of inland travel, if we could survive those then. Could we do it with more detailed planning?
Royal Santrian Villas provided incredible service beyond our expectations and that made the stay mostly enjoyable and the difficult times bearable. The price was slightly on the high side expected of a 5star resort pool villa but it was worth it for the services and the food that was available.
It was raining the whole night up till the early morning. Didn’t regret the sunrise shot I took on Thursday as that could be the only sunrise I was going to see this whole trip.
We got off to breakfast as usual in the late morning. The staff had to rush out to put on the rain protection for the furniture that were out in the open to prevent them from getting soaked as the rain came back suddenly. They also laid towels at the bottom of the doors to prevent water from seeping into the restaurant.
Baby K developed a keen interest in papaya and was asking for it frequently. It was great that the fruit platters were served everyday and there was papaya. The staff knew what baby K wanted papayas too, and looked happy to see him.
Special fish.
Spring roll.
Satay.
White omelette.
Also struck up a conversation with a German couple who found our baby K adorable, whom themselves had a 11month old back in Swiss while they were out here in Bali having a holiday but were missing him already. Just so easy to connect with people who were parents themselves.
We had an afternoon dip in the pool as the rain started to clear up and the sun peeked out of the cloud for some time. After that a bath and followed by the same routine of going to the seaside in an attempt to get baby K to sleep which he did doze off. Upon return to the room he would wake up and refuse to go back to sleep. Tried another round at the beach, even strolling to the other neighbouring resorts but to no avail. Decided that we would go to Bali collection for lunch.
The resort arranged for the drop off at the Bali Collection and we had our lunch at Paon Restaurant. Baby K behaved only for a while before going cranky. He ate some lunch and then became fussy and whiny. We left the restaurant and as we tried to enter the shops to shop, he cried wanting us to stay outside to walk. It was an extremely helpless and frustrating moment. Mommy tried to carry him to sleep and I kept my distance from them since he kept wanting to sit on my hipseat, we failed in getting him to sleep. It was already then time to go to the entrance, as we had already arranged for the pick up 1.5 hrs later after drop off (which didn’t arrive as the driver forgot about it, had to call the resort). Baby K nodded off to sleep then.
Paon restaurant.
Bee Hoon.
Mie Goreng.
Juice and coconut.
Map of Bali Collection
Stores in Bali collection.
Bali collection fountain.
We hadn’t master the trick to manage his nap times, his fussiness and whining, all this came along with his sickness just this week. It had wrecked havoc on a supposedly chill holiday. Got back to the room and baby K continued to nap as mommy took over the carrying.
This was the first and only time that we managed to have the resorts’ afternoon tea that was available everyday at 3-5pm anywhere we desired. Of course we had it in the villa due to the napping baby. There were some biscuits and tarts with a drink each, had a cafe latte and mango juice.
Afternoon Tea.
After baby K awoke, we quickly pack for dinner and proceeded to reception to ask for a free ride to Bumbu Bali, a restaurant with a good standing on tripadvisor. The recept helped to call the restaurant to check for availability as they knew its popularity. As predicted, we were told it was fully booked. They informed that we could just be dropped off at a location nearby to check out the other restaurants. So we got on the vehicle.
Arrived in a short 5mins drive and we walked awhile to find restaurants that would provide Indonesian cuisine. Got into Ketut’s BBQ kitchen which was supposedly highly recommended on Tripadvisor too. There was also a small crowd.
We ordered sweet and sour chicken and Mie Goreng together with fresh juices. It was quite a cosy place but it didn’t have a high chair for baby K. The staff stacked cushions for him though yet he preferred to walk around. There was a huge teddy bear from the restaurant that the staff placed on a chair beside him but he lost interest quickly.
Nusa Dua street.
Ketut’s kitchen.
Ketut’s chicken seating.
Welcome drinks with nuts.
Mie Goreng.
Sweet and sour chicken.
Baby K with Teddy.
After the meal, we called the driver to pick us up again, as there weren’t much things to see along the road unlike some of the more touristy streets of Bali.
Back at the room it was about packing up, cleaning up and then going to bed. A wedding dinner was being held and had some songs and music up late. The music wasn’t loud enough to be disturbing and we don’t know when that ended as we were already asleep then.
Baby K was the pre alarm as he asked for milk at around 540am. The room was very cold despite having set the thermostat at 24degC (which I suspect that it wasn’t working). I got off to the beach for the sunrise moments after baby K had finished his milk and gone back to sleep.
Though the skies above me were clear, the clouds in the distance meant that I won’t get a clear sunrise, I wondered if it was due to the mountain in the horizon. I waited on one of the loungers without paying much attention, then out of the blue the big orange yolk peeked out of the horizon, climbing quickly. I walked closer to the water to snap a few photos.
Sunrise Pano
Dining on the beach.
Traditional huts loungers.
Chapel for wedding.
Feet wash.
When I got back to the room, it was the start of a long day, beginning with food preparations for baby K for the day trip. Once done with the prep and leaving the food in the portable steamer to simmer, we left the room at 8am for the restaurant. Breakfast took at least an hour and we got back to the room to pack the food and got ready. Knowing that we wouldn’t make it in time, I had went to the recept previously to inform that we couldn’t make the 9am timing and was assured that we could just enjoy the breakfast first.
Cappucino.
Salmon special.
Scrambled eggs.
Banana pancake
As we got out at 930am, the driver was ready with the same vehicle that we had since the airport transfer. The difference was that there was a cooler box where the mini bar drinks options were all transferred to the cooler box, for free.
Our first stop was 2 hrs away, the Monkey Forest in Ubud. Baby K fell asleep en-route and woke just when we were dropped off at the entrance. Paid 80k for the tickets to a rather small forested area where there were a lot of free roaming monkeys. They were going for bananas from tourists who have bought them on sale from some of the vendors. Some visitors used the bananas to lure the monkey to get a picture of the monkey on them. In this forest were 2 temples, both of which were small and no entry was allowed. Other than the old stone statues, old bridge and a wooden walk path, there weren’t particularly much to see.
Monkey forest entrance
Entrance tickets
Monkey eating banana.
Baby monkey.
Huge tree at the forest.
Monkey forest map.
On crossing the bridge, one monkey actually took a hanky from the side pocket of our bag. I wanted to grab it back but was met with an open mouth showing some sharp teeth. Waited till he dropped it before recovering the hanky. There were also 2 instances where monkeys just climb onto our bags and jumped off somewhere. We were actually concerned if the monkeys would suddenly attack our baby. We left after an hour at the forest.
Crossing a bridge.
Pond near Holy Spring temple.
Huge monitor lizard spotted.
Statues of monitor lizards.
Real monkeys sitting next to statues.
Main temple.
Monkey waiting for food.
Napping.
The next stop was a small Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Ubud) that looked more like a village to me. We took a few snaps of the small area before going across the street for the Ubud art market, where there was a building with 2 floors selling a whole lot of handicraft. There were also many stalls outside the building but our lack of interest in the art and craft and the heat from the weather made us retire early from this 30mins walk.
Bali palace.
On the inside.
Stone carving.
Ubud street.
Ubud market.
Narrow walkway inside the building.
Stalls on the outside.
The driver came back and took us to a restaurant called Bebek Bengil Dirty Duck diner to have lunch. The restaurant was a very huge area with tables placed at different small buildings. They were not air conditioned but due to the openness, it was quite airy. We had our lunch at one of the short tables, like the Japanese type, where you have to sit with your legs crossed or kneeled. Baby K had fun walking about on the cushions and it was difficult just getting him to eat.
We ordered fried rice and fried chicken rice because they had ran out of duck ironically, food wasn’t particularly fantastic. I brought baby K to walk around the path downstairs which had some small ponds and water fountain and took some pictures.
Bebek Bengil restaurant.
Ponds and garden inside the restaurant.
Sitting area.
Low tables seating.
Duck tissue holder.
Car valet
The driver was called by the valet at the restaurant to pick us up, identified by a car number card. We then left for another 2hrs drive to Ulun Danu Bratan temple. This journey was long as it had to go through many small roads where traffic was heavy and the driver drove rather quickly, moving in and out to overtake the vehicles travelling on the single lane. Baby K was feeling uncomfortable and was fussy, until a point he just fell asleep.
As the car climbed, the weather became bad and it started drizzling. After the long drive, we arrived at a crowded carpark and mommy had to enter the temple alone as baby K laid sleeping on my lap and it was drizzling. Baby K woke up soon after and as we waited for mommy to return, I had to change out his diapers as he had pooped in the car. Thankfully the driver was out smoking somewhere else and didn’t had to endure the stinky atmosphere.
After mommy returned, I went to the temple myself, paying 30k for the tickets. The compound was big, consisting of a nice garden and the temple by the lake. The drizzle continued and it was a struggle to walk on the wet path without getting wet. Took some pictures of the temple on the lake in the foggy atmosphere before leaving for the next destination, Tanah Lot temple for the sunset, another 1hour drive away.
Deer at Ulun Danu.
Garden path.
Ulun Danu temple.
Temple compound.
Again it was small roads and overtaking. We arrived at yet another crowded carpark but was informed by the driver that there weren’t any sunset due to the clouds. We got off to visit anyway and was met with hordes of people all over the place. The place was still beautiful though as the temple had a small portion of it in the sea water and there was a queue of people in the ankle deep water trying to get into the temple. It was nice feeling seeing and hearing the sea crashing onto the rocky shores. After getting some help in getting a picture of us with the temple, we decided to leave the area to go to a supermarket in Seminyak in order to purchase some food for the preparation of baby meal for the next day. Called the driver to bring us to a supermarket (Frestive supermarket) in Seminyak which was another 40mins drive plus the heavy traffic there.
Tanah Lot entrance.
Tickets to Tanah Lot.
Gate at Tanah Lot.
Walking towards the beach.
Sunset at Tanah Lot.
Shopping stalls at Tanah Lot.
Tanah Lot Panorama
As we arrived, baby K again fell asleep and mommy left the car for the supermarket to buy some minced meat. Then we took the last 1hr drive back to the resort. That night, we ordered in room dining (less options than eating at the restaurant itself) as we stayed in to cook and clean up. Had no problems sleeping as it had been a long day.
It wasn’t a smooth night as baby K was fussy and had been crying. He wasn’t happy with his runny nose and cough but we couldn’t do much except giving him the meds, which he took already before bedtime.
I woke up to a light peeping through the curtains and was surprised as I had set the handphone alarm for sunrise. Checked and sure enough the alarm was on but I couldn’t hear it. I must have been too tired.
Went back to sleep as baby K had not woken up. The next thing I knew we were only up at 10am and an hour from the end of breakfast. Quickly got changed and with a cranky baby asking for bread, we took off for the same restaurant where we had dinner the night before.
It wasn’t a buffet table but a order as you liked, as much as you want Ala Carte breakfast. Got ourselves an Egg Benedict, Mie Goreng and chicken porridge. Also had yoghurt and fruits and coffee and fruit juice and bread. Filled up so much that we didn’t need to eat lunch. Again the staff were extremely friendly and were happily distracting baby K as he was extremely fussy.
Fried noodles special
Egg Benedict
Chicken porridge
Went back to our rooms and did a research on how we wanted to spend our next few days. Wanted to book a tour with the popular private tour provider Agus travel but was informed by the resort that the room phone couldn’t be used to call out. I tried calling thru my handphone but was met with an unavailable message so I dropped a Whatsapp but there wasn’t an immediate response.
We got ready to go out and went to the recept to enquire. We were informed that they also could offer drivers for the day albeit more expensive, as expected. We were interested in visiting the Ulun Darun temple and the Tanah Lot for the sunset and but was told that it would take a whole 10hrs for the trip and costs US$130. The half day would cost only US$70. Don’t want to trouble ourselves further and agreed to that arrangement.
Then we were off on the resort vehicle to the Bali Collection, a shopping area that had the feel of an outlet village. Baby K was asking for milk on the 5mins drive there. After we arrived, he continued to finish the milk while the driver stopped the vehicle at the entrance waiting for him to be done. Then unfortunately he also fell asleep soon after he was done. On seeing this, we decided to go back to the resort, a bad decision regrettably.
After arriving back at the resort, once I carried him from the seat, he woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. It was plain frustrating as he didn’t nap long enough and we had a wasted trip to and from the shopping area. Went back to the room and we changed into our swimwear to have a dip in the pool. Thought that by going for a swim he would feel sleepy later on.
The pool actually had water that wasn’t cold, really nice for a dip especially with baby. Had earlier blown up the airplane float and ball for baby K to play in the pool and baby K had fun, walking on the step and at the water supply and also with me bringing him around in the 1.3m deep pool.
Father and son at the villa pool.
After the shower in the tub, I attempted to get baby K to nap by reading him stories, fruitlessly. Then I brought him out to the beach when he dozed off on the hip seat. Brought him back to the room immediately after but once I put him down on the bed, he woke up again! Tried the beach strategy again but he was not relenting. Mommy brought him out and finally he fell asleep. This toddler’s napping inconsistency could be a problem when we go on our long trip coming Sept.
Then with mommy incapacitated as she carried baby K in her arms ( and he would just wake up if left on the bed), I took over the chef’s hat and continued to cook baby K’s soup and salmon. By the time I packed everything and was ready to move, baby K woke up fussy again, asking for biscuits. Quickly got him a few and moved him to the restaurant where he made a ruckus in an otherwise quiet atmosphere, so bad I had to bring him out to calm him down. The runny nose was really irritating him.
After a few minutes out, we finally managed to sit him down on his high chair back at our table and gave him a handphone to look at his photos before dinner can proceed without more whining.
Ordered green curry and mushroom pasta and some juices to go along. Dinner was always a rushed affair, mostly spending the time feeding baby K rather then enjoying the food itself. I guessed the food would have tasted great if we had focus on it.
Beef special.
Pasta.
Curry.
Watermelon juice
We got back to the room after the meal with the whiny baby and he slowly became better behaved where I bathed him and read him storybooks. We gave up going to Seminyak and even the supermarket as it was late.
There was a short moment of excitement as we hear fireworks in the distance. Rushed to the beach only to see glimpses of the fireworks before it ended, even before I was ready to take a shot.
At the pathway from along the beach.
View at night from the beach.
10pm and we all went to bed. Better to get some needed sleep and be prepared for a tour tomorrow morning because we had to wake up early, which was challenging with a toddler in tow.
Woke up at 6am in preparations for our trip to Bali, a flight at 925am on SQ. We had to beat the weekday traffic so leaving early was the strategy. Our bags were mostly packed and with a toddler in tow, we needed a 28″ minimum and a smaller 25″ for the 5 days trip.
Baby K was nursing a cough that developed over the weekend (with fever on Monday and Tuesday) and was snoozing all the way till we were about to leave the house. Once carried he wouldn’t go back to sleep.
On the car, we chose the PIE route and had slow traffic till Toa Payoh, thankfully. Managed to check in by 8ish but was disappointed to find out that I had forgotten to order the post weaning meal when I called in to reserve bassinet seats. We managed to arrange for the one on the return at the separate SIA sales counter near the check in counters.
Weren’t much time left after I purchased some syringes at Guardian pharmacy for feeding baby K his meds and mommy bought bread from the cafe and we cleared immigrations. Wanted to have some coffee at the newly opened Ya Kun while baby K munched on his bread but the queue was horrendously slow that we gave up and proceeded to boarding.
Boarding the plane was done rather quickly and we settled down after placing all the carryon bags at the overhead compartment, luckily space was available. As the plane took off, baby K fell asleep, having not gotten enough of it since feeling unwell the last few days. Parents rest time with the rare moments of watching a movie on board a plane since baby K’s birth. It was short lived though as baby K woke up 1hr later.
He wasn’t feeling well and had showed signs of throwing up. Wonder if he was beginning to able to feel air sickness. The journey was otherwise pretty smooth and he only showed uneasiness as the plane descended in altitude and pain in his ears (and he was being stubborn and not wanting to drink any water).
We arrived at a large modern airport to our surprise as we didn’t remember it the last time we came here. There was a small nursery room where we changed out baby K. The luggage was really slow at arriving as we had to wait for about 40mins before finally picking it up (clearing immigrations was like 5mins).
Nursing Room at Bali airport.
Inside nursing room.
Long wait at the belt.
After exiting the hall, we were trying to identify our airport transfer driver but couldn’t find my names amongst the hordes of white cards. Had to make a call to Royal Santrian while they call the driver. In the meantime we just stayed around and take photos of the airport.
The driver came shortly after with my name and showed us to the car park where he parked the vehicle. From then it was pretty much 5 stars treatment with the cold Aqua and cold towels to the luggage handling. Upon arrival at the entrance after 20mins on the road, we were given a chance to participate in a Balinese ritual and blessing before entering the resort. It was interesting and fun to see baby K with a flower on his ear. Checked in was done at a sofa and we were shown how the welcome drink was made.
Bali airport outside Arrivals.
Our airport transport vehicle.
Cold towels wrapped up.
Refreshments of water and cookies.
Bridge gave quick access to Nusa Dua.
The staff then showed us to our huge villa and all the amenities there were. I was in awe by the size and the number of beds where we could just sit around and chill (am not the frequent resort tourist so was easily awed). Baby K was just walking around enjoying the new environment.
Balinese ritual.
Preparing the welcome drinks.
Welcome drinks end product.
View from the reception area.
Outside day bed with fridge and table.
Villa pool.
Room day bed with TV.
Huge bed.
Fruits basket.
Bathroom with bathtub, shower and toilet.
Outside rain shower.
Inside shower.
Minibar area with wardrobe and vanity desk.
After resting for a bit and feeding baby K some milk, we went to the recept to ask for directions to the nearest supermarket. We were told that there was a resort shuttle that could bring us to the local Hardys mall and back for free.
We boarded the same vehicle as earlier airport transfer and was sent to the local supermarket just 10mins drive away. We told the driver that we would probably take 30mins and he would pick us up again. The building was huge and the supermarket was just a portion of it. There was a section for meat and seafood but we settled for frozen salmon. Bought some milk too and left.
We also got ourselves some lunch over at the fast food My Dea Fried Chicken counter within the same building (didn’t checked out the 2nd floor where I suspected there might be a food court). My Nasi Goreng wasn’t exactly fast. There was an indoor game arcade where I brought baby K to pass time waiting for the food.
At Hardy’s supermarket.
Fish.
Games arcade at the mall.
Mini playground at the arcade.
My Dea Fried chicken fast food restaurant.
The driver was already there when we exited the building and we were sent back to the resort. Had our fast food lunch and I brought baby K out to the beach in an attempt to get him to nap.
Nasi Goreng from My Dea.
At the beach, there were some huge lounge beds where baby K and I chill and watched the activities going about in the sea. He couldn’t nap and worse still, was climbing around. After sitting around for half an hour, I then brought him nearer to the waters. As there was a breakwater far away, the waves coming in were very gentle. The only issue was that the sand was extremely soft and I kept getting my feet sink into the sand.
For a while, I strolled close to the waters and as baby K still didn’t sleep, I started walking back to the villa. Soon he fell asleep, probably the sounds of trickling water from all the pool villas made him sleepy. No matter what it was a good thing, left him on the day bed and went to wash off the sand on my feet, weird that I couldn’t find any washing point at the entrance to the resort (which there were, I realized later in the next few days).
Resort temple.
Busy beach.
Crabs on rocks.
Central pool of the resort.
Mommy was taking a bath and had an issue with hot water as it never seemed to be heated up. Called the resort staff and when she turned up to check, the hot water came. It took really long (which we realized also later that during the initial introduction we were mistaken to believe that the right tap was for hot water but in fact it was vice versa).
The awesome staff at the resort then brought over a small cake and a large roses arrangement to the room. They couldn’t sing a birthday song since baby K was sleeping but it was a nice gesture. They had to leave in a fog when the fogging of mosquitoes took place at that time of the day.
Cake and rose arrangements in room.
Baby K slept till 7ish (with me beside him as he woke up half way) and we left for dinner at the resort hotel with our portable steamer with food cooked for baby K. There weren’t anybody at the restaurant when we arrived and we chose to be seated inside the aircon area to avoid mosquitoes. Baby K was given a high chair and throughout dinner, he was slightly fussy. Thankfully for the good service of the staff, they were keeping him entertained while we ate.
Food was ok and price was as expected of a resort restaurant but wasn’t really very expensive comparative to Singapore standard. At the end of dinner, the staff switched off the lights and came back with another birthday cake! This time with a birthday song as well! It was a lovely sight as baby K clapped along with the tune!
Green curry with rice.
Chicken chop.
Fish Fillet
Bread with beautiful butter.
Carrot juice.
Mango juice.
View of the restaurant.
After dinner we went back to the room under a blanket of stars and only could wish to just watch them twinkle out on the day beds but didn’t as we didn’t want to risk getting bitten by mosquitoes.
View of bathroom from the outside.
Day bed at night.
Night view.
Back at the room, bathed baby K at the huge tub (hot water was topped up manually with boiling water) and washing of the bottles and cutlery began. The tap water was slightly salty and we had to drink from bottled water ( which was free and there were 10, so were all the drinks in the minibar). After all the washing was done, we got off to bed, with a lot of light switches to turn off.
Total duration 5D4N Singapore is in the same time zone as Bali. Flight time is 2hrs 40 mins on SQ from Singapore to Bali. Return is just 2hrs 20mins from Bali to Singapore.
Morning flight on 13th July at 925am and arrival in Bali at 12:05pm. Return flight is on the 18th July at 13:05pm and arrival in Singapore at 3:45pm.
This escape plan was planned as a short escape to a beach resort to celebrate wifey’s birthday with a toddler in tow. It was planned as a relax holiday to just enjoy the luxurious villa and a bit of sightseeing.
Budget nature: For a luxurious and comfortable villa, it will not be cheap.
The resort accommodation was not cheap but we felt like royalty while staying at the resort (only maybe poorer after the trip). But seriously the staff was amazing with the services, especially when they tried to entertain my toddler as he got fussy. The butler was always there when you need attention. And 2 birthday cakes, thumbs up!
Complexity: Easy
We had airport transfer which was not cheap again. We also booked the driver direct from the resort albeit somewhat more expensive then what could be found outside.
