Tag: Trip to Indonesia

Escape plan to Bintan February 2019

Escape plan to Bintan February 2019

Posted on by ziyi

A brief summary on the itinerary

Escape Plan to Bintan 2019

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.

Escape to Nikoi Island November 2017

Escape to Nikoi Island November 2017

Posted on by ziyi

A brief summary on the itinerary

Escape Plan to Nikoi Island 2017:

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.

Day 1 – Arrival in Nikoi Island
Day 2 – First time fishing and Home Sweet Home

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!

Escape plan to Bali July 2016

Escape plan to Bali July 2016

Posted on by ziyi

A brief summary on the itinerary

Escape Plan to Bali 2016:

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.

Day 1 Arrival at Bali
Day 2 Stay in Villa, swim in pool
Day 3 Day trip to Ubud Monkey Forest, Ulun Danu Temple and Tanah Lot sunset
Day 4 Bali collection and Nusa Dua dinner
Day 5 Home Sweet Home

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.

Escape plan to Bintan February 2015

Escape plan to Bintan February 2015

Posted on by ziyi

A brief summary on the itinerary

Escape Plan to Bintan February 2015:

Total duration 3D2N
Singapore is 1hr behind Bintan.
Ferry time is 1hrs on Bintan Resort Ferries from Singapore to Bintan.
Afternoon ferry on 18th February at 2pm and arrival in Bintan at 2pm..
Return ferry is on the 20th February at 230pm and arrival in Singapore at 430pm.

Day 1 Arrival in Bintan
Day 2 To the beach and back
Day 3 Home Sweet Home

This escape plan was planned as our trial trip with the coming of our little one. We chose to visit Bintan because we wanted to introduce progressively travel to the baby and therefore find an overseas trip where a flight was not required. It was a super long weekend holiday as the Chinese New Year was on Thursday and Friday and what better way to travel without taking official leave?

Budget nature: Budget buster.

Although it was a simple trip to Bintan, the last minute booking coupled with the long holiday period meant that prices would be marked up. The amount spent on accommodation was already very high, the Chinese New Year day room rate was more than double on the usual day itself. Due to unavailability of the ferry tickets at that time slot, we had to settle of the “business” class seats and that was slightly less than twice an economy class seat.

Complexity: Easy, except for adapting to traveling with a baby.

Since all the transfers were arranged, there was nothing difficult about getting to the resort. All these comes with a cost but when travelling with a young one, paying some to remove transportation worries might be worth it.

Escape Plan to Semarang in July 2013

Escape Plan to Semarang in July 2013

Posted on by ziyi

A brief summary on the itinerary

Escape Plan to Semarang in July 2013:

Total duration 3D2N
Singapore is 1hr behind Semarang, Indonesia.
Flight time is 2hrs direct flight on Silkair (won a pair of free tix for its inaugural flight!) from Singapore to Semarang
Morning flight on 29th Jul and arrival in Semarang also in the morning.

Day 1 Yogya Night market on Malioboro street
Day 2 Borobudur, Prambanan Temple, Mt Merapi
Day 3 Home Sweet Home

This escape plan was triggered from the winning of a pair of tickets to Semarang which is close to the UNESCO Borobudur that I very wanted to visit. I was joined by a good old friend who volunteered to his time to travel with me (since not everyone was really interested in Indonesia and taking 3 days of precious leave for this) and also doing up a flawless itinerary that ensured affordable fun.

Budget nature: Easy on the wallet 

Winning the tickets helped to reduce the overall costs by a bit but the cheaper route was to fly direct to Yogyakarta instead. There are, of course, other cheaper budget airlines that fly there and thus the win is of not much significance. Travelling in Indo is cheap by international standards and with proper planning it can be achieved easily. We did it under SGD$300 all in.

Complexity: DIY possible for the novice

Some planning is definitely required but it is not too difficult to travel. Some difficulty in communication might be expected but heading to Yogyakarta is not difficult. Prearranged drivers would make traveling to various stops at Yogya easier and save up on some time but expect to pay a little bit more for the hassle free travel.