Island Retreat @ Nirwana Gardens Bintan

 

 

A short weekend getaway from the hustle and bustle of Singapore concrete city, we headed off to Bintan island, which is just a 55-minute ferry ride from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. Our ferry tickets were purchased online and the hotel reservation was done, just 1 week before departure and we consider ourselves lucky to have everything settled in the nick of time, a week before X'mas holiday where most hotels are being snapped up fast like hot cakes.

 

Bintan is an island in the Riau archipelago of Indonesia and it is 1 hour behind Singapore time. The island has beaches with beach-front International hotels and resorts. Bintan Resorts is recognized as the most prominent resort which is set over an area of 300 hectares lush tropical ambience. Nirwana Gardens, the place where we stayed, is located at the Bintan resorts.

We chose Nirwana Gardens as our island retreat destination, as it is family oriented. There are activities for both youngs and olds. Our 2 days and 1 night stay in Nirwana Resort Hotel was lovely. For those who don't know, Nirwana means ' perfect bliss', which consists of 5 different vacation experiences, where you can choose the type of stay you prefer, depending on ones' budget....namely: Nirwana Resort Hotel, Mayang Sari Beach Resort, Nirwana Beach Club, Banyu Biru Villa, and Indra Maya Villa.

 

So, on the day of departure, we arrived early at the ferry terminal, around 8.10 a.m. Our ferry departed at 9.10 a.m. With Mc D brekkie in tow, we quickly checked in our luggage, and got our ferry boarding passes. FYI, we reserved Emerald seatings on the way to Bintan, and came back with economy seats, so as to try both services on board. The total of return ferry ticket fares for the whole family of 4, costed S$408, after taxes and levies.

 

Our boarding passes with seats assigned to each of us.

After entering the departure gate, we were guided to Emerald Lounge while waiting for the ferry. Well said..."Travel in Style" :)

There's a small pantry corner where you are allowed to make your own beverage. Light snack like biscuits are provided too. However, we chomped down our MC D brekkie in no time.

The Emerald class adjustable seats were thickly and comfortably cushioned which are located at the upper deck. Passengers sitting at the Emerald class will be served with refreshment by the friendly staffs.

We walked out to the open deck, enjoyed the sea breeze, sun-kissed weather, and breathtaking sea-view. See, how my kids squinted and barely opened their eyes from the glaring sun!

After a short ride, here we were, at the Bintan Resorts.

Having passed through the immigration check and custom, we boarded the free coach service provided by Nirwana Gardens, which picked us up from Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal to the door step of Nirwana Resort Hotel where we stayed. To have this free coach service, just put under remark on the time of arrival when you do the hotel reservation online. We had our reservation done through Agoda....

Upon arrival, you can see 3 big elephant statues in front of Nirwana Resort Hotel.

Dancers danced at the main entrance as a gesture of welcoming the guests' arrival.

While hubby did the hotel check-in, kids played a chess game.

This was our reserved Deluxe room with sea-view, costed S$279.38 per night, with the cost of additional one single bed included. It was spacious, and spotlessly clean, with no sticky feeling on the marbled-floor.

The living hall, with a balcony....

Our BIG bathroom...

Our comfy 4-poster bed..My curious son was playing with a hairdryer at the dressing table.

 

The view from the balcony, lush green and blue sky....what a perfect weather!

 

Powdery sandy beach was the first place we hit.

Kids prefered to swim in the pool....there are also jacuzzi, and an infinity pool available.

An island-concept pool bar where you can chill and sip a glass of cocktail, after a swim.

After washed up, it was lunch at Dino Bistro, at the lobby area of Nirwana Resort Hotel. Food was not that great. :( I had seafood fussilli in tomato base, and I reckoned the base was a tad sourish for me, and the pasta was not cooked al-dente.

Kids had spaghetti bolognese with cheese...

Hubby's creamy Japanese soba with seafood....talking about fusion eh....

 

The next thing we did was an adventurous ATV (All-terrain vehicle) ride. To book for one, just step to the Activity Desk, at Nirwana Resort Hotel, located at the lobby area. We were told that there are two exciting routes to choose from – riding the ATV within a designated jungle trail, or roaming freely on the white sandy beaches of Nirwana. We chose the former, a 30-minute ride which costs $80 for one rented ATV. So, we had two ATVs for S$160. I was a bit reluctant to ride on the ATV at first, as I am a idiot who do not know how to ride a motorbike, not even a bicycle! Furthermore, my kid was a pillion...I was worried about my daughter's safety. But fret not, there's a short briefing on safety rules and basic instructions on how to manoeuvre the ATV.


Gosh, I didn't know that ATV ride, other than adventurous, it was also a good workout, especially for your arms. The 30-minute ATV ride, left me with aching arms for the next entire day! A tip from my experience: Spray some insect repellent and sunblock lotion before the ride. Coz you do not want to end up sunburnt with itchy bites from the ride like I did!

We passed through bushes....

Braved through slopes while at the same time conquered my fear of driving on narrow bridges across river...my daughter said it was a scary experience for her, coz she almost got thrown off from the ATV, when passing through bumpy path with slopes and deep holes.

 

a big pool of muddy trail...just slow down and lift up your both legs while the ATV is charging ahead.

The friendly staff praised me for my courage, and I managed to complete the 30-minute ride despite of many obstacles along the way.

We went back to our room, looking more tanned, showered and took a nap. Due to the scorching weather and tiring ATV ride, we all slept like a baby for 2 hours.

And it was time for seafood feast at The Kelong.

 

Gong gong which is raved by many.

Hotplate tofu with seafood.

 

Deep fried prawns with salted egg yolk.

Butter Sri Lankan crab.

Steamed garoupa Teo Chew style.

Fruit platter, to end our meal. Total bill came to S$274.67. Every transaction was in Singapore dollar, and it saved the trouble of getting rupiah notes. It also means that things here were neither cheap...the rate was almost like spending in Singapore.

Kids was complaining hungry all the time...:)

Breaking dawn....it was already bright at 6.30 a.m. I was strolling along the beach by myself, as I did not want to wake the kids up.

Family portrait using a tripod.

 

Had buffet breakfast in The Coffeeshop, at Nirwana Resort Hotel. There were western and asian varieties to choose from.

I love the nasi lemak set....you are free to pick your own ingredients. Mine consists of chicken curry, boiled egg, sambal, ikan bilis, peanut, and sliced cucumber. And of course, my breakfast would never complete without any egg dishes....with added on sunny-side-up, omelette, and sausages. What a gluttony ME!

 In front of The Coffeeshop, after digging into hearty breakfast.

At the beach with swaying palm trees, on a hot sunny day...

Took a shuttle bus heading to Nirwana Resort Centre. There are many activities which you can indulge in...like archery, paintball, rifle-shooting, elephant park, horse riding, bowling, and many other sports.

We bought tickets at a counter not far from the entrance of Nirwana Resort Centre. Kids experienced horse riding for the first time, galloping around the paddock.

Followed by elephant ride into a jungle trail. It was a bit scary to sit so high up on an elephant's back, with nothing to hold but just the shoulder of the elephant's trainer. The ride was more or less 20 minutes, and we talked along the journey, as I can converse in Malay language with the locals effortlessly.

Hotel check-out was at 12 noon. So, we headed back to our hotel, check-out and had our luggage kept at the lobby area before having lunch at Spice, located at Mayang Sari Beach Resort. Spice serves Indian as well as International cuisines...but honestly, I think the food was so so only. :(

Kids had nuggets with fries, which the nuggets were over-fried.

Had satay (BBQ meat) platter, which was the saving grace of this lunch. The peanut gravy was thick and robust.

Hubby's: Seafood sambal with rice

Mine: Assam pedas fish with rice and condiments.

Mee hailam...for the kids to share..this was also O.K.

After lunch, we strolled on the powdery sandy beach in Mayang Sari Beach Resort, with many thatched-roof chalets for a much relaxing staying ambience.

It was very windy and my kids enjoyed the walk on the beach, as it was not too sunny. Our ferry departure was at 4.35 p.m. Hence, we were asked to wait at the lobby area at 3.30 p.m. where ferry tickets were given out to us, before the coach arrived to send us to the ferry terminal.

With that, our 2 days and 1 night weekend getaway in Bintan came to an end.