Blogs from Riau Archipelago, Indonesia, Asia - page 3

Saturday, 13th March 2010 A quiet 2 Day 1 Night weekend breakaway on the eastern shore of Batam Island, the url=http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297717-d447157-r58529912-Batam_View_Beach_Resort-Batam_Riau.htmlBatam View Resort may be aging gracefully. But it provided an ideal avenue to spend quality time with friends and getaway from the city life. About 35 minutes from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, we arrived at the resort sometime after 11am on Saturday. Our superior room was a mixed bag. While it was facing the carpark directly, the corner of the balcony offered breath taking view of the Batam Straits =) Throughout our stay, we took all our meals at the resort restaurant (that's 2 lunches, 1 complimentary breakfast and 1 dinner) as we were too lazy to join in the local shopping spree. Instead, we spent 3 hours whiling our time going through ... read more

I feel a bit light headed with all this country hopping , it will be a busy week for me three countries in as many days!!! I flew into Singapore on Monday afternoon and the rain followed me. With less than 24hrs so the best thing to do was to book a tour for the evening . That was excellent fun , there were about 16 of us from a range of hotels and various age groups. we were taken for a brief ride to see some of the highlights , then a meal in a seafood restaurant on one of the trendy quays which was really good. We visited a huge bustling market which really needed more time, as it was I was the last back on the bus! Finally to the very famous Raffles ... read more

I really don't have slightest idea how I'm going to be able to describe these previous days in Bintan Island, so overwhelming experience that was. We were looking for a true getaway, and that's what we got, indeed. Bintan Island is part of the Riau Islands province of Indonesia and is located less than 40 kilometers from Singapore. We took a ferry to going there, and instead of other travellers who stayed in Bintan Resort's area, we were looking for Bintan's best kept secret. With a taxi, it took almost one hour to reach Mutiara beach guesthouse located on island's east coast, where the Bintan's best beach Trikora, was said to be. When arriving there the staff members came to greet us with friendliness, from the beginning it came clear this was totally different place compared ... read more

After 2 months of not seeing each other, I flew into Singapore on Thursday night and was very happy to see Brett waiting for me at the airport! My flight arrived around 10pm local time and it was amazing how hot and humid it still was, although Brett said it was actually on e fo the cooler nights! Can't believe they have been building a skatepark in this heat, no wonder they are going a bit nuts (to say the least!). And funny that I went from sharing a kind sized bed with Di a week ago while her husband slept on the floor, and now Brett and I are sharing a single bed that is on the floor. And a really short single bed at that! Well we did put the box spring beside it ... read more

Great time too with Paula and Arthur such a lovely size, views and lots going on, its the start of the festival there soon & look to be some good stuff on, including Black Watch which we saw in Sydney and was fabulous. 18th Feb Just another day left then we will be flying home but what a finale, I am sat in our 'colonnial' villa in the Banjon Tree in Binton absolutely beautiful, wonderful attention to detail and service. Great beaches, pools and food overlooking the South China Sea and it is very hot but the breeze off the sea makes it feel comfortable. Have spent time in our Jacuzzi, swimming, a walk and a paddle on the beach , eating out looking over amazing coasts. This afternoon we went to the mangrove forest not ... read more