Anyway, the reason why we went to Bintan in the first place was first of all because Sis won a free stay at Bintan Lagoon Resort from her company as a reward for her excellent work! Yeah, she's been doing a great job there, and unlike other companies (ehem ehem), hers really make sure the employees feel appreciated. So she got a free room for two nights and we thought why not ask our Dad to join too and make this a family vacation? It's been ages since we had that. In fact, I can't remember the last time. Ever since our mom passed away, family vacation has been the least on our thoughts, but I think it's important now that we do it sometimes.
So we booked another room since they wouldn't allow 5 people to stay in only 1 room. And my sister and I took a day of leave on Friday and set out to Bintan until Sunday!
The ferry was super clean, and throughout the journey the television was playing Mickey Mouse cartoon. Not exactly engaging, but it was at least something to look at. The trip by ferry only took an hour or so.After we arrived at the Bintan Ferry Terminal and got through Immigration, we were taken to a bus which would take us to the resort.
And this was what greeted us there. Some four dancers came out and danced to the local music played by these local musicians. It was quite nice, and we were given welcome drinks also. The check-in was fast, and we settled in our room.
To sleep? Don't you always goof around in the bed everytime you stay in a hotel, though?We then went for lunch at an Indonesian-Chinese fusion restaurant in the resort. The fried rice was heavenly! That first day Dad wanted to see a friend of his in the city, so we rented a car and drove to Bintan city, which took 3 hours of commuting! I think the main difference was, well, in the resort we pay everything by Singapore Dollars still, and in the city, it was more resembling Indonesia. You'd find local food and small shops at the side of the streets selling corn, satay and meatballs and we use Rupiahs! Home sweet home. ;)
While waiting for Dad talking to his friend, we were outside goofing around and taking pictures.
See? The familiar sight of meatball seller on the street. None you can see in Singapore, but a sight of this, and you know you're home. (Well, if you're Indonesian like me. Duh.)After we got back, we didn't do much of anything since it was already late! We just relaxed in our hotel room, and oh, we did buy some Padang food in the city so we had that for dinner.
The next day, we woke up early for breakfast and then it was water sport time! We tried out banana boat and also jetski which was such a rush! It was really awesome being outdoor and near the sea!
The restaurant / chilling area from the outside.
Palm trees and blue sky! We couldn't take pictures while we were jet skiing 'cos the camera shouldn't be wet! Quite bummed out that there weren't any pictures, but hey, it's all in here anyway, right? (pointing to the brain) Alright, that was dorky. We spent the entire morning and afternoon playing in the sea and came back to the room feeling energized but exhausted!At night we had dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant, played footsie at the recreational room, had karaoke and watched telly until we fell asleep. It was a great day!
Food! Food! Glorious food!On Sunday we had breakfast early and headed to the beach to take some pictures.
The weather was great when we were there. The day we were playing in the water, it wasn't so sunny, it was a little cloudy even, so that was great. On Sunday, it was way too hot outside, you can tell it from the pictures. So we thought, "wow, thank goodness we were doing all the sports yesterday, otherwise I would have been burnt to crisp!"So at about 11 am, we boarded the bus back to the ferry terminal and headed home to Singapore. I know it was a short trip, but it was great and I'm glad we did it. :) So 'til next time!