weekend getaway to bintan island
For the past few weeks, I have felt this pressure to be traveling. Each weekend, you’ll hear about exchange students skipping class or enjoying their 3-4-5 day weekends with travels to Kuala Lumpur or as far as Seoul. From experience, I think my travel philosophy has shifted quite a bit. Typically, I would feel inclined to optimize every weekend to explore a new city (just as I did in Europe). However, I also learned that by doing so, you forget to enjoy the place you’ve settled down in.
My time in Singapore has felt absolutely unreal. I have been so thankful of the friends I have made and the unexpected community I have formed here. The food is amazing. I have felt incredibly welcomed here by locals and I really couldn’t ask for more. With that, I am glad I made the decision to take my time with finding wonderful travel partners and to make this place feel like home.
This past weekend (8/24 - 8/26), I made a quick trip to Bintan Island with my two friends, Eva and Ron. It was a last minute trip, full of unexpected surprises, but to say the least, I’m still happy we went.
Bintan Island is roughly 1.5 hours from Singapore by ferry, and it was recommended by many as an easy weekend getaway. Two days prior, we found our accommodation at Pelgani Hotel and Resort in Tanjung Pinang and the night before, we finally booked our ferry tickets. It was an early morning on Saturday, took the MRT to the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, and off we went! Ferry itself was surprisingly comfortable (we expected wooden seats) for a $35 round trip ticket.
When we arrived, we were quickly approached by a hotel representative offering a shuttle to our stay. To say the least, our accommodation was such a surprise. Each of us paid $13 for a night, and while the location of the hotel wasn’t the greatest, the amount of service and attention given was insane. They offered free shuttles around the city, welcomed us with snacks and coffee, and help was given if anything went wrong. Hospitality was no joke.
That Saturday evening, we went to the night market for dinner and drinks. I was shocked to see how inexpensive meals were as I found myself spending 2 or 3 USD for a dish. The food was amazing and I found all the Indonesian dishes to be much more intensified in flavor. Also, a Carlsberg only cost about $4 USD for 600 mL and in comparison to how expensive drinks are in SG, I was PLEASED. We also met up with another group of friends (Ryan, Sean, and Dani) and it was such a pleasant evening of drinks and good conversations.
On Sunday, we hired a driver to take us around the island. We heard so highly about the beaches on Bintan Island, and we were absolutely stoked. The driver took us to Lagoi Bay and the area was bustling with the IronMan race happening. It was an hour drive to the beach, but once we arrived, we were generally confused because no one was swimming in the water. Also, the beach wasn’t as nice as we had expected or maybe, we’re just spoiled with Sentosa Beach. My understanding is that Bintan is full of resorts, where a night can cost over $80 per person/night, and many people tend to just stay on the all-inclusive resorts. It was a bit disappointing, but then off to the next location - a few nice surprises was Gunar Pasir, where we also found fruit stalls, and a massive temple.
The following morning, we took the earliest ferry so I could make it back to my class at noon. Looking back, I’m not quite sure if I’ll return to Bintan Island (if you want nice beaches, only go to Bali) - but I still am glad because of the friends I met and traveled with. It was a nice reminder of how people live, because SG does not represent the rest of SE Asia at all. Cheers to the first international trip of the semester, and off we go to Cambodia in 2 days!! I am STOKED.
