Here’s the lowdown on a lonely island in the middle of the India Ocean. It’s quiet and cut off from the rest of the world, making it the ideal getaway
How remote is remote? If you are on an island in the middle of the ocean, with no one else around you, just a white beach, calm blue waters lapping gently on the shore, a hammock gently swaying in the breeze and a glass of iced mojito in your hand to sip occasionally, wouldn’t that be ideal? It’s possible if you plan your trip to Singapore a little carefully. Of course, you can always take a flight from Singapore to the much more happening city of Bali, with its night clubs and beach parties or even closer, to Bantam Islands, which have their own share of the Bali party culture.
But there’s nothing more exciting than going to an island that has no one else but you!
Indonesia is an archipelago of over 14,000 islands, starting from close to Malaysia and stretching all the way to Australia. It has many uninhabited islands that host resorts. Several of these are close to Singapore and you can access them within three hours.
To steal a quiet weekend out of your hectic business/sightseeing trip, look at going to one of the small Indonesia islands within easy access from Singapore. After doing some research on the Net, I chanced upon Telunas, a small island resort about twoand- a-half hours by ferry and power boat from Singapore. We booked a four-night stay at the resort for Rs 5,500 a night (approx.) through online booking before we left from New Delhi.
After our mandatory tour of Singapore, we headed for this magical island. A fast ferry from Singapore to Sekupang in Indonesia costs about Singapore $48 and for a return ticket, took us there in under an hour. The swanky ferry terminal in Indonesia is well-maintained and hassle-free. Once you land, they offer you a visa on arrival ($35), which is processed quickly and smoothly, unlike the visa experience in India.
The resort takes over from hereon. A guest relations officer is assigned to you and is waiting at the ferry terminal to pick you up. Ours was a young girl, Amsalia, who was patient and never stopped smiling. For the next four days, Amsalia made sure we got whatever we need.
Once you leave the ferry terminal, a short walk along the coast takes you to the power boat terminal. Here the noisy scenes remind you so much of home: boat owners yelling out loud to attract customers (this is the main mode of transport to any of the Indonesian islands), just like any of our bus addas. But you don’t have to deal with them as the resort has its own speed boat. It takes close to one-and-a-half hours to crisscross through various islands and zip through the ocean to finally bring you to this secluded island.
The island itself is not large, but has a really thick jungle and mountains, just like the opening scene of Jurassic Park or even the mystical isle that Pi gets stranded on in the book Life Of Pi. The island is part of Sugi, which is part of the Riau Islands, the south-east part of Indonesia. The Riau Islands is a group of 2,000 small islands, covering 252 sq kms, of which Telunas is a part. The resort is run by three foreigners, who bought this island on a whim of setting up an ideal resort in 2000. They have another smaller but more expensive property across from this one, called the Telunas Private Island that has chalets built over the sea.
The speed boat from Sekupang will dock at the front deck, and as you alight you get the warm Indonesianstyle welcome, with a garland of flowers and fresh juice. The rooms are built on stilts, Malay style, with fantastic sunrise and sunset views. You have a choice of deluxe rooms or chalet. The chalets are slightly larger than the rooms with an additional private balcony with a sitting area and hammock.
The beach itself is a large cover of white sand and the water is serene. In fact, during low tide, the water is only waist-deep for at least 500 metres, so you can swim around, as if it’s your own gigantic personal swimming pool! The rooms are simple, with wooden floors, comfortable beds and thatched roofs. At night, when everything is silent, the gently slapping of the waters against the supporting structure is soothing. During the day, you get a glimpse of the sea under you through the gaps in the wooden floor slats. The resort has a ring-free policy: no Wi-Fi or phone service. So you can disconnect completely from the rest of the world.
The food is served in the dining hall and meal times are signed by the striking of a traditional gong, the kenthongan. For vegetarian Indians the food can be a bit problematic since they mostly serve international non-vegetarian cuisine. But if you let them know your food preferences when you book, they will make sure to keep vegetarian food for you. There is a mandatory charge of Singapore $50 a person for your meals.
In the resort itself, there isn’t too much to do other than laze on the beach, swim and then laze some more. But then isn’t that what you are there for? For the footloose, there are options such as a visit to the local village and a waterfall walk, but since the costs are high its best to club it with other guests to share the costs. For the period we were there, there were only two other guests for two days; for the rest of the two days, we were on our own. There are beach activities such as beach volleyball and a lowrope course. You can also do some deck jump during high tide, which is exciting.
Our four days went by in a blur of lazing on the beach, swimming all day and reading on the deck. It was like being marooned on an island, of course with all the comforts of a room and food. I’d trade a noisy beach holiday for this luxurious and quiet hideaway in the middle of the ocean any day. It’s what heavenly holidays are made of.