Bintan & Nikoi Island

Indonesia

Bintan Island is a short hop from Singapore, and as such makes a welcome weekend retreat for stressed out Singaporeans, but this is still very much part of Indonesia.

Think beautiful bays dotted with coconut palms, forested hills and mangroves making up the tranquil setting that's so close to the metropolis and yet a world apart. And with Singapore such an excellent hub for exploration of the region, a few nights of blessed out R&R here at the beginning or end of any South East Asian itinerary makes a lot of sense. Original Travel recommends the Banyan Tree Bintan for just this purpose, as there is an excellent spa but also a Greg Norman designed championship golf course for anyone that way inclined. And the best bit? On the ferry over from Singapore to Bintan you have to set your watch back so you gain 60 minutes. Just enough time for an expertly administered Balinese massage, for example.

Nearby, newly opened, and thoroughly exciting is the super-exclusive Nikoi Island lodge. Reached by a short boat ride from Bintan, this is an exclusive eco-resort set up by ex-pats who fell in love with this 40-acre island and saw the potential for an understated and barefoot luxurious lodge. The aim is to have 15 (to date ten have been completed) beach houses, with two-thirds of the island left completely untouched for guests to explore. Most of the usual desert island idyll activities are on offer, from snorkelling to sailing, and we recommend exploration of Bintan itself as well, before changing that watch back to ‘normality time’ and re-entering the real world.

Testimonials

'Mud-walled eco-retreat comes with 360 Atlas views, hearths, and interiors that merge avant-garde and - yes - alpine'

Nikoi, Indonesia

Southeast Asia is king of the cookie-cutter teak boutique hotels (petals in bath: compulsory). But this tiny, jungle-clad island, with its 15 driftwood palaces, is different: rooms are twee-free, you’ll find a boulder-strewn pool in place of the usual infinity number, and there’s a no-plasma, no-plastic rule. As there are no walls either, insects sing you to sleep.

Original Travel (www.originaltravel.co.uk) has...

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