We went glamping in Bintan, and loved it!
Stayed at Natra Bintan, a Marriott resort. Property was beautiful, room was splendid, service was excellent, and the overall experience was just wonderful.
This is the inside of our tent - looks like camping from the outside, is actually super glam inside, with air-con, comfortable beds and hot water.
It was one holiday that we did not have an itinerary, and did not have to rush from one place to another. No shopping too, which was a first in a long while!
So we had lots of time to fool around ...
and good conversations ...
The kids tried many new things too, including going to a kelong.
On the first night, we'd wanted to go to a The Kelong Seafood at Nirwana Gardens for dinner. But the resort staff told us that food's expensive there, and we should try D'Bintan Seafood, where we'd have to take a 5-min boat ride out to. We thought that's quite fun and so went for it.
On the boat ride to the restaurant, we passed by this restaurant, which we thought was our destination, and were quite excited coz it's so beautifully lit up. But it wasn't the D'Bintan Seafood, and there was no guests (no guests on our way back too).
D'Bintan Seafood was a disappointment. It was very basic, didn't have a lot of fish in its tanks, and the food was only so-so. Quite expensive though. Was not a satisfying dinner at all. The kids had to order room service after that!
We didn't go out for any meals again for the next few days. Ate at the resort's restaurant and were absolutely happy with its yummy food.
Thankfully, all other new things we tried were good.
The kids tried junior ATV, and loved it! Both were initially scared but once they got the hang of the bike, they couldn't get enough of it!
We went mangrove kayaking too. The kids were not too thrilled by it, but Daddy and I enjoyed it enormously, even though we were totally tired out!
And what's camping without a bbq! We ordered a bbq meal from the resort .... and had thought there would be bbqing services. But no, we had to bbq the food ourselves!
Daddy was the chef for the night, and the kids were totally impressed, especially Aaron. As he chomped down his food, he said to Nadine and I, "Daddy's a really good cook, and he's working so hard tonight. After dinner, we must all thank him for the meal!"
We had lots of sun, sand and sea (artificial, it's a lagoon) ...
... and a unicorn ride ...
It was supposed to be a calm and idyllic float on the lagoon ...
But it turned out to be noisy and chaotic because 1) Aaron and Daddy were desperately trying to pull the unicorn further out to the middle of lagoon ... and then had trouble getting back into the float, 2) Nadine was pouring water on everyone's heads, causing such a ruckus. And it was actually difficult to sit probably in the float coz the waters keep displacing the seats.
Another adventure that we thought would have been fun - the ninja challenge obstacle course in the background of this photo.
It looked so deceivingly easy but it was far from easy! Right from the start, climbing up onto the course was already a challenge! And then it became more and more difficult. We all dropped into the water at least once. In the middle of the obstacle was 1 part that required a player to swing from one side to another - not a stunt that most people can pull off! Daddy and the kids tried many many times, and were stuck in the water for quite a while. It was a death trap, they proclaimed!
Besides that death trap, all the other parts of the obstacle were easy-peasy for Aaron. He even tried to save us when we fell into the water! We were so exhausted after we finally complete the course!
Natra Bintan is located at Treasure Bay, the resort that developed and manages the lagoon and all the recreational activities around it. Another glamping resort, Anmon, shares the ground. So while there are three managements in the same area, they collaborated so well that, except for the separate payment, everything else seemed seamless. It felt like one big self-contained place managed by 1 party. Lots of activities, and very safe.
There were lots of photo-worthy areas and props, such as this vintage car ...
... the swings outside some of the tents ...
and the paintings on the walls ...
Of course, cannot leave out the beautiful sunset that made for pretty photos!
Love the place, and this whole super relaxing holiday. Likely to go back!
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