Over the long weekend of the National Day holiday, we decided to book a last-minute trip to Bintan for a 2D1N getaway to celebrate Sweet Pea's birthday. We managed to book a stay at Nirwana Beach Resort, which is only an hour's ferry ride away from Singapore.
The vacation turned out to be better than our expectation. Although the resort is over 10 years old and they still use the metal key to unlock the room, the room itself is spacious and relatively clean. The double bed is also bigger than we expected, so it was not so squeezed for the three of us to sleep together. But the best part is the variety of pools in the resort, including built-in jacuzzi, a swim-up pool bar and one that oversees the beautiful skyline of the South China Sea. Sweet Pea loved the pools so much that we spent most of our time there trying out the different pools.
The beach was also nice and when we visited during low tide, we could find tiny sea shells and sea creatures on the white sandy beach. I managed to help Sweet Pea find four sea shells for her collection. There is also beach massage services at a small hut if you are not shy about being massaged on a public beach. I almost tried it but changed my mind due to the heavy thunderstorm in the early morning. I chose an in-room massage which turned out to be better than I expected. The masseuse came to the hotel room, so there was more privacy and I didn't have to worry about being exposed to other people on the beach. I had a great massage and at a price much lesser than what I would have to pay back home.
The resort also serves relatively good food though a bit pricey. Some guests chose to book dinner at other resorts or restaurants which are a short ride away by coach. One of which is the hugely popular Keelong restaurant built on water. We decided to just dine in the resort's coffee house as we were quite tired from the swim and didn't want to venture out. The family dinner set we ordered turned out to be very good, with fruits and sweet desserts to round up the meal. I even arranged for the restaurant staff to sing Happy Birthday song to Sweet Pea when they served the desserts. My little princess was so happy and surprised that she said it was her best birthday ever!
Although this vacation was a bit short and we didn't get to try out the beach activities like Flying Fox,
Trampoline and Banana Boat, I told Sweet Pea that we would be back. Maybe next time, we could try archery, horse-riding, watch elephant shows or even go on the elephant safari trail.
On the whole, this short retreat did great wonders for our family bonding and recharged our jaded minds and bodies. The resort was like a little paradise away from the urban jungle. I'm going to miss the beautiful skyline and scenery, soft white sands between my toes, luxurious pools, great massage and not forgetting the three resident iguanas perching on the tree branches when they sleep.
