Taking the long trip to Singapore, we wanted to make the most of it and at least add one more country to our list. After a long search and considering all the options, we decided on a little island in Indonesia. When we made that decision, Heidi & Joseph thought it sounded like a fun get-away and joined us for a few days.
We were able to ‘hop‘ onto a ferry to Bintan Island, one of the bigger islands in Indonesia. Thankfully, no one got motion-sick!
Caleb, Bella, Hannah
Leaving Port
As we arrived in Indonesia, there was such a stark contrast to what we had just left in Singapore. Honestly, Indonesia is a country I thought I’d never visit.
Indonesian Port
Our host met us at the Indonesian port, helped us navigate our way through customs, and led us away to an awaiting bus. We had to transverse (‘skip‘ over) this large island in order to take a boat from the opposite end.
Piles of Rubbish Floating in the Water
Once on the other side of the island, we ‘jumped‘ onto a little boat and tried to prepare ourselves for what lie ahead.
What would our island, Pankil, look like?
On the Look-out for Pankil
It was fun to try to guess which little island it could be.
Finally, our captain pointed it out . . .
Close
Closer
We had arrived at Paradise!
The Arrival
As we got off the boat, the entire staff was on the beach to greet us. They had asked beforehand about allergies and food aversions, so they handed out freshly squeezed fruit juices, without any alcohol!
Before we could get too comfortable, we got a tour of the island.
Bags Following Close Behind
The kids were excited to see the huts we would be staying in. One, in particular, was so much like a treehouse, that the kids just gravitated to it. The treehouse only had one bed in it so that was an easy choice – Emma got to enjoy it for the duration of our stay!
Emma’s Treehouse View
The other huts/treehouses were all very nice and roomy . . . .
. . . with amazing views.
Of course, our outdoor bathrooms were much like glorified outhouses, but they made it feel a bit more like Gilligan’s Island.
As we continued our tour of the island, we followed our host down the main path that led from one end of the island to the other.
At the far end of the island, was a freshwater swimming pool. We couldn’t finish the tour fast enough after that – the kids wanted to jump right in!
As we finished up the tour, we realized we could get wifi just about anywhere on the island. Joseph decided this was the perfect holiday – phone in one hand, drink in another, and sun all around!
Days of Fun
For four days we had a great time relaxing poolside or seaside. It was a great feeling to let the kids run and scream without worrying that they were bothering anyone.
We enjoyed huge meals, three times a day . . . seaside . . .
. . . or poolside, wherever the kids decided we would be at that moment.
There was always a branch full of bananas whenever you were hungry.
Or if you preferred sweet baked goods, those were plentiful as well.
The kids enjoyed having an open bar and helped themselves to fruit juices or chocolate milk whenever they had the urge.
Don’t forget snack time . . . twice a day!
Homemade Donuts
Fruit
Monkey Bread
Sometimes we dreaded dinner because we were still so full from everything else during the day. We kind of chuckled as we remembered the website had said the kitchen is fully stocked and you wouldn’t go hungry. That was definitely true!
We didn’t have any problems staying busy during our stay. The island had an assortment of activities to choose from.
However, I would say that most of our time was spent by the pool.
Marianne
Snorkeling in the Pool
Snorkeling Children
Sea Shell Seekers
Tommy and His Lonely Head
Mt. Cousin
Kayak Fun
Hannah, Chris, Cami, Becca
John, Tommy, Joseph
Badminton
Action Shot!
One thing for certain – no matter what we did, it was just HOT! After playing badminton for awhile, Caleb had beads of sweat over his entire face.
Beachside Frisbee
Sunset Snorkeling (Cami/Bella)
Chris & Joseph
One night the staff made a huge bonfire on the beach for us. It was a great time to sit around and listen to some more of Joseph’s stories!
You can’t have a bonfire without having roasted marshmallows! The staff was so nice to give us the only marshmallows they had, Haribo marshmallows. We didn’t have sticks long enough so finally had to resign ourselves that roasted marshmallows wasn’t going to be on the menu. Then we came upon the idea of using the beach lanterns. Sadly, the idea was a great one, but the marshmallows were not proper marshmallows and didn’t taste very good roasted. They ended up tasting like burnt sugar.
Roasting Marshmallows
The Scenery
Even though the island wasn’t very large, we never grew tired of the scenery.
Sea View from the Pool-end of the Island (High Tide)
Low-Tide
Beach End of Island (High Tide)
Low Tide
One morning, during low tide, we decided to go walk around the coral and see what we could find.
Another morning we took a hike across the island, staying off the main path.
We were able to find the ‘Big Buddha’ statue!
The Departure
Heidi and Joseph had to leave a day earlier than we did, so we ended up having two departures, a day apart.
It was sad to see everyone leaving, even though we knew we were going to see them the following day when we returned to Singapore.
Seeing the Benson’s Off
One more day in paradise . . . what would you do??
Emma spent a lot of time reading . . .
Caleb just relaxed . . .
and sometimes played games . . .
. . . but somehow the fun and energy had left with the Benson’s.
As the sun set on our last night on the island, the staff set up an amazing dinner just for us. It was beautiful!
Long after dinner was over, we just sat out on the beach under the stars, talking. It was the perfect way to end our time on the island.
In sharp contrast, no more than 16 hours later, we capped off our experience by having a full-blown thunderstorm as we prepared to leave.
Our lunch was cut short as the heavy rain leaked through the thatched roof of the hut.
We watched as the clouds came in and the rain just poured.
A sailboat anchored close to shore to try to wait it out. It was a bit scary to see a bolt of lightning hit out on the water, no more than 200 yards away from that boat.
Maybe 10 minutes after that first lightning strike, another one hit the hut we were actually standing in. We smelled smoke, saw sparks, the electricity shorted, and Chris felt the energy in his ankles (initially thinking he may have been hit). It was a very intense moment with the staff running out of the hut, leaving us on our own for half an hour. This experience really affected Hannah and she had a hard time calming down.
Hannah and Chris
After our long wait, the storm started to calm and some of the staff started to come back to our hut. They did apologize, however, for taking so long but 2 of the girls had fainted after the lightning hit our hut and they had to take care of them.
Without much more delay, the staff had us bundled in ponchos with our bags in plastic bags, and saw us off on the boat so we wouldn’t miss our ferry back to Singapore.
We got off the island in one piece and Chris kept reminding the kids not to let the storm overshadow the rest of our time there. The mood changed for the better, but I’m sure that had more to do with the homemade donuts the staff sent us off with, than Chris’s pep talk.
We really did have an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Wonderful, Becca!
What an amazing time!