Singapore and Club Med Bintan Island
My family and I just got back from a short trip away to Singapore and Club Med Bintan Island.
Crazily enough, in all my years as a travel agent, I had never been to Singapore (other than to Changi) and wanted to have a quick little look around.
On arrival into Singapore we caught a taxi into town. Singapore is so efficient and clean! And people are super friendly! Everytime we caught a taxi we got talking to locals who always told us the best places to eat and where the kids would enjoy the most. We stayed two nights at the Swissotel the Stamford which is right near the Raffles Centre and attached to one of the many shopping malls of Singapore.
We got around by taxi and making the kids walk 18,000 steps according to my fitbit! We did the Singapore Flyer which was a great way to take in the views of the city. Massive ferris wheel that takes 30 mins to do a full rotation.
We also walked around the esplanade and theatres on the bay on the way to the Merlion which is a statue of a lion with a mermaid tail, an icon of Singapore.
On to Lau Pa Sat for cheap amazing food. We caught the MRT to Chinatown where again very cheap food and drinks and lot’s of markets.
Early evening into the night was spent at the Gardens By the Bay. A botanical gardens, it has something for everyone and there is so much to take in that you can honestly spend a whole day there. We were able to walk through the Cloud dome and Flower dome which is full of amazing plant life from around the world, a waterfall even lego displays! We finished off the night taking in the light show of the giant flowers in the Supergrove. Amazing!
The next day we drove to the Tanah Merah ferry terminal and caught our ferry transfer to Bintan Island, Indonesia. It takes approximately one hour and then Bintan is one hour behind Singapore time. Once we passed through customs there was a Club Med rep at the terminal who checked us in straight away so we had keys and information ready to go. On arrival into the resort we were greeted by applause!
Each family/couple that checked in had a Club Med rep to take us personally to our rooms and explain how things ran.
The Club Med concept is all inclusive taking the stress out of your holiday. Basically you package together flights, transfers and accommodation but the bonus is all of your meals, drinks and activities are included, meaning you literally don't have to pay for anything else! Rooms had an Indonesian flare to them and were very comfortable. They were made up in the mornings and then there was a turn down service at night. Usually towel animal in the morning and a lovely note written on a leaf at night!
The resort has four bars located in various different areas. Bar staff usually get to know your favourite drink and will often say it to you as you approach. There are two restaurants, the main one being The Waterfall. The food was extremely diverse and consisted daily of a buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner and was divided into cuisine from all over. There was a Korean, Japanese, Indonesian, Chinese and Indian corner and then a kid friendly corner with nuggets, chips, pizza (that’s universal right?). Dessert was amazing too. The amazing thing was in the five days we were there, the menu and food on offer for lunch and dinner changed every single time. It was so diverse! The second restaurant, The Terrase was open for late breakfast and late lunch if you missed out and was more a la carte. Situated right on the waters edge.
Onto facilities: Kids Club. What can I say other than amazing! Our kids usually stick to us like glue, which is fine but the mini club staff were fantastic and we rarely saw them. They have a wide range of activities during the day and usually finish with some sort of a show that the kids put on. They had such a blast and made a lot of international friends which was a bonus. Now, two weeks post trip my girls are still raving about the GO’s (Gentle Organisers) at mini club by name!
There are a lot of activities available to everyone from stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, sailing, and snorkeling to name a few in the water and then things like golf (lessons are free but games at the course are an extra), archery, tennis, badminton, aqua aerobics, hiking, yoga, volleyball to name but a few. The piece de resistance for my husband and I was the trapeze. Everyday we went back on the trapeze to learn new tricks and the staff were fantastic. My girls had a go every day too and we may run off to the circus!
The main thing we noticed about the Club Med experience is how involved the staff are with the guests. There are shows every night and a GO that will get the guests revved up and excited to watch. They walk around during the day and stop and chat and genuinely remember things about you and your family. At meal times it was quite common for them to ask if they could sit with you and in that way we got to know people from all over the world. If you weren’t into that, they took your cues and stayed away. It might not suit every traveller but we really enjoyed it. So from a family who don’t really like big crowds or organized events we were blown away by how much we enjoyed the Club Med experience and if it has a trapeze, we’ll be back!