Bintan Angsana - Day 3 (1 Nov 2008)

I still woke up early around 4+am (SGP time) as it was raining really heavily. But by the time I really crawled out of bed, it was around 7am Singapore time. That was still before breakfast was served. I decided to just go for a long and slow breakfast, as it was still drizzling a little. My first breakfast plate. Much more food than the previous day. I had orange juice and coffee all ready for a hearty meal.

Pad thai was not nice at all. I prefer the previous day mee goreng. Chicken sausage was nice, as were the potatoes wedges. Omelette was not bad but not fluffy soft.

I also decided to try some cheeses and cold cut and a bit of kim chi which actually went better with rice.

Spicy and sour noodle soup which was supposed to be tom yam but was more watery. So not nice at all. I only had the fish balls (half size) which was nice.

Beef congee which was bland. You had to add the soya sauce for flavor.

The bread which totally filled me up. The banana chocolate brioche was very nice. The croissant was not as crispy soft as the previous day and the lychee danish was not too bad.

All these food was enough to sustain me through lunch time. It was about 6 hours later before my next meal :)

Binty the tortoise which was like the mascat for Angsana?

The pond with lilies and lily pads. No frogs but lots of fishes in there. You cross the pond to get to the pool and beach.

The Fisherman Table which is actually a place for you to dine. We didn't dine there as I didn't want to be food for the mozzies and sandflies. But it is pretty neat to have the chairs like that. Reminded me of My Humble House where the chairs had long tassels behind.

More fishes. Because of the rain, the water didn't look as clear as before or it just was not bright enough.

Back to Banyan Tree side where the boardwalk is. Rocks everywhere. Be careful where you step. I regret dumping away my reef shoes in Cairns now. That was so useful for walking on the rocky beach.

Rocks with Angsana beach in the background. So idyllic. Island life is totally relaxing.

There are wash areas heading towards the resort from the beach. That was quite thoughtful with its supply of cloths and soap to clean up yourself.

Another view of the resort from the poolside. Yellow umbrellas for shade. Coconut trees all around. Oh, we also saw a huge iguana below the wooden deck. That was exciting :p

We managed to get a late check out at 2pm and so we had about an hour at the factory outlet which was next to the ferry terminal. It was very warm inside the outlet as they used fans for ventilation. I saw clothes from Fox, Abercombie, Banana Republic, Guess, Victoria's Secrets, Old Navy, Express and other brands. Surprisingly I didn't buy anything at all. Lol. Being a good girl :) But tops were going for about S$5 to S$10 and dresses from S$15 or so. Pretty cheap. I was really surprised to see Fox.

Do not buy ice cream from the ferry terminal. It was about $6 for a small cup of Haagen-Dazs ice cream. On board the ferry, Walls' cornetto was about $2 or so. Much more reasonable. To me, ice cream should be just $2-$4 as it is a fun holiday snack treat.

The end of my short getaway. It was so relaxing that now I still slept early and woke up around 7am.

Bintan Angsana - Day 2 (31 Oct 2008) - Pasar Oleh Oleh

Bintan is actually quite a big island and much of it is undeveloped. You see lots of trees when you get out of the resort areas. You also see many power lines too. The nearest "town" is Pasar Oleh Oleh which is essentially a place for tourists living in the resorts. It was the first time I went there as usually I only remained in the resort compound.

The entrance of Pasar Oleh Oleh, which consists of close to 30 stores and restaurants, welcoming visitors. The food is definitely cheaper than in the resorts but other than the cheaper food, there is nothing else to do. There are a couple of spas/salons offering massages, hair stuff and facials at a lower rate but I am not sure of the quality and the ambience is definitely not there.

It is not the typical street market where locals actually buy things from. Instead it was so quiet that there was hardly any activities or life at all. You could buy souvenirs and trinkets for keepsake too.

The "center" of the market. Maybe there will be more people in the evening when people want to have cheaper eat? The shuttle costs $6 return. The ticket is valid for multiple trips for the day though the bus driver will ask to keep the ticket. You just have to tell them you are making multiple trips.

Some restaurants offer free shuttle pick-up if you are going to dine there. Or they also do food delivery for a certain fee. Unfortunately this information is not available in the resorts. I guess it will come from experience. M ordered the hor fun which was not too bad. The restaurant was run by a Chinese Indonesian who was from Tanjong Pinang.

I was craving for nasi goreng. This had more ketchup taste which I did not fancy. The nasi goreng over at Angsana was way better. But at the price (S$3.50 compared to US$10.50) I can't complain too much.

V ordered the fried chicken. I didn't try it but it looked real dry.

I think this is Pasar Oleh Oleh (POO) mascot or something. This was just outside the tourist information booth where you pay for your shuttle ticket.

Goodbye, Pasar Oleh Oleh. Across the road, there is a new market place too with much more authentic Indonesian food and a much better looking spa. The F&B at POO was more fusion with Western, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Indonesian dishes.

We bought dinner from an Indonesian restaurant across the road and it was good. Sop ayam, gado gado, some rice with tempeh, fried chicken, fried beef, egg and rojak for 3 of us. Nice.

Bintan Angsana - Day 2 (31 Oct 2008) AM

Day 2 of Bintan trip started bright and early, especially since I actually fell asleep by 930pm (Singapore time - 1030pm) So naturally I woke up close to 6am, even before the restaurant opened for breakfast. Being on the ground floor meant that I could actually come in and out via the balcony door and we were pretty close to the restaurant and pool, so I could see the crowd situation. Morning view from the balcony. The sun rose around 6am, I took this around 7am, so I miss the sunrise shot. Pity. It sure looked very lush with the greenery.

Breakfast. I dined alone as I wanted to hit the pool after breakfast and I had nothing to do in the room. The others joined me later. There were not many people at 7ish am. Guess they were all sleeping in. When you sat down, the waiter would place the napkin over your lap for you. Your order of tea or coffee would be in its own carafe so that the beverage will still be warm when you pour it. The wait staff would also come round and top up your cup with tea/coffee.

There were always 8 jugs of drinks to choose from. Besides the usual iced water and orange juice, there were pineapple & honeydew, celery cucumber, carrot something, pink guava, watermelon and something else.

I liked the breakfast - mee goreng was good. Pineapple fried rice was not bad. Beef sausage and bacon were the usual fare. I should have gone for seconds :P

I only had the croissant which was heated up under a lamp so you did not have to put it through the bread grill (which also got stuck in most hotels). I loved the variety of jams available too. I picked strawberry, peanut butter, pineapple & black pepper and dark cherry. There were 8 choices too.

It was quite a good spread with cold dishes like salad, yoghurt, fruits, cold cuts, cheeses, noodle station, congee, pancakes, egg station (which was not indicated), danishes, muffins and even steamed buns and different types of bread (brioche, rye, wheat, white...) besides the warn dishes.

I loved this view of the beach with the sundeck loungers and attap roof shelters. I only stayed by the pool and didn't grab the lounger by the beach. Maybe next time :)

Banyan Tree side of beach, which was just next to Angsana. A signboard for the wooden boardwalk which basically said it was walked at your own risk. There were more rocks on Banyan Tree side.

View of Banyan Tree section of beach. The clear water was amazing.

Another view of the South China Sea. Blue sky, crystal clear water. Rocks. What is not to love about this little part of the world?

Waves pulling away. The sand was soft and fine. Either the workers were very diligent in clearing the debris or the guests were equally good in not littering. But the beach was just very pristine and welcoming. It could be because it was a private beach.

Another view of the sea.

It was a sunny day. The sun reflecting on the water created the sparkles in the water and that actually helped to camoflague the fishes which swam up to shore. I could barely see the screen on my camera when I took these pics due to the bright sunlight.

Pretty, isn't it?

Postcard view of the swimming pool. So yes, the picture in Angsana website is actually true. Lol. The section nearer was the baby pool, middle part was the usual and at the end was the jacuzzi area.

Suntanning the toes :p On the right side were the jacuzzis. There were 6 sections for the jets. Pretty good for groups or couples.

Dragonfly on the wall at the patio. I didn't really walk the grounds of Angsana at all. Basically I hung out by the pool and main buildings :)

Bintan Angsana - Day 1 (30 Oct 2008)

The ferry to Bintan was at 2pm and that gave us enough time for lunch. I decided to have the laksa and iced coffee from Killiney Kopitiam. Much as I like the kaya butter toast, I didn't think it would be that substantial :p The Kopitiam also served chicken rice, mee rebus, mee siam, nasi lemak (sold out), mee goreng and other noodles dishes.

The laksa was not too bad but definitely not as lemak or as good as at Sheraton Towers. I missed the cockles in laksa. A bit plain with just taupok and fishcake and regular egg.

It has been some years since I last boarded the ferry from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and I was a bit impressed with the new boarding pass. It is a card with your details on it. That is pretty cool! We also did the self-immigration thing where you scanned your passport and then thumbprint. I am undecided if I like that as sometimes it seemed to take longer than going to a ICA officer for immigration.

The garuda. I didn't realize it means eagle which is also the national bird of Indonesia. Hmmm....something in common with the USA then.

I didn't really take much pictures the first day when we got to Angsana Resort. Basically I hit the pool which was gorgeous. It seemed small but it was actually a decent size. One end is the baby pool and the other end is the jacuzzi area. 6 little acloves which can seat 4-8 persons. I was short enough to even stretch my legs out on the shorter end :p

Dinner was at Lotus Cafe (also where breakfast was served) which was casual dining. Though the prices were in USD, it was actually not too bad. Definitely not as bad as I always thought. Not exorbitant at all. Local food or pizza were around US$10-US$12. Appy around US$4-$8. Western mains from US$18 or so. It was pretty much the amount you pay in the States/Canada.

I ordered the butter chicken dish which was not very good. The chicken pieces were not as tender as those found in Indian restaurants in Singapore. Plus it didn't really taste that buttery. Then I realized maybe I should have pour in the clarified butter in the side dish :p The rice was a bit lemak and definitely not rice pilaf as described in the menu. The naan was more like pita bread. I only like the yoghurt and chutney.

Nasi Goreng which Mom ordered. This was the best dish! The fried rice was so fragrant and full of flavor. It came with keropok (very nice and crispy), chicken (tender), achar (didn't try), fried egg (didn't try) and satay (didn't try). The rice itself was already amazing.

V ordered the fried fish fillet which came with a side of kangkong and steamed jasmine rice. The fish was not deep fried enough to achieve the crispiness. Plus it was a bit rubbery with a bit of fishy smell. Not that great but probably better than my butter chicken :p

Total bill came to US$39.30 or so for the 3 dishes. Service was impeccable with the staff coming over to top up the water glass and checking if everything was to our satisfaction.

We were given the cold towel to refresh ourselves or to wipe our hands after applying the insect repellent. The sachets were available everywhere as there were lots of mozzies in the resort and sandflies in the beach area. The room also had incense stick and essential oil burner to repel the mozzies/insects. An electric burner was also in the room to be used.

Our room keys. I love the starfish keychain. As we were on the first level, we found out one of the keys could be used for the balcony/patio door. And our room was just steps away from the Lotus Cafe and pool. Very convenient to get around.

Short Getaway to Bintan (Angsana Resort & Spa)

A video on the short getaway to Angsana Resort & Spa in Bintan.

OPI Suzi Loves Sydney

I don't really go for manicure as I tend to chip it really fast. So I prefer to go for pedicure instead. I do like this color as it is a shimmery dark berry which is lovely for Winter.

Ramen Santouka @ Central

After wandering around Level 3 of Central trying to find Ramen Santouka, I finally found it tucked away in a corner on Level 2. It is near the escalators facing Billy Bombers and directly below Ma Maison which faces the Singapore River/Clarke Quay. On a public holiday close to 1pm, it was the only eatery which had lots of people waiting for a table. Surprisingly there was no queue over at Marutama at all.

We were told it would be a 20 to 30mins wait but it turned out to be just 10mins, probably because it was only for 2 persons. They do not take down your number (unlike other establishments) so you do have to wait there patiently for a table.
We decided to share some side dishes besides the ramen. We had the miso ramen which came with a few slices of pork (don't really know which cut they are :p) and bamboo shoots, fish cake. I have read that the soup was really salty and was mentally prepared for it. I guess miso was not too bad as I could still take it and I am the type who do not cook with salt at all :p There was a jug of water on the table for you to refill the water glass. The noodles were pretty ok. The small bowl was deceptively deep as it seemed to contain a never ending supply of noodles. I didn't finish it at all. But I think I prefer Marutama ramen.

I also prefer Marutama stewed egg as the version here was not as flavorful and the yolk was not as runny as over at Marutama. We ordered the famous Tokusen Toroniku (choice pork - the pork cheeks) where only 60 portions were served per day. It was a bit salty and soft. I would not really say it was melt in your mouth tender but definitely not dry or tough at all. The Char Siu could be better though. Again, Marutama grilled char siu was so much better and definitely melt in your mouth.

Overall, I think I prefer Marutama Ramen :)

Location

Ramen Santouka

6 Eu Tong Sen St

#02-76, The Central

Tel: +6 6224 0668