weekend getaway
 

long time admirer so to speak- first time poster!

i am currently based in Sinagpore for a month for work... and this weekend I was hoping to get out to an island for a night - maybe bintan/bantam...
i like the proximity to the city.

do any of my single, fellow business travellers have any advice or suggestions on places to stay? I really am just looking for a beach/pool/spa and a few nice cocktails!

thank you!

What's your budget for the weekend?

because i only plan on 2d1n stay- i was thinking S$3-400...

i am planning a longer trip to Krabi in a few weeks. but for an overnight I didn't intend on going overboard.
Just a nice Sea View, Relaxing Chair and Cool Cocktails. Maybe a massage if time permits.

Alas, all the beaches in easy striking distance of Singapore -- which basically means Desaru, Bintan, Batam, and Sentosa -- kind of suck, the water just isn't clean. The northern Bintan hotel bubble is the least bad facilitywise, but if all you want is a pool and cocktails, you might be better off staying at one of the resortier hotels in Singapore itself.

The other option is to fly somewhere that does have great beaches: Phuket, Langkawi and Koh Samui are all around 1.5 hours away by plane.

Yup, as jpatokal pointed out, the "beach" part of many of the nearby places are pretty polluted and your "Sea View" ends up being a view of container ships and other floating junk.

About 2-4 hours away, consider Pulau Tioman. The Berjaya resort there is quite nice and being further out to sea, the waters are much nicer. I think there may still be direct flights from Singapore there on the weekend.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Pulau_Tioman#b

+1 for Tioman. Beautiful place with beautiful water.

tyco, a little off topic but do you know if "Big Pig Island" (Babi Besar) is still accessible? I have fond memories of that place, especially the beach on the northeast side of the island.

this talk of weekend getaways had me yearning for one myself! someplace warm especially!

It is still accessible but currently until march, it's the monsoon period so not many Singapore companies offer trips to Palau Besar till March.

but it is certainly accessible and I believe ferries travel from Mersing Jetty, the same as the one which goes to Tioman.

ah, weather. thanks man. I'll need to carve out a weekend the next time I'm in SIN to detour there.

Yes, Berjaya Air still flies there, the problem is that the sole flight is around midday, so you get less than 24 hours actually on the island if you leave Sat and return Sun. But if you can stretch out to a 3-day weekend, it's a good option.

Getting to Tioman by land is a bit of a hassle, as you'll need to cross the border via the terminally congested Causeway in JB and transfer to a ferry at Mersing. This is closer to 4 hours than 2 in my book, which means the flight may actually work out faster. The ferries also don't run at night, so you'll probably want to make your way to Mersing on Fri, overnight there, and catch a morning ferry.

I visited Sentosa Island last year. Its beaches did not seem dirty to me. It was indeed very hot, but I stayed in the hotel during the hottest hours. It was a nice hotel. I made the reservations through RihlaPrime. I came across some of their offer. They typically cut down 50% fro the original price. Anyway, I consider my experience quite relaxing and entertaining. Sentosa also has an adventure park that you might like.

I remember seeing warning signboards at the beach mentioning something like oil spillage "pls do not swim" just two weeks ago. Sentosa is not really the perfect weekend getaway (and can be pretty crowded on the weekends).


Bintan isnt that bad after all, just a bit pricy. The Hotelcluster at the Northshore dont leave much of a choice as to stay in the resort. But the beach and sea is much cleaner than compared to Singapore.
Another option near Tioman is Sibu Island. Can be booked as a package tour ex-Sin.

Don't forget it's a universal studios. Maybe you can look at langkawi? The Datai / Pangkor Laut resorts are awesome.

Would the Hard Rock Hotel at Penang be worth a look? Just a (very) short flight away.

Local Penangites wouldn't bother with it.

Its all showee if you know what I mean...