Bawah Reserve, dream private island destination; friends for life, and choosing them wisely; travel agents who slack on the job; the uneventful flight of the Panamanian refugees; gorgeous Tented Beach Suite; beach babe Roy; spa bliss and sunset cruising; table-dancing at Elang Private Residence; beef rendang, popcorn prawns and so much more; homeward bound via Singapore
If you like to travel in style to exotic locations, I seriously recommend you choose your friends wisely.
One of the huge advantages of living in Singapore from 2000 to 2016, when Roy retired from a lifetime in the shipping industry to become my full-time travel agent*, was the opportunity to meet an eclectic bunch of people from all over the world. One of these is Paul Robinson. Party animal and self-proclaimed friend for life, this is a man who takes friendship so seriously that he’s virtually turned it into an art form.
Friends for Life
We’ve known Paul for over 20 years, since those early days in Singapore. Formerly with Elite Havens, where he spent most of his time visiting and rating/reviewing upmarket accommodation in exotic locations (how does one get a job like that?), he’s currently COO of gorgeous Bawah Reserve. (Click here for its outstanding website.)
*Deleterious travel agents
It can be hard to get good service from these people nowadays.
If you’re wondering why Roy seems to be slacking on the job – it’s been yonks since my last travel post, though I did post something recently on my other blog, Living Long & Strong with Verne and Roy – the reason is that he’s been pretty much obsessed with getting our new house built after three years of interminable delays. (Yes, there’s a light at the end of that particular tunnel.) Understandably, travel has been taking a back-seat in favour of keeping an eye on the build.
All we’ve managed recently was yet another delightful getaway to Yallingup WA, this time with daughter Wendy who was visiting for Christmas from her home in France; and another ten-day sojourn in Singapore. That un-blogworthy Singapore stay was memorable only for the fact that both Roy and I spent most of it in bed, as sick as pigs. What a waste!
Panamanian refugees to Bawah Reserve
In fact, this two-day Bawah getaway was tacked on to the front of another week in Singapore, in a last-minute change of plan.
Paul was assembling a gaggle of about 10 more-or-less photogenic friends and family to feature in a promotional video for Bawah Reserve, and also for the Elang Private Residence – located on Elang, one of Bawah’s six islands, and the only one apart from Bawah Island that has accommodation.
So, Roy and I were to be part of the talent crew. Hence the Panama hats, absolutely de rigueur for such an undertaking.
We’ve known Paul’s parents, Doug and Jenny, for almost as long as we’ve known Paul. Doug and Roy worked together in Singapore at VShips, and we’ve travelled together several times: to Kaohsiung (Taiwan) for work, and to New Zealand’s North Island on holiday, off the top of my head. Whether for work or leisure, they’re guaranteed fun to be with.
[It just so happens that I do freelance writing and editing for Bawah Reserve. But it was Bawah’s amazing marketing director, Kristen, who offered me this work a couple of years ago. Our mutual journalist friend, Monica, had recommended me to her – though I assume Paul didn’t object when he eventually saw my name on a list. (No nepotism here, is what you should be inferring.)]
Getting to Bawah Reserve – cars, ferry and a seaplane
When one is privileged to travel this comfortably, getting there is all part of the fun. Unfortunately for you, however, you won’t have the luxury of first overnighting in the guest bedroom of Paul and his wife Florie’s Singapore condo. Neither will you keep each other up until late with just one more whisky… small, very small.
For all Bawah guests, getting there is a fully escorted and relaxed experience, all the way from your home or hotel in Singapore to the Reserve and then back again. First, we’re picked up around 7am in a luxury limo – a Toyota Alphard, for those who like to know such details – and taken to Tanah Merah ferry terminal, near Changi Airport. Then Bawah staff whisk us through Immigration, into a waiting room where we’re in time to grab a coffee and some deliciously crispy Indonesian peanut cookies, or kueh kering kacang*, before boarding for the 30-minute sailing to Batam Island.
*Apology: I’ve been learning a smattering of Bahasa Indonesia on the wonderful Duolingo app, so I’m afraid I have no choice but to inflict it on you, too.
Twenty minutes in another luxury vehicle gets us to Batam’s Hang Nadim International Airport for the seaplane journey to Bawah Reserve.
“Uneventful” seaplane flight
The pilot promised “an uneventful flight”, which should be music to the ears of any traveller… and it especially was to mine.
Motion sickness has been the bane of my life for as long as I can remember. Be it in a family car trip to Cape Town, a ferry boat to Rottness Island, a ship crossing the Great Australian Bight, or even a carriage on the Eastern & Oriental Express rattling along a narrow-gauge railway from Singapore to Butterworth, Penang, there’s always a chance I’ll turn green and have to lie down immediately.
So, I was justifiably nervous at the prospect of the 80-minute flight from Batam Island to Bawah Reserve on one of Bawah’s two amphibious Twin Otter 300 seaplanes, managed by Airfast Indonesia. (Click here for more details.)
In the end, however, there was absolutely no need to worry about losing the breakfast I hadn’t had. Whether or not the multiple Blackmores Travel Calm ginger tablets I’d swallowed en route helped, they certainly did no harm.
With a reassuringly experienced barefoot pilot in the cockpit, the smooth flight was a breeze. These planes can carry 14, but the seat number on the Bawah planes has been reduced to ten for passenger comfort. And it was a joyous experience to land on Bawah lagoon and step out straight on to the jetty.
More stunning seaplane pics
Note: I didn’t snap the photos below, though I did take all the others in this post. Courtesy of our lovely friends at Bawah Reserve, these stunning pics were taken by the professional videography crew that arrived on our Day 2.
It was a special event for everyone: the first time that both of the Bawah planes had ever been there simultaneously, delighting the small crowd of guests and staff with picturesque aeronautical manoeuvres, including a couple of squeal-worthy fly-bys.
Tented Beach Suite
Golf-carts are available to take you around Bawah Island, but it’s easy to walk to wherever you’re headed. I like that! Paths and walkways are meticulously maintained, and it’s delightful to wander along them, surrounded by butterflies and birdcall.
Our Tented Beach Suite was simply gorgeous, with all the attention to detail that you’d expect from this level of five-star private island accommodation. It was perfectly secluded and private, spacious, with a full-frontal verandah and your own front garden leading on to the beach.
It reminded me briefly of the luxurious set-up at *Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru in the northeast Baa Atoll of the Maldives, or of the equally lovely *Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru in North Male Atoll. My point, I suppose, is that Bawah Reserve feels to me more like a five-star Maldivian island than an Indonesian resort.
*Find PDFs of my articles on the two resorts mentioned above by clicking on the Pre-blog Travels link on my home page, and scrolling down alphabetically to Maldives.
Another option is one of these over-water bungalows: very appealing, but I think I prefer to be on that stunning beach.
Beach-time at Bawah Reserve
What a beach! There’s nothing better than being able to walk straight out of your tented suite, cross a stretch of powdery sand, get your gear on and swim out just a few metres to snorkel house-reefs that teem with a colourful variety of marine life.
Here is everything from nudibranchs, blue starfish, sexy shrimps, clownfish and parrotfish, to octopi, blue-spotted ribbontail rays, black-tipped reef sharks and everyone’s favourite, the hawksbill turtles for which Bawah’s Turtle Beach is a breeding ground. Protecting these endangered lovelies is just one of an impressive raft of eco-friendly and sustainability-driven projects that are an integral part of Bawah. Find out more here.
Candy from the Bawah office had emailed ahead to find out our fin sizes, and a bag of snorkelling equipment was all ready and waiting for us. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and didn’t get to snorkel this time around.
Sublime Aura Spa
Another great thing about Bawah is that your stay includes a daily spa treatment at Aura Spa. That’s right: every day! From spa director Philippa’s entrancing menu of top-notch spa delights, I chose the Island Dream Body Massage while Roy revelled in the macho-sounding Explorer Muscle Recovery massage.
Immaculately trained and perfectly professional, this is a dream-team of masseuses. But that can just as well be said of the entire bunch of sweet, friendly and smiling Bawah staff, from the gardeners and activities team to the wait staff and chefs.
Yes, Indonesians are generally known for their good-natured warmth; but to maintain this standard of service from a staff that ranges from 150 to as many as 300 during peak season takes a huge amount of dedication to excellence… and that flows down right from the top. Jolly well done, Paul, Raymond and the rest of the management team!
Sunset Cruising
It may sound inconvenient to have to squeeze in a sunset cruise between your spa appointment and dinner at The Boathouse, but hey, someone has to do it.
Day 2 – Elang Private Residence
As mentioned earlier, Bawah Reserve consists of six islands in a group. Bawah Island is the biggest of them all, and Elang Private Residence, which occupies the entire island of Elang, is the only other one with accommodation.
To stay there, one needs to book out the entire island, which accommodates 14 people in exceptionally large and superbly luxurious villas. It has its own Kaya Spa, plus dining and recreational facilities including The Clubhouse, restaurants and more. I won’t go into further detail here; everything you might want to know about this splendid group or family retreat can be found here, at this link.
Unleash the talent!
It’s just a 30-second cruise, jetty-to-jetty, from Bawah Island to Elang. We were here to take part in a promotional video shoot with Doug, Jenny and several others.
Who were we? Verne and Roy, Doug and Jenny, Rastra and Bonita from Jakarta, British couple Ben and Dilpa from Singapore, and Nasha and Murray from Atlanta, Georgia.
Food and Drink
Bawah makes a great effort to source ingredients as locally and sustainably as possible, starting with its on-island permaculture gardens, from the surrounding oceans and nearby islands, and from farther afield only when necessary. After all, Indonesia is not known for single malts, is it?
Fresh, clean, innovative menus with a great sense of place are presented by Canadian Executive Chef Michael Pataran’s team, with due emphasis on Indonesian and other Southeast-Asian dishes. From our short stay, the general impression was fabulous.
All meals, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages are included in your rate at Bawah, with a choice of restaurants available depending on the day. The Boathouse is a couple of minutes’ walk from our Tented Beach Suite nomor dua puluh empat (number 24). This casual-yet-classy, toes-in-the-sand beach restaurant and bar is perfect for everything from breakfast, lunch or dinner to coffees and cocktails. Conveniently at the end of the main jetty is the atmospheric Grouper Bar, great for a drink or a snack.
Next time, we’ll no doubt be treated to the more elevated (both literally and figuratively) dining at Tree Tops, and drinks at Jules Verne bar.
Last Thoughts on Bawah Reserve
Very often, you don’t know what a place is really like until you step on to its terrain and inhale its atmosphere. That’s how it was with Bawah. Though I’d read so much information about this splendidly isolated group of islands and seen so many photos, I had no idea how it would feel. For one thing, I sorely underestimated its sheer size, and how much there is to do and experience here.
Just a taste
That’s why this two-day interlude was just A Taste of Bawah. Next time, there’ll be snorkelling, maybe scuba-diving for Roy, kayaking, Robinson Crusoe-esque picnicking on deserted beaches, SUP-boarding, yoga, meditation, a cooking class, the whipping up of locally inspired cocktails, a spot of coral preservation, and with any luck, a continued avoidance of the ubiquitous monitor lizards that roam these islands.
Homeward Bound
On the way back, the flight was delayed by rain for 15 minutes or so while our charming Canadian pilot (pictured below) waited for a break in the clouds. Once up in the air, he kept the plane fairly low, flying under the clouds to keep things as smooth as possible. Bravo!
Up next?
Safely back on Singaporean terra firma, we had a week to enjoy in the city before heading back to what has become everyday life in Iluka, WA.
So, up next may be a look at Singapore’s historic Tiong Bahru neighbourhood, where we were lucky enough to stay in the atmospheric 1930s Art Deco-era apartment that our friends Lynn and Kim have recently bought and renovated.
Just too beautiful. Wonderful special places. So pleased you enjoyed.
Hello Verne! I love reading your travel blogs, they are captivating and fun. It was a delight to meet you and Roy on Bawah. I do hope our paths cross again! Kind regards, Amy
[…] Aura Spa – from a Balinese therapist – was about as good as it gets anywhere. (Here’s a link to my blog post about that trip on Travels with Verne and […]