Tanjung Pinang
by prudence on 19-Apr-2010
Have just got back from a really enjoyable weekend in this nearby bit of Indonesia.
Travelled from the very glitzy Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal on Penguin Ferries. S$50 return, which is not a bad deal for a scenic hour and three quarters each way, threading your way out through all kinds of shipping and islands of every shape and size. They should call it a "cruise" really, like everyone else does.
What's not such a great deal is the visa fee. The Indonesian authorities have now got rid of the seven-day visa, so you have to cough up an astounding US$25 just for a long weekend. Singaporeans and other ASEAN citizens don't have to pay, of course, but it's a bit of a disincentive for anyone else who might be travelling through Singapore.
We stayed at the Hotel Pelangi. For sheer value for money, this must be hard to beat. We stayed in a standard room, which was basic, but clean and spacious, and with everything in good working order. There's a nice big swimming pool. (There's also a crocodile, but not in the swimming pool.) The food is interesting and very good. The hotel is a bit out of the centre, but transport around town is free. Three nights, complete with a good brekkie and transfers to and from the ferry terminal, cost just over S$100, booked via Asiarooms.com. I think the hotel also does packages, but I'm not sure where they're advertised. Add on two substantial excursions, with guide and driver and/or boatman, a lunch, a couple of deliveries of room service, and a whacking dinner on our final night, and you still haven't pushed your bill to S$300.
The other great thing about the Pelangi, however, was the sheer friendliness of the staff. It was a bit like arriving from far off to stay with your family, except you never got to that stage when you have to start doing the dishes. So you had people making sure you didn't miss any breakfast treats, bringing extra snacks for you to try (free) at lunch, checking you'd got your return boarding pass sorted out (and offering to do it if you hadn't), getting up really early on the final day to make sure there was breakfast available before you caught the first ferry, making sure you didn't starve on the boat back by providing you with a drink and a sandwich to take with you, and checking (several times) that you hadn't left your passport behind. I have really never met a nicer hotel crew.
What was left of Friday after arriving we spent having a long late lunch, and (after an appropriately sensible interlude) a swim in the pool. Saturday we explored the various historic sites near Tanjung Pinang. Sunday we went to Trikora Beach, which involves a nice drive through unspoilt countryside, abandoned coconut plantations, and pretty fishing kampungs and bays. Trikora Beach is a favourite destination for the locals on Sundays, and it was nice to be part of the friendly crowd.
Ferry back this morning -- a bit late arriving, because of the headwind, and there's a very keen crew of immigration officials at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, so the queue was a bit slow-moving -- but I would have very happily stayed much longer.
Travelled from the very glitzy Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal on Penguin Ferries. S$50 return, which is not a bad deal for a scenic hour and three quarters each way, threading your way out through all kinds of shipping and islands of every shape and size. They should call it a "cruise" really, like everyone else does.
What's not such a great deal is the visa fee. The Indonesian authorities have now got rid of the seven-day visa, so you have to cough up an astounding US$25 just for a long weekend. Singaporeans and other ASEAN citizens don't have to pay, of course, but it's a bit of a disincentive for anyone else who might be travelling through Singapore.
We stayed at the Hotel Pelangi. For sheer value for money, this must be hard to beat. We stayed in a standard room, which was basic, but clean and spacious, and with everything in good working order. There's a nice big swimming pool. (There's also a crocodile, but not in the swimming pool.) The food is interesting and very good. The hotel is a bit out of the centre, but transport around town is free. Three nights, complete with a good brekkie and transfers to and from the ferry terminal, cost just over S$100, booked via Asiarooms.com. I think the hotel also does packages, but I'm not sure where they're advertised. Add on two substantial excursions, with guide and driver and/or boatman, a lunch, a couple of deliveries of room service, and a whacking dinner on our final night, and you still haven't pushed your bill to S$300.
The other great thing about the Pelangi, however, was the sheer friendliness of the staff. It was a bit like arriving from far off to stay with your family, except you never got to that stage when you have to start doing the dishes. So you had people making sure you didn't miss any breakfast treats, bringing extra snacks for you to try (free) at lunch, checking you'd got your return boarding pass sorted out (and offering to do it if you hadn't), getting up really early on the final day to make sure there was breakfast available before you caught the first ferry, making sure you didn't starve on the boat back by providing you with a drink and a sandwich to take with you, and checking (several times) that you hadn't left your passport behind. I have really never met a nicer hotel crew.
What was left of Friday after arriving we spent having a long late lunch, and (after an appropriately sensible interlude) a swim in the pool. Saturday we explored the various historic sites near Tanjung Pinang. Sunday we went to Trikora Beach, which involves a nice drive through unspoilt countryside, abandoned coconut plantations, and pretty fishing kampungs and bays. Trikora Beach is a favourite destination for the locals on Sundays, and it was nice to be part of the friendly crowd.
Ferry back this morning -- a bit late arriving, because of the headwind, and there's a very keen crew of immigration officials at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, so the queue was a bit slow-moving -- but I would have very happily stayed much longer.