i'm back! with a sun-kissed face and very sun-kissed back and aching muscles! This has to be my sporty-est vacation ever! :p Notwithstanding the buffet breakfasts, lunches and dinners (and not forgetting snack times!), every other time is on some activity to burn the calories.
Let me recall what i had accomplished for these 4 days.
Day 1 (11 Dec):
- Depart from TM ferry terminal to Bintan. Reached Club Med about 10am.
- Tried tennis and squash but failed miserably so abandoned ship for lunch. Squash must be the hardest ball sport i've ever tried! It's just so hard to hit such a small soft ball.
- Checked-in
- Went for salsa at the Santai Bar. Finally managed to finish a glass of white wine with my dinner! And i couldn't finish half a glass back home! :p
View from the room
Near reception area
The Pool
Day 2:
- Practised a few golf balls at the mini range. There was a pro to teach beginners in the morning. It was good cos i picked up some tips.
- Tried archery (finally!) Even though the archery range is at a very ulu part in the resort, have to climb flights and flights of stairs, walk pass the Sports complex before getting to the range, it is always perpetually fully booked. A lot of times, the trek to the archery range was not fruitful cos registration is on first-come-first-serve basis and the time open for adults to shoot is quite limited.
- Did stretching at the Zen Area which is a grass patch by the sea!! Can see the sea, listen to the waves and look at the blue sky while doing stretching exercises. Cool! But not so cool are the gigantic ants and spiders that seemed to like my towel alot! :S
- Another glass of white wine with dinner.
The sailing counter is right next to the putting green. Can see the sail in the background.
The view from Zen Area
The view while doing stretching exercises at the Zen Area
Day 3:
- Went sailing twice! Ok... It was more of a ride on a sail rather than going out on a sail myself. Mind you this is the monsoon season so the sea was extremely choppy. The first time out on the sail boat, i was very apprehensive cos i was very scared that the sail would capsize every time the wave came. Luckily we survived and went for another ride! :)
- Power Yoga at Zen Area. OMG! Muscles aching cos of this! The moves are really difficult!
- Had dinner at the Terrace restaurant which is by the beach too! Had to wake up early this morning to make reservations at this beach restaurant cos seats are limited. It would have been nicer if it was not so dark. Could hardly see what i'm eating. Nice ambience. Downed 1.5 glasses of red! OMG! i didn't know i have it in me. It must be the good mood but i do think that the alcohol content in the wine isn't that strong. :p
Day 4:
- Had planned to go archery again but felt like going sailing once more. So set off to the sailing area but started drizzling. So shelved sailing plans and settled for archery. Halfway through breakfast, sky cleared but i was too full to sail. Didn't want to risk doing a merlion. So made the trek to the archery. Started drizzling again. Shucks! So archery was out too. Returned back to the room to relax.
- Checked out. Sky cleared again. Climbed and walked all the way to the archery corner again. But it was fully booked. :(
- Lunch then chill at Panorama Bar
- Meditation Yoga at Sports Complex. First time doing meditation. i would prefer a little more action cos all we do was to sit the whole session doing breathing exercises. My legs were numb halfway through.
- Last snack time at the Snacking Restaurant.
- Departed Club Med at 1615hrs for the ferry terminal.
- Boarded ferry and started my roller coaster of a ferry ride back home. i'm never going to go to Bintan again during monsoon season. This time was even worse than the tsunami day. That fateful day in 2004 was also the day i last rode a ferry back from Bintan and the sea was so choppy that i was feeling very uneasy the whole ride. This time is even worse! Imagine 10-15minutes of roller coaster rides on a ferry! Yep! The ferry really went up and down. i was literally grabbing to my dear life on the seat handles. Never am i going to ride to Bintan in Dec again!
Conclusion:
The room and food was kinda disappointing. Maybe cos of the price, we had expected the room to be nicer. Btw, there's no bathtub, no bedroom slippers and the toilet is separate from the shower. Foodwise, quantity is there but not much quality as in the food are not the expensive exotic type. And there's no sashimi!
BUT
Club Med is a must-go cos of the G.O.s. which stands for Gentle Organisers. They are basically the people who are there to show you around, conduct the classes and generally do everything to make your stay fun and enjoyable. Every night at 9pm, there would be a performance at the Theatre where the G.O.s would put up a splendid show of dance and music. Mind you, this is besides their "day job". The G.O.s are so talented and full of energy! Sometimes the kids from the mini club would put up a short segment too. And after the 9pm performance, everyone would gather at the Santai Bar which is outside the Theatre for the Club Med dance. It's really fun to see everyone (mostly G.O.s but includes guests - they call us Gentle Members (G.M.) - too) dance to the funky moves. It's like JC orientation dance. Fun! :)
i would want to go again. Maybe to other Club Meds. If the price is right! Ha! Have to wait for promotions. :p
One of my fav places in Club Med Bintan - Panorama Bar. You can have a panoramic view here. Hence the name. But no, this is not where i hone my drinking skills. :p
Someone practised the 铁砂掌 on me. If only that someone is a cute guy... hehe. :p
There's a mini and petit club med for children, teenagers and even toddlers! This being the school holidays, there were lots of families with children on tow. Here they are making kites.
This is the only activity that i didn't try... but i'll be back!
