Aisa’s rating of destinations - Bintan

Golfing
Beaches
Diving & Snorkeling

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Bintan is at the north coast of the Riau Islands province, Indonesia, facing South China Sea. Tanjung Pinang is the capital city of Bintan.

Now commonly known as Bintan resort, Bintan is part of Indonesia leased by Singapore, and it’s been developed into a resort for Singaporeans. And It’s only less than one hour from Tanah Merah Terminal of Singapore by Ferry. It’s so accessible from Singapore that many consider Bintan an “extension” of Singapore, and it’s a perfect weekend getaway if you are in Singapore!

Bintan has clear water and pristine white sandy beaches. Trikora Beach at the eastern coast is most popular beach. Bintan also boasts a primary rainforest, although reduced in size due to commercial logging, they are still magnificent.

You can go island-hopping from the main ports. From Tanjung Pinang, going to a nearby island would cost only about S$5-10.

Bintan has abundant marine life. The popular dive spots include Sandy Bay, Palau Maoi, and Mapor Island. Sandy Bay is a fairly easy dive site with a flat seabed, good for intermediate divers. Mapor Island is off northeast Bintan with visibility over 20m.

Ria Bintan Golf Club is a world-class golfing destination, voted as the best in Indonesia and one of the top 5 in Asia. Golfers play right next to the South China Sea on the ocean course, enjoying spectacular sea view  and the refreshing and cooling air while playing!

Seasons April to October is the high season. November to March is North East Monsoon season.

Official website
http://www.bintan-resorts.com/

An Unspoiled Place to Celebrate the Genuine Tropical Spirit

Aisa’s rating of destinations - Lombok

Surfing
Diving & Snorkeling

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Aisa votes Lombok one of the Top 10 Tropical Paradises in Asia for it’s untouched, natural charm, despite that Lombok is not as famous as some other destinations. Lombok offers peace & tranquility and a more complete experience of what a tropical paradise is, in all its serenity, beauty, and happiness.

Lombok is an island in west Indonesia, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali. It’s a smaller, lesser known sister island to Bali, and it’s only 2 hour’s trip from Bali by boat. Gili Islands are three idyllic atolls at the northwest corner of Lombok. They are Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan.

Lombok has much in common with nearby Bali, but less well-known and less-visited by foreigners. It has been promoting itself as an “unspoiled Bali” and to increase its visibility to tourists. Lombok boasts beautiful, untouched beaches. Kuta beach is a magnificent stretch of powdery white sand and blue sea with rugged hills around it, and the sunrise and sunsets are simply spectacular! It’s not the same Kuta as in Bali though.

The most-developed center of tourism in Lombok is Senggigi, spread in a 10-kilometer strip along the coastal road north of Mataram; Gili Islands is famous among backpackers.

Lombok and Gili islands are great place for diving and snorkeling, where you can find florescent fish, blue starfish or giant turtles! Surfing in Kuta is considered some of the best in the world.

Gili Air Wall is a great spot for diving and snorkeling, where you can meet amazing florescent fish, blue starfish, green sea turtles or even tiny sea horses. You will experience the genuine, mellower side of Indonesia. One of the bars hosted a ‘dark moon’ party on a Wednesday night. It’s a once-every-two-months event. The party drew visitors from the surrounding islands.

Gili Trawangan is the largest and most popular to visit. you can walk around the whole island in about 2 hours or take a horse and buggy ride around it. The horse drawn carriage is the only form of transportation there!

Gili Meno is the most undeveloped natural island of the three.

Comparing to Bali, Lombok & Gili Islands are far less touristy, with Gili Islands even more relaxed. You can meet the real Indonesians and not just on the tourist trail.

Text partly derived from Wikipedia and Wikitravel

A Tropical Paradise with a Hindu Flavor

Aisa’s rating of destinations - Bali

Culture & Sightseeing | Surfing | Shopping | SPA & Massage
Diving & Snorkeling | Nightlife
Beaches | Wildlife

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Aisa votes Bali one of the Top 10 Tropical Paradises in Asia because of its spectacular beaches, the culture, hospitable people and it spiritual magic! It’s a place full of uniqueness.

Bali is a fish-shaped Indonesian island. It’s located at east end of Java and approximately 8 degrees south of the equator. It was created by one of the largest known volcanic catastrophic eruption on Earth about 30,000 years ago. Today there are still active volcanoes on the island.

You will find both white sand and black volcano sand beaches. Beaches in the south tend to have white sand, where the tourism flourishes. The most well known beach is Kuta beach.

Bali is one of the top surfing destinations in the world and surfers’ paradise! Bali gets the full force of southern ocean swells from the Antarctic, and its southwest and south-east coasts are littered with surf spots. Lacking of dangerous rocks or coral, Bali is suitable for both beginners and experienced surfers. It is said that Bali’s wave were firstly surfed back in late 1930s by a group of Austrian surfers.

The primary surfing locations are in the southern coast, e.g., Kuta, Nusa Dua and Uluwatu. Kuta is the most popular surf site. You can easily find surf instructors lounging around the beach. Uluwatu is more popular among experienced surfers. The dry season from June to September is the best surfing season.

Read more about Bali at  Diving & Snorkeling

Love the Asian artworks? Bali is fantastic place to be: it’s famous for its wooden carving, stone carving and silverware, batik and ikat cloth and clothing. Ubud town is the cultural heart of the island, has been attracting many artists and painters for decades to live and work there. There are many art galleries and shop in Ubud. Watching the Kechak dance in Ubud is a cultural experience. The chant “kechak, kechak, kechak” can be mesmerizing!

Home to vast majority of Indonesia’s small Hindu minority, Bali has around 20,000 Hindu temples on the island. It provides magnificent visual culture infused with spirituality, which is unusual for other tropical destinations and earned its name “the island of God“. Tanah Lot temple is one of the most important sea temples, built atop a huge rock and surrounded by the sea. Build in the 16th century, Tanah Lot’s rituals include paying of homage to the guardian spirits of the sea. The best time to view the place is during sunset, when the sunlight gives the temple an illuminated glow right behind.

Bali is famous for its beautiful landscape. A chain of six volcanoes stretches from west to east. One of the famous active volcano in Bali is Mount Batur. Stop at Kintamani, a village offering an amazing panorama of Mount Batur. It’s one of the most impressing sites in Bali. There are also lush tropical forests, pristine crater lakes, fast flowing rivers and deep ravines, picturesque rice terraces, and fertile vegetable and fruit gardens.

Read more about Bali at Culture & Sightseeing and Shopping

Bali is paradise for spa lovers. The Javanese massage is a must try! There are several hot springs in Bali.

Jimbaran is famous for its seafood. Visit at dinner time so you can enjoy the seafood and the sunset at the same time!

Bali has a colorful and exciting nightlife. Read more about Bali at Nightlife and Wildlife

Did you know The popularity of the Bali has its flip side. it can be a heavy traveled and congested place, full of people living on overcharging tourist. Peddlers on Puta beach can be pushy. There are terrorist attacks in 2002 and 2005. However it did not tarnish Bali’s image as a tourism attraction.

Seasons The dry season is from April to November. From June to September the humidity is low, and it can be quite cool in the evenings. August is the coolest month. From December to March, the west monsoon can bring heavy showers and high humidity, but usually days are sunny and the rains start during the night and pass quickly.

Tourist peak season are July & August, Christmas, New Year; Australians’ school holidays in early April, late June and late September; Indonesian’s national holidays in mid August.

Official Website http://www.balitourismboard.org/

Text partly derived from Wikipedia and Wikitravel

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