This Lunar New Year was probably suppose to be a special one for both me and Shipra as we travelled to the beautiful Tioman Islands during the 4 day holidays. As heard, the island was truly magical in every sense, with it’s untouched green blanket of trees and the blissful beaches. Though the coastline was dotted with dispersed resorts and ferry terminals, the dragon island still appeared to be wild and untamed.
Our Journey began on Saturday early morning 5 am with a bus from the Newton Circus carpark. The bus took us all the way to Tg. Gempuk in Malaysia, from where we were suppose to take a 9:30 am ferry to the island. Well I cannot describe the bus journey as I was asleep for 3 hrs out of 31/2 hrs spent in the bus. I Suppose like me, the ferry driver was also fast asleep as the ferry was 2 hrs late, starting only at 11:30 am. We spent most of the 2 hr ferry trip trying to catch a glimpse of the surroundings and waiting to get the dragon island in sight, but it seemed that it was not a good day to take the ferry as the ferry tumbled and jolted in the rough waves of the ocean. We were hardly able to see anything outside as the rough ride kept our windows covered in water for most of the trip. We reached Tioman island at around 2:00 pm after 9 hrs of travelling + waiting, but really forgot everything when we saw the island. It was beautiful! we were excited at the thought of spending the next 2 days on the island.
We booked the Berjaya Beach Resort and Spa, It was nice to see that the resort shuttle was waiting for us at the ferry terminal. We quickly took our seats in the open bus which represented Supersized golf car. The ferry took us to resort which was just 10 minutes away. The resort itself seemed to be mingling with its surroundings with wooden chalets, surrounded by trees and facing the rushing sea. We checked in and were taken to our chalet again in a supersized golf car as our chalet was 1 km from the reception.
Having settled down in the room, we realized that we have not eaten anything since morning and immediately felt hungrier than ever. We found out the nearest restaurant inside the resort (there were 4 within the resort) and rushed to have a quick bite. The restaurant served a good mix of international cuisines and we were surprized to see our desi Indian dishes on the menu. Though we wanted to try different things as well, but were so hungry that decided to go with the desi food for the time being.
After the Lunch we explored the surrounding, the resort was good with the mountain on one side and sea on the other and long beach. As the name featured the resort also had a spa which offered a host of different and exotic massages. There was a gaming area which had pool and snooker tables along with a range of video games, probably to keep the children away from the romancing couples;). Apart from this the resort had an almost open bar with live music.
Next day after having breakfast we headed to the beach grabbing one of the hot spots along the beach. Spent the entire afternoon relaxing by the sea and crashing into the strong waves occasionally. In the evening we got the spa booked for both me and Shipra. They offered us an independent spa cottage. It was an experience in itself. Shipra went for there signature Ayura massage, while I stuck to my favourite head,neck and shoulder massage. The massage was definitely very relaxing and soothing and we came out relaxed and fresh after 2 hours, though a bit dizzy.
The last day of our stay at Berjaya, was very short as we had a late breakfast and than proceeded to checkout. Though during our stay we missed many of the activities like Snorkelling, diving, Kayaking, but this time we went there just to relax, saving these for our next visit.
The backward journey was again long and tiring, as again the ferry got delayed, and the bus was slow due to the heavy traffic on the Malaysian roads. Next time I would rather fly than take a ferry to Tioman. The bus dropped us back at the Newton Circus Carpark at 1 am on Tuesday.
The trip was indeed a memorable one and relaxing, a long needed break from our hectic lives here in Singapore.
