The Gal Travels

Deciding between Krabi and Phuket was a tough one for me. Given that I have been to Phuket quite a few times and wanted the familiarity of a holiday destination, it was for the sake of a new blog entry that I decided on a Krabi holiday trip. I went to Krabi in the tail end of the monsoon period. This meant cheaper flights and less crowds. Unlike the usual leave on Thursday and come back on Sunday, I did a leave on Saturday and come back on Tuesday. This proved more relaxing as most tourists would have headed home on a Sunday, leaving the resort relatively quiet. I found that if one desires a quieter laid back and less commercial feel, heading to Krabi is definitely a better option that Phuket. However, food, massage, and shopping wise, Phuket still has more to offer.

It's been years since my last trip to Bintan. Previously the cheapest getaway closest to Singapore, a quick and hassle free trip that I used to take before all the low cost carriers came into the scene. Today Bintan is in steep competition with cheap flights to Bangkok, Bali, and Phuket and can no longer compete in the price category. Bintan Beach - Banyan Binru I have stayed at Manyang Sari, Banyan Binru, Club Med Bintan, Bintan Lagoon Resorts, and I must say that above them I prefer Bintan Lagoon - as it fulfilled most of my criteria for a beach holiday - lots of space to walk on the beach and gardens, decently well maintained hotel rooms, decent meals, and great views of the ocean.  In this recent trip since I was with a large group of 9 that included 2 young kids, we decided to book the Banyan Binru villa as it accommodated such a large group.

I have been to quite a few resorts in Bintan and I must stay that Bintan Lagoon Resort is an overall winner. I love the spaciousness of the resort's compound that allow me to walk the nature trails within the resort, and to venture out to the private beach of which I can spend a couple hours walking without coming to an end.  Bintan Lagoon The Bintan Lagoon Resort has been around for a while, thus it looks a little worn out. They have recently renovated their rooms and I must say the rooms are as good as new. I would highly recommend booking a seafront deluxe room for those unexpected showers or really hot afternoons that you need to escape into the coolness of the room. And for both occasions you still get to enjoy the serene view of the ocean while sipping a lovely drink or reading a book. The deluxe room is so spacious there is even a double-size tatami when you can sit on and enjoy room service. Food is inexpensive thus being able to have room service is an affor...