Singapore and Tioman Island
Travelling east for beaches, snorkelling and good food is something we’ve never done before ... more
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Singapore and Tioman Island
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Travelling east for beaches, snorkelling and good food is something we’ve never done before, our previous holidays of this sort being focused on the Caribbean. However, a reduction in plane seats available for frequent flyer miles and a realisation that the food in the Caribbean is rarely going to match the flavoursome heights of Asian cuisine turned our heads in the opposite direction when planning a relaxing summer vacation. We were keen to spend some bmi miles on free (well, using their excellent cash plus miles scheme) first class flights, but options were realistically limited to Thai. So, where to go within range of a couple of flights on Thai Airways for 10 days of relaxation, great food and otherwise hedonistic pleasure?
We settled on the Malaysian Island of Tioman in the South China Sea. Tioman was allegedly used in the 1958 film of South Pacific (unlikely, since the actual locations were all in Hawai’i) and combines stunning beaches, seas teaming with marine life and a relatively unspoilt feel. Transport was more complex than just heading to Koh Samui, but blowing our bmi miles to sit up front on Thai from London to Bangkok, connecting to a hop down to Singapore and then booking flights with Berjaya Air to the island (the only option apart from an irregular ferry from Malaysia) didn’t seem to onerous. Thus the shape of the holiday emerged: a couple of nights in Singapore either side of a Tioman sandwich, giving us 6 nights on the beach and a couple of days either side to acclimatise and accommodate any delays, baggage issues and suchlike. Unnecessarily cautious as itineraries go, but flight availability and booking at short notice limited our options somewhat.
Two nights in Singapore
For our nights in Singapore we settled on Hotel Naumi. This is a new property, being redeveloped from the old Metropole Hotel and located in the block next to the venerable Raffles Hotel. None of our taxi drivers knew it, but mentioning “opposite Raffles” and its previous owners always did the trick. Naumi is small – just 40 rooms – but has a large reception / bar area with a clean contemporary feel. The rooms are mainly suites: our deluxe room had a living area with huge flat screen TV, kitchenette with refrigerator, microwave, Nespresso machine and full glassware and crockery, and a bathroom with a deep soaking tub.
Checking out the other hotel amenities led us to a few small fitness rooms (yoga, cardio machines and weights) and a rooftop bar and infinity pool overlooking Raffles and with views towards Boat Quay and the CBD. Unfortunately the bar wasn’t staffed, but a phone was provided for drinks orders. Breakfast (included in our SG$320 room rate) was a buffet in the lobby area. Not only did this encompass eggs cooked to order, it also offered three hot dishes and even energy drinks and Alka-Seltzer for those who had indulged too much the night before.
Naumi’s location is convenient for colonial Singapore, less so for Orchard Road and the business district. A short walk felt like longer in the dog’s breath heat and humidity, but ambling past he cricket club to the Asian Civilisations Museum did make one yearn for a white suit and Panama hat. The museum itself is excellent: ranging from early peoples through to imperial China and modern day Singapore – allow at least two hours for a full visit.
We didn’t do much more in Singapore apart from a great meal at Yhingthai on Purvis Street. Two nights was more or less our Singapore limit: not being ones for more organised entertainment we eschewed the delights of Sentosa and the zoo (the night safari is worth a trip, by all accounts) and soon we were checking out in preparation for the delights of Tioman Island.
Six days in paradise
Tioman has plenty of resorts, ranging from cheap chalets in local villages through to the Berjaya Tioman Beach Resort with 400 rooms. Wanting privacy, relaxation and the oh-so-important Asian food we settled on the relatively new Japamala Resort on the south west coast of the island. With only 11 rooms and a five star rating, Japamala seemed ideal. Prices are reasonable, particularly for our chosen Sea Cliff Chalet, with high season (April to October) pricing at RM890 per night. That’s a room rate of just over £150 / US$250 with breakfast included. Transfers are extra, of course: a bumpy speedboat ride from Tekkek Airport after flying in from Singapore. Incidentally, Berjaya Air is the only scheduled airline to use Seletar Airport (actually a military airbase) in Singapore – about a SG$20 ride from the CBD and Colonial District.
Arriving on Tioman we were met by a phalanx of masked medicos which was not surprising: after previous bird flu scares Singapore was on high alert over swine flu, and we’d had to walk past body heat detectors on our flights into the country. Malaysian Tioman was equally strict: extra paperwork was required for immigration and if you came from Mexico, certain USA states or Toronto then extra questioning was on the cards. Our British passports got us waved through, although an officious type then demanded RM5 from each of us for a marine park permit. In fairness this is mentioned in the back seat literature on the plane although we had singularly failed to notice it during the inbound flight.
We were met by a host from Japamala just outside the arrivals room (hall is far too grand a title for the tiny building at Tekkek Airport) and our bags whisked away by her colleagues with commendable despatch. As with Singapore, tipping is not a way of life in Malaysia, and it was nice not to have to remember to travel with a set of low denomination notes for every staff member who touched our luggage. We were ushered a short 50m walk to the marina and onto the speedboat, and once underway had the delight of a cold towel (hot and humid is the norm on Tioman) and refreshing drink. The journey down the coast is interesting in itself: a couple of big resorts and an off-shore reef where seemingly all the snorkelling tours rendezvous were locations we were happy to avoid.
We arrived at Japamala after 15 minutes. A slight swell made negotiating our way onto the pier a little tricky (and not suitable for the elderly or kids without keeping a firm hold on them) and the walk down the pier is unfenced. Not a problem for us (except after too many cocktails) but possibly an issue for the infirm and young families. At the end of the pier is the reception area and a path leads along the top of the beach past spa rooms, shop (I’ve really no idea who buys things at resort shops), library and a restaurant that offers Thai and Vietnamese food. Behind the restaurant is the pool and a number of guest villas, while the path continues up the side of the cliff (via many flights of steps) to the chalets.
Our sea cliff chalet overlooked the pier and beach from its balcony and was built in local style with a semi-outdoor shower. Effective air conditioning was the most important in-room facility, but a mini-bar, fruit plate and some tasty Malaysian sweets (which arrived mysteriously each day) were also welcome. The beach at Tioman is sand for the first 5 metres but then has plenty of dead coral, so wearing sandals or reef shoes is recommended. We brought our own snorkelling gear but kit is available to borrow. Venturing out into the bay we found the water warm and clear and the fish plentiful. Clown fish, polychromic parrot fish (gorgeous), angelfish, triggerfish, rays and turtles can all be found close to the beach – either amongst the rocks at both ends of the bay or swimming off the pier.
In the jungle there is also plenty of wildlife: we didn’t see much beyond a rather scary monitor lizard (about 4 feet long, making it one of the smaller ones!) and plenty of geckos around our chalet, but bats, snakes, spiders and mousedeer can all be found if you venture further afield.
Most of our days at the resort were spent snorkelling, reading on loungers overlooking the bay or eating and drinking. Tioman is a duty free zone so the alcohol is reasonably priced for an upmarket resort: RM12 for a beer from the minibar or restaurants. Cocktails were more expensive (RM18 – RM25) and came in a huge variety, most with an Asian twist of mint, lemongrass or similar ingredients. The bar on the end of the pier serves decent Italian food, including reasonable pizzas if you feel the need to replenish lost salts with a jolt of anchovy, but the Tamarind Restaurant in the main resort is where the food really shines. Strangely there is little in the way of Malaysian cuisine, the menu being dominated by Vietnamese and Thai delicacies. Starters such as crystal rolls were huge with an explosion of clean, well-differentiated flavours, salads were lively (fiery in the case of some) with the freshness of lemongrass, ginger, coriander and mint running through as a theme, and main courses included the usual Thai staples of stir fries and curries, as well as locally sourced fish and lobster. All were excellent.
Sitting back in the restaurant, my mouth aflame with Asian spices, I reflected that there are few better places on earth to spend a “do nothing” holiday. Although some might complain of a lack of variety in the food, as someone who can take as much Thai cuisine as you can shovel into me I was supremely satisfied. Only the wine list disappointed: too many bottles were not available, to the point where we got tired of asking. Never mind, copious draughts of Tiger beer went well with the food without adding hugely to the bill. Breakfast had plenty of variety too: fruit, cereals, bread, ham (beef, not pork) and eggs, waffles and of course my preferred Thai option of beef noodle soup.
During both breakfast and dinner our chalet was serviced, housekeeping poised read for action the moment we hit the restaurant. Via some means of mental osmosis all the staff seemed to know our names the moment we arrived, which made for a pleasant if slightly surreal level of service. We did have one tropical storm which had us holed up in our chalet reading, drinking the minibar and watching DVDs for a few hours, but otherwise the sun shone, the waves lapped the shore and life became easier and simpler for a while.
Returning to civilisation
Flying back from Tioman to Singapore was a wrench: from South China Sea idyll to high-tech city where the shopping sales had just started. With only a single day in Singapore we wandered around the malls (all pretty much connected via underground air-conditioned walkway) marvelling at the locals’ appetites for anything with a designer brand. Despite the global economy woes there is still plenty of construction in evidence down by the marina and the sales made shopping a frenetic experience. Finding our Tioman experience rather incompatible with the delights of retail therapy we beat a hasty retreat to Hotel Naumi, refreshing ourselves with a few beers and the photos from the previous 6 days. If you want a holiday with almost nothing to do except basking gently in the sun, floating serenely above coral reefs or (as in my case) stuffing yourself to the gills with fantastic Asian food, then Japamala Resort is the ideal destination.
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