kellykylie

Thank you to all my babes who read my previous post and emailed/smsed/left a msg to say ur congrats.. :) nothing means more to me than all ur blessings. :)

So now I will blog properly abt my Banyan Tree experience and try as much as possible to leave out the mushies-mushies ok? :p

Day 1

We arrived at Banyan Tree Bintan at about 1400 hours, well ahead of our check-in time at 1500 hours. We were sat down at their reception.. served some ice cool ginger tea.. (it is such a unique taste.. i craved for it for the next 3 days!) and oredi starting to relax in the soothing and cozy environment with therapeutic piano tunes playing.. and a gentle but powerful gust of aromatherapy lingering in the air..

The iced ginger tea we were served at the reception

After we were done with checking-in, basically reading and signing stuff, our host briefly explained to us what we can expect during our 3 days stay with them. They introduced us to their 3 restaurants, Treetops, The Cove and Saffron. We went to both Treetops and The Cove but not Saffron cuz it was fine dining, meaning diners had to be in AT LEAST smart casual dressing. (The most formal piece of clothing we had were bermudas. haha!) So we gave that a miss. We were also briefed on the spa services that were available which we were oredi determined to try even without any introduction!

Our buggy ride to the villa!


Our paradise at Villa 505

After which, we were taken to our villa (coolness cuz I thought we would have to wait until 1500 hours! the service was excellent!) and given a short tour of our villa. *He* was slightly disappointed at the villa cuz he had been expecting big, cosy and posh but turned out our villa was realli a one-bedroom (but it was a big bedroom!) plus outdoor patio villa. (well our villa was one of the lowest range that they had so we had to compromise, i guess!) but cosy and posh? oh definitely. it hit me on all the right spots! I was melting at the furniture and four-post bed.. the fresh flowers laid by our bed and the charming mosquito net that engulfs the bed!! haha!! i dun think u wud find another person who wud describe a mosquito net as "charming". :p

The charming mosquito-netted four-post bed!

After our host left, we started ooh-ing and ah-ing at the villa. it had many hidden pleasures! the daybed is so comfortable to lie on and it had been placed right by the window so that when u lie on it, u r naturally basking in the warm sunlight, but in the comfort of the air-conditioned villa.. and of cuz, overlooking the lush greenery that surrounds the villa.. accompanied with the sounds of the crashing waves in the air.. and if you stepped out of the villa and onto the private patio, u wud smell the sea like it was right in front of u.. talk about paradise on earth.. it was as if i found it!

The view from our outdoor patio

After we decided we have lounged ard enuff, we put away our things and got ready for dinner. (yes imagine that! by the time we were done ooh-ing and ah-ing, it was dinner time!!!)

We called for the buggy service to take us to the Treetops restaurant. We had a selection of western food to choose from and *he* picked their steak and i chose chicken. it was ok but i suspect we found it very good when we were there cuz we were overwhelmed with the decor and ambience of the restaurant. *he* and i seldom do fine dining so it was something new for us.

Me at "Treetops"


*Him* buttering his bread


The Bill

we retired for the night after we saw "Knocked Up" (lousy show!) in our villa's tv on dvd.. it was about 1am..

Day 2

I dun think i've had such quality sleep in a long time.. i woke up feeling totally rested and energized.. and to the sounds of chirping birds! i woke up once at 10am and drifted back to sleep and before i knew it, the next time i woke up it was 1pm.. i literally jumped up and was determined not to waste the day away. i tried *waking* him up but it was impossible so i went out to the patio and turned on the heater of the jacuzzi and spent the next hour in there.. bubbling, bubbling, bubbling with the bubble bath i brought along. oh i wrapped my psp in a ziplock bag and sat in the jacuzzi playing. ah.. wat a good life i have!

2 hours later, i was done with my jacuzzi dip and all dried and relaxed in the sun.. i went back into the villa and saw him stirring in his sleep. he opened his eyes and asked me for the time, i walked over to the bedside clock and told him that it was 3pm oredi. his eyes bulged at me, shocked that he had slept for so long. he saw that i was in my bikini and upset that he did not join me for the jacuzzi dip. so i went for a second round with him and dipped for another one hour.

as it was my 1st time using the bubble bath, i had underestimated its ability to bubble and found a big bubble monster in the jacuzzi when i went back out. as a result, we spent more time playing with the bubbles than relaxing in the jacuzzi.. :p

This picture quite funny!

after we showered and got changed for a late lunch, we decided to call the spa center to make our appointment for the evening.

"Gd morning, Ma'm. What can I do for you today?"

"Hi, I would like to make an appointment for 2 at 5pm this evening."

"Sure Ma'm, let me check the slot for you.. yes we can do 5pm.. but there are earlier slots available, would you like to come earlier?"

I was thinking to myself then, not turning to glance at the bedside clock, it should be abt 4pm now.. how much earlier does she want us to come?? "Er, ok.. what time slots have you got?"

"We have 1.30pm and 3pm available."

"Huh? But it's oredi 4pm now.."

"Sorry? Now is 11am, Ma'm.."

My eyes flew to clock and saw that it still read 3pm. SHIT!

"Er, i'll call you back? Thanks!"

The clock is faulty!! it was only 11am.. which means, if *he* spent one hour at the jacuzzi, he actually woke up at 10am, not 3pm! and i spent 2 hours by myself before he woke up.. that means i woke up 8am!!! wth.. luckily i felt rested, otherwise i wud realli haf thrown a fit!

i told him abt the faulty clock and we both had a good laugh abt but both happy that we still had the whole day ahead of us to enjoy.. so we called for the buggy and left for our brunch. :)

we had lunch at the The Cove and Oh. My. God. it has the most beautiful alfresco dining location EVER! it faces the sea, sheltered by big shady trees and the wind from the waves blows gently on ur cheeks.. it automatically makes u munch slowly and appreciate nature's beauty while you eat.. we fell in love with that place instantly.

The Cove Restaurant - BEAUTIFUL!




The resort is filled with pretty flowers everywhere

after lunch, we headed back to the villa to lounge ard.. and survived the dvd "Letters from Iwo Jima" (another horrible show!) until it was time to go for our massage at the spa centre..

*Him* lounging ard with MY psp

it started with a warm foot bath, with the smell of aromatherapy and soft piano sounds playing in the air. we were also served some hot tea that tasted like a unique tingly sweetness. after that we were led down the stairs of the spa villa to or massage room that faces the open sea! so on top of the soft piano sounds, we were also treated to the sound of the soothing waves and chirping birds! it.. was.. amazing...... unforgettable experience.

The Foot Bath

The 1st thing *he* said to me after the massage was, "quick quick quick, quickly go back to the villa and sleep..."

When we got back from the spa center, we watched "Open Season" on DVD (and turned out to be the best show we saw that weekend!) until the in-villa barbeque came.. we were super hungry by then (it was 9.30 Singapore time!) and begun cooking and eating once everything was set up.. (er.. actually as they were setting up, i was stealing chicken shreds from the salad.. TOO HUNGRY!)

Our in-villa barbeque dinner!



After the sumptuous private barbeque dinner, we headed for our jacuzzi again... we started it bubbling an hour before and by the time we dipped our feet in, it was hot and soothing like a sauna! we stayed in it no more than 45 mintutes for fear of heat stroke and went to shower and then to bed like good little babies!

The bubbling bubbling jacuzzi!


Day 3

We woke bright and early at 9am the next day to catch our free breakfast buffet which we "missed" yesterday thinking that we woke up at 3pm! :p We went back to Treetops where the buffet was and chomped away.. it was oh-kay.. nothing spectacular but i was happy that they served porridge cuz i had a sudden craving that morning! the fried rice was good too!

Our breakfast at Treetops




we went back to our villa to chill for a while before we started packing for check-out. as our ferry is booked for 1530 hours and our check-out time was 12noon, we had a good 2 hours or so in between before we had to get to the ferry terminal.. so after check-out, we headed back to The Cove and sat there, enjoying the sea breeze and the sound of the birds chirping.. 2 hours went by easily..

Watching the world go by at The Cove





Was not upset that we had to leave but definitely want to come back again! *He* liked the place so much that he was tempted to extend for another night but decided to save the money for the next trip here. or perhaps Maldives. :p

Conclusion

I would strongly recommend couples to go as it is oh-so-romantic and laid-back.. perfect for a relaxation getaway. if some of you have read xiaxue's blog lately, u wud have read about all the malicious things she has said abt Bintan.. and in my opinion?? If she had chosen Banyan Tree, none of those things she said wud have happened.. Angsana is a place for families so i guess it ruined the romantic trip she was hoping for.

Goodbye, Banyan Tree!! We will meet again, soon!! :)