Indonesia

BIRTHDAY WEEKEND AT BINTAN LAGOON RESORT

February 7, 2017 by Little Miss Honey 2,198 Comments

My family and I realized we love travel birthdays. Instead of spending on a big birthday party, we opt for a family travel to foster bonding and creating memories.

Living in Singapore, we like to take advantage of its proximity to other countries. We know that Bintan, Indonesia is just a ferry boat away from Singapore. So for my birthday last November, we decided to spend a relaxing weekend at Bintan.

I was choosing between Bintan Lagoon Resort and Nirwana Garden Resort. Since I wanted to book the hotel reservations but I wasn’t too sure of my husband’s schedule, I opted to take the hotel that can give us a book now-free cancellation reservation (as long as you cancel if decided not to go ahead with the reservation in a specific date). We booked at Bintan Lagoon Resort. I am glad we did because they have their own ferry, Mozaic Ferry Line, that brings us directly to the resort. They have their own immigration area for the convenience of their guests. It was a smooth-sailing 75 minutes ferry boat ride from Tanah Merry Terminal Port to Bintan Lagoon Resort. The round trip ferry ticket cost $60 for adults and $50 for kids. We paid for tickets for my 2 years old and 9months old. We were hoping our baby would be exempted since he doesn’t occupy a seat but the customer service personnel told us that he must have a ticket.

We arrived with a breathtaking view of the beach. There was a bus waiting the guests of the resort but we didnt mind walking to the resort since it was nearby. The landscape of the place was beautiful and well-manicured. It was on a sunny Saturday and we arrived a little pass 11:00 AM. The receptionist told us that our room will be ready by 2:30PM so we decided to hang around the lobby area. We were given free drinks while we waited. We enjoyed taking lots of photos of us in their relaxing sofa and hammocks. Naj enjoyed looking at the kois in the pond. We decided to have lunch in the Fiesta. I don’t remember what we got and it was enough to fill us up. Mind you, though we are paying in Indonesian rupiah, the prices inside the resort can be a bit steep too. We checked on our room from the receptionist and it wasn’t ready yet. We were getting a bit bored from the waiting and finally…. we were given our keys to our room.

The room was spacious with a nice tatami space which the kids love. We also have a little terrace overlooking the front lawn. But you can tell the wear and tear of the place that this resort is a bit old and in need of renovation. It has a bathtub and well-equipped with amenities.

We rested a bit in our room then we headed down to explore the place. There are two pools in the resort. We choose to swim in the pool with a big slide and near the big recreation area for kids. There are jungle gym, activity area for kids, pool table and toy cars for rent, etc. We took our lovely time enjoying the “fun” pool. For dinner, we had Make-Your-Own Pizzas and a pasta. The waiter messed up with our orders and our pizza took longer than usual. They end up giving us 2 pasta. They gave us the other pasta for free as an apology. Even if their service needs polishing, my husband and I agreed their pizza and pasta was delicious. Even our picky toddler ate a lot of the pizza.

The next morning was my birthday! Ahhh, it was just nice waking up all relaxed with my favorite people beside me. My husband gave me a sweet birthday gift that comes a cute puzzle card. I felt so special and happy!

We had our free breakfast buffet. The choices were not bad but lack variety though. After our breakfast, we explored a bit. It was a really hot day but the landscape of Bintan Lagoon Resort is picturesque. We went up a little hill overlooking the resort and the beach. We also stroll for a bit at the beach.

For the late afternoon, we got a transport service from Bintan Lagoon Resort, our own ride going to Nirwana Garden Resort and they will fetch us by 8pm. We wanted to eat dinner there at the Kelong Seafood Restaurant.

We explored Nirwana for a bit though I prefer the atmosphere and architectural design of Bintan Lagoon Resort. We had some drinks and I blew my mini-birthday cake there at the Dino Cafe. Then we rode a shuttle bus that took us to Kelong Seafood Restaurant. It was a nice restaurant. You can feel the breeze from the sea while u eat your dinner. We had a big fat black pepper crab for dinner. It was a wonderful birthday celebration for me.

The next day, our last day in Bintan. After having our buffet breakfast, we made our kids place in this free kiddie room. They love it there. There were lots of toys, a television and books in the room. Then we went back in our room to get ready for our trip back to Singapore.

Bintan is a good place to go if you are living in Singapore and you want a quick getaway. It is a nice place for you to just relax in a hammock and unwind.

Bintan Lagoon Resort

Jl. Indera Segara Site A12, Lagoi, Teluk Sebong,

Sebong Lagoi, Tlk. Sebong, Kabupaten Bintan,

Kepulauan Riau 29155, Indonesia

Phone: +62 770 691388

Book reservations at Agoda.com

GOODBYE 2016, HELLO 2017

January 2, 2017 by Little Miss Honey 1,218 Comments

Many dubbed 2016 to be a bad year. Crimes, election results, senseless deaths, financial crisis, illness, passing away of beloved celebrities, etc. I never thought my 2016 was bad because it was overshadowed by a lot of good things and wonderful blessings from God. But looking closer, yes, there were bad moments of 2016. Horrible illnesses have crept in into my family, leaving us in worry and anxiety. I was in a state of turmoil but I cling to God in prayers and He had heard me, He has heard us. So I hugged my parents even more tightly, vowing to take better care of them.

But let us not dwell of the dark stuff rather look into the highlights of my 2016 because there were great moments too. Here are the highlights of last year:

1. Husband’s Simple but Wonderful Birthday Celebration

This might be a simple dinner with family but I want to include it in my list. It was just great being out with my family on my hubby’s birthday at a nice beautiful restaurant. We had a wonderful bbq celebration at Orto. That time, I was 7 months pregnant with Fynn. I was happy my hubby enjoyed his day but I think this year would top that.

2. Spending quality time with my parents

When I went home to Iloilo for my maternity leave, I get to spend time with my parents who used to be working in Saudi Arabia. It was nice that there are with me during my 2nd pregnancy. It was so sweet of them for taking good care of me. I love having late night talks with mama and having afternoon bananacue snacks with papa. On my dad’s birthday, I bought his a Collezione shirts which feels kind of surreal because my mom used to buy him 1 Collezione shirt every pay. So it feels a bit symbolic.

3. Arrival of Fynn!

Ohh what a joy a child brings! I can’t believe I am a mom of two already, haha. I was admittedly a bit scared the night before my scheduled caesarean section. But it turned out perfectly uneventful. Fynn is such a delight to take care of . He wasnt a fussy baby at all. He was a jolly, happy baby who is also always hungry which is so cute, haha… I admire his happy disposition which his dimple on his right cheek showing.

4. Les Miserables (Bucket list!)

I am so blessed that I was able to watched the musical play, Les Miserables. It was phenomenal. I was glad I got to watch it with my hubby. It would have been more perfect if it was Rachelle Anne Go who played Fantine on that show. I still have several plays I would love to watch someday.

5. Legoland Malaysia

We had Naj’s birthday at Legoland Malaysia. It was a fun trip and we all love the Legoland Hotel a lot. We made a right decision to get a personal transportation for our trip. It took out the hassle of the trip, we allowed us to just enjoyed it. We plan to visit Legoland again maybe when the kids are a bit bigger.

6. New Opportunities, New Adventure

My 2016 started with a bit of uncertainty but for some weird reasons, I wasn’t frazzled. I just trusted that things will work out eventually and it did. I thought I might be leaving Singapore this year probably to return to Iloilo or maybe go to another country but it looks like I will be staying for a little while longer. But I have ended my job this year as a doctor here in Singapore to another job in the same company so it still has to do with healthcare. It is a bit unnerving to try something I have never done before but I am up for the challenge, for the new adventure. It is a plus that I have wonderful new bosses. It looks like I am lucky with my bosses because previous one was equally nice too.

7. Fynn’s baptism

I am happy that Fynn is now part of the Catholic community. We had his baptism in Iloilo. I was so happy with planning his baptism. It went so well, I am satisfied with all the suppliers I got for his baptism. But the most important part is that we got to celebrate this important moment in his life with our family.

8. Bintan Birthday Weekend

I had the most relaxing birthday. I got to spend it at Bintan Lagoon Resort with my family. It was just a weekend of chill and bonding with my family. I realised travel birthdays are the best. So it looks like it is becoming a tradition now in our family (well, if budget permits anyways, hehe).

I am grateful for 2016 even if it got its not-so-good moments. But I have an inkling that 2017 will be a fun one, challenging but fun. I always have a Word for the Year. Last year was about Changes. This year, my word is…. Consistency. I know that is something I need to work on in all aspect of my life. Consistency…..

Cheers to 2017! I welcome you 2017! Let us make this year, a stable and resilient year. We are strong and empowered. We will shine even brighter this year. Stay positive everyone!

FURNITURE & HOME DECOR SHOPPING AT WIHARDJA

November 16, 2015 by Little Miss Honey 1,161 Comments

One of our family goals is to have a house of our own. My hubby and I dream to have our own place to decorate and make it our special homey haven. We are currently renting our a condo unit and sharing it with a couple of people. So we can’t really decorate it as much as we want to. But maybe someday, we can actually get to have our own home.

How timely that when hubby and I are having our late night talks about our own place someday, I received an invitation to join an intimate blogger session at WIHARDJA, an Indonesian furniture shop. And I can bring along my hubby. Yey!

Wihardja Furnishings, specialised in teakwood furniture, teakwood accessories, pottery wares and soft furnishings all made in Indonesia. It started in 1997 and currently has two showrooms in Singapore. They export to Canada, Spain, Costa Rica and Australia.

The blogger event was held in Wihardja Enterprise One Showroom at Kaki Bukit Road. It was nice to meet several familiar faces and their respective partners they brought along. We got to roam around the showroom and was impressed with everything inside especially the variety of displays and the different collections of wooden furnitures and suar wood tables.

Credit: Originally Us

I learned more about wooden furniture that night. Teakwood has natural oil content which makes it resistant to insect infestations and rotting even with extreme changing seasons. It is a very durable type of wood that has been used in ship-building, bridge-building and furnitures. It varies in color from light to dark brown. So let us address the question in your heads. Is Wihardja contributing to the haze that has plagued Singapore? The wood from Wihardja comes from the government-run plantation in Central Java, Indonesia and they don’t use the “slash & burn” technique in clearing lands. So no, they are not responsible for the haze.

Credit: Originally Us

Besides the wooden furnitures, there were also pottery wares, soft toys, small home decors and wall decors that can give your homes more character. I am already dreaming of how all of these would look in our future home. And did I mention that I checked out their prices? They quite affordable for a good quality furnishing.

I have been eyeing several storage containers, a table decor, a plastic plant and a stuffed teddy bear that night. I needed a few decors for our room, some ontainers to keep our stuff and I wanted to get a stuffed toy for baby #2.

After excitedly roaming around the showroom, we all were gathered to enjoy an Indonesian buffet. The spread looks delicious. I am not very familiar with Indonesian cuisine and I am happy to try it that night.

My husband is a very picky eater and is often wary in trying new foods but he surprisingly enjoyed the buffet a lot. He even got a second helping of food because it was so yummy. I was so full and satisfied that night. It was such a wonderful evening of furniture & home decor shopping, Indonesian buffet and dreaming of our future home. It is not too early to start buying stuff for our future home. My hubby and I are already selecting some furnitures and decors we want. Thank you Originally Us for inviting me and my husband to this fun & unique blogger session.

When I told my friends that I visited the Wihardja Showroom, I learned that they have heard of Wihardja, bought some stuff there and are fans of Wihardja. I have a friend who got the convertible teakwood table/bench for their balcony. It looks great! I am seriously wanting to buy one.

Credit: https://www.instagram.com/xxtraa/

*( Yes, that table and bench are one and the same)

For those who are in a hunt for premium furnitures for their home or decorating their new units or are interested in shopping at Wihardja, just quote “WJLITTLEMISSHONEY” to enjoy a 5% discount during payment. This promo will be valid until December 2016. (Yes, that is not a typo. 2016!)

Wihardja Furnishings

Toh Guan Showroom
3-B Toh Guan Road East, #03-02, Singapore 608833
Operating Hours: 11.30am – 7pm Everyday
MRT: Jurong East MRT

Enterprise One Showroom
1 Kaki Bukit Road 1, #01-07/08, Singapore 415934
Operating Hours: 11.30am – 8pm everyday except Wed & Thurs
Bus: 5, 15, 58, 59, 87, 25, 45, 51, 55, 93, 94, 854
MRT: Eunos MRT

Customer Service Hotline: 67417717

Website: http://www.wihardja.com.sg

Facebook: wihardja.sg

Instagram: wihardjasg

Disclaimer: This was a blogger session invited by Originally Us on behalf of Wihardja Furnishings. We were given gift vouchers from Wihardja. No monetary compensation was included. All opinions are my own. Regardless, I only recommend products which I personally believe will be good for my readers.