Lonely Planet Indonesia (Country Guide) by Elliott Mark & Stewart Iain & Ver Berkmoes Ryan & Skolnick Adam & Noble John & Brash Celeste & Cohen Muhammad & Holden Trent & Mitra Guyan & Waters Steve

Author:Elliott, Mark & Stewart, Iain & Ver Berkmoes, Ryan & Skolnick, Adam & Noble, John & Brash, Celeste & Cohen, Muhammad & Holden, Trent & Mitra, Guyan & Waters, Steve [Elliott, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Published: 2010-09-22T16:00:00+00:00

Singapore

Frequent services shuttle between Singapore and Batam, taking between 25 minutes and 45 minutes depending on the pier. Tickets for all ferries to Singapore cost S$30/54 one way/return. There is a S$7 harbour-departure tax upon leaving Batam and an hour time difference between Indonesia and Singapore. Penguin has the biggest and fastest ferries (taking 25 minutes).

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ISLAND IN THE SUN

Imagine an island made up of a handful of salt-white beaches, emerald waters and nobody but you and your personally selected guests. Robinson Crusoe goes luxury on Pulau Pangkil (www.pangkil.com; island hire for up to 10 guests from S$2600;) an exclusive private island available for hire. Guests have a choice of romantic ‘Driftwood Palaces’ to sleep in, which are scattered up and down the island’s main two beaches. Butlers, maids, a swimming pool and all sorts of beach activities are on hand to ensure that island survival is as easy as possible. The tiny speck is around a 30-minute boat hop from Tanjung Pinang and regularly houses up to 30 guests, normally Western expats from Singapore, who take over the island as a single group and get up to all kinds of debauchery. The rule goes what happens on Pangkil stays on Pangkil.