A view from the beach on Pantara island; cottages are in the middle of a jungle, giving visitors privacy. (JG Photo/Anna Egutkina) |
Looking for
an intimate weekend getaway?
The
farthest island of Pulau Seribu (Thousand Islands), Pulau Pantara, is the
perfect place. Located in the middle of the Java Sea, it offers breathtaking
views and its white-sand beaches and crystal-clear water soothe both mind and
soul.
The
paradise island of only 10.5 hectares first opened to tourism in 1987 and has
since has developed into a popular destination for people from around the
globe.
There are
many similar islands out there in Pulau Seribu, but there is something special
about Pantara.
When you
walk around the dense jungle, or sit on the beach watching the sunset, the only
sounds to break the tranquility are waves hitting the shore and palm leaves
rustling in the warm wind. The secret is that cottages are located far apart,
separated by trees.
“Actually
right now, from March to July, is high season, and all 40 of the cottages are
fully booked, so we have over 90 people on this island,” Dwi Rohadi,
receptionist at the island resort, said.
After a
two-hour journey on a luxury speedboat, holidaymakers are greeted with live
music and a tropical welcome drink in the vast lobby, the largest lobby on the
Thousand Islands.
All
cottages are located on the shore, so guests have their own private spot on the
beach. The western-style food is included in the total price of Rp 1,936,000
($197) and is served three times a day at the island’s only restaurant.
“Because
the price is quite expensive, the majority of our visitors are foreigners.
Holidaymakers from as far as South Africa come here to relax,” Dwi said.
“We always
try to make our foreign guests feel at home on the island, for example if we
have visitors from Italy we play Italian songs at dinner.”
Dwi has
been working as a receptionist on the island for 12 years, and has seen all
sorts of customers.
“Most of
the visitors are very nice, enjoy their stay here and want to come back again.
“But of
course sometimes you encounter difficult people, who complain about the island
being a disappointment and not meeting their expectations,” she said.
One thing
foreigners need to prepare for, is the lack of pubs and parties. Even though
during the day Pantara island offers tennis courts, table tennis and a swimming
pool, as the day draws to a close, there is not much to do. The place is far
from Bali’s wild discos.
After
dinner, Pantara is dead, with nobody to be seen. Buying alcohol after 10 p.m.
is impossible — because everything is closed.
As
compensation for that missing bottle of wine, visitors can sit beneath the
amazingly bright star-lit sky and enjoy the diverse wildlife of the island.
All kinds
of birds and insects can be seeing wandering around, and if you get lucky you
might see the king of the island, which Indonesians call biawak — a giant
monitor lizard that can reach up to three meters in length and only lives on
small tropical islands where it does not face much competition for food.
“The
biawaks do not pose a danger to humans as long as they aren’t disturbed. Our
guests should respect that they are wild, so don’t be tempted to get too
friendly with them. Once a guest tried to catch a poisonous stingray while
snorkeling, and he got hurt,” Dwi recalled.
The man was
taken to the Pantara island clinic, where the staff treated the guest using
traditional medicine.
Along with
a few dangerous sea creatures, the island paradise poses another potential
threat — natural disasters are not uncommon.
“Four
months ago there was a hurricane from the sea that rooted out many trees
located on the beach. Luckily nobody got hurt,” Dwi said.
Protecting
and respecting the flora and fauna is one of the main rules on this untouched
piece of paradise. Pantara is one of the few places left in Indonesia where you
can truly feel reunited with nature.
A weekend
of meditating on the beautiful beach and drifting into calm sleep to the
distant sound of waves can really do wonders.
As I
boarded the luxurious boat home on Sunday and watched the island grow smaller
and smaller, I realized all the problems that had seemed so important a few
days ago, had evaporated into the tropical breeze blowing from the sea.
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