THIS ISLAND EARTH Lucy Halfhead explores the treasures of the azure South China Sea, before journeying onwards to blissful Bali
Lucy Halfhead explores the wonders that lie beyond the Singapore Strait, flying across the South China Sea to the remote Anambas archipelago, and onwards to the secluded shores of Bali
Most luxury hotels offer guests a welcome drink and a cold towel upon arrival. Singapore’s Six Senses Duxton goes one step further with its singing bowl service. As I walked through the door, weary and crumpled from a 12-hour overnight flight from London, I was politely invited to remove my shoes and step into a giant brass basin, which was then beaten with a gong stick to produce sound waves said to encourage a state of wellbeing…
It is just one of the extraordinary experiences at this 49-room boutique hotel, fashioned from a block of traditional Singapore shop-houses. Atmospheric interiors of black lacquer and mustard yellow, designed by Anouska Hempel, capture the spirit of the opium smokers and gamblers who once thronged Duxton Road in the 19th and early 20th centuries. My companion and I were staying in the bright and airy Pearl Suite, which had shell-covered dressers and a marble bathtub; what delighted us most, however, was the thoughtful bag placed on our pillows during the turn-down service, containing Po Chai herbal pills to combat indigestion, nutmeg oil to ease muscle aches and other remedies to encourage a good night’s sleep.
Singapore is the world’s only island city-state, and I was charmed by the safe, clean streets where Buddha statues, beautiful pagodas and oriental architecture sit side-by-side with soaring skyscrapers, many clothed in leafy vines and sometimes even trees, in an initiative known as ‘Skyrise Greenery’. More horticultural delights were to be found at the Gardens by the Bay, where we enjoyed a soothing stroll through the Flower Dome, the world’s largest greenhouse filled with multicoloured blooms from five continents.
Gastronomes are equally well catered for here: we revelled in Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice’s eponymous dish at the Maxwell Food Centre, and there was wickedly good Mexican fare at Lucha Loco, just around the corner from our hotel (whose own Yellow Pot restaurant served an unsurpassable 14day-aged tofu in a spicy broth). And of course, we couldn’t leave without trying a Singapore Sling, complete with pineapple and cherry garnish, at its birth place in the Long Bar of the famous Raffles Hotel.
Our onward journey began at daybreak as we were whisked to the harbour to catch a ferry across the Singapore Strait, where vast cargo ships floated under a dystopian sky heavy with clouds. On arrival in Batam an hour later, a private seaplane was waiting to fly us across the South China Sea to Bawah Reserve, the first luxury resort to open in the remote islands of the Anambas archipelago.
The driving force behind Bawah is the British businessman Tim Hartnoll, who spotted this beguiling cluster of six islands while on a fishing trip, and has gone to great lengths to work with, rather than against, their unique environment. On the main atoll – three peaks cloaked in rainforest and encircled by sugar-white beaches – 35 eco-friendly suites have been constructed, half on the beach and the others, ours included, over water. All the bungalows have been built using locally sourced materials, including recycled teak, bamboo and driftwood, and offer large sundecks with Dedon loveseats, the perfect place from which to gaze at the skies with their double rainbows and dramatic sunsets. By night, it was blissful to lie in the deep copper-lined bathtub and listen to the waves lapping below.
Bawah’s remoteness means it is home to an extraordinary array of wildlife. In one morning alone, we encountered monitor lizards on a hike up through the rainforest and then came face-to-face with butterfly peacock fish, a turtle and a baby blacktip reef shark while swimming in the crystal-clear waters. Later, at the beach restaurant, sitting on swing seats and digging our toes into the warm sand, we traded tales of our sightings with our fellow guests over lunch of the freshest grilled fish and ice-cold Bintang beer. Another day, we
resolved to circumnavigate the whole island by kayak, so the chef prepared us a picnic basket filled with sustaining pastries, fruit and cold drinks, and we spent three hours gliding through the glassy water, pausing for pit-stops at deserted beaches. That night, it felt appropriate to toast our successful excursion with martinis in the low-lit Jules Verne bar, for Bawah felt as though it might have sprung fully formed from the adventure novelist’s far-reaching imagination.
We had found one paradise; but although we were not planning to go around the world in 80 days, we were seeking a different sort of nirvana when we left the following morning for Bali, a couple of hours away by plane. ‘Tri hita karana’ is the prevailing philosophy of this lush Indonesian island – essentially, maintaining harmonious relationships with the gods, other humans and the environment, which is the only way to achieve true happiness and peace according to the Balinese.
Uma Canggu, the COMO group’s latest opening on the south coast, is a good place to start. Plants cascaded from the balconies of our luxurious suite, which overlooked a shimmering lagoon pool sheltered by swaying palm-trees and tall grasses. Our daily ritual involved glorious breakfasts of acai bowls piled high with fruits and garnished with flowers at the Glow Juice Bar, followed by yoga at the exceptional spa. Replete after lunches of sweet-potato wedges, crystal rolls and sushi, washed down with coconut water sipped straight from the husk through a biodegradable straw, we spent lazy afternoons relaxing on the day beds around the pool at the COMO Beach Club, watching the surfers cresting Bali’s legendary waves, silhouetted against the setting sun. (The effect was so romantic, I determined to have a go myself, and enrolled for a session at the in-house surf shack, which had me perfecting my stance in the pool within an hour.)
Should you tire of its numerous amenities, Canggu itself has an idyllic collection of Vinyasa studios, chic boutiques and delicious restaurants, including the excellent beach club, the Lawn, and vegetarian-friendly restaurants such as the Slow, which also offers a selection of inventive botanical cocktails.
Canggu provided earthly delights, but it was our final sojourn at the COMO Shambhala Estate that took us closer to heaven. Half an hour’s drive from the ancient holy sites of Ubud, set in a landscape of terraced rice paddies, this paradise is perfectly suited to wellness. The hotel’s pristine lawns were studded with tall coconut palms and gently rippling fountains, carved wooden pagodas and cloud-like loungers. Our home was the Wanakasa residence, and it really was the size of a house, complete with a stone bathtub and an infinity pool that was suspended over the jungle canopy. The air smelt green and fresh, the birds danced in the skies above, and the calming buzz of insects filled the air with white noise.
Here, everything is tailored to you. After a consultation with the ayurvedic guru Dr Prasanth to uncover my dosha type, I was prescribed a schedule that included daily classes in hatha yoga, a practice that combines asanas (postures), breathing and meditation. We ate raw tuna, radish and soya-bean salad in the restaurant at the top of the treeline, looking out across the verdant valley whose sloping pathways led down to natural-spring pools, while iridescent purple dragonflies hovered around us like fairies. Verne’s dictum suddenly came to mind: ‘Ah! Young people, travel if you can, and if you cannot – travel all the same!’ Who could possibly disagree?
Six Senses Duxton, from about £225 a room a night (www.sixsenses.com). Bawah Reserve, from about £1,565 a night full board, based on two people sharing a Beach Suite (www.bawahreserve.com). COMO Uma Canggu, from £250 a room a night. COMO Shambhala Estate, from £1,743 a room for a three-night minimum stay (www.comohotels.com). British Airways (www.ba.com) flies to Bali, from £690 return. For more information and to book, visit www.inspiringtravelcompany.co.uk, or ring 01244 355400.
The air smelt green and fresh, while
the birds danced in the skies above