Contrary to popular beliefs, Nikoi island is no way near related to Japan, it's a paradise located just 20 mins speedboat ride from Bintan.
It's actually a private island rented by 5/6 expats from Singapore, who wanted some new exclusive grounds to go to during vacations. The sand, the sea and breeze everywhere, I swear I would want to live like this forever. What impresses me is every crew member in the island are really friendly, and some of them would even know you by name, they talk to you like old friends, telling you what you can do to spend time on the island.
One of the guys I remember the most is Jordan, also named Pedro, or Obama(He really does look like him). He told us all about turtles, and it was the season for the turtles to lay their eggs. Unfortunately we didn't get to witness the real action, but I swore to go back 2 months later to see the little hatchlings. (Fun fact: Each nest incubates about 150 eggs and more. Imagine 150 little turtles wading out of each nests, how exciting is that!)
There are only 15 villas available for guests to stay, and ALL of them faces the sea, so you wake up with sea waves and the breeze as your wake up call. Activities that you can do in Nikoi includes snorkeling, diving, and many other sea games that the crew member would join you on requests. Kids get to dress up as pirates and go on a treasure hunt to find clues and hints to get to the treasure.
So here's the flood of photos I took. Please applaud for my diligence in actually bringing a proper camera, the lazy me would've just iphonography all the way.
So for these 3 days I had glasses of colada and long island tea for lunch, going bare footed everywhere. I finished reading a few books, while rest of the time was spent napping, eating and strolls on the white sandy beach. What a pity that I did not get to see the turtles, but Nikoi Island definitely will be a frequent getaway to fulfill my "rot, chill and sleep" mission.
If you are interested in visiting Nikoi Island you can google them to get to their website. They will reply you very promptly. But do note you have to book your vacation really early in advance to avoid disappointments.
I have this radical idea of celebrating my 21st in Nikoi Island, and reserving all 15 villas for friends and family. Hmm...
