Pantara Island

I shouldn't be suffering from Monday Blues, because I'm not working at the moment. But, I am, because I just had an amazing weekend at Pantara Island, one of the Islands that make up Pulau Seribu (Thousand Islands). Despite the name, Pulau Seribu is actually made up of more than 100 islands.

Pantara Island is a two hour boat ride from Jakarta, I would call this place the Maldives of Jakarta. It's actually very surprising to find a place so serene and unpolluted so close to Jakarta.

The first thing we saw when we arrived, clear blue water and sky

When we arrived we could see nothing but clear blue water and sky. The air was so clean, I took more than a few deep breaths just to take it all in.

We checked in and was taken to our cottages. We asked how many people were on the island at that time, and to our surprise there was just us and the people who came on the boat with us, so in total 12 guests and about a handful of staff members. We felt like we were on our own private island!

Inside the cottage. One cottage can sleep 3 people.

Once inside our cottage we threw our bags down and quickly left again as we couldn't wait to explore the island.

The outside of the cottage, facing the ocean

The hotel courtyard, complete with a swimming pool and children's playground

The island is filled with greenery

We loved everything we saw on the island. To cover the whole island on foot only took 10 minutes, but you could also hire bicycles at an extra cost.

Our next activity was snorkeling. It was the highlight of the whole trip. Seeing how clear the water was when we arrived, we were very eager to jump in. As part of our tour we were given one hour free hire of the snorkeling equipment, which included the goggles, snorkel, floater vest and flippers. To go any longer there is an hourly charge of Rp. 72,500. If you bring your own equipment then you can snorkel till your heart's content up until 5pm. Also, if you come with a group of 20 people or more, the equipment hire is free for the whole day, 8am until 5pm.

View of the corals from the deck

I regretted not buying any underwater disposable cameras as there was none for sale or hire on the island. I had to settle for photos of the coral from the deck. As for the snorkeling experience itself, it exceeded my expectations. The corals were not colourful like in Great Barrier Reef or Bunaken (Island in Manado, Indonesia), but here we were allowed to take pieces of bread to feed the fish. We would hold the bread in our hand and fishes would flock to eat it, I've never been so close to fishes in the ocean before!

At 5pm, there is a sunset cruise, on a traditional boat we were taken out into the ocean, about 15 minutes away from the island and just wait until the sunsets. During our stay it was unfortunately cloudy, so the sunset was not so visible, but it was a great experience nonetheless. Just a word of warning, if you know you get seasick, make sure you pack travel sickness medication and water.

Glimpse of sunset

After the sunset, there are no more outdoor activities allowed, other than basketball and swimming in the pool, however, they do have facilities such as table tennis and karaoke available. I would also recommend you pack your favourite board games to play in your own cottages as there are no televisions or Wi-fi in any of the rooms. 

White sands, grenery and water everywhere you go

Just a bit more information about our stay, the Villa provided us with food three times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. There were no shops of food stalls on the island, so packing your favourite snacks and drinks would be a good idea. Our whole stay, including the food cost Rp. 2,099,000 per person

We absolutely loved our stay on Pantara Island, and would definitely come back. This place is perfect for weekend getaways with the family and friends. It is also perfect for anyone needing a break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The main deck on the island

For more information and purchasing a tour contact:
Karunia Tour
Wisma Abadi, 3rd Floor, Room A2
Jl. Kyai Caringin Kav. 29-31
Jakarta
Phone: 021 386 5346 or 021 386 5380
Email: karuniatour@gmail.com

Disclaimer: All prices and Tour details were correct on 1st Mar 2015. Prices are inclusive of taxes.