Telunas Resort (pronounced Telu-NAS) is located on its own private island 1.5 hours from Batam, Indonesia, 2.5 hours from Singapore. I’d heard of Telunas through one of their advertisements and was intrigued. To my knowledge there are no other resorts in the Singapore area that offer over the water villas. I contacted them via their website and was pleasantly surprised to have an email response the next day! Dave Sue, Marketing and Business Development Advisor and his staff was happy to make all my arrangements for me and so I was off.
Nathan McGill, the resident Island Facility Advisor, met my transport boat at the dock on Telunas personally. And while enjoying a delicious welcome drink, we sat for a chat where he explained the resort and how it was run. He introduced the staff and assured me that whatever I may need was only a request away.
Within 5 minutes of being on Telunas I felt at home. There is a sense of family amidst the staff that permeates throughout the resort. It’s very obvious that the staff loves their work and, as a result, visitors get the sense that they are among friends.
Although each member of the team was happy to help in any way they could, my favorite was Elsa, the island’s customer engagement expert. Her beautiful smile and laugh was contagious and I found myself drawn to her bubbly personality. I had an issue with a SIM card and she spent an hour chatting with me while fixing the problem, never once giving me the feeling that I was bothering her.
The island itself is an amazing getaway from busy city life. Its rustic luxury is perfect for rest and relaxation. The pristine beaches and infinity pool are perfect to catch up on reading, sunbathing, or chatting with family or friends.
The villas are truly wonderful. They’re spacious and comfortable and decorated beautifully. Since they are over the water there is no need for air-conditioning. There is a strong, cool, continuous cross breeze and in the evening even a need for a duvet.
Each villa has a large sitting area, a loft that sleeps additional people, a large master bedroom with a balcony, and a modern bathroom with a rainwater showerhead. A water cooler with hot/cold water is provided in each room along with beach towels and daily cleaning and turndown service.
It was glorious to fall asleep to the lull of the ocean and wake up to beautiful views of tropical sunrises 10 feet from your bed.
The single restaurant is an open aired, large area just off reception and has a very tropical island feel. During my stay I often saw guests join each other for meals as the atmosphere begs friendliness.
Executive Chef Surya Kusuma, who happily strolls from table to table during meals making sure each guest is satisfied with his or her food, lovingly prepares the menus.
The concept for meals on the island is unique. A chalkboard is set up providing a wide range of choices for breakfast and dinner each night. For lunch each day a local dish is offered and I was never disappointed. If a guest has special culinary requirements, the chef will happily prepare their food accordingly with proper notice.
To break up a day of relaxation (if you can imagine wanting to do that) the resort offers activities like kayaking, jungle hikes or tours of nearby islands. Chef Kusuma offers a cooking class where he shows guests how to make traditional Indonesian dishes and where you get to eat the fruits of your labor.
The resort also offers in room spa services and of course I had to try one. I highly recommend the Telunas Signature Spa. It was one of the best I’ve had and the lapping water and cool breezes off the ocean made it that much more relaxing.
I decided to venture on the island tour and was taken by Fendi, one of the guides at Telunas, to Jang, a fishing village just a short 10-minute longboat ride away. There Fendi explained the life of the people and walked me through the village where I had the pleasure of meeting the locals. My favorite…the kids of course, who where very proud to be able to say, “Hello, how are you?” in English.
During my second day one of the co-founders, Mike Shubert, was there and was more than happy to sit with me and discuss his amazing resort. As we spoke, Mike’s passion for the island and its people was palpable and I couldn’t help but feel connected to it all in some way. He explained the island’s origins, how he and his partner, Eric Baldwin, came to purchase it and how their hopes and dreams for the resort came to fruition. He also described how proud they were to have hired local carpenters to construct the entire resort of reclaimed woods adding to the resorts uniqueness.
We at SeriouslyTravel highly recommend Telunas Resorts Private Island to anyone who needs to shed the stresses of city life and lose yourself in the relaxing atmosphere of this amazing resort. Time truly strands still on this beautiful gem floating in the seas of Indonesia. With her exceptional service, friendly staff, and warm, welcoming beaches you’ll leave with a sense of peace and a wonderful bunch of new friends!
