Remote Desert Island Escape
Location: Riau Islands, Indonesia (near Singapore)
Hotel Style: Driftwood beach bungalows
Budget: £££
Just off the coast of Singapore, nestled amongst the most Northerly Indonesian islands, sits the tiny island of Pulau Joyo. You can walk around the shoreline in around 15 minutes and won’t see another soul (save for a monitor lizard) making Pulau Joyo one of the most Robinson Crusoe-eqsue destinations you’ll find. Surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Natuna Sea, you can spend your days basking in its tropical warmth and enjoying the luxury of a desert island escape.
Shot with DJI Spark
Discovering Pulau Joyo
Pulau Joyo is not too far from Singapore, making it perfect for a short break from the urban jungle. Around a three hour journey from the city, you’ll first take the ferry to Bintan (upgrade to Emerald class for VIP treatment!) and will be met by one of the friendly Pulau Joyo staff at the ferry terminal. Following a drive across Bintan you’ll jump onto a speedboat to take you out across the open water to your desert island that lies around 30 minutes away. If you are planning to come during monsoon season be prepared that you might be in for a bumpy ride as the changing currents can churn up the sea but when you set eyes on the island all will be forgotten!
Seafolly kaftan and Beach bag from Coco Bay
Staying at Pulau Joyo
Acquired and developed by Hong Kong shipping magnate, Antony Marsden, Pulau Joyo has been built into a luxury island resort consisting of only 7 villas, allowing you the most private of visits. We were even luckier during our visit, as we were the only people staying there, giving us the full reign of the island to ourselves.
The villas comprise of 4 main Beach Palaces, 2 extra large traditional Java joglos (perfect for families) and 1 slightly smaller Driftwood Palace. With this number of beds, it is the ultimate destination for a big get-together with friends and family. Pulau Joyo is therefore often rented out as a whole island and what a great place this must be to come for a celebration!
Shot with DJI Spark
The style of the villas dotted across the island have been built with a ‘driftwood’ decor, adding to the almost ‘shipwrecked island’ atmosphere. The beach palace we stayed in offers very spacious accommodation, with both a large four poster bed as well as a daybed, which can be used as a second bed to maximise space for guests, and a very large bathroom complete with his and hers sinks.
Although there is no air conditioning on the island the open air design and ceiling fans ensure the rooms are kept pleasantly cool. Each of the bungalows are perched only a few metres from the beach and have balconies complete with comfy sun loungers, allowing you to relax in the privacy of your villas, all whilst overlooking the golden beach and blue waters beyond.
Around the palaces lie luscious gardens, tamed from the wild of the island’s roots. Leave your shoes in your room (you won’t need them for the duration of your stay!) and meander along sandy paths in the shade of towering coconut trees, amongst blooming orchids and an abundance of other plants. You may pass several gardeners on your wanders striving to keep the wild in check and the lawns green under the power of the equatorial sun.
Seafolly kaftan and beach bag from Coco Bay & personalised beach hat by Peppermint Rock
Other than the staff, the only other company you may have on Pulau Joyo comes in the wild form. Monitor lizards can be found basking in the sun beside you by the pool or scampering into the sea in the afternoon to cool off. In the evening hermit crabs scuttle across the grass in search of food, and pretty birds and butterflies flutter past having made the gardens their home.
Sat in the middle of the island, surrounded by the shade of trees, lies the centrepiece of the resort, a beautiful pool complete with a driftwood diving board. Only a stone’s throw from the honesty bar and lounge, you can chill out in the sun or floating in the water, cocktail in hand soaking up island life.
Swimsuit from South Beach
Top Tip – Rent some awesome pool floats from Let’s Float Singapore to create your own fabulous pool party. Be ready for some hilarious outtakes as you and your friends try to mount the unicorn!
Pastel pony floaty from Lets Float Sg & swimsuit from South Beach
What to do at Pulau Joyo
Aside from the freshwater pool and sandy beach to spend your days relaxing in and alongside, there are a number of activities around to keep you occupied so you definitely won’t end up bored on the island! With turquoise waters on all sides and coral reefs below the surface, the perfect way to explore this underwater world is to don a pair flippers and a snorkel, all provided free of charge at the beach activity station. If you prefer to stay above water, there are also sea kayaks or stand up paddleboards to take out and admire Pulau Joyo from the water.
Back on dry land, the island is equipped with a number of fun things to keep you busy, during the day and night. If you’ve had enough of sunbathing or frolicking in the sea, challenge your family and friends to a game of pool, volleyball, table tennis or darts (which I discovered a new found skill for!). After dinner, you can kick back in the lounge with a post dinner tipple and test your strategic skills with games of chess or scrabble, or simply relax with some music. So you aren’t too disconnected from the outside world, or if you want to make your friends at home jealous with some Instagram pics, Wifi is available throughout the resort and is surprisingly quick despite the location.
Dining at Pulau Joyo
With only a few guests to cater for on the island, one of the best parts of mealtimes is discovering a new place to dine every time. The staff effectively create private meals for each group throughout your stay so you might even forget there are other people staying on the island with you! There are many different places you can relax and eat from the dining room to the garden, and from beside the pool to the beach; the team work hard to set up and decorate a beautiful setting for you to enjoy each night, and on your last evening they even prepare a bonfire.
Naturally, the island’s remote setting makes it fairly tricky for the team to source fresh produce therefore the gardeners work to make the island as self sustainable as possible with an array of produce grown in their own vegetable patches. The meals are prepared with classic Indonesian and South-East Asian flavours, so you can expect a selection of dishes including Nasi goreng and Rawon, of course complete with a good dollop of Sambal, a classic chilli based sauce.
Although it is also difficult to source alcohol for the island Pulau Joyo keeps a very well stocked bar, including a great cocktail selection, a couple of decent wines (particularly a nice Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc), as well as Indonesia’s famous Bintang beer! You are welcome to bring your own alcohol to the island (with a small corkage fee) although it’s worth noting that Indonesian customs restrict this to one bottle of wine or spirits per guest, but if you’ve got a favourite champagne you’ll want to bring it for perfect sunsets like this!
Personalised beach hat by Peppermint Rock
Key information about Pulau Joyo Resort
How to get to Pulau Joyo from Singapore?
Ideally located for a short getaway from Singapore, Pulau Joyo is a 3.5 hour journey from the urban jungle. The only part of the transfer you need to sort for yourself is the ferry from Singapore to Bintan, Indonesia, the rest of the transfer is taken care of by Pulau Joyo and you’ll be met by friendly staff as soon as you leave Bintan’s ferry terminal.
Pulau Joyo will recommend a mid-morning ferry time from TMFT ferry terminal, taking only an hour across to Bintan. As you are leaving Singapore and entering Indonesia there are passport checks either side and also customs to negotiate which can add around an hour onto your journey time. To reduce any time wasted, and for a completely stress free ferry journey it is best to upgrade to Emerald class tickets (priority boarding and baggage handling are definitely worth the price!).
Once on Bintan you’ll be whisked away in a private car across to the other side of the island where a speed boat awaits to take you to your private island retreat. The journey is relatively stress free and 3.5 hours is a small price to pay for your own private island near Singapore!
How do I make a booking at Pulau Joyo?
Pulau Joyo currently operate via an online booking calendar where you can see which beach palaces are available, however bookings can only be made via the booking enquiry form.
With such close proximity to Singapore making it a great destination for a short trip away from the city you’ll often find the whole island of Pulau Joyo is booked up over weekends several months in advance. Their sister island, Pulau Pangkil, is a great option for groups looking to book the entire island when Pulau Joyo is booked out – Pangkil can only be booked as an entire private island resort.
How much does it cost to stay at Pulau Joyo?
To book an individual beach palace on Pulau Joyo island costs SGD $402.50 per adult, per night (based on two people sharing), with the slightly more rustic driftwood palace costing SGD $322 per adult, per night, which makes it a great option for a short getaway from Singapore.
Commonly booked as a short retreat from Singapore, Pulau Joyo can be booked as an entire island for corporate events, weddings or just a hell of a party. Rates start at SGD $4,600 for upto 12 people and increases up to SGD $13,501 for 45 guests.
It is worth noting that Pulau Joyo operates a minimum stay of two nights, although I would recommend at least 3 to fully experience island life and get a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of Singapore.
The Pulau Joyo rates include all daily meals (breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner), transfers to and from the island from Bintan ferry terminal, and all activities on the island including snorkelling and kayaking. The only additional costs whilst on the island are for drinks (soft and alcoholic) and if you choose to enjoy a massage (IDR 300k for an hour).
Our final thoughts on... Pulau Joyo
Once in a while, it is great to escape reality and the stresses of hectic 21st century life completely. With many miles from you to any inhabited islands Pulau Joyo offers exactly this. Whilst the limitations of its remote island setting provide significant challenges to a luxurious retreat, the team at Pulau Joyo have overcome these managing to offer a very tranquil haven. With such a wide range of activities on offer guests can make the island experience their own whether they want to simply chill out in a sunny paradise or have an active break out on the waves meaning everyone will enjoy this barefoot escape.
Find Out More…
Pulau Joyo – https://www.pulau-joyo.com
Many thanks to Pulau Joyo for hosting us during our time in Indonesia. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely our own, we wouldn’t recommend something if we didn’t love it!
