Beaches

[x9200]

Actually, Bintan is quite decent as a get-away, but the downside, apart from it being fairly costly, is that most non-Asians need a visa.

VoA for a vast majority and for a few days it's not a killer (US$25 IIRC).
Personally I like Tioman most but again to get there can be a bit troublesome especially if it costs you your precious leave time. Not sure if Berjaya Air flies there this time of the year.

[JR8]

I like Tioman most but again to get there can be a bit troublesome especially if it costs you your precious leave time. Not sure if Berjaya Air flies there this time of the year.

Flies year-round. Just
i think they're double the frequency during the summer.

Looking at flights myself right now...

[Brah]

Very short runway with a vertiginous landing/take-off (I've previously posted a Youtube link of a vid of the same); fun <> terrifying depending on your perspective.
If you take the ferry it can be rough.
Ferries often sail early, requiring people to overnight in Mersing which is a bit of a dump.
Ferry ticketing is all rather hear and ther

Please post that link again, I for one would like to see it.

I have no stomach for flights like those and was thinking to go there before reading this.

You say the ferry is rough, more so than the ones to Bintan or Bataam?

[x9200]

Does not look too scary.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... an+airport
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_PIOiR6Fd8

Redang also got pretty short runway but seems a bit wider.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjnKMbzgCtk

(just checked, both are ~1km long, a bit shorter on Redang)

[Max Headroom]

JR8, I was referring to above-the-waist entertainment varieties

Yeah, the flight doesn't look too scary on the clip. But it doesn't half look petrifying watching it go from alongside the runway.

First the pilots build the suspense by taxiing the plane right to the very start of the strip, almost clipping the trees when they do their 180. After a pause, they rev the props full-on with brakes jammed. And then - at full throttle - they suddenly release the brakes, almost ejecting the plane forward.

One of pilots told me that they need to do this to make sure they reach V2 before running out of runway. Never mind the mountainside dead ahead...

It's not for nothing that this flight is on CNN's World's Top 10 Scariest Take-Offs and Landings List.

[Wd40]

Bintan VoA is USD10 for 7 days. Bali is USD25 and they dont have the 7 days option

[zzm9980]

Bintan VoA is USD10 for 7 days.

Make sure you bring it in USD , or expect arbitrarily random (and high if you're caucasian) exchange rates

[JR8]

Very short runway with a vertiginous landing/take-off (I've previously posted a Youtube link of a vid of the same); fun <> terrifying depending on your perspective.
If you take the ferry it can be rough.
Ferries often sail early, requiring people to overnight in Mersing which is a bit of a dump.
Ferry ticketing is all rather hear and ther

Please post that link again, I for one would like to see it.

I have no stomach for flights like those and was thinking to go there before reading this.

You say the ferry is rough, more so than the ones to Bintan or Bataam?

Haven't the bandwidth right now (dongle/BB connection) though a horrible apple 'thing'.

Like I said the TOD's STOL runway ends in a vertical jungle-clad cliff-face ... different!

Only done the Mersing ferry once R/T, all in all it's a bugger of a trip overland to TOD from SG... ok, for back-packers, but not for w/e's for SG based career-people getaways... the flights are just SOOOOOOO much less hassle and uncertainty.

[x9200]

Mer-Tio ferries are rougher than Bintan but far from anything extreme. It's just a boring 2.5-3h trip IIRC. I've done it 3 times and would do it again but what I truly dislike is the total trip length where you have to wake up like 4-5 oclock morning and still waste almost the whole day just to get there. I would rather go for the vertical wall.

[x9200]

.. the flights are just SOOOOOOO much less hassle and uncertainty.

This you never know. The same Berjaya flying to Tioman kept us in the Seletar air-port for half a day because the airplain was kaput and firstly they tried to fix it (2-3h) and only later flew in a replacement from KL.

[Brah]

Does not look too scary.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... an+airport
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_PIOiR6Fd8

Redang also got pretty short runway but seems a bit wider.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjnKMbzgCtk

(just checked, both are ~1km long, a bit shorter on Redang)

Saw those. yikes, no thanks, I would not enjoy that at all

JR, if you can't find the clip can search on your Yahoo ID

[Max Headroom]

Apparently, the Dash planes are getting a bit long in the tooth, i.e. spare parts are a problem. But they're sturdy and reliable aircraft.

Ferry-wise, I've had no main issues in the dozen or so times I've taken it to Tioman. It's choppy during December-February sure, but the rest of the year it's pretty smooth sailing.

I guess it depends on your luck, because I took the ferry to Bintan once and came this -> <- close to chucking up, due to the vessel's incessant 3/4 cork-screw motion from the nasty swell.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Does not look too scary.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... an+airport
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_PIOiR6Fd8

Redang also got pretty short runway but seems a bit wider.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjnKMbzgCtk

(just checked, both are ~1km long, a bit shorter on Redang)

Saw those. yikes, no thanks, I would not enjoy that at all

JR, if you can't find the clip can search on your Yahoo ID

That really surprises me, considering, I'm pretty sure, you like coming off the crest of a 12 footer screaming down the wall to get into the tube.

[JR8]

.. the flights are just SOOOOOOO much less hassle and uncertainty.

This you never know. The same Berjaya flying to Tioman kept us in the Seletar air-port for half a day because the airplain was kaput and firstly they tried to fix it (2-3h) and only later flew in a replacement from KL.

Well you know, we're not all sitting in Switzerland, are we? ;;

I've flown to Tioman (and back) maybe 6-8 times, never had a problem of note, but yes I'm sure it can and does happen...

The flip-side it sitting beach-side at Tioman, waiting for your dive students > 'Storm hit Mersing' overnight, > ferry delayed: Then most of a day later your customers arrived, knackered, burned out, and just wanting to sleep: This was a regular occurrence esp at the start and end of monsoon season weekends.