Putri Island, Thousand Islands, Indonesia

We have had an AMAZING weekend- our first getaway from Jakarta.

We went to Putri Island, part of the chain of islands known as the Thousand Islands. I went berserk taking photos, but I always do LOL. Our party consisted of three Australian families all who brought three kids , all of the same age groups, as well as Rob.

This chain of islands is located off north Jakarta. We caught the boat from the marina at Ancol and it took about 1.5 hours to reach Putri island.
The harbour at Ancol was sickening.....the stench of the thick, black ,foul water was almost enough to make you throw up. We were all doing light shallow breathing....I could not imaging how we were going to be able to swim in crystal clear water only a little way from this. The pollution this week has been extra bad, on Saturday morning we were unable to see city high rises if they were more than two blocks away. When the boat was underway it was like sailing off the face of the earth as you could not see anything but brown smog all around. The trip over was very smooth and after an hour we started to be able to see islands in the distance.
Five minutes before we docked Ben decided that his chocolate milkshake would feel better all over the deck, himself and GJ's shoes. I was most impressed that Ben saved this for his daddy as he had spent most of the hour and a half trip on my lap!

Arrival:

There was two lovely dancers at the end of the jetty to great us all as well as a tank of eels. Ben thought that Jo was me and was happily holding her hand until he realised.

The air was much clearer and the water WAS crystal clear. After dumping the bags it was time for a swim in the pool.

The bungalows were average. We were in a unrenovated one which was basic and only average in the cleanliness department. I wasn't overly worried as we didn't spend much time inside. I would class it at 2.5-3 stars.

This is the area directly outside our bungalow.......I felt like I was in paradise. I got the view from my sun lounger, plus Rob's and GJ's toes as well as my own. The shot of the sun light filtering through the trees is what was above my head. The kids wear able to play on the little sandy beach in complete shade while we watched and sipped a small alcoholic beverage.

The resort has an underwater tunnel which the kids loved walking through.

After more swimming and a quick rest for Ben it was time for a sunset cruise around the neighbouring islands. We got seats on the top deck of the boat and the kids were screaming with joy every time the boat rolled over a wave. When the boat was slowly cruising up close to islands the kids were able to lie out on the bow.

Dinner buffet started at 7pm. The food was average...a chicken and a beef stir fry and a whole fish cooked Indo style with 3 fruits for dessert. We packed an esky full of snacks and drinks as we knew the kids wouldn't eat much at the restaurant.

The band was loud and unacceptable to Ben's ears, hence the shot of him with his fingers in his ears. In between sets a dancer came on stage and kept the kids rapt. Ben was on the dance floor trying to imitate the moves. Behind the stage was a large aquarium filled with sharks...the kids were fascinated. The last shots are of all the kids in the bar, they were the only patrons. We all had a laugh that it was the Australian kids that were in the bar.


After dinner we all met up for cheese (.....cheese is VERY expensive in Indonesia!!!!!), dips and chips washed down with bubbles, beer and scotch. We were sitting right on the beach with a warm balmy breeze blowing all the mozzies away having the best time.
The Baileys on ice was a lovely dessert. I made it to 9.30pm.....GJ, Rob and two others made it to midnight!- we are getting old LOL

This was the kids first time at snorkeling in the ocean. They have only ever tried snorkeling in our pool. They LOVED it.

This is Ben's set of photos. He worked out the perfect way to snorkel when you can't swim- he lay on GJ's back and just stuck his head down. He was so happy cruising around looking at the coral and the fish.

This is Chelsea's photo set. Chelsea is a natural at this. She jumped straight in and wouldn't get out, she must of spent nearly four hours floating around. The water became very deep out from the edge of the coral and she quickly worked out how to dive down and to clear her snorkel with out coming up.
Here is Georgia's set.

Georgia was very hesitant at first about getting in, she needed to be holding hands with an adult and be part of a group- for the first half an hour. She didn't end up being as adventurous as Chelsea but did manage to conquer her fear and jump off the pier.
Here is a link to the Islands blog which lists prices as well as facilities. For our family of five we paid 3 950 000RP about AU$565; so it was an expensive weekend. This fee covered all meals(4), accommodation and transport. It was a wonderful way to escape the pollution and noise of Jakarta