Pollyana Cowgirl

The BEACH holiday

Pulau Umang....

The island that held my hopes of an idyllic retreat where I can finally savour some fresh air and simply relax. And of course engage in my favourite activities that almost entirely revolve around the beach... swim, sun tan and snorkel.

It was amazing, the island. A tiny outcrop that holds Pulau Umang Resort and Spa and nothing else. It is termed a 'private beach', bought and owned by a proprietor who decided to build his 'dream' on the island.

After a very bumpy drive of about 4 hours, we arrived at the pier and in the distance was the island. The triangular thatched roofs and turqoise waters beckoned... but I thought to myself, stay calm.. stay calm... I think I was almost relieved to see that the promises that the website made were in fact, possibly true?

I guess I really was not sure what to expect... especially after a rather tepid trip to Pantai Carita which was nothing like a beach holiday, nothing really much. Murky waters, persistent hawkers, really boring food and almost zero signs of any underwater life. I thought it is better to under-estimate and not anticipate. After all, this trip was by no way cheap and I was worried that I could not finish my work on time... and boy did I NOT want to be burdened with thoughts of papers that were waiting to be marked.

Pulau Umang was the antidote. We had our own huge beach bungalow that stood 5 steps away from the beach... and I love the bathroom! It was huge and it was so exotic! Pebbled floors, ceramic earthen jars and natural skylight! The resort had plenty of space... to just sit and enjoy an afternoon drink of a coconut... or a satisfying lunch while gazing at the clear waters... It was even more beautiful at night when the entire island was littered with the warm glow of lights... utterly romantic.

It was basically also a pig-out session for me. Dinner especially were oh-la-la affairs... we had dinner on the beach. On the beach, as in... on the sand. I was gushing! We even had a lunch in the 'floating gazebo' with petals of flowers scattered on the floor. Now, one of the reasons we really enjoyed ourselves was because of the guest relations officers who were assigned to look after our every need. They were genuinely friendly, addressing us by our first names and always armed with a huge wide smile. Real people who really wanted to make sure that we had a great time. Even the owner of Pulau Umang, a cordial mafia-looking man, made his rounds and chatted with us... and managed to even cajole or perhaps inspire us to belt out a duet when we were having our post dinner drinks at the lounge.

Now, I am not akin to singing in public. My voice.. uh-huh, not that great. But, he wanted to sing, and I was not going to disappoint... so, yes, Prince Charming and I decided to cap it all off with a rather tuneful rendition of 'My Endless Love'. The works! Damn we were good!

It was fun. I was happy. Snorkelling with my Prince ( the corals were alive and well with fishes minding their own business), waking up to the sound of crashing waves, breathing really good clean air and just talking. It was our quiet time, and it made me happy.

Pulau Umang. Go there before it loses its clear waters, before the corals become mere stones, before the sand becomes soiled and before the stars decide to go...

posted by Poot @ 1:25 PM