Dave Sue
October 2014 – Telunas Resorts celebrates over a decade of creating unforgettable experiences for its guests, staff, and surrounding local island village communities.
“Although we came to Southeast Asia as young couples on a three week vacation, we began dreaming about the incredible contribution a rustic resort might make if it intentionally engaged and authentically integrated with the existing communities… There’s so much positive momentum that we know we’re just getting started,” said co-founders Mike Schubert and Eric Baldwin.
The Telunas Resorts Story
A decade ago, the founders of Telunas Resorts noticed a beautiful beach that was remote enough to be an utter escape yet still accessible from the concrete jungle of Singapore. Committing themselves to enhancing the lives of guests, employees, and their surrounding communities by creating unforgettable experiences, Mike and Eric started making their dream a reality. In 2004, they established what came to be known as Telunas Beach Resort.
Rustic classic: Beach Resort
Built with groups and families in mind, the Beach Resort is an overwater community with just the right amount of comfort for those seeking a rustic escape. Prices start at S$135 for a Private Chalet for two, excluding dining and transfers.
Telunas Beach Resort welcomes you this fall with four brand new Private Chalets. A total of ten Private Chalets are now available along with Deluxe Rooms, a Multi-family Suite, and Dorm rooms. Construction time exceeded four months as Telunas is committed to working with local contractors and workers from the surrounding Malay villages. Like the previous Private Chalets, these newest additions were built with local materials and follow modified Malay architecture, fitted with unique furniture and décor in the likeness of the the original rooms.
Unpretentious family-style buffet dining will include favourites such as their famed banana crepes. Meals are served in the dining room three times daily and a traditional Indonesian bamboo kentongan is used to remind guests when the meals are served, as relaxing on one of the region’s most beautiful white sandy beaches can easily cause one to lose track of time.
Legendary deck-jumping along with a host of other options for old-fashioned fun has led some guests to even vacation at Telunas Beach for up to three weeks straight. Some of the many activities available include sand volleyball, tetherball, badminton, soccer, ping pong, bocce ball, fishing and shrimping, and, for the less athletically inclined, even napping in beach side hammocks. Telunas Beach is also a facility optimised for larger groups with meeting rooms and customised group activities available upon request.
Simple luxury: Private Island
Ten years after Telunas’ doors first opened, the next chapter of this award winning resort has unfolded. Keeping to their underlying values, the Telunas Resorts team responded to requests for a slightly more luxurious experience and opened Telunas Private Island, designed to serve the needs of more discerning guests.
Built with couples and families in mind, the Private Island is a distinctive overwater escape featuring a sea villa concept, freshwater pool, and massage treatments for the ultimate private island escape. Prices start at S$225 for a room for two, excluding dining and transfers.
The spacious overwater Sea Villas, twice the size of Private Chalets, offer sweeping balcony views of Sugi Island. The villas are furnished using recycled wood and come with a spacious sitting room with walls separating individual units to allow complete privacy. Built completely over water, these villas boast private verandas with sliding glass doors that overlook the open sea. On a comfortable king-size bed, you can enjoy the view of the neighboring Sugi Island in the distance. There are two twin beds in the children’s loft upstairs, which can be supplemented with an additional twin mattress to sleep three.
Select from the in-house menu that is carefully prepared by an executive chef with a decade of experience in the Maldives, Qatar, Bangkok, and Dubai. Personalised massage treatments are also administered on your own Sea Villa’s veranda, providing both an extremely private and natural experience as the rhythmic ebb and flow of waves around you create a sense of calm that pre-recorded sounds can only imitate.
In addition to the infinity pool, Private Island guests also enjoy complimentary access to the island path, fire pit, a high powered telescope for stargazing, sea kayaks, and daily group activities that range from a waterfall hike to a local village experience. Complimentary access to Telunas Beach and all it has to offer is also available for Private Island guests as boats make four quick round trips daily between the two for Island guests.
Purposeful luxury
Although harried, technology-dependent urbanites may initially experience minor withdrawal symptoms from the lack of wifi accessibility at both Telunas properties, a refreshing respite and an experience of freedom unplugged from technology is exactly what Telunas hopes to provide. Without the incessant distractions from work and electronic devices, visitors can truly rest, soak in the rich beauty of the Riau Islands, and reconnect with themselves and their loved ones. Guests are able to access their email through Indonesian SIM cards available for purchase but most guests actually find the short break refreshing; in fact, many return year-after-year to recharge so that they can return to their busy lives feeling rejuvenated.
What differentiates Telunas from almost all other resorts in South East Asia is that it is a holistic community-centric venture, where the development of sustainable communities and building of stronger ties with the local Island communities is central to its identity. In addition to providing stable employment and multifaceted training for hires from the local fishing villages, Telunas makes direct deposits into those local communities by leading and facilitating community development projects such as building irrigation systems, digging wells, creating computer labs, providing teacher training and etc. In 2013, Telunas led concerned families, schools, and other groups to invest over 12,000 hours of social work in the surrounding villages.
Guests may not be aware of all that Telunas is involved in and there is actually no need for them to be. Telunas Resorts can simply be enjoyed as an award-winning restful overwater haven for couples, families, and groups. Their two properties are hidden gems, yet highly accessible, located just 50 kilometres away from Singapore.
Jalan Anggrek Luar #23, Baloi Persero
Batam Kep. Riau 29442, Indonesia
Contact the reservations team. Email: [email protected]; tel: +62 811 7710951
