Daily Archives: February 14, 2017

When we first saw Cempedak Island, I believe our little group uttered a collective Wow and then we were stunned into silence. Rising from the white sand was a bamboo structure with a spiral roof that resembled an ocean wave.

That, we later learnt, was the boathouse, the building that would house the bar and restaurant, in other words, the lobby if this were a hotel in the traditional sense of the word.

The resort is built around the terrain so that it is at one with the nature of the island.

This is no traditional hotel though. Cempedak is the new all-bamboo private island resort developed by the same folks behind Nikoi Island. Located 30 minutes by boat from the island of Bintan, Indonesia, it is due to open sometime mid-March and its been more than three years in the making.

Piers (right) and crew mates have been at work the past three years working with bamboo, one piece at a time

Waiting for us was Piers Berry, the project manager, looking like a veritable Robinson Crusoe. How a man hailing from England, who last worked in Panama and whos never built a resort before, ended up with this project, well, thats a story for another time.

But you can sense that for Piers, this is a dream project come true which engineer gets to create an all-bamboo resort on a private island in the middle of nowhere after all?

Piers has been hard at work the last 36 months. Hes carted a total of approximately 30,000 pieces of bamboo across the seas from Java and Sumatra on 280-foot-long barges. Hes had to treat and process them for termites and beetles. He can tell you stuff about bamboo that would make you fall in love with this unassuming plant. With his crew of 120 70 of whom work on the island theyve built a total of 20 villas, each taking three months to complete.

The attention to detail is amazing from specially-made ceiling fans to coffee tables to bamboo pegs that hold the structures together. Using local building techniques from Bali and Java, the resort has been built around the terrain.

The attention to detail can be seen from ceiling fans to coffee tables.

Said Piers, The vision was to work with what was there, and build around it, so that the resort is symbiotic and complementary with the nature. We did everything with local staff and local stuff. We used local building techniques and kept adapting, taking into account weather conditions.

Piers has clearly adapted well himself somehow he found the time to get married in those three years. Ive been lucky. I met Mark (one of the owners) in England at the right time and I also got to meet my wife.

With the opening date drawing near, he said he cant wait to finish it and see the first customers.

Owner Andrew Dixon is also looking forward to the opening. I am very excited about how the buildings are coming together. The big difference from Nikoi is the landscaping we had a team based there for a year and they sourced and propagated from the island, and its blending in nicely with the buildings.

Using local building techniques, the crew has had to adapt to weather conditions as well.

His favourite building, like mine, is the boathouse with the spiral roof. Makes you want to surf on it, he laughed.

With Cempedak being his second project, after Nikoi, clearly Dixon is more experienced and knew what to expect going in. But still I had forgotten all the little details which are killing me from how to present the menu to glass ware. We also made things hard for ourselves like hand-making the speakers from black bamboo and the iPod docking stations.

Our turntable is made out of bamboo, except for the motor. It started as a joke. My son was looking for a turntable and I said, wouldnt it be a laugh to have one made of bamboo. He found a maker in Canada, communicated with them and it took a few months for it to be made.

Dixon said its the attention to details that customers notice. Its easy to buy a Bose stereo for the room but thatd be easy to replicate. People want unique and different. When you go into a room, you can tell whos paid attention to the details, the little finishes.

Villa with a view

I am a great believer in design being functional and practical so we do mock-ups of everything. We make it, finetune it so we have the beta version, then the refined version.

I likened it to the tech worlds mantra of test, fail fast and learn and Dixon laughed, Yes, except thats pretty hard when it comes to furniture. The tech world plays with a few keystrokes, we make things.

The interior of the villa

But he said it was precisely because we now live in such a high-tech world that people appreciate the art and craft of building and making things by hand.

With Nikoi celebrating its 10th anniversary this May, Dixon said customer tastes havent changed that much except for a stronger emphasis on unique experiences, local and sustainability.

People want food and drinks to be locally-sourced, they like homemade and craft products, and there is more interest in sustainability. That topic was new 10 years ago and we tried very hard not to ram it down peoples throats then, but now its become a business case rather than just marketing.

We learnt a lot of lessons in sustainability from Nikoi and can put them into practice more on Cempedak. Technology is more available and affordable now. I like tech thats unseen and we have tech that monitors energy and deals with waste.

Technology has also changed enormously on the operations front. Ten years ago, we didnt have wifi, now you wouldnt dream of not having wifi. The customers ability to share their stories Facebook is huge marketing tool for us. Our guests are acting as our PR and marketing agents. Charging for wifi is stupid, it prevents people from doing the marketing for you.

We have developed our own POS system a cloud-based app on the iPad. Four or 5 years ago, we had iPads in front of house but nobody used them, but now they are being used back of house.

Dixon is testing a new butler technologyon Nikoi, a concierge service on mobile web. Guests can order room service, request for change of pillows and book spa treatments.

The flora and fauna on the island are all part of the experience of staying on this private island. If youre lucky, you may even get to see the native pangolin. The island is also home to the Nicobar pigeon, believed to be the closest living relative of the dodo bird.

He is conscious this may take away the island feel. One good thing about Nikoi is that you had to walk to the bar to order services and that made for a communal feeling at the bar. Well see how the usage goes. So far its been promising.

He expects business for Cempedak to also come from word of mouth as it does with Nikoi. About 10% of business comes through TripAdvisor and now that its using Siteminder for its bookings, Dixon expects more direct bookings through its website.

Cempedak will also be differentiated from Nikoi in that it will be an adult-only island. It should be priced 20-25% more than Nikoi.

Cempedak, for adults only

Private islands are still unique. In our area, theres not a lot of private islands and thats our attraction. People want space and privacy thats the new luxury, said Dixon.

And as excited as he is by the imminent opening of Cempedak, he said, I will be happier once its opened.

Visit link:

How 30000 pieces of bamboo came together to create the private island of Cempedak - Web In Travel

The Indian Oceans farflung islands have got us in the mood.

Situated in the worlds warmest ocean and surthressrounded hundreds of miles away by Africa, India and Asia, these utterly secluded, tropical destinations have managed to up their allure with a wave of new and renovated oh-so-romantic resorts.

Whether set in the jungle or mere feet behind pristine, winding white beaches and aquamarine waters, youll likely fall hard, whether youre with your partner, friends or family.

Two new hotelsoffer waterfront Zen in quiet pockets of Turks...

Upping the overwater-bungalow ante is Soneva Jani, which opened this fall on one of the Noonu Atolls many coral islands some 700 miles southwest of Sri Lanka (but far closer to its 20-year-old sister Maldivian retreat, Soneva Fushi). Each of Janis 25 one- to four-bedroom accommodations which, attached by boardwalks, seem to curl over the crystal-clear waters of a nearly 3-square-mile lagoon have a private pool, several with slides that drop you right into the water, and roofs that open for romantic evenings of stargazing. Should you want a closer look at the night sky, try out the observatory. During the day, you can snorkel, swim, go boating, visit the spa and let the staff set you up on a castaway picnic (from $1,870).

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

Two new hotelsoffer waterfront Zen in quiet pockets of Turks...

Shangri-Las $30 million renovation of Le Touessrok Resort & Spa on this island nation, located nearly 600 miles east of Madagascar, has 200 beachside water-view rooms and suites plus three beach villas. But the biggest draw for those seeking some sexy fun in the sun might be the private island offshore, reserved exclusively for hotel guests, who are waited on by at-your-service beach butlers. Hong Kong-based Shangri-La added some enticingly Asian elements to the hotel, which has boasted an amour-minded French clientele since first opening in 1978. The eight new restaurants and bars include gourmet Japanese and Indian flavors, and the spa tempts with four couples treatment rooms two with their own outdoor shower and tub, perfect for a post-massage relaxation a deux (from $330).

Two new hotelsoffer waterfront Zen in quiet pockets of Turks...

Known for its wellness-minded retreats, Six Senses opened a private-island resort a few months back on the fifth-largest isle in this archipelago, 1,100 miles east of Kenya. The 30 one- and two-bedroom villas of Six Senses Zil Pasyon sit between three white sand beaches on the 650-acre Flicit Island. Each has its own pool, but the 120-foot-long waterfront pool, separated from the sea only by a rock wall, is an even more alluring draw as is the 7,000-square-foot spa, which, appropriately enough, opens on Valentines Day. Its five open-air treatment pavilions, waterfalls and elevated saltwater pool will nestle amid rocky outcroppings and lush plantings (from about $1,720).

Tucked between Indias Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asias Andaman Sea (part of the Indian Ocean), Jalakara is an intimate boutique resort. Its on the gorgeous Havelock Island, said to be one of the best diving spots in South Asia.

The six new suites and one cottage on this former plantation property which sits amid a rainforest on a hill that has views to the sea and is a 20-minute walk to the water offer large windows and doors that open to the jungle. Spare but stylish interiors showcase the best of handcrafted local woodwork and block-printed textiles, and owner and chef Marko Hill oversees the food, whichspans both West and East.

If youre looking to unplug, Jalakara is it Hill decided to just say no to Wi-Fi and the Internet, so youll indulge instead in low-key activities like playing board games, visiting the spa or snorkeling at one of its nearby beaches (from $195).

Original post:

The world's sexiest islands are in the middle of nowhere - New York Post