Bintan

Where do you buy all your groceries from?

That’s a major production and a major logistical challenge.  What you can get at the local bazaar is really basic stuff.  After three trips, we were starting to realize, that there was more stuff available there than we thought.  However, the last three times we bought 80% of the stuff from Singapore, boxed and shipped them along with our checked luggage.  Some of the specialty stuff that’s not available in Singapore, we brought from Calcutta or LA.  Fruits, vegetables, poultry and fish we bought in Bintan.  Over the last three trips to Bintan, we have perfected this process of shopping and shipping.  It is no easy trick though.  This time, the three of us (my brothers and I) got there three days early – this was the advance party to prepare for whatever was necessary for a successful vacation.  We had a great time hanging out together taking care of the shopping and organizing.  Fortunately, I now have friends in Singapore who are exceptional hosts and are more than happy to help us out in any way we need it. If any one reading this journal wants to replicate what we did, I have everything fully documented as a set of best practices that I’d be happy to share with you.  As I always say even rocket science is easy if you know what you are doing.  And believe me it is not rocket science – although not trivial either.

Aren’t the basic groceries available from the hotel?

Yes it is, however it is prohibitively expensive and you feel taken advantage of.  As a result we get stuff from the hotel on as a last measure.  This is the only aspect of the resort that I’m not happy about and I have let the management know about it.

What if you didn’t want to make your own meals – not everyone is a foodie like you and your family

There are a number of restaurants in the hotel.  The only one we frequented this year was the main bistro type restaurant for our daily breakfast.  It was an excellent experience – a full American style buffet breakfast including an omelet bar.  The other two restaurants are Japanese and Italian cuisines.