Indonesia – A Paradise in Cubadak Island
Let me say that this trip was the most expensive trip I have ever done. Sometimes you just want to indulge yourself with a nice holiday, without having to think of making an itinerary, and just lay down on a beach, don’t you?
I visited this island back in 2007 and instantly fell in love with it so I promised to myself that one day, I will go back. Four years have passed, and here we go again in December 2011, Cubadak island! A paradise located near Padang city in West Sumatera.
I will not say that this island is a very great and beautiful island with its white sand and great underwater world. However, what makes this island different from any other islands are the hospitality and warm welcome from the management which makes you feel that you are at home; a quiet island perfect to sunbathe or just read a book without any disturbances; a private island where its beach almost has no waves and we can swim in it as though we are in a giant pool. Cubadak island faces the Sumatera island and is located on a bay named Cubadak Paradiso Village.
The island can be reached in 4 hours by car from Padang International airport to Carucok, a small pier. Cubadak’s management can arrange the transportation for you. From Carucok you will be picked up by Cubadak’s boat and it takes around 15 minutes to reach the island.
Nanni, part of the management team, greeted us with his warm welcome when we arrived on the island. Nanni and his wife and 1 other couple manages the island. Nanni and his wife are Italian while his friends are French. Yup, the island is managed by foreigners. We should learn from them on how they managed this island, on how they have successfully made people keeping on coming even though staying here is quite expensive.
After we put our luggage in our bungalow, lunch was provided and I’m telling you that this Indonesian lunch is SUPERB!! They have Indonesian staff who cooks for us. Their staff consists of 1 woman and the rest are men (around 10 persons). Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided in the dining room, so all the guests will gather in the room. At that time, the guests were us (7 people) and 3 other people from Malaysia. In the dining room there is also a common room where you can watch television, a library, and on top of that they provide internet connection.
The Beach House
There are around 10 bungalows and all are made of wood. Each bungalow can consist up to 2 to 6 beds with one bathroom. The bungalow is a two-story building. The beds can be located on the first and second floor or only at the second floor, depending on the capacity of each bungalow. There are no televisions and air conditioners, only a fan in each bungalow. Lazy chairs for sun bathing are also provided in each bungalow. In the front of your bungalow is a white-sand beach. So if you wake up, kindly jump to the ocean 🙂 Priceless!
In front of the bungalow
On the first day, the weather was not so good, cloudy and the ocean had quite big waves. However, Daven, Loren and I could still enjoy snorkeling even though the vision in the water was not so good. Meanwhile, Dina, Sebastian and Lenita did some diving with Nanni. After we finished, we just hung out at the beach house and played on some music there. So peaceful…. If you want to have some drinks, the management will be very happy to provide it. All you do is relax and enjoy the rest of the day by having a nice chat on the beach house with your friends. Basically, the beach house is a bungalow where you can hang out or just have drinks with friends or other guests. Lots of chairs, magazines and even hammocks are provided in this beach house. The beach house also has a huge terrace, where we can put the mats and have a sun bath.
Me, Daven, Lenita, Sebastian & Laurenz - Minus Dina
The next morning, the sun greeted us with its warm shine 😀 . Dina and I went to the nearest hill which took us around 40 minutes to reach the top. I never hiked a mountain before, so for me the track was not easy with its quite steep track. While, for Dina it was nothing, considering that she is quite experienced in this kind of activity. The exhausting trip was paid off by a mesmerizing scenery in front of me, complemented with breezy wind. I can see Carucok pier from the hill, Sumatera island, and of course Cubadak and the nearest islands from above. It was so beautiful and I really hope that one day when I visit this place again, I’ll have my breakfast over here. From above the hill, the ocean looks like a big lake. Dina and I spent almost 3 hours there just taking pictures.
Dina on the top of the hill
What else? Snorkeling around the island, sun bathing, taking pictures (of course) were what we did. They also provide a small boat for kayaking for the guests that we can use to enjoy the sea.
For me, there are only two spots in Indonesia where you can have a sun bath with a view of a row of hills or mountains: the more widely known Gili Trawangan and Cubadak Island.
This little piece of paradise is recommended if you are looking for a quiet and peaceful place in Indonesia. Please check this link http://www.cubadak-paradisovillage.com/ for more info and for reservations (btw, this is not a commercial blog :)).
Cubadak Paradiso Village, it deserves its name.
Berjalan-Jalan 