FAQs

Pulau Joyo is a paradise for kids and we can provide nannies (at an additional cost) to look after them while you are enjoying a massage or other facilities. Extra beds and cots are available for children. Please contact our Reservation Team for more information on pricing for children and accompanying maids.

All houses are good for infants however we would suggest Java houses as they have less steps than other 4 driftwood palaces. We have 4 baby cot on island and baby chairs.

This depends on the composition of your group and how well they know each other! We have 6 big palaces, 1 Driftwood palace and 2 Balé houses, hence we can accommodate up to 18 adults in complete privacy with each of the couples in one palace. If you are willing to share the palaces, it’s not uncommon to see groups of up to 35 or even 45 adults with extra single beds set up in the existing palaces. A typical family group might be 7 families, 14 adults with kids and helpers.

Check In: After 2 pm (local time)
​Check Out: 12 pm (local time)

The driftwood palaces have ceiling fans as well as smaller fans mounted inside of the mosquito netting of all of the four-poster beds. Additionally all the palaces are on stilts, well above the ground, and close to or on the beach and so take full advantage of the prevailing breezes. Our guests find this more than satisfactory and often use the blankets provided. We recommend that guests bring a long-sleeved shirt as the evenings can be refreshingly cool.

All 6 big palaces have their own en-suite bathroom. The Driftwood Palace and Balé Houses have attached bathrooms.

Yes, you can. Guests can rent the island per individual villa or as a whole. Minimum stay for individual villa is 2 adults for 2 nights. As whole island the basic price per night applies to a minimum of 12 adults, even if you have less than 12. There are incremental charges for more than 12 people. Please view our rates to book the whole island.

Joyo is ideal for relaxing: reading in a hammock, sun-bathing by the fresh-water pool, having a massage, kayaking around the island, walking on the beach or swimming in the sea. We do have a boules set, table tennis, as well as 4 kayaks on island. The numerous secluded beaches, jungle paths and unusual rock formations are often woven by parents into elaborate treasure hunts for kids which have been known to include the swimming pontoon and tree house. The more adventurous have been known to kayak, sail or even swim to neighbouring islands. We encourage guests to use the speedboats or launches to explore other island or even have a picnic on Pulau Binyoso a tiny deserted jewel that we own just for such trips. After dinner, relax with a coffee and a glass of wine around a beach bonfire or turn up the music to kick-start your fancy dress party!

No and nor do we have a banana boat or jet skis. Our guests overwhelmingly prefer the Joyo tranquillity as it is.

Yes. We are more than happy to transport windsurfers however your limitation may by the public ferries (from Singapore to Bintan). We suggest you check with the ferry operators as to the feasibility of transporting bulky equipment.

The region is not known for its diving, and if your last diving trip was in Grand Cayman, Truk Lagoon or Palau, you will probably be disappointed. Joyo is not geared up for diving and the water can, at times, be a little murky. Having said that, there is a reasonable dive, at the top of the high tide, off the rocks at the northern-end of the island. The diving off Pulau Mapur is supposed to be quite good and you could certainly use Joyo as a base to reach Mapur and other island in the region. We can, and have, organised tanks before but you will have to supply your own weights and divemaster/buddy. If you are really keen and experienced we can set this up.

We discourage fishing from the island as we try and keep the fish for the snorkellers. You are however more than welcome to take one of the speedboats or the launch on a fishing expedition. The boat crew may be able to show you some good fishing spots off Joyo or neighbouring islands or rocky outcrops. The Indonesian fisherman often fish just off Joyo. We have a few rods, but Indonesian-style fishing usually involves dangling a line and hook off the back or side of a boat! If you’re a serious angler we suggest you bring your own rod and tackle.

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Yes, we’ll supply squid and shrimp at no extra cost.

The island can be hired as a whole for (min. 12 adults) OR individual palace (min. 2 adults) for a minimum of 2 nights. A single group organizer will need to book, pay a deposit and act as the single point of contact for the entire group prior to arrival on the island. Sleeping arrangements with more than 30 adults are described as ‘cosy’ and groups bigger than this are rare.

No. The only way to secure the island is with a deposit. We run on a first come first served system. If we’re convinced that your cheque is literally in the mail or that you are heading down to the bank to make a transfer of funds within the next 48 hours, we will hold the island for you until we receive your deposit.

Maid will be charged as Child rate ie SGD $175 per night.

Yes, Visa and Master card are eligible for our credit card machine.

You are free to make full use of the island and its resources. This is all included in price. We can organise a bonfire on the beach! A non-exhaustive list of what’s included in the Basic Island Rate is as follows:

• Accommodation for 1 to 12 people
• All land and launch transport from BBT Ferry Terminal to Joyo (one return trip is included)
• Welcome drinks
• Three meals per day (everyone loves our food!)
• Local Coffee, tea and drinking water
• Use of all of the driftwood palaces (bathroom towels and linen is supplied)
• Use of the fabulous fresh-water pool
• Beach towels
• Available activities

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We are proud of the fact that we do not have a fixed-line telephone and a fax. We do not have a radio and certainly no daily newspapers. Mobile phones do however work provided you and your carrier have roaming agreements for Indonesia. You will have better reception if you are in open area. ​

No.

The power is 240 volts from UK/Singapore 3-prong power sockets.

Most of our food is bought fresh in Bintan and taken out to Joyo on the morning of your trip. To plan menus and organize the land and launch transport we ideally need to know the size of your group and your ferry time(s) a week before your trip. Small changes to the number of guests closer to your date of departure are fine. In this case, if she is planning on being on the same ferry as the rest of you, you can let us know on the Friday. If she needs an extra transfer (because she is on a different ferry to everyone else), you will have to let us know on the Thursday at the latest as it takes time to reorganize our land and launch schedules. If she is vacillating between a late Friday and early Saturday ferry, you can sort this out on Friday on the island.

We don’t sell anything on the island. We don’t stock tobacco products, so you may want to buy your own. We have plenty of alcohol on the island. We charge S$15 corkage per bottle if you bring your own wine and S$25 for spirits.

We usually provide complimentary water, soft-drinks and beer on the launch. We will often also do this on the bus, particularly for evening trips.

No. The launch travels through sheltered water for much of the trip and the water is rarely rough. At all times land is visible. Our intrepid boat crew sometimes fail to appreciate that large swell (which is rare) can frighten guests and so they may forget to hand out the life jackets. Please ask for them if you feel you need them.

The final bill will be presented to the Group Organizer an hour or so before your departure.

3 hours before your ferry departure time. It can be earlier if you have huge group or with lots of kids. During weekends boarding pass collection and luggage check-in queue can be long unless you are buying emerald class ferry.

Even for large groups there will usually be more staff on the island than guests. They are there entirely for the benefit of your group and will follow you in the speedboat if you go kayaking, take you on picnics to other islands, clean the driftwood palaces each day, prepare and serve you meals and work behind the scenes to keep the electricity working and the island stocked with fresh water. They are however trained to be discrete and will not disturb you unless you have asked for specific help. Remember - you have hired the whole island and what you say goes!

We have a reasonably-priced wine collection but we will waive corkage charge one bottle per adult. Please note that Indonesia customs are only allowing only one bottle (up to 1 liter per adult) to be brought individually. No outside beer or soft drinks are allowed to the island.

Absolutely! We are set up for children (of all ages!) and have them on the island all the time. We have cots and high-chairs as well as spare beds for the bigger ones and children’s life jackets.

Our cooks are used to producing less spicy (or even non-spicy) food for children. Some families seat the kids separately. Others organise an earlier sitting for the kids.

Four. They come complete with mosquito nets.

We have a number of female staff who will volunteer to baby-sit. We charge S$10 per child per hour which goes directly to the babysitter. You are also welcome to bring your maid. We charge $150++ per night for maids.

Infants (less than 3 years old) are free of charge. Children (3 to 12 years old) attract the children’s rate and anyone older than 12 is charged as an adult.

Yes, we do.

Yes.

Joyo is in Indonesia about 60 miles from Singapore.

Local time is GMT+7 (an hour behind Singapore).

The journey time (from Singapore) is about 3 hours via BBT ferry terminal.

One of our English-speaking "Meet & Greet" staff members or our reliable driver will meet you at the entrance of the ferry terminal. That is the designated pickup point as we are not allowed to go further in. Please look for Joyo Island sign.

Absolutely. Naturally common-sense suggests that parents supervise their kids, that no one should swim after having consumed alcohol and that swimming at night is not advisable. If in any doubt, have your friends (or our staff) follow you in the kayaks or a speedboat. Stone Fish are found all the way from Australia up to the South-China Sea. We suggest you do not step on the coral or rocks and stick to walking on the sand to get to open sea. At certain times of the year there are jelly fish. The seasons are short and we have jelly fish ‘wipes’ in our first-aid kit. We have never had a serious injury from the jelly fish. We recommend that you always use reef-shoes to walk on the reef.

Rest assured, we are on top of security arrangements. The whole of the area to the south and west of Bintan is quiet and there have been no disturbances or any hint of unpleasantness. We are known to the Indonesian Navy (which has a base at Kijang) as well as the Chief of Police. Our General Manager is Indonesian and was born in Bintan and hence has his ear to the ground (or should that be water) with regards to maritime security in the area. If there was the remotest possibility of harm to any of our guests at any time we would immediately advise you not to travel.

Yes, we do provide complimentary cold drinks and bread on the bus.

Yes except during north monsoon season. Our launch crew are competent night sailors and regularly navigate the short trip to Joyo in the dark. Arrivals on Joyo close to midnight and departures before dawn are not uncommon.

Yes. There are regular ferries and bumboats between Batam and Bintan. It is best if you catch one to Tanjung Pinang and we can pick you up there. Batam also boasts Hang Nadim International Airport (BTH) which is an alternative to flying in to Singapore’s Changi airport.

Yes. Our launches are sturdy Indonesian vessels. We have a crew of 2 or more usually 3 to run each launch. We have life-jackets (adults and kids sizes) and a two-way radio. The crew have mobile phones (which have signal all the way to the island) as a back-up measure.

A single land and launch trip from Tanjungpinang ferry terminal on Bintan to Joyo and back is included in the Basic Island Rate. We are more than happy to pick up your group in two parts, AM and PM for example, but each additional one-way trip costs S$200 (for the group, regardless of the size).

Yes, we are happy to assist in booking ferries for our guests. We will send our form to the group organizer to fill and the form is great help for booking ferries.

Our staff will give you plenty of warning as to what time you should leave Pangkil. They are not however trained to nag and it is ultimately your responsibility to make sure you have packed, settled your bill and made it out to the launch on time. We have not had this happens before. The choice is to wait at BBT terminal for the next available ferry.

Unfortunately, no.