Travellers from Singapore will soon have a new vacation option that does not require a flight. ONE°15 Marina Nirup Island, a new Indonesian private island, nine miles south of Singapore, opened in July.
The first of two phases of the launch included the opening of a restaurant and bar, a ferry terminal and a marina that can hold 44 yachts up to a hundred and fifty feet long. Immigration and customs services are also available by appointment only.
According to a company representative, Nirup Island is only accessible via private boat, but that will change upon completion of the second phase of development in 2024. It was also stated that ferry services are set to coincide with the opening of a Westin Hotels & Resorts property, which is currently scheduled for the 4th quarter of 2024. The hotel will comprise 94 rooms and 52 villas. While 50 villas will be for sale, an additional 30 will be managed by the island’s Westin Hotel, according to the representative.
The Riahi Residences is another development, scheduled to open during the second phase of the island’s opening, with 2- and 3-bedroom villas with some overwater and some beachside, according to the company’s website.
Westin Hotels & Resorts currently operates 12 hotels in Southeast Asia, as well as one in the Philippines and one in Singapore.
Nirup Island which is owned by PT. Tritunas Sinar Benua, an Indonesian real estate developer, is managed by the marina operator SUTL Enterprise. CEO of SUTL Enterprise, Arthur Tay, said the opening of the marina would ease demand for yachting berths in Singapore.
He told CNBC Travel that their aspiration was to curate a one-of-a-kind, extraordinary, luxury destination for boaters and travellers while the island also hopes to entice their ever-expanding business traveller demographic as a destination for corporate retreats and MICE events.”
ONE°15 Marina Nirup Island is a part of Indonesia’s Riau Islands, a province in the South China Sea. Over the past two decades, several private island hotels have been developed there.
Bawah Reserve, one of them, is an island resort that opened in 2017 and sits almost 185 miles northeast of Singapore. The resort is accessible by ferry, followed by seaplane, and includes six islands and 36 bungalows and suites, according to its website.
Nikoi Private Island, which opened in 2007, is around 53 miles from Singapore. The owners opened a second private island, Cempedak, in 2017, that welcomes guests aged 16 or older.
Two hotels in the Riau Islands, including Telunas Private Island Resort, are operated by the Telunas brand. The resort opened in 2004 and has overwater villas that come with children’s lofts and balconies.
Out of all these resorts, Nirup Island is the closest to Singapore.
Arthur Tay stated that his vision had always been to create a beautiful necklace of pearls, to adorn the coastlines of the region, with each pearl representing a unique ONE°15 Marina.
