Banyan Tree's Massage of the Senses

This might sound like a bit of an odd post...why the heck am I writing about massages? That's because this wasn't actually part of the Banyan Tree's spa treatment list. Instead, it was from the resort's Destination Dining section, which featured a number of special dining options in very picturesque settings here on the island of Bintan, be it on the beachside rocks, on a platform over one of the pools, or even on the eighth hole of the golf course next to the South China Sea.

Our choice for tonight was called Massage of the Senses, which started with a massage in a private beach cabana. But then it was followed by a nighttime dinner with a personal waiter at the table setting out front. It was too dark by then for me to get any shots of the food, but we were completely stuffed by this five course meal, which included a very fresh and delicate tasting sea bass that was braised in a mustard-kaffir lime broth.

It really was a massage of all five of the senses, especially given the gentle sound of waves from the beach, as well as how visually stunning the setting was at night with the white tent all lit up (the sight of the two Tiki torches in the pitch black night made me think of Jeff Probst coming by to extinguish my flame though). Sure, there were quite a few bugs out there, but that was nothing that a mosquito coil and some insect repellent couldn't fix. This was otherwise a very unique and memorable experience.