THE GREAT ESCAPE

The best getaway wardrobe is a combination of what keeps you cool while making you look cool: denim, anything with stripes (Breton or otherwise), and day-tonight dresses. As to where to go, we like it breathtaking yet nearby – like The Sanchaya at Bintan that takes us just one hour to get to (including clearing customs).

Cotton dress (price unavailable), Fendi. Calf leather sneakers (price unavailable), Kate Spade. Hat, stylist’s own.

We like to start a relaxing holiday with a spa treatment (or mani and pedi): it sets the right tempo to just chill. The Sanchaya Spa has two air-conditioned treatment rooms, two outdoor cabanas for Thai massages and two terraces for foot reflexology. The two most requested services: a hot-stone massage using Java volcanic stones; and the Kawasaki, a massage developed by Japanese doctor Kazumasa Kawasaki to promote lymphatic drainage. Rosella flower tea is served after every spa session; it comes from the spa’s garden (pictured here). So does the aloe vera for guests’ sunburns.

Denim shirt, $1,930, denim jeans, $1,480, and feathered pool sliders, $1,130, Valentino. Helen Kaminski straw fedora, $332, Club 21b. Key West acetate sunglasses, $329, Gentle Monster.

Almost every seaside resort offers sea-related activities, but not all are free. At The Sanchaya, every activity is free, including paddle boarding, blokarting (where you are whisked down the beach in a cart with a sail attached to it), and one-wheeled hoverboarding (on a motorised skateboard that goes up to 35km an hour).

We don’t know why stripes work so well by the sea. They just do. Knit sweater and skirt (prices unavailable), 3.1 Phillip Lim. Ami Adam acetate and metal sunglasses, $328, Gentle Monster.

When the tide is low, walk to the nearby islands and kelong. When it’s not, book a motor- or speedboat. Then have a picnic by pre-ordering breakfast, brunch or lunch; it will be delivered to wherever you are.

Jersey pullover and polyester jumpsuit (prices unavailable), Max Mara. Michael Kors Collection acetate necklace (price unavailable), Michael Kors. Calf leather sneakers (price unavailable), Kate Spade. Fascinator, stylist’s own.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: The coolest establishments offer Aesop toiletries. The Sanchaya does. Even in its public restrooms.

Nylon dress with lace overlay, $1,990, Marc Jacobs. Michael Kors Collection acetate earrings (price unavailable), Michael Kors.

The Vanda, a two-storey bungalow which overlooks the South China Sea and belongs to the resort’s Russian owner Natalya Pavchinskaya, is available to the public when it’s not occupied. It has four bedrooms, a kitchen, a guest cottage, and private ground with a pool. Starting price: US$10,000++ (S$13,640++) – for a night.

The Sanchaya – a colonialmeets- Ralph Lauren beachfront resort – has been an Insta hit since it opened in December 2014. Why do we keep going back? The establishment – all 21 villas and nine suites – is so tranquil that it makes you feel like you are the only person there. The resort even has its own express immigration counter and VIP lounge for you to clear customs the way a Sanchaya pampered guest should – fast.

Out of the 21 villas, eight are twostoreyed – with the living area and kitchen downstairs, and the bedroom and bathroom upstairs. At US$848.99++ a night.

Viscose twill dress, $5,100, Celine. Helen Kaminski straw fedora, $332, Club 21b. Run Away metal and acetate sunglasses, $685, Fendi. Calfskin boots, $1,850, Christian Dior.

In the background is the Lawan Village. Completed in February 2015, the seven onebedroom villas – all in Thai style – are an addition to The Sanchaya estate.

Silk-blend and beaded kaftan dress (price unavailable), Tory Burch.

Open 24/7, The Library offers respite with travel and fashion books, and board games such as chess, checkers and backgammon.

1. Head chef of three years, Italian Giacomo Turzo has spent more than three decades serving his speciality – hearty Italian comfort food at five-star resorts and a series of Michelin-starred restaurants in Thailand and Egypt.

2. Osetra caviar, farmed from osetra sturgeons at aqua farms in Finland, will be served on Dec 22 with bubbly.

3, 5 & 8. As more people are requesting farm-to-table produce, 20 kinds of herbs, 12 kinds of vegetables, a variety of citrus fruits, and green papayas are grown in the resort’s herb garden, which was introduced in early 2017. Even the lobster comes from the nearby sea.

4. On the festive menu in December: jamon iberico (also known as iberico ham), which comes from Jabugo, a town near the city of Seville, Spain. Considered to be the best ham in the world, it comes from black Iberian pigs that roam free in oak forests. Due to the pigs’ natural diet of acorns, which are high in fatty acids, the ham tastes equally nutty with a creamy texture.

6 & 7. More than 200 varieties of wine are available at The Sanchaya, and the range varies monthly. On the evening of Dec 28, its sommelier Jeroen L’abee will be serving champagne, whites, reds and a sweet wine with an array of cheese.

Silk crepe de chine shirt with satin belt, $3,050, and silk crepe de chine pants, $1,970, Gucci. Hat, stylist’s own.

Activities at The Sanchaya include croquet, archery (US$30 with an instructor to guide you) and petanque, a sport that originated in France where the goal is to toss hollow steel balls as close as possible to a small wooden one.

PHOTOGRAPHY ELVINA FARKAS/ANUE MANAGEMENT STYLING BRYAN GOH HAIR CHRISTVIAN GOH/TRIMMINGS SALON & SPA, USING KEVIN.MURPHY MAKEUP MELISSA YEO/FAC3INC, USING NARS MODEL BOGLARKA/LOOQUE