Checking Out : Pulorida Island, Pantai Kelapa Tujuh @ Merak (West Java)
So this was what happened when we tried to travel out of Jakarta during the one-week Hari Raya holiday last month.
You see, the initial plan was to have a day out at Anyer Beach, West Java.
But alas, the traffic towards Anyer was bad!Sand. Sun. Friends. Bodyboarding. Coconuts. Perhaps a good massage.
But alas, the traffic towards Anyer was bad!
And I mean, really bad.
Seemed like the hundreds and thousands of Indonesians who’re enjoying their one-week Hari Raya holiday really went out to all corners of our local places =)
So, not wanting to be stuck in traffic for another 3-4 hours (not counting the hours and hours needed to drive back to Jakarta), we turned back against the heavy traffic and went towards Merak instead.
We googled and found a spot called ‘Pantai Kelapa Tujuh’, Pulorida at Merak.
Let’s go there instead, we thought!
Once we got there, first thing that struck our eyes : the CROWD WAS HUGE!
Seriously, there were like thousands and thousands of people.
People by the beach, people sitting on mats. People everywhere.
So, what did we do?
We asked around and found out that there’s an island nearby.
There’re chartered boats available, and the boatmen said, the island is just some 8-10 mins away.
So, we chose to check out the island!
We bargained and agreed on Rp20,000 per adult (SG$2), and Rp5000 per child (SG$0.50) for a two-way trip by boat.
The deserted island is called ‘Pulorida’, I think.
Honestly I wasn’t too sure if Pulorida is the name of the deserted island OR the name of the beach area =)
Well, one thing is for sure though, it is totally deserted.
I mean, there’re NO shops, NO facilities. Just a tiny little island.
We were there for a good 2 hours under the sun.
Really, really UNDER THE SCORCHING SUN!
It was glary and it was very warm, but somehow it didn’t matter =)
The kids and their friends built sand castles, complete with tunnels.
The boys made their version of forts and castles and put their hermit crabs on them.
(Anya, Vai and Brie bought 3 tiny hermit crabs for just Rp5000. We released them on the beach before we left the island)
Anyway.
Here’s my verdict:
Perhaps Pantai Kelapa Tujuh is not all that bad if WITHOUT the huge Hari Raya crowd.
Because seriously, it was really really crowded, and one sad part about it was, I saw piles and piles of rubbish everywhere =(
Sigh. I guess it’s not totally the beach visitors’ fault since I myself couldn’t find rubbish bins anywhere?
We carried our rubbish in plastic bags and threw them in a bin that we FINALLY found quite a distance away from the beach.
Another challenging thing about our beach visit was the ‘wash area’.
It was more for washing your feet, and it’s far from clean.
Again, it was probaby because of the huge crowd that day?
Now.
Would I recommend this beach to you?
Errr, it’s hard to say, because I haven’t seen it without the crowd.
Perhaps it IS a nice white-sand beach.
The Pulorida island itself is nice. I like it.
(Tips: Rent a rattan mat before leaving by boat towards the beach. You’ll need the mat when you want to rest and sit down under the trees on the island)
And one last thing, I’d strongly recommend this:
Do AVOID visiting such beaches and places of interest during the one-week Hari Raya holiday!
Well, unless you don’t mind heavy traffic jams and huge crowds everywhere =)
PS: If you do check out this beach on days OTHER than the Hari Raya holiday, do share your story and photos with me yeah. I’d love to hear about it! =)
