Untamed Travelling is the founder of the so-called “top trip,” an annual surprise trip to highlight its best retail partners and thank them for their loyalty. In 2024, the destination was spectacular and surprising: a combination of ever-bustling Singapore and paradisiacal Bintan Island.
In early December, Carla Koetsier (Travel Designer Asia) and Lieke Luxembourg (Account Manager Retail) of Untamed Travelling boarded Turkish Airlines with 10 top travel agents and flew via Istanbul to the metropolis of Singapore. The group formed a nice mix of both owners and managers of travel agencies and independent travel agents, including old acquaintances as well as new travel agents.
Singapore
We land early in the morning and are immediately greeted by the team at Capella Singapore. Capella is located on Sentosa Island, Singapore’s southernmost island, known for its theme parks and other attractions. Capella itself, however, is an oasis of tranquility amidst greenery overlooking the city and the bay, a great place for families and couples who want to explore Singapore but don’t want to stay in the middle of the crowds. The hotel combines colonial buildings with beautiful facades with a futuristic addition in an eight-shape (the symbol of infinity) plus a number of surrounding villas. Capella is a wonderful brand of hotel, really everything is right and the service is top notch. That afternoon we head straight into town for a “sidecar tour” in vespas with sidecars. A hilarious experience and a super fun first introduction to the city. In the evening we have dinner at Capella Cantonese restaurant, one of the best restaurants in Singapore.
Sandra Vestjens, Tui at Home: “The highlight of the trip for me was the stay at Capella and the food there. Unprecedentedly great! And also the sidecar tour was super fun!”
The next day we set out with a guide to explore two neighborhoods of the city: Chinatown with its colorful shophouses and Duxton, a hip neighborhood full of coffee shops and boutiques. We admire the beautiful street art and wander through the Hawker Centres where Michelin-quality street food is served. We sample delicious ramen dishes with tender beef and crispy shrimp at the world-renowned Bib Gourmand stalls of Hong Kee Beef Noodle and A Noodle Story. Next, we check into the Fullerton Hotel, a stately, classic hotel in the middle of the Marina Bay district. The perfect base from which to explore the city. We enjoy a Singapore Sling cocktail at their beautiful rooftop bar Lantern with breathtaking views of the bay and the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
Karen Mac-Lean, Travel XL Hillegersberg: “Untamed Travelling’s top trip is always one and only highlight; it goes on and on. Perfectly arranged! I hope I can go again next year”.
Saturday night in Singapore, we have to experience that! We start at the Gardens by the Bay, perhaps the city’s top attraction with a 30-meter waterfall and the supertree grove with futuristic trees where a light show takes place every night. Totally hot in Singapore right now are the “hidden restaurants” where you enter by invitation only. You walk into a store where the shelves are pushed away and a door emerges with a super hip restaurant behind it. A great experience and a tasting menu to lick your fingers at! After another late-night site inspection at the modern The Singapore Edition and a drink at their Punch Room, voted one of the World’s Best Bars, we plunged into the nightlife and ended up at Zouk, one of Singapore’s most popular nightclubs.
Up early again the next day for a tour of the colorful district of Katong where we take a fascinating tour of the Katong Antiques House. This is a traditional house that focuses on Peranakan culture (Singapore’s original inhabitants who are often a mix of Chinese, Malay and Indonesian descent) and we sample authentic Peranankan cuisine. Then we make our way to the ferry terminal for our next adventure.
Chantal van Stratum, Reismatch: “The top trip is really a super nice reward and appreciation. Great that Untamed Travelling does this! It was one big wonderful luxury indulgence, completely taken care of to perfection.”
Bintan Island
After only 45 minutes on the ferry, we set foot on Indonesian soil on Bintan Island. We are welcomed with open arms by the staff of The Sanchaya and immediately feel: this really is paradise! A beautiful white old colonial building with black and white furnishings, overlooking a pristine palm beach. We stay in beautiful suites, all part of villas surrounding the main building. The rooms have no number; the staff knows all the guests by name. The atmosphere is relaxed, so different from busy Singapore. There is plenty to do in and around the hotel. We take a boat trip through the mangrove, walk on the beach, join a yoga class, take a relaxing massage, get a consultation with a doctor specializing in Chinese medicine and enjoy the delicious cuisine. The last evening we have a “white night” with bbq by the pool where the chef prepares the most delicious Indonesian dishes on a Green Egg. We end the evening dancing on the beach to the beats of DJ Marielle Henzen.
After two nights in paradise, the ferry takes us back to Singapore where, after the many views of the iconic building, we now actually visit the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. This spectacular hotel is one of the most difficult hotels in the world to get a site inspection. Fortunately, our Virtuoso membership literally opens doors and we can get a peek into the presidential suite where Taylor Swift stayed just last month. We marvel at the famous infinity pool and have a glass of bubbly on the rooftop at Lavo. To top it off, we end our summit trip in style at the Fairmont / Swissôtel The Stamford. Their Dutch general manager joins us for a farewell dinner at Skai, Singapore’s highest restaurant. We couldn’t have wished for a better ending.
Mejasa Cerimovic From Travel Agency Cerimovic: “What a wonderful top trip it was again. We were again pampered by Untamed. I appreciate it immensely. How much we laughed and enjoyed every moment of this trip!”
Pure indulgence
Astrid Wemmenhove of Tui at Home was along for the first time on this year’s Summit trip: ‘I really like the cooperation with Untamed Travelling and therefore was thrilled to be invited to this trip. It was in one word a top trip. The surprising combination of destinations, eating at special locations, driving through Singapore by sidecar, sparring with like-minded colleagues and perhaps the absolute highlight: having drinks at the rooftop bar of Marina Bay (surely ‘the place to be’ in Singapore).”
Marion Niessen Nauta of The Travel Company was on the top trip for the third year in a row: “I really like working with fixed contacts, at Untamed there is so much knowledge and personal involvement. The top trip was pure pampering, from A to Z. Magnificent. Every year again! I will definitely bring this combination trip to the attention of my clients, I found it surprising that within one hour by boat you’re on such a magical island, with a completely different atmosphere than in metropolis Singapore. It was a succession of highlights: Capella Singapore on Sentosa felt like a warm bath, the first dip in that lovely pool after such a long journey and an insane room with a view of the city. The vespa ride through the city, how hilarious, the subsequent dinner top notch, and so this indulgence continued for four days. Bintan, a gem and the icing on the cake!”
It was also the first top trip for Yvonne Walters of Tui at Home: “The cooperation with Untamed is super. When there are ‘challenges’ you can reach them well, which is a real plus. Experienced colleagues with knowledge in house. I felt honored! The top trip was a fantastic insane surprise trip in which we were spoiled tremendously. My highlights were many: driving the sidecars through Singapore, hotel Marina Sands, Sanchaya Bintan Resort with the fun ‘White Party’, the closing dinner with a view from the Skai restaurant at the Fairmont / Swissôtel. I have already sold the combination Singapore and Bintan Island once by now!”
Mariëlle Henzen-Van Boeckel of Travel Team Oss: “For many years we have enjoyed working with Untamed Traveling. The expertise of their staff enables us to provide our customers with unique and special offers in the quotations. As a result, the number of successful requests with them is significant. I found the top trip to be a great experience full of wonderful accommodations, fun excursions and wonderful destinations. I greatly prefer unique restaurants and the like. Prior to my trip, I had discovered a “speakeasy” bar and then found out that Untamed Traveling had already included it in the program. It also ended up being a great place with particularly tasty food! In addition, I found hotel The Sanchaya on Bintan Island to really be a little paradise! Our last night there, with a self-organized iPad disco via a box on the beach, with all those wonderful, sweet and friendly colleagues, was absolutely unforgettable!”
