Bintan Resorts
From MaxTravelz
Bintan Resorts, also known as Lagoi, is the northern part of the Indonesian island of Bintan.
Contents |
Understand
Bintan Resorts is a colony of Singapore in all but name, full of expensive resorts and manicured lawns. Very much a family-oriented resort, there is little to do here but laze by the beach, golf and maybe dabble in watersports. The area is separated from the rest of Bintan by barbed wire, checkpoints and armed guards.
Get in
Bintan is an island with no airport, so your only choice of arrival is by boat. Most travelers arrive from Singapore.
Bintan Resort Ferries has 5-7 departures daily from Singapore's Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to Bandar Bentan Telani at the western tip of the Resorts. You can obtain an Indonesian visa on arrival here. The trip takes 45 minutes and costs S$47.20/33.10 one-way return peak (Fri-Sun), S$36.20/25.10 off-peak; note that it's often cheaper to buy a package tour with lodging included.
Get around
By bus
An overpriced shuttle bus ferries visitors from ferry terminal to the resorts. Services are timed to meet feeries and cost S$3-5 one-way, S$5-9 return.
By car
Indorent has the monopoly on car rental in Bintan Resorts and charges accordingly. A full day's car rental will cost you S$100/130 with/without driver.
By taxi
Indorent monopolizes taxis too. The shortest trip costs S$10, while one-way transfer out of Bintan Resorts to Trikora/Tanjung Pinang is an extortionate S$60/55.
See
As a destination, Bintan Resorts is rather artificial and the water is a mite murky, but the beaches are much better than anything in Singapore and some of the resorts are very good.
Do
Golf is popular, with several excellent golf courses charging much lower prices than in neighboring Singapore. Watersports of all sorts are also popular, although the scuba diving here is lacklustre.
Note that during the northeast monsoon (November until March), there is usually quite a bit of wave action on the beach. This is good for surfing and bodyboarding, but not good for most anything else.
Buy
In Bintan Resorts, Indonesian rupiah are practically useless, all prices are denoted in Singapore dollars and cash payment is expected in dollars. Prices are expensive compared to Singapore and very expensive compared to almost anywhere else in Indonesia. You also need to add 10% tax and 10% service charge to almost anything you buy.
- Pasar Oleh-Oleh. . This cluster of huts offers Indonesian goods at inflated prices, but it's still cheaper than the hotel gift shops and minimarts. Two-way shuttle transfer from most resorts for S$2.
Eat
- Hello-Hello Restaurant. In Pasar Oleh-Oleh. Offers authentic Indonesian food at almost-reasonable prices. Figure on S$10-20 per head for a full meal.
Drink
Bintan Resorts' nightlife is limited to hotel bars.
Talk
Bintan Resorts' sole industry is tourism, so English is widely understood.
Sleep
Budget
There is no budget accommodation available in Bintan Resorts.
Midrange
- Mana Mana. Tel. +65-6339-8878, . The cheapest digs in town, the chalets (beachside huts) here can fit three, offer air-con and attached bathroom, and go for S$100/74 peak/off-peak. The resort has no pool, but the beach is pretty good and this is the local hub for watersports like surfing and boating.
Luxury
Bintan Resorts is chock full of luxury resorts.
- Banyan Tree Bintan. Tel. +62-770-693-100, . The most opulent option, all accommodation here is in private villas, with jacuzzi-equipped villas going for US$350++ and pool-equipped villas for a whopping US$750++ and up (discounted rates, not rack). The kind of place for a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon.
Stay safe
Behind its barbed wire Bintan Resorts is, like its mothership Singapore, stultifyingly safe. You can even drink the tap water.
Get out
External links
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