Bintan — An Impromptu Getaway 🇮🇩

“Do you want to go Bintan and do nothing???” isn’t an appealing line to convince anyone but it doesn’t take much to make me say ‘yes’ to a trip!

Spurred by the impromptu desire to get away, I booked this trip in less than an hour with 39 hours to go before departure.

Duration: 2D1N (13 – 14 Jan 2019)
Hotel: Bintan Spa Villa Beach Resort
Price: $104/night for Deluxe Apartment
(which is really just a room with 1 King size or 2 Twin Beds)

I chose this hotel because they had a complimentary shuttle service to and fro Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal only (1-hour ride) which saves you the trouble of haggling with local taxi drivers and worrying about being overcharged.

If you’re booking from an external provider (Agoda, Hotels.com, Expedia, etc), email sales@bintanspavilla.com at least 24 hours in advance to arrange for the complimentary shuttle service. Do note that it’s only for Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal so don’t arrive at the wrong ferry terminal if not you’ll have to pay for a cab!

Took the 2pm ferry from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal (~1-hour ride)

My first time sitting a ferry with a food kiosk inside. Of course, we HAD to sit right in front of it

1-hour van ride later and we arrived!!

Visual orientation of the whole resort. It’s pretty big! They also have a folder with all the activities and services they provide. Water sports are pretty pricey though – if I remember correctly it was SGD60++ for an hour of jet-skiing!

Checking into our ‘Deluxe Apartment’

The room is spacious and big! We were pleasantly surprised. The resort also kindly provides mosquito repellant + torchlight which we really appreciated. I HATE MOSQUITOES

The view from our balcony

Checking out the other end of the resort where the sea activities are

Clear blue skies!! Perfect to get a sun burn

First time doing stand up paddling! IDR308,000/hour (~SGD30.80) It’s really pricey but heck, I’m on a holiday!

Looks all calm and serene but though it was shallow, the waves were CHOPPY AND I WAS STRUGGLING TO PADDLE AGAINST THE WIND

Exhausted from all that paddling but this picture was necessary for me to relive the memories

Beautiful sunset

We had nothing planned for the night so we were kinda suckered into going for the Mangrove Firefly Tour (IDR374,000/pax; ~SGD37.40/pax). I wasn’t too keen cause I’ve been on a mangrove tour before, seen fireflies elsewhere and I wasn’t too excited about the price point but my friend had never seen fireflies before so we went. We were the only ones so it was like a private tour for us!

Learnt about the ‘kelongs’ (an offshore platform) and the history of the sea gypsies that live there

The beginning of the (silent) mangrove tour! Went about trying to spot snakes, monkeys, fireflies, crabs, and other insects

Mud crabs! The moon was pretty bright so we couldn’t see the fireflies shine at its brightest but it was still a cool experience!

Back at the resort for dinner; such pretty décor

Butter oatmeal squid (IDR120,000) + a friend at the back

Clams (IDR99,000 – IDR33,000/100g)

Belacan Kangkung (IDR85,000)

Grilled Snapper (IDR105,000 – IDR35,000/100g)

Dinner for 2: IDR917,400 (Inclusive of tax)
We ordered 5 dishes + 1 mint cooler + 2 glasses of wine for ~SGD91.74. 😯 Prices are about the same in Singapore so don’t expect a cheap meal here! Food was alright, ambience was great.

Monday morning:

Breakfast time! Transportation + breakfast is included in your stay

Apart from a really mini buffet area, you get to pick 1 main. I guess it differs every day

Free flow waffles! These were nice and thick

The dining area

We had a good few hours to chill before checking out so off to the beach to suntan!

The beach bar

A definite must-have when in Indonesia but this wasn’t cheaper. It was ~SGD3.50, about the same price in Singapore

A little hangout area

Jacuzzis!! The blue one is the Hot Pool and the white one is the Cold Pool. Although I think it should be called the Warm Pool and Really Cold Pool

Dipped myself in the Really Cold Pool for 1 second and hopped out to hog the Warm Pool

Trikora Fried Rice (IDR90,000); ate lunch at the resort cause we had nowhere else to eat

So that’s it! Although it was just 2D1N, it was good enough for a sun-kissed recharge. When I left I was already thinking of all the other friends I could come with — I really enjoyed doing nothing!

Total damage done: ~SGD396.14 for 2 pax (SGD198.07/pax)
Prices correct as at 14 Jan 2019;
exchange rate of IDR10,000 = SGD1 used for easier calculations

For SUP & the mangrove tour, price is inclusive of a 10% GST (goods and services tax)

Bintan Expenses

If you’re in need of a quick getaway from Singapore, I recommend Bintan Spa Villa Beach Resort. Albeit a little pricey (that’s usually the case for most resorts), it’s a great place do nothing, relax, recharge and just stare at the sea. You can choose to skip the paid activities and it’ll become an affordable trip.

If you go during weekdays, it’s even better cause there aren’t many tourists there. We only saw 4 – 5 families and it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. You can read my TripAdvisor review here for more info that I didn’t put here.

Tip:

Go on weekdays (if you can)
Bring your own snacks/entertainment

I went back to Bintan again in March but this time to Club Med! (Couldn’t get enough of Bintan ever since this trip) It’ll be up in a bit but before that will be about my time in Japan.

Till then!

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One response to “Bintan — An Impromptu Getaway 🇮🇩”

Paradise 1 Hour Away: Club Med Bintan 🇮🇩 – Bed for One

November 18, 2019 at 4:33 pm

[…] spending less for a place like Bintan, you can check out my time at Bintan Spa Villa Beach Resort here. There isn’t much to do but that’s the whole idea when people go to Bintan, isn’t […]

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