As you may read in my previous blogpost, we spent the rest of our end of year holiday in Bintan which is only an hour ferry ride from Tanah Merah station in Singapore. Though the journey was pleasant and short, I was surprised to learn that Bintan is actually bigger than Singapore. Like way, way bigger. 😆😆 Since we only have 4 more days left, we took it real slow. Here's how slow we rolled.......
Lagoi Area
If you visit Bintan from Singapore by boat, Lagoi is going to be your first point of arrival. It is the closest point from Singapore. If you fly from Jakarta, your first point of arrival is Tanjung Pinang airport. From Tanjung Pinang to Lagoi will take you around 50 minutes drive.
Lagoi is a special area designated for 5 star accommodation establishments. The most iconic one at the moment is the Treasure Bay in which the resort has, as they claim, the biggest man-made swimming pool in South East Asia.
We stayed at Bintan Lagoon Resort (BLS). This 5 star resort is rather old, but for sure it's one of the biggest resorts that we have stayed so far. It has a basketball court, tennis court, huge golf court (arguably the biggest in the island), swimming pools, and many other facilities. It also has its own ferry port and it makes traveling from Singapore to Bintan comes handy.
The most impressive feature of the resort is of course the beach. It has a super soft powdered white sands (literally like a loose powder texture) and ridiculously calm turquoise blue water that often glistens charmingly from blue to green. The water is also very clean, I could even see my submerged feet under the water very clearly. Bintan, I am in love!
The resort also offers many different types of activities, that include riding ATV on the beach, visiting mangrove forests, snorkeling, etc. Since, we both were lazy bums, none of the aforesaid is our choice. We spent most of our days sun-basking on the beach, swimming, devouring literature books and yes, swimming again. But this time, in the pools. We, simply can't get enough of water. 😜😜
To roam the island one need to rent a car. But, please be mindful, especially if you're Indonesian, the prices in Lagoi are expensive. Renting a car for 8 hour a day without the driver and fuel can cost you around Rp. 800.000 (USD 50). This is double than usual Indonesian standard. Lucky for us, we managed to rent a car outside Lagoi area and got a very good deal (literally, half of that price!).
Penghujan Island
Bintan is surrounded by a number of smaller islands. Some are inhabited, some are for tourists only and some are totally uninhabited. We opted in to explore Penghujan island that is located not far away from Tanjung Uban. The reason is simply because it is not that touristic at all. So, we could see the other side of Bintan far away from the glitzy world of 5-star hotels.
To reach this place one need to cross the island using a small traditional wooded rift that, surprise-surprise, fits one Avanza car. At first, I was a bit scared to jump my feet into that rift. I was not convinced on how that thing could hold up a car and six people on top of that.
Thank heavens, all is well. Apparently, the rift did a good job. We arrived safe and sound. Phew, what a relief!😆😅
The island is inhabited by local people whose profession are mostly fishermen. They live really modestly in their typical Sumatran style wooden stilt houses which many of them are built on the brink of the river. The size of such houses varies as shown in the pictures below.
The road to roam the area is narrow and from what I've seen most of the area is not very developed. But it appears that such conditions does not deter the cheerfulness of local people especially children.
The local children here are not used to foreigners (like my brother in law who is of France origin). So, when they met him, they were glared with excitement, giggling, and running in circle with eyesight fixated on him as if they just met their biggest Hollywood idol. Barely spoken any English, the best vocabularies they threw were just "hello, mister", "how are you?" and "bye-bye". When they're done with their excitement, they just jumped into the water, like these two below.
We rested at a small traditional coffee house just before the sunset and just enjoyed the view and surroundings. The local coffee in Bintan is quite strong. I could not drink the coffee it as it makes my heart beats faster than usual. So I opted in for a coconut water, that is never harmful after all. *wink
The Residence Bintan
We spent the rest of our stay with our family at The Residence. It's another swanky resort located in Trikora beach area. You can click on the link above to know more about the resort.
We celebrated my brother-in-law's birthday and New Year Eve at this resort. At certain hour they had free cocktails on the beach accompanied by melodious serenade of tunes. If you are confident enough you can sing on the stage too.
What I love the most is the range of food. From French to Chinese cuisines, Japanese sushi to Indonesian food, your option is bountiful. Just, look at these happy faces. 😁😁
Lagoi Area
If you visit Bintan from Singapore by boat, Lagoi is going to be your first point of arrival. It is the closest point from Singapore. If you fly from Jakarta, your first point of arrival is Tanjung Pinang airport. From Tanjung Pinang to Lagoi will take you around 50 minutes drive.
Lagoi is a special area designated for 5 star accommodation establishments. The most iconic one at the moment is the Treasure Bay in which the resort has, as they claim, the biggest man-made swimming pool in South East Asia.
We stayed at Bintan Lagoon Resort (BLS). This 5 star resort is rather old, but for sure it's one of the biggest resorts that we have stayed so far. It has a basketball court, tennis court, huge golf court (arguably the biggest in the island), swimming pools, and many other facilities. It also has its own ferry port and it makes traveling from Singapore to Bintan comes handy.
 |
| the resort's exterior |
 |
| the golf court |
 |
| swimming pools |
The most impressive feature of the resort is of course the beach. It has a super soft powdered white sands (literally like a loose powder texture) and ridiculously calm turquoise blue water that often glistens charmingly from blue to green. The water is also very clean, I could even see my submerged feet under the water very clearly. Bintan, I am in love!
 |
| super super soft sandsss..... feeling so blessed.......... |
 |
| the amazingly calm waves |
The resort also offers many different types of activities, that include riding ATV on the beach, visiting mangrove forests, snorkeling, etc. Since, we both were lazy bums, none of the aforesaid is our choice. We spent most of our days sun-basking on the beach, swimming, devouring literature books and yes, swimming again. But this time, in the pools. We, simply can't get enough of water. 😜😜
 |
| ball on the pool |
 |
| breakfast view |
To roam the island one need to rent a car. But, please be mindful, especially if you're Indonesian, the prices in Lagoi are expensive. Renting a car for 8 hour a day without the driver and fuel can cost you around Rp. 800.000 (USD 50). This is double than usual Indonesian standard. Lucky for us, we managed to rent a car outside Lagoi area and got a very good deal (literally, half of that price!).
Other than car, food and drinks in Lagoi is also expensive. A small burger with fries costs around 20 USD. Unfortunately the price does not guarantee the quality of food, even when you stay at a 5 star hotel. So, we had to find elsewhere.
We visited Lagoi Bay area, near the Swiss Bell hotel, which is the One and Only, shopping complex in the area. It comprises of restaurants, foodcourts, souvenir shops, and many others. At night, there is a lantern show and you can enjoy beautiful lights adorning the sky.
To get to Lagoi Bay, we had to drive 8 km from our resort one way. The beach in Lagoi Bay is as beautiful as the one in front of our hotel. But, since it is a public beach, expect crowds during the day. For lunch we went to Warung Yeah located just in front of the beach. This restaurant serves delicious Western and Asian cuisines. For afternoon coffee we climbed upstairs to their rooftop bar to enjoy local brew accompanied by a jolly good view.
Infrastructure-wise, Lagoi is equipped with smooth, easy and holes-free roads. However, in general, I can safely say that the area is not well-illuminated. The scarcity of street lights is real. If you go outside Lagoi, it can get even worse. So, expect a complete darkness. Always use your car beam lights when traveling in the evening.
Another challenge when traveling in Bintan is the scarcity of an official fuel station. The nearest Pertamina gas station is about some 40 kms away. So, make sure you always fill it up when you pass one. Otherwise you have to be content to use Pertamini, a small independent fuel station owned by individual spread all over the island in which we cannot guarantee the quality of product they sell.
We visited Lagoi Bay area, near the Swiss Bell hotel, which is the One and Only, shopping complex in the area. It comprises of restaurants, foodcourts, souvenir shops, and many others. At night, there is a lantern show and you can enjoy beautiful lights adorning the sky.
To get to Lagoi Bay, we had to drive 8 km from our resort one way. The beach in Lagoi Bay is as beautiful as the one in front of our hotel. But, since it is a public beach, expect crowds during the day. For lunch we went to Warung Yeah located just in front of the beach. This restaurant serves delicious Western and Asian cuisines. For afternoon coffee we climbed upstairs to their rooftop bar to enjoy local brew accompanied by a jolly good view.
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| from the rooftop |
 |
| mural mural on the wall |
Infrastructure-wise, Lagoi is equipped with smooth, easy and holes-free roads. However, in general, I can safely say that the area is not well-illuminated. The scarcity of street lights is real. If you go outside Lagoi, it can get even worse. So, expect a complete darkness. Always use your car beam lights when traveling in the evening.
Another challenge when traveling in Bintan is the scarcity of an official fuel station. The nearest Pertamina gas station is about some 40 kms away. So, make sure you always fill it up when you pass one. Otherwise you have to be content to use Pertamini, a small independent fuel station owned by individual spread all over the island in which we cannot guarantee the quality of product they sell.
Alim Seafood Restaurant
Speaking of food, our trip is not going to be complete without trying out one of the most famous seafood joints in Bintan: Alim Seafood Restaurant. This restaurant is situated in Tanjung Uban area and is well-known for its original taste of Bintan cuisines and their independent lobster farm. The better news is they charge with decent price.
Trikora Beach
Here is another famous beach in Bintan. Trikora beach is actually within the same coastline as those beaches in Lagoi. But, due to the very limited infrastructure development outside Lagoi area, to get to this beach from Lagoi, one needs to drive through Tanjung Uban to get to Trikora. The journey takes around 60 km away (one way). There is no direct access from Lagoi to Trikora.
You may roll your eyes when you see the number of kilometre needed to reach this place. But, I can assure you the journey will take you less than an hour away. There is no traffic on the street. Just, don't forget to fill-up your fuel tank.
Adorned by stunningly beautiful hanging stones in its shoreline, Trikora beach is another white sand beach with calm water that one should not miss. The big difference between this beach and the ones in Lagoi is the price. You can find a number of accommodations that cost more than 50% cheaper than the ones in Lagoi. There are a few options of eco-friendly resorts too such as, Trikora Beach Club and Mutiara Beach Resort. I will deffo stay at one of these two when I revisit the island.
We spent one evening to visit Mutiara Beach resort to have a family barbecue. Here, you can bring your own fish and asked the staff to prepare the barbie equipments for you. There is a minimum charge though. You can put that on your drinks bill.
Speaking of food, our trip is not going to be complete without trying out one of the most famous seafood joints in Bintan: Alim Seafood Restaurant. This restaurant is situated in Tanjung Uban area and is well-known for its original taste of Bintan cuisines and their independent lobster farm. The better news is they charge with decent price.
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| the frontier |
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| local crab and veggies |
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| steamed fish is the famous dish from this restaurant |
Trikora Beach
Here is another famous beach in Bintan. Trikora beach is actually within the same coastline as those beaches in Lagoi. But, due to the very limited infrastructure development outside Lagoi area, to get to this beach from Lagoi, one needs to drive through Tanjung Uban to get to Trikora. The journey takes around 60 km away (one way). There is no direct access from Lagoi to Trikora.
You may roll your eyes when you see the number of kilometre needed to reach this place. But, I can assure you the journey will take you less than an hour away. There is no traffic on the street. Just, don't forget to fill-up your fuel tank.
Adorned by stunningly beautiful hanging stones in its shoreline, Trikora beach is another white sand beach with calm water that one should not miss. The big difference between this beach and the ones in Lagoi is the price. You can find a number of accommodations that cost more than 50% cheaper than the ones in Lagoi. There are a few options of eco-friendly resorts too such as, Trikora Beach Club and Mutiara Beach Resort. I will deffo stay at one of these two when I revisit the island.
We spent one evening to visit Mutiara Beach resort to have a family barbecue. Here, you can bring your own fish and asked the staff to prepare the barbie equipments for you. There is a minimum charge though. You can put that on your drinks bill.
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| My sister and Mom are preparing the fish and squids |
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| the ready-to-eat grilled squids |
Penghujan Island
Bintan is surrounded by a number of smaller islands. Some are inhabited, some are for tourists only and some are totally uninhabited. We opted in to explore Penghujan island that is located not far away from Tanjung Uban. The reason is simply because it is not that touristic at all. So, we could see the other side of Bintan far away from the glitzy world of 5-star hotels.
To reach this place one need to cross the island using a small traditional wooded rift that, surprise-surprise, fits one Avanza car. At first, I was a bit scared to jump my feet into that rift. I was not convinced on how that thing could hold up a car and six people on top of that.
Thank heavens, all is well. Apparently, the rift did a good job. We arrived safe and sound. Phew, what a relief!😆😅
The island is inhabited by local people whose profession are mostly fishermen. They live really modestly in their typical Sumatran style wooden stilt houses which many of them are built on the brink of the river. The size of such houses varies as shown in the pictures below.
The road to roam the area is narrow and from what I've seen most of the area is not very developed. But it appears that such conditions does not deter the cheerfulness of local people especially children.
The local children here are not used to foreigners (like my brother in law who is of France origin). So, when they met him, they were glared with excitement, giggling, and running in circle with eyesight fixated on him as if they just met their biggest Hollywood idol. Barely spoken any English, the best vocabularies they threw were just "hello, mister", "how are you?" and "bye-bye". When they're done with their excitement, they just jumped into the water, like these two below.
 |
| the girls in the water |
We rested at a small traditional coffee house just before the sunset and just enjoyed the view and surroundings. The local coffee in Bintan is quite strong. I could not drink the coffee it as it makes my heart beats faster than usual. So I opted in for a coconut water, that is never harmful after all. *wink
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| typical house in the island |
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| my husband and our driver 😁 |
The Residence Bintan
We spent the rest of our stay with our family at The Residence. It's another swanky resort located in Trikora beach area. You can click on the link above to know more about the resort.
We celebrated my brother-in-law's birthday and New Year Eve at this resort. At certain hour they had free cocktails on the beach accompanied by melodious serenade of tunes. If you are confident enough you can sing on the stage too.
What I love the most is the range of food. From French to Chinese cuisines, Japanese sushi to Indonesian food, your option is bountiful. Just, look at these happy faces. 😁😁
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