Bintan Island, Indonesia

Bintan Island, Indonesia, is only a short ferry ride from Singapore. It is a popular spot for Singaporeans and residence of Singapore. There are many great hotels and resorts on the island; however, Bintan Lagoon Resort came recommended by friends, so I thought I would try it out for myself. 

Visa

Do you need a visa to Indonesia? Well, then find out online by checking out ivisa website. It is by far the easiest way to purchase a visa; all you have to do is fill out the necessary information and apply online. It is as easy as that!

Insurance

SafetyWing is the world’s first International Travel Medical Insurance developed to meet the needs of entrepreneurs and remote workers travelling or living abroad worldwide. I can not recommend travel medical insurance enough! For those who are going to be away for long periods, live and work abroad or are a nomad traveller.

Security

Everyone is at risk everywhere you travel to, but you need not worry anymore. Because by using RFID SHIELD, there is no risk anymore. By using this product, you will be able to block anyone from trying to scan your passport or credit cards.

What to pack for Bintan Island resort

• Swimmers, flip-flops or sandals, sunscreen, sunglasses and hat
• sneakers
• a good book
• casual clothes for nightly restaurants
• camera
• sports clothes 
• snacks
• toiletries (the resort offers limited toiletries in the room)
• Getting to Bintan Island

Bintan Lagoon Resort has its ferry terminal, so you can hop off and be at the check-in counter in less than a few minutes — remember that the direct service does not operate between January and March, as it is monsoon season. Book your ferry ticket early as tickets get booked out quickly in peak season. 

Other Ferry options for Bintan Island resort

Bintan Resort Ferries operates between Singapore and Bintan Island; there is a complimentary coach service from the ferry terminal to the Bintan Lagoon Resort. There are two types of classes, Emerald class and economy class, which is okay but can busy so get there early. Try and check-in early so you won’t be too long, do not forget to bring your passport and visa (if required) as you are heading into Indonesia.

The best time to visit Bintan Island Resort

The best time to visit is between March and October. However, if a little bit of rain doesn’t bother you, then December as most of the time the weather is excellent, you may have a few wet patches.

Bintan Lagoon Resort Accommodation

We chose to stay in a beach facing room. Which for us was perfect; we love looking out at the ocean each day. The room was a little tired (with both our air conditioning and bathtub leaking), but it was clean, and the bed was comfortable. As there were 5 of us, we booked two rooms which were perfectly fine, and all our children are teenagers, so we fitted in nicely.

Pools around Bintan Lagoon Resort

There are two pools to enjoy for all guests; however, if you choose one of the private villas, then you may want to relax in your private pool. The main pool has a swim-up bar, which is so busy you may be required to wait a while to get your drink, at any time of the day. Please note this is by far the most bustling place to swim so it does get busy, so you may need to do a few laps before you find yourself a sun lounger. I have to admit the lounge chairs were a little tired, but the view was gorgeous, so it evened out in the long run.

The other pool is a family pool, and it comes with a waterslide! Don’t be fooled though the waterslide is hard to manoeuvre. If you don’t get the sliding correct, you will end up getting stuck halfway (it is funny to watch though). This pool was less crowded than the other pool, and this seems to be the case every day. It is also very close to the leisure centre, so it is a convenient place to park yourself for the day.

Bintan Lagoon Resort private beach

This beach was my favourite spot, the water was pristine, and the waves were minimal. Bintan Lagoon Resort’s private beach was never overly busy. However, there aren’t that many lounge chairs, so again arriving at the beach early enough to grab a chair is a good idea. The only thing I would suggest is, consider where you might like to have lunch as the restaurant is a little too fancy by the beach to walk in, and order take away.

Free Activities at Bintan Lagoon Resort

Leisure Centre includes Pool Table, Table Tennis, board games, kids play centre, boche and the gymnasium.

outdoor activities include Volleyball and soccer and a basketball hoop in the pool

Paid Activities at Bintan Lagoon Resort

Indoor activities include karaoke, batik painting and paintball.

Outdoor activities include ATV, archery, golf, golf buggies, bike tours, jet skis, paddle boats, kayaks and tennis.

Restaurants at Bintan Lagoon Resort

There are a few different types of restaurants on the Bintan Lagoon Resort, we ate at almost every one of them. Our favourite was the Teppanyaki restaurant, but we also enjoyed the bar food found at the Terrace Sports bar. I do have to warn you, we found the food more expensive than Singapore, and after we left, people had suggested eating outside of the resort for that reason. We spent more on food than on the accommodation, so perhaps the packages they offer (with food included) might be more cost-effective if you choose not to leave the hotel (as we did).

GOLF ON BINTAN ISLAND

There is a golf course on the resort, and it seems to be busy. However, my husband chose to meet some friends at Ria Bintan, and he wasn’t disappointed. Most people come to Bintan Island to play golf for the day, and they usually choose Ria Bintan.

BINTAN LAGOON RESORT REVIEW 

THE PROS

The location is excellent, even arriving on the public ferry we were there in no time, Bintan is much bigger than I had ever imagined. Hence, being close enough to the ferry terminal, we didn’t spend much time travelling.

Having a private beach was also lovely; the water was clear and waking up to an ocean view is always a bonus for me. There is nothing more relaxing than an ocean view.

If relaxation is your main priority then this is a fantastic place to be, we did switch off and relax (the lack of wifi also helped here), we were utterly rejuvenated when we left.

There were a lot of choices for food and for things to do. Whether it was raining or the sun was shining, we were never bored. We also had the luxury of choosing a different cuisine every night, so we were not spoilt for choice.

THE CONS

The resort itself is a little tired; it was probably fantastic 20 years ago. Our airconditioning leaked every night, so we had to either wake up to a puddle each morning. Or turn it off and sweat through the night. The bath also leaked so we could only have showers, the staff were friendly and said they would fix it (which they probably did once we left, because it wasn’t set while we were there).

The staff were friendly but were definitely on island time, at one stage I waited at the pool bar for 25 minutes for a bottle of water and a sprite and then was told that the sprite had run out. It was the same at night in the restaurants; we had to walk out of one because we waited so long our hair was turning grey.

Our Teppanyaki dinner cost more than our accommodation. The food was lovely, but the cost was so unexpected, considering we were in Indonesia and a tired resort.

Overall I would say that we had a fabulous time, the weather was great, the staff were friendly, but the resort was tired. Would I come again? Probably not, I feel I have ticked the box on this one for sure!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I/we may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see my/our full disclosure for further information.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE..WHAT TO DO IN BATAM FOR THE WEEKEND