JmaX

Yours truly visited the sunny island of Bintan in Indonesia recently from 20th-22nd May.

Picture 1: As most of you would know, Indonesia is the land of the Garuda (or Eagle).
Picture 2: Bintan Ferry Terminal.

Picture 3: Bintan Lagoon Resort reception.
Picture 4: Deluxe Sea View Facing Room. The newly renovated decor (no picture) is even nicer than this.

Picture 5: Can you believe it, this cost SG$3.00 from the resort’s minimart.
Picture 6: View of the resort from the front field.

Picture 7: Open-concept massage pavillion facing the beach on one side, and the resort on the other.
Picture 8: Looks familiar?

Picture 9: The resort’s very own beach.
Picture 10: Trust me, the sand’s so fine and soft I could lie in it! This is what I call the true Island Life. Learn from it Sentosa!
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We went out of the resort a few times, even out of the Bintan Resorts area once.

Picture 11: Pasar Oleh Oleh… THE tourist trap.
Picture 12: Boring as hell, you can finish walking in 15min. The only thing useful about this place is the minimart where you can stock up on your snacks instead of paying exorbitant prices at the resort minimarts.

Picture 13: I saw this on sale at most of the souvenir shops… There were ashtrays, and even keychains of it.. Quite disturbing I must say.
Picture 14: Bintan Resorts’ Mangrove Tour. We didn’t go though.

Picture 15: A small local beach kampong outside of the Bintan Resorts grounds.
Picture 16: The local town west of Bintan, 20min drive out of the Bintan Resorts area.

Picture 17: A new kelong resort out of the Bintan Resorts area, yet to open its doors to the public.
Picture 18: The local beach, very different from what you see at the resorts.
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My impression of Bintan is that it’s best to go there simply only for a resort beach holiday. The local grounds resemble whatever you see in malaysia, and the biggest town of Tanjung Pinang is too expensive (SG$88 with a total travelling time of 3+hrs to and from) to travel from the Bintan Resorts area. The pricing for rooms may see decent and quite affordable, but everything else costs mony money money. You can easily be spending more on the food and activites above everything else.

Picture 19: The ferry home. We could see our ‘Big Wheel’.
Picture 20: Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.
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The next time I go Bintan, I’m sticking to having it as a resort holiday~