Where to stay in Bintan?

Bintan Island of Indonesia is just 20 kilometers south of Singapore and one of the most popular and nearest weekend getaway destination from Singapore. Compared to its neighbour Batam Island, Bintan is more popular and more known as family oriented holiday destination. Since there are ferries to the island from Johor Bahru, it is also a popular tourist destination for residents of this Malaysian City.

The answer to where to stay in Bintan question is quite easy for many : Bintan Resorts. This area is very different from the rest and is a man-made holiday destination on the island.

Bintan Resorts (Lagoi)
One of the best and nearest family oriented holiday destination near Singapore, Bintan Resorts cover entire northern coast of Bintan Island and is accessible from Singapore with a 45 minutes ferry ride departing from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. The area is separated from other parts of Bintan and is quite well developed in terms of tourism with its high quality beach resorts, villas and golf courses. The beaches are beautiful with white sands and most of the resorts are built to a high standard. If you are heading to here, a serene and nice holiday is guaranteed but do not expect to experience real Bintan here.

If you have time, Tanjung Pinang (the largest town in Bintan) is 2-hours drive from Lagoi where you can enjoy cheap shopping and tasty local fare.

Bintan Resorts (Lagoi) is 55 minutes ferry ride from Singapore. The largest town on Bintan, Tanjung Pinang, is just
2 hour drive from here.

Tanjung Pinang
Tanjung Pinang, on south of Bintan island, is the biggest town on Bintan Island and has ferry and speedboat connections to Batam, Singapore (40 km away), and Johor Bahru. Tanjung Pinang is a trading, shipping, shopping and tourism "seafood" center in the region. The town has many seafood restaurants, and prices are low by Singaporean (or even Western) standards.

Although the town is not the most popular place to stay in Bintan for an ordinary tourist, it is a departure point to other Riau Islands and fishing trips. For hotels in the town, you can check Tanjung Pinang Bintan Hotels page.

Trikora Beach
Trikora, on the northeastern coast of Bintan, is a long stretch of separate beaches, with beaches numbered from south to north as one to four (satu, dua, tiga, empat in Indonesian). The best known is Trikora Beach Four (Trikora Empat), which is the northernmost bit, right next to the "border" with Bintan Resorts. Bintan Agro Beach Resort & Spa is one of the most popular resorts on Bintan Island catering mostly to locals and Singaporeans.

For other hotels and resorts in Trikora, you can check Bintan Trikora Beach Hotels page.

If you are heading to Bintan from nearby Singapore, try to take advantage of many Bintan travel deals advertised on coupon sites. Most of these includes ferry plus hotel stay with some extras like shopping tours and dinner coupons.

For more details on Bintan Resorts, check our post about the place : Bintan Resorts (Lagoi).

Luxury island hotel getaways near Singapore

Singapore is a tropical island but is definitely not a beach, sea sports and nature type of tropical island destination. It is densely populated and has almost no beaches. But luckily there are some very nice island getaways from Singapore within a few hours away. We are not talking about Phuket, Koh Samui, Bali, etc. These are nearer.

Many of these relatively unknown islands offer one or more luxurious hotel accomodation which blend lavish forests and lovely beaches in a fantastic holiday. Here we have listed some of the best luxury island hotels these islands near Singapore. Some of these hotels are less than 1 hour ferry ride away!

Banyan Tree Bintan

Located in the northern coast of Bintan called Bintan resorts, Banyan Tree Bintan is just 45 minutes from Singapore by ferry but worlds apart from the busy life in Singapore. The resort is located on a hill overlooking the South China Sea and the private beach and is an all-villa resort. If you can afford it, it offers an unforgettable getaway.

Banyan Tree Bintan

Montigo Resorts Nongsa, Batam Island Indonesia
Just 45 minutes ferry ride away from Singapore, Montigo Resorts Nongsa offers a perfect gateway destination in Batam Island’s exclusive North-Eastern coast. This is an all villa resort and all villas are spacious and feature panoramic views of the beautiful sea.

Montigo Resorts Nongsa, Batam Island Indonesia

Japamala Resort by Samadhi Retreats, Tioman Island Malaysia
Tioman Island is one of the nearest and mosr popular tropical island getaway from Singapore. It can be reached by a bus + ferry ride or simply by 40 minutes flight (recommended).

5-Star Japamala Resort is the only boutique hotel on Tioman Island and the only resort in Malaysia chosen to be a member of the prestigious Relais & Chateaux. The rooms of this resort are surrounded by natural streams, steep cliffs, with Malay village styled villas and chalets designed to complement the surrounding natural elements. The combination of luxurious accommodations and fine dining facilities makes this resort the perfect place for a secluded getaway without compromising on comfort. Pure white beaches and gorgeous, glistening waters are just a part of the island’s charm. Guests can enjoy many activities on the island, including diving, beach combing, rock climbing and snorkelling.

Japamala Resort Seaview Sarang Villa

Datai Langkawi, Langkawi Island Malaysia

The Datai Langkawi is one of a kind. Conceived as a grand retreat, immersed in an ancient virgin rainforest, it is an icon of luxury. Its secluded villas are set on meandering paths leading down to a private bay and white sandy beaches, facing the Andaman Sea; the ultimate in peaceful perfection.

The Datai Langkawi received the Global Luxury Island Resort Award at The World Luxury Travel Awards 2012.

Datai Langkawi

Sibu Island Resort, Sibu Island Malaysia

Sibu Island is one of the nearest islands of Malaysia to Singapore which is only 3-4 hours bus drive + ferry ride away. Since it is not as big and established as Tioman, getting there on your own may be a problem but once you are there it offers a relaxed and quiet holiday destination.

Sibu Island Resort offers a quite a pleasant stay with activities like snorkeling, just lying on the beach and swimming. It is not the top notch like the other hotels in this article but offers the nearest island escape from Singapore.

Sibu Island Resort

Bintan Resorts (Lagoi)

Bintan Resorts refer to the area on the entire northern coast of Bintan Island. Also known as Lagoi, the area is separated from the rest of Bintan Island with a thick tropical forest and checkpoints. The area has a significantly better infrastructure and security compared to the "rest" and currently houses five independently owned and operated beach resorts, four golf courses, as well as several recreational facilities and attractions.

Bintan Resorts is truly a relaxed, tropical paradise right next to busy and urbanized Singapore. The area is very easily accessed from Singapore (see below) by a 55 minutes ferry ride from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal of Singapore to Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal serving the area.

How to get to Bintan Resorts?

There is a regular ferry service from Singapore to Bintan. The ferries, operated by Bintan Resorts Ferries, travel between Singapore's Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Bintan Resort's Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal. The travel time between these 2 points by ferry is around 55 minutes. A two way economy class adult ferry ticket price between Singapore to Bintan is 68.40. You can check the latest ticket prices here. In weekdays there are 5 departures from Singapore and 5 departures from Bintan per day the latest leaving Singapore at 20:00 and Bintan at 20:15 (Bintan time). In weekends there are 7 round-trips per day. You can see the Singapore - Bintan ferry schedule here.

There is also a ferry service from Batam Island (Telaga Punggur Ferry Terminal) to Bintan Resorts (Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal) which takes about 45 minutes.

Map showing where Bintan is as well as the ferry route between Singapore - Bintan Resorts
and Batam - Bintan Resorts. Bintan Island is just 45 km Southeast of Singapore
on the Northern Shores of Bintan Island, which forms part of Indonesia's
Riau Archipelago.

Bintan Resorts
Bintan Resorts is of course famous with its resorts. There is something for every budget in the area from family friendly relatively low cost hotel rooms to suites and private pool villas. Here is a list of these resorts (sorted by the distance from ferry terminal).

1) Nirvana Gardens Bintan Resort
Nirvana Gardens Bintan Resort offers 5 different holiday experiences:
Nirvana Resort Hotel is a family oriented 245 rooms & suites hotel offers something for every budget. Famous with its clear beach, wonderful sea view and food. It is a perfect short escape from everyday life of Singapore.

Nirwana Beach Club Cabana Resort offers water sports like jet skiing, kayaking and scuba diving; relaxed and laid back environment. Accommodation is Cabana and Cabana with Private Deck near a tropical beachfront. It is really kampong style!

Indra Maya Pool Villas offers 2 and 3 bedroom villa with private pools, spacious living areas and courtyards. For those who needs more space there is also a single 4 room private pool villa.

Villa-only Banyu Biru Hotel offers 2 bedroom villas (4 people) and 3 bedroom villas (6 people). It is more like a Chalet than hotel and good for a big family with young children.

2) Banyan Tree Bintan
All-villa Banyan Tree Bintan is a luxurious hideaway situated between the beauty of the South China Sea and a lush, natural rain forest. The hotel offers a perfect retreat for couples and honeymooners in elegant guest rooms that offer private pools, villas, satellite television and refrigerators. Western, Mediterranean and Southeast Asian cuisine are served at the Banyan Tree Hotel’s Crosswords restaurant.

3) Angsana Bintan
Nested on the white sands of Tanjong Said Bay, Angsana Bintan is one of the two high-end hotels in Bintan's Lagoi area operated by The Banyan Tree Group. The 4.5-Star luxurious hotel shares the same private beach with its all-villa sister, Banyan Tree Bintan. Angsana Bintan offers 106 rooms and suites, a majority of which offer a balcony view overlooking the South China Sea and offers a great place for a weekend getaway from the busy city life of Singapore.

4) Villa Aarya

What to do in Bintan Resorts
Many come to Bintan Resorts for luxurious hotels, white-sandy beaches and golf. Golf courses in Bintan are much cheaper than Singapore. You can also try different watersports. Other than these, there are numerous eco-tours such as PATA Gold Winner's Mangrove Tour and Firefly Night Tour. You can contact brctours@bintan-resorts.com for the tours.

How to find cheap Bintan holiday package?
Bintan Island is one of the most popular getaway destination from Singapore and is one of the most popular travel deal package destinations for coupon sides. You can check Deals.sg Travel deals page for latest travel deals which almost always include one or more Bintan Island deal (note that not all Bintan hotels and resorts are located in Bintan Resort area).

Banyan Tree Bintan

Bintan Island can be divided into 2 areas: The northern coast of Bintan called Bintan resorts and the rest. The rest is a typical Indonesian border island with fishing villages, electronic factories and local resorts. These two areas are separated from each other with a thick forest and check-points and are worlds apart in terms of infrastructure, security and utilities available.

Entire northern coast of Bintan Island is generally referred as Bintan Resorts (also known as Lagoi) and is full of expensive and luxury resorts catering mostly to tourists from nearby Singapore (45 minutes from Singapore by ferry). For most tourists, Bintan Island is a serene getaway from busy and crowded Singapore where they can simply enjoy lazy hours at the beach, spa, pool; play golf and pass time with water sports.

There are several high-end hotels in Bintan Island’s resort area such as The Nirwana Gardens Bintan Resort, Club Med Ria Bintan, Bintan Lagoon Resort and Bintan Lodge. The Banyan Tree Group operates two high-end hotels in Bintan Resorts area which share the same private beach: Villa only Banyan Tree Bintan and Angsana Bintan offering queen rooms, 1- and 2-bed suites.

Banyan Tree Bintan is located on a hill overlooking the South China Sea and the private beach. This is an all-villa resort and if you can afford it, it offers an unforgettable getaway. Reaching the resort is quite easy from Singapore: A high-speed catamaran will take 45 minutes to arrive from Singapore Tanah Merah ferry terminal to Bintan.

Banyan Tree Bintan resort is built in a lush rainforest with 50 to 100 years old trees nestled along the shore. The villas in the resort are built on stilts and inspired by the traditional fishing villages on Bintan Island. They offer tree-top experience just right next to nature. The resort offers Pool Villa - Seaview (From USD 390 per night), Pool Villa - Seafront (From USD 425 per night), Pool Villa - On-the-rocks (from USD 460 per night), One Bedroom Banyan Pool Villa (from USD 680  per night), Two Bedroom Banyan Pool Villa (from USD 765 per night) and Spa Pool Villa (from USD 1,130 per night).

Banyan Tree Bintan view from the sea.

Banyan Tree Bintan Deluxe Villa Exterior

Banyan Tree Bintan - Bayfront Pool Villa - Living Area

Dinner on the Rocks at Banyan Tree Bintan is a candlelit dinner set on dramatic rock
with a personal chef and waiter.

The resort is designed to be secluded. As we have written above, do not expect to experience local culture or visit rest of Bintan Island since the resort area is not designed in that way. If you are looking for a laid back, serene and lazy holiday in a tropical paradise which is not very far away, this resort is for you.

For those who are looking for a more reasonably priced experience, you can also try Banyan Tree Bintan’s sister on the same private beach : Angsana Bintan. Superior rooms start from From USD210 per night.