Disappointing Bintan

I went to Bintan Lagoon Resort on Bintan Island, Indonesia for Chinese New Year (Feb. 7-10, 2008). To be precise, I went for the two days before CNY. The island is about one hour by high-speed ferry from Singapore's Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.

I had high expectations as people here in Singapore just kept telling me how nice, beautiful and relaxing the place was. Bintan is the place Singaporeans go when they want to get away form the hustle of the city. My vivid imagination was picturing a tropical paradise with desert white beaches, palm trees and crystal clear waters...

I got a wake up call as soon as we arrived at the ferry terminal in Bintan. Hordes of employees form the various resorts were waiting for even more tourists to be loaded on a bus and sent to their "holiday retreats." I was hoping for something less crowded, smaller establishments -- like those I found in Malaysia.

Next was the resort itself. It is a huge building with two wings - east and west. The room was old and damp. The bathroom had mold in several places and little ants were coming out of a hole near the basin. I know I am in a tropical region, but that was a bit too much. Luckily I did not see any other six-legged guests.

Food was another painful experience. The evening I arrived (Feb. 5), I had dinner at the Kopi-O restaurant. It turned out to be a buffet dinner with so many people that I could not relax and just had a steak from the a la carte menu and went back to my room (to tell the truth I also had some work to do...).

Breakfast was the same... just add dozens of children running and shouting...

The only positive note on the culinary front was the Surf & Turf restaurant on the beach. It's a restaurant where they serve only grilled seafood and meat. Hard to go wrong there... I decided to try it the second night and I had a huge lobster with a glass of white wine (water would have been a better choice). I felt much better.

For the rest, I spent most of my time strolling on the beach (get a strong sunblock -- equatorial sun BURNS!), which was the main point of going there.

To tell the truth I also went to Bintan because it is supposed to be a mecca for spa addicts like myself. I went to the Banyan Tree resort following the recommendation of the spa queen of the office. It was indeed a great experience, but it came at a steep price. I never paid that much for a massage in Singapore, not even at the Fullerton Hotel, which is not kown for its low prices.

Last but not least, I was glad I went back to Singapore on the first day of CNY. The place was stormed by hundreds of vacationeers in search of the tropical paradise... It looked like an ants nest...

The 1-billion-dollar question: Will I go there again? I don't know. Maybe one more time, at least to have a look at another resort. Though, I still feel I'd be way better off and satisfied if I went to some lesser known places.