I was thinking what i should use as the first photograph for my review on Angsana Bintan but i figured a picture of the cloud, the sea and the sky would likely appeal more than just a shot showing the a rather dimly lit main resort lobby.
Upon arrival at the seventeen year-old resort via the shuttle bus, you would be given a cold towel, a small glass of drink (content of which i couldn't remember which indirectly translates into i-don't-like-it) and a piece of cake.
Check-in, by right, was from 3pm and although it would infer plenty of time to check out the surroundings, i am with a group of fun-loving friends that hailed from my polytechnic days and community bonding is very much required.
Therefore, pictures taken were all over the place and i think it's best to categorise them for ease of reference. This is not the first time i am doing it and being a simple man; i would just put them as room, breakfast, amenities, the beach and activities.
Room
Most rooms were located in this 4-storey wing and i would strongly suggest you request for a room that's the lower number of the hundred; i.e. 401, 305, 202 instead of 432, 329, 230. Trust me, you have to run a long way if your room is at the end of the never-ending corridor!
402 - my assigned room which was super near the main lobby and it's all for me as my room mate couldn't make it for the trip! It may sound amazing to have the whole room for myself yet there's a teeny weeny problem; i don't dare to sleep alone when i am overseas....
Thinking it would be an opportunity for an inaugural sleep-alone-in-a-hotel/resort experience, i didn't get a chance as i eventually slept on the comfortable couch in another friend's room after downing quite a few cans of beer!
What's inside the closet? Bathing robe, safe, slippers etc. Umbrellas are important given the erratic temperature that's similar to Singapore. One moment sunny and the next moment, it's raining.
Guess you don't need explanation on what the above is for.
Every room had a balcony which was used mainly as a smoking area for some of my friends. It's actually nice to have a cup of tea at the balcony when it's raining cats and dogs.
View at the balcony.
Bathroom - noted a similarity? Orange is the main theme for the resort's guest rooms and for someone who has always preferred bright, white walls, it was relaxing and with the scent coming from aromatherapy burner, i believe i can easily doze off without much effort.
This was a real plant by the way.
Toiletries that were nicely packed in a good quality pouch; sadly, you cannot bring back the pouch unless you pay for it. I usually don't use any of them although i will bring back the shower cap.
A resort is for you to truly let go of yourself and de-stress and i guess a bathtub in the room would help towards achieving that goal.
Normally, the shampoo, bath gel and conditioner would be in plastic bottles but right here at Angsana Bintan, they were contained in individual porcelain containers; hence reducing the resort's carbon output. p.s. I totally immersed myself in the fragrance of the bath gel and lamented that i didn't have an empty plastic bottle to bring some back! I am usually not that cheapo!
Pretty sand-filled handcrafted starfish keepsake on the bed - it's free for you although you may wish to note that 14,000 rupiah a night would automatically be added to the bill as contribution to the Green Imperative Fund; you can choose to opt out even though it's seriously not much.
Breakfast
Your morning buffet meal would be taken at this open air, high ceiling restaurant (known as Lotus Cafe) located just a staircase down from the main lobby. It's the same place where i had mie goreng for lunch the day before.
I am going to be lazy and let the above photographs do the talking. There was a wide variety including local Indonesian breakfast offerings (lontong, bubur etc). Please make a beeline for freshly squeezed fruit juice which was surprisingly included in the buffet too!
No review on the respective dishes as i didn't have appetite that morning and only had a Moroccan omelette which tasted heavy of cumin; not my cup of tea.
Amenities
The Angsana Spa was listed as number one in Bintan on tripadvisor and my friends who signed up for their services were impressed. For stingy me, my money was spent on the much cheaper D'Bintan Spa at the local market.
Decent sized gymnasium for the rats. In addition to bottled water and towels, i noted green apples were also placed at one corner who health conscious rats.
Recreation Lounge with dart board, table tennis, pool table, board games and bean bags. This would be popular with those who came to escape the cold in their country. For Singaporeans, air conditioning is essential until the night falls.
Nevertheless, should the mood be there, you can always be assured of chilled infused water to cool down your body!
We had been concentrating on the indoor amenities so far and it's time we pay a visit to the great outdoors where many occupants would likely be at.
Main resort pool with a Jacuzzi section!
Pool counter where you can also get infused water, bath towels and even a couple of novels to waste your afternoon away!
These pinkish sachets were actually insect repellents and they were freely distributed to guests. There's supposedly sandflies on the beach although i didn't encounter any.
Left of the resort, hidden at a corner, was an infinity pool that looked out into the sea. Strangely, it wasn't indicated on the resort's map.
It's pretty isolated and most occupants of Angsana Bintan didn't seem to be aware of it. As it's right next to the connected Banyan Tree Resort, it could be reserved for Banyan Tree guests. However, i didn't see any sign.
Beach
Coming to the beach - now, i have been to Bintan on quite a few occasions (Bintan Lagoon Resort, Bintan Cabana Beach Resort) and although the beaches were generally better than Singapore, they couldn't be compared to the breathtaking ones at Maldives.
This would be one of the nicer pictures taken at high tide. As it was the tail-end of the annual monsoon season, the water was still relatively choppy.
With rocky outcrops, i am aware it would be a good place to snorkel and i wasn't disappointed even though it wasn't a lot. It's a pity i ran of my battery for my underwater camera and couldn't share more of the underwater world.
View at low tide was a different story altogether.
Despite the lack of sun to tan my skin, it's still a nice place to laze around and have the gentle sea breeze brushing against the tired soul residing in many urbanites.
More pictures for your viewing pleasure.
Boardwalk to the left of the resort, in front of the infinity pool, was a great photo spot and selfie-wannabes should seriously check it out!
Numerous warning signs were put up to deter people from climbing, stepping and / or walking on the rocks as they were slippery!
Dead corals.
Photographs taken on the boardwalk - as you can see, there were many rocks surrounding the boardwalk and it's tempting to step / walk / climb on them for better photos!
I did towards the end of the boardwalk and almost slipped! Fortunately i was careful and didn't suffer any injury. Others might not be so lucky.
Crab in the water!
Notice the oily streaks in the water? It would bring me to notify would-be occupants of a precautionary message pertaining to tar balls.
They actually came from merchant ships and had affected the condition of the beach. A famous blogger had in fact complained about it as her clothes were apparently stained by it.
It was serious enough for the resort management to issue a statement and inform guests in each room about the situation. A friend actually had her clothes stained by the tar and the resort managed to clean it up and returned back to her in a speedy two hours' time!
Activities
As the resort was relatively isolated with the main town quite a distance away, you would need activities to keep you occupied, especially if you would be staying there for a number of days!
Daily activities were listed near the reception counter and you may wish to note that advance booking might be required for some and some activities would have a charge.
You may also refer to the comprehensive list above which would include the prices per person for chargeable activities. I would strongly encourage you to book way in advance as available slots for popular activities (for example, ATV) can be taken up pretty quickly.
Some activities like jet ski, snorkeling would depend heavily on weather conditions.
The Conservation Lab would be of interest to animal lovers as we noticed a tank filled with ultra cute baby sea turtles! To view more pictures, click here.
Need sunblock? Get it from the Conservation Lab.
Marine Centre next door would be the place for you to sign up for activities like snorkeling, banana boat, water skiing, jet ski, ATV, windsurfing, kayaking, fishing tour etc. You can click the above photo and zoom in for the listing including their corresponding pricing.
Want to save some money? Go for the frisbee or have a game of beach paddle tennis! The equipment were placed in front of the Conservation Lab.
Aqua aerobics for those who want to shake it, shake it in the main pool!
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Location
Jalan Teluk Berembang Laguna Bintan,
Lagoi 29155 Bintan Resorts Indonesia
Resort Map
As above.
Website
More Information
For operating hours of the amenities and restaurant, please check out the above.
To read more on my 2 days, 1 night itinerary to Bintan, click here.
To read more on my 2 days, 1 night itinerary to Bintan, click here.
