Bintan Travel and Holiday Guides.
A holiday guide with photos about visiting the Indonesian Tropical Island of Bintan.
Briefly about Bintan. The Indonesian holiday island of Bintan is located around 40
kilometres from Singapore and is easily reached from that island by ferry - these
fast ferries typically take around an hour to
make the trip from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal across the Straits of Singapore to Bandar Bentan Telani in Bintan
and they run several times a day. A return ticket is just under SGD $50 and it is worth booking in advance during
busy periods. The island was once help by the Portuguese in the 1500s and then by the Dutch and English as it's
value as a trading port was recognised by the then European Powers - it is now part of the Riau Islands Province
of Indonesia.
There are the 400 metre high remains of an extinct volcano on the island and Bintan has an area of 1866 square
kilometres.
Bintan has something of a split nature - Bintan Resort located on the northern part of Bintan is a complex
of often fairly expensive hotels and championship grade golf courses and is widely used by the better-off people of
Singapore for weekend relaxation as well as a popular destination by holidaymakers from Europe etc. who want some
luxury on holiday. This exclusive area is in fact guarded by fences and guards to keep anyone else out, although you
don't notice this from within the resorts. The rest of the island is much more low-key with quite a few factories
as well as small fishing villages and several quiet beaches.
Transfers: The holiday resorts all provide free coach transfers from and return to the ferry
terminal. When you leave the terminal you will find representatives from all of the resorts who will direct you
to the correct coaches.
Visas: Visas can be obtained on arrival at the ferry terminal. A maximum 7 day visa is
USD $10 and a maximum 30 day visa is USD $25. These are single entry visas.
(note: all prices quoted on our Bintan topic are as of November
2008 and just offer guidance - they are of course subject to change. (USD=
United States Dollar and SGD= Singapore Dollar)
Getting Around.
Taxis. If you do decide to leave the resort you will find the taxis are quite expensive,
probably more in line with Singapore type prices than Indonesian. The nearest town of any size is about 90 minutes by taxi from
the resort area and will cost about SGD $50 each way. The Elephant Park is SGD $25 each way.
Car Rental: Car hire on the island is very
competitive - the cars usually come with drivers and will cost around SGD $140 per day for a 7
seat Toyota or Suzuki if arranged through the hotel.
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Bintan's Beaches: The gorgeous beaches
which can be found in the resort area are of white sand and look out
onto the South China Sea. The beaches are cleaned every morning and there are lifeguards on jet skis provided by the
hotels. There are plenty of water sports available, from wind surfing at around SGD $35 per hour and sea Kayak hire
at approx SGD $10 per hour, to jet ski hire at approximately SGD $75 for 30 minutes. You can also arrange boat charters
for SGD $150 - $200 per hour for a large group of people or go out on a sea fishing trip for approx SGD $60 for 3 hours.
Golf: Bintan has some fantastic golf courses, some of which have been designed by the likes of Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, and are championship standard. Playing alongside the South China Sea, on a perfectly designed and managed course, in the Indonesian sunshine, is something any golfer must try if they get the chance. An example of green fees would be: SGD $140 for 18 holes at the weekend on the Jack Nicklaus course at the Bintan Lagoon Resort plus SGD $40 - $50 for club rental.
Bintan accommodation, Food and Drinks: Bintan's Hotels are quite expensive by Indonesian
normal standards, expect to pay around USD $100 per night for a 4 start hotel, but they are excellent and worth
the money for a long weekend of golf and relaxation. The target demographic is 30 - 50 year old executives from
Singapore and the prices in many of the restaurants and bars reflect this. The food is of a very good standard
and the bars offer a wide range of international beverages, which you do have to pay a premium for of course.
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