There are rare few things I would wake up at 7 am for.
But I rose willingly (sort of) and of my own accord (not really) at 7 am the day we were supposed to leave for Bintan Lagoon Resort! I could barely sleep the previous night, as all my childhood excitement of heading to Bintan for short getaways kept me up.
Additionally, we were invited to try out Bintan Lagoon Resort’s brand-new brainchild – the Chillax Package, which is an all-inclusive vacation package perfect for couples! And when I say all-inclusive I do mean everything is included – accommodation, yummy meals at BLR’s cafes restaurants and fun activities. Let’s go!!
We headed for Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in good time (again, not really) but managed to collect our tickets in the nick of time. Coincidentally I chose to visit the resort right smack in the middle of Tour De Bintan, so the terminal was packed with tanned people in tights and expensive bicycle parts. There was a minor incident where I ran to get our tickets and slid back under the customs queue pole glamorously, but we made it into the waiting area.
Thankfully, we had our own Bintan Lagoon Resort ferry which wasn’t crowded at all, and off we went! After some failed selfie taking with our horrendous morning faces, the waves lulled us to sleep in no time.
As the ferry pulled up to the terminal, we woke up, wiped our drool and spent 15 mins debating if the resort just behind the terminal was indeed Bintan Lagoon Resort. Obviously I won, cos’ I already knew that the resort has their own terminal!! If I ever set up my own resort, I long for my resort to attain that level of extra – to have your own customs right on resort grounds!!
Feeling like Beyoncé and Jay-Z in our own private terminal and customs. Still need to queue a bit, so not very red carpet after all. Still beats queuing for an hour at the normal customs at Bintan any day WHOO!
There is also free wifi available on resort grounds, so you can stay connected throughout your trip. Wifi was strangely intermittent in our suite though but pretty good in the resort’s public areas. Do note also that only IDR is accepted in Bintan but they have a money changer onsite.
We were confused for a minute once we got outside the ferry terminal cos there were buses waiting. Like huh, aren’t we already in the resort?! Turns out, to be even more extra, the resort provides buses to fetch guests and their luggage up to the lobby, which is a short walk uphill. A m a z a z i n g ~
After our short ride up, we were greeted warmly with a traditional Indonesian dance troupe at the lobby. A short queue later, we were all checked in to our gorgeous Floral Suite 😍
Our room was sooooo huge, with a living room and a separate bedroom area. Loved our comfy canopy king bed! The suite did feel a little empty and underutilised, especially the sprawling balcony with a blocked seaview cos’ of the wall. But I love the luxurious bathtub right next to the window and how spacious the whole suite is!!
We dragged ourselves from our soft duvet covers for the grand tour around the resort grounds. Bintan Lagoon Resort is humongous!!!
This is the childcare centre, situated in the Leisure Centre – perfect for parents needing a holiday from their holiday 😀
Our sweet guide Suandi brought us around in the sweltering tropical heat all smiles and even let us drive our own buggy. Though with my boyfriend’s driving I did fear for my life at certain turns…
During the tour, we explored the many dining options available on the resort, from the buffet Fiesta! to the romantic beachside Nelayan.
Nelayan’s second level veranda for events, overlooking the turquoise waves below!
We managed to eat our way through the weekend so I will dive more in-depth into the restaurants we tried later on!!
I really wanted to try out Batik Painting but we were so busy trying all the other activities we didn’t have enough time to head back 🙁
We also didn’t have a chance to try their in-room massage D: 3 days is simply too short to try everything in the resort!
The resort has its own golf course, complete with a sunset view, a Leisure Centre, 2 swimming pools and 1.5km of stunning private beach.
You will literally never run out of things to do, whether you are visiting as a couple or family!
My favourite outdoor part of the resort would have to be the look out point on the West Lawn. Would you just look at this view!! After a sweaty jaunt around the resort, the cooling wind at the top was extremely welcome.
After the extensive tour we took a break with a breezy lunch at Terrace Sports Bar, right next to the lobby. And this would definitely have to be my favourite chillax spot in the whole resort!! Kicking back at the cushy sofas at the outdoor area, enjoying the captivating views of the irisdescent South China Sea and resort pool, chomping down on yummy burgers – life really doesn’t get better than this.
I tried the fish and chips from Terrace while Lou had their pulled pork burger. This was also our first look at the menus and I must say, even though the food was good, it isn’t exactly the cheapest. But that is where the value of the Chillax package lies!! For a 3D2N stay, we had daily buffet breakfast at Fiesta! and our choice of 2 lunches and 2 dinners from all of the resort’s restaurants (except Miyako).
The only quibble I have with the package is that it doesn’t include drinks! We spent about S$4 to S$8 on non-alcoholic drinks and about S$8 – S$12 for the beers and cocktails. So if you are really a thirsty hippo, you would be better off using your meal vouchers for the lunch/ dinner buffets at Fiesta! where the drinks are free-flow. The package does include 1 complimentary cocktail a day per pax at Terrace from 5 – 7 pm, which we enjoyed on our second evening!
We headed back to our suite for some prime tanning time in our private balcony and soon, it was nearly sunset. We headed off to a romantic dinner at Nelayan and was greeted by this beautiful fairy light path to the beach!
Okay it wasn’t for us it was for a corporate event held on the same night haha but it was still such a magical sight 🙂
I absolutely loved the atmosphere at Nelayan! 😍I am a total sucker for romantic candlelit dinners by the beach. Ah my two great loves – dinner and the sea. Oh, and Lou too. 🌚 We had reserved a spot right by the sand, with a gorgeous view of the resort’s private beach lit up in front of us.
We had the lobster bisque, fillet minute and the seafood thermidor, with a few cocktails. The food at Nelayan was nothing to shout about and a tad salty, but the view more than made up for it – we couldn’t bring ourselves to leave.
After a few rounds of drinks, we finally left to check out SILK Nightclub! But probably cos’ of Tour De Bintan, the club was a little quiet.
The lobby is so huge and beautiful at night all lit up 🙂
We didn’t hang around for long, opting instead to dive back into warm bubbly bath-tub back in our room to call it a night.
Read on for our adventures in Day 2 & 3 here!