You know those people who wake up at 7 am on holiday “to make the most of their holiday?” Yeah… not me, cos’ I’m not friends with people like that. Just kidding – we really just aren’t morning people.
(I am starting to notice a trend in how I start all my posts… namely how hard it is to wake up.)
But it really was ridiculously difficult to drag ourselves from our warm, fluffy nest of pillows and duvets. Breakfast at Fiesta! was our only motivating factor.
We followed the inviting smells of bacon and scrambled eggs down to the lobby and was greeted by bustling breakfast crowd at Fiesta!. Overlooking the landscape pool, Fiesta! had a simple, open layout such that guests can enjoy breakfast with a magnificent view and the cool morning breeze.
The breakfast selection was pretty decent – my favourite dishes were the curry chicken (so tender!) and noodles soup (made on the spot piping hot at one of the food booths). We liked the breakfast so much, we decided to book Fiesta! for that night, to try out their dinner buffet.
After stuffing ourselves silly, we decided to relax and digest by the pool! Digesting probably didn’t go so well, cos’ I brought my Super Soaker along for the trip.
To dry off from all the swimming and splashing around, we commenced Round 2 of tanning, complete with a few rounds of coconuts to keep us hydrated.
I loved that it was super quiet and serence at the pool so we could tan in peace – probably cos’ all the kids were at the children’s pool!
There is even a beach massage hut, if you want to unwind properly listening to the sounds of the waves 😀 AGAIN – no time to try omgggg really need to come back here!
We took a stroll by the gorgeous private beach too, and just enjoyed having the entire stretch all to ourselves.
We also booked ourselves an ATV session by the beach, so we headed over to the sea-sport activity centre next to Nelayan to sign in and suit up. My first time driving an ATV (not so good with the driving even for normal cars) so I was pretty darn scared LOL.
The trail ran along the beach and disappeared into a strip of forested area parallel to the beach. I was kind of worried about the sand flying up all over the place but based on the speed I was going at (read: painfully slow) I didn’t need to worry.
We did a quick 15 min round into the forest and out – which was more than enough for my nerves and also for poor, long-suffering Lou, who drove behind me and had to jam brake at least 10 times cos’ my fingers kept slipping from the ignition.
It was about 3 pm after our ATV fun, and the sun was a perfect golden colour. Gerald, the resort’s General Manager, had kindly invited us to join in his new initiative, Beach Tea Time, at the lawn area right by the sand.
It was so awesome!! Easily my favorite part of the whole trip 😀 There were booths dishing up traditional Indonesian nosh, with the best satay I had ever tasted in my life, roti john, rojak and sausage buns. Music was playing in the background, and the staff even came together spontaneously for a dance (naturally, I joined in).
You could grab a lounge chair on the sand and enjoy your food while watching the waves crash and the sun go down. It is these perfect little sun-filled moments that make Bintan Lagoon Resort so special.
With full tummies and warm hearts, we ambled leisurely back to our favourite hibernation spot, the Terrace, to catch ourselves some of dat free cocktails.
My go-to drink is always a pina colada, because I love the song by Rupert Holmes and because I am always looking for the perfect equilibrium between rum, pineapple and coconut that is just enough to get me a little buzzed. And this was the perfect pina colada. My weirdness about pina coladas aside, it was positively heaven to unwind by the Terrace with some complimentary popcorn and cocktails.
Our dinner reservation at Fiesta! was up next. Tantalising wafts of barbequed seafood wafted up to the Terrace, luring us from our drinks to Fiesta! for our buffet spread.
We got the table right by the edge to soak in the lovely night breeze and pool view. The food was pretty good, but they kept running out of the mini burgers which were so good, I must have scarfed down like 5 until they stopped making them. I liked the kway teow soup too but we missed the grilled steaks they had the previous night ☹
We both ate so much of everything, we could barely move from our seats. Apart from the food, we had some interactive dance performances to accompany our dinner as well!
Finally, music floating in from the live band above us enticed us sufficiently to get us off our asses to the Terrace. We kicked back with a few more cocktails with some good ol’ songs and surprise, there were fireworks!! Again, not arranged specially for us but because of the corporate event. Still, it was a beautiful end to a perfect day.
Too soon, it was breakfast on our third and last day at Bintan Lagoon Resort. Right before we left, we popped by the golf courses for a quick lunch.
The resort has 2 options for golfers: the Jack Nicklaus Seaview Golf Course and the Ian Baker-Finch Woodlands Golf Course. We don’t golf, but I thought it was pretty cool that the resort has a one-day beginner package for first-time golfers, which makes it a lot less intimidating for guests who have never tried the sport before.
We scarfed down our food at Haskell’s Café next to the golf courses, thinking we were going to be late. Okay I know my photo doesn’t convey our anxiety adequately, but I didn’t even manage to finish my rice with fried fish – which was so delicious!
But to our relief, nobody seemed to be panicking in the lobby and Suandi dropped us off in a buggy at the terminal at 4.45 pm with plenty of time to spare.
What a luxury to have your own ferry terminal, to just stroll down casually 15 mins before your ferry departs! (Not recommending you do that though, the ferry might just leave without you.)
Thank you Suandi for all your help throughout our stay!
All in all, I adored my stay with Bintan Lagoon Resort – such a fuss-free, relaxing holiday just a ferry ride away! Service at the resort was warm but I would also describe it as slightly confused and tentative – as stellar service is something I am really particular about.
With the Chillax package, boyfriends and husbands don’t have to worry about arranging an itinerary for a beach holiday at Bintan Lagoon Resort – just chill and relax! It is definitely recommended for surprise trips, romantic getaways or special occasions 😊 even just a quick, no-hassle vacation!
Considering the dining menus we tried out, the package is most definitely worth the money. But I do think there could be slightly more affordable options that would provide a similar experience in places such as Batam, abeit not as luxurious in terms of activities and hotel grounds though. Their rooms could be improved, but I saw a few sea-facing rooms with an uninterrupted balcony view. Perhaps I will try out those rooms on my next visit!
Can’t wait to be back at Bintan Lagoon Resort real soon 😊 It was such a fantastic, luxurious trip, perfect for us to destress from our everyday lives in the city.
If you missed out reading about our first day at Bintan Lagoon Resort, click here!
Note: This trip was sponsored by Bintan Lagoon Resort but all reviews opinions are as usual my own.
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