Cassia Bintan — Hotel in Bintan Island

We spent a week at Cassia Bintan and it was a very pleasant experience. The hotel is in a magnificent location, facing a calm sea and a long beach, ideal for children and family to spend a fun beach season. The hotel system is a hybrid between a hotel and a service apartment (although much closer to a hotel due to the quality of the people who work there, their enthusiasm and dedication). When choosing Cassia Bintan one must be aware that ​it is an accommodation with some particularities​. Almost the entire registration procedure is done previously and online, so the front desk is more of a meeting and coordination point. In the same space there is a small market (Market 23) with some products to use in the kitchenette of the apartments and there is also a restaurant-café (Vista) that, in the morning, serves as a dining room for breakfast. A few steps away is the swimming pool, large, comfortable, familiar, where there is not much congestion (because the tranquility of the beach attracts most visitors to the sand) and it is there where, every afternoon, an enthusiastic trainer teaches aerobics classes. In front of the beach there is a very comfortable bar (Xana Beach Club) where​, on weekends​, a DJ accompanies tourists. A few meters further away, always facing the sea, is the main restaurant (for smart casual dinners and to enjoy a succulent marine buffet dinner on Saturdays). Once you understand the way Cassia Bintan works ("integrated apartment-style living space"), everything becomes very easy to follow and do. The breakfasts are very tasty and filling. The buffet is generous and there is no way not to be satisfied with the variety of food offered and with the kindness and warmth of the people who work there. During the day there is a crew in charge of keeping the hotel clean and functional. If you call, for example, to ask for water or toiletries, they will respond quickly to the request. Although there is no concept of room service, one can go to Vista and buy take-out food there that will be prepared packaged for consumption in the room (you can also eat in that restaurant-café at any time of the day). Our family stay was rewarding and charming. It must be said that, in addition to the facilities of Cassia Bintan itself, one can access the services of other Bayan Tree Group hotels such as, for example, the magnificent and extraordinary Banyan Tree Spa Bintan. Although giving names may be unfair because many of the people who made our experience unique remain unmentioned, I think it is important to say that Krisdianto, the assistant Front Office Manager, is the engine that makes all the hotel's machinery work correctly, always friendly and thoughtful, helped us with everything we needed and made our week at Cassia Bintan a memorable one. The food is very tasty and, in general, everything related to F&B is very well taken care of, with various options, all tasty and prepared carefully and hygienically. Dian Mulyawan, the Director of Food & Beverage, does his job very well; ​​it was a pleasure to greet h​im. ​​It must be said that, of all the food, we found the pastr​ies ​delicious and we had the opportunity to greet and congratulate Ni Luh Ratnawati, the Pastry Chef (her pain au chocolat is really good!). I believe that it is important to remember that just as a company is notable for its good management, it is also unforgettable for the warmth and quality of its employees. Everyone at Cassia was committed to providing us with top-notch service. For instance, during breakfast all the crew was excellent, among all, the kindness and service of Wiwik and Yugo stood out​. The delicious dinners at Xana beach were even better thanks to the extremely nice and efficient service of Christian and Arun. I know I left out several names of extraordinary human beings who displayed the long-famous warmth of the Indonesian people, and I apologize for that in advance. In summary. Magnificent place and better people. Without a doubt, we...

Stayed here for a 4D3N getaway. In all honesty, the experience wasn't the best. The only thing that was top tier was the service but that is to be expected from most establishments in Bintan.

On the first day there after the ferry, we ordered food from the cafe downstairs and the food was very underwhelming and bland. If it weren't for the super pricey price on the food, I would say the food is still alright but it really wasn't worth the money.

We had to shift rooms later on because the air-condioner in the bedroom was making a very loud rattling noise which made it hard to sleep. We also found some sand in the living room area near the couch that I can only assume it as it was not cleaned properly from the previous guest's stay. We did not complain about this as this was a small issue, so we cleaned it ourselves but we did it when the engineering team came to look at the AC, so they were present. Not sure if they noticed. They shifted us as the problem was not something they were able to fix on the spot. We were okay to make the shift as our first room was quite a walk from the reception/main area. About 8-10 minutes walk.

In the new room, even though there was no more issues with the AC noise in the bedroom but there was a very annoying noise coming from near the lift whenever it was windy due to the tarp on the wall flapping. This sound can be heard in the living room very clearly. We were simply too tired to shift again so we didn't bring this up because if we did they would have to move us again also since we requested to be moved nearer to the reception area.

Their TV is not a smart TV and have very limited channels. Tried asking for a HDMI cable so we could plug our laptop to the TV but they didn't have one so we could only watch Netflix on our laptop. They mentioned that they were in the midst of changing their TVs to smart TVs so some rooms still had the old TVs while some had smart TVs. initially when they first moved us to our new room, I did ask if we could have a room with a smart TV but they said we would need to be upgraded for that.

Their breakfast is standard international breakfast but its probably the only good thing in their hotel in terms of food quality because their other food options weren't great or very mediocre at best.

On the second day, since it was cold during the trip, our AC was leaking due to condensation but we just called them to fix it when we went out for outdoor activities and luckily it was fixed by the time we came back.

Many of the activities were limited due to the monsoon season but even if the weather was great i would say they have pretty limited options for activities, especially for couples. And they aren't very budget friendly.

They have happy hour and we enjoyed our drinks. They also have a very small mini market to buy snacks or certain essentials and a "marketplace" where they sell ingredients where you can cook in the room but we didn't opt for it as the options for ingredients were very limited.

As this is a resort sometimes we would find some bugs in the room/bed which we took care of on our own.

All in all, food was not good, rooms was nice but had some problems which were bearable, activities and facilities offered was alright but the staff service was really great. If it weren't for the service received, I would give a much lower rating. Special mentions go to:

Tasia, our receptionist who checked us in and was helpful with all of our enquiries. Very polite and professional.

Bambang, he assisted us with our luggage during check in and check out and walked us to our room all the way.

And also Nawir for helping us and being polite.

Also sharing pictures of the AC condensation leak/Sand found in room/Source of noise from the tarp near the lift/AC making noise.

Obviously in these videos the sound can be soft as the mic on the phone can only pick up so much but in person these are really loud. Just need to turn...

Room: We had a beachfront loft apartment. It was truly relaxing with the soothing sea breeze and the calming sound of the waves. It was therapeutic, to say the least. It might sound comical, but i saw only 1 fly and no mosquito. The regular fumigation helped a lot, i guess. The staff whom i sought assistance from for room service/ housekeeping were prompt and polite. Their endeavors to ensure that guests were comfortable are commendable.

Vista restaurant: Food was good and relatively clean. I have a sensitive stomach, and yet, the food did not give me any problem. However, the coffee machines kept breaking down due to various reasons like water tank empty, internal compartment full, milk carton empty, et cetera. Due to the breakfast crowds over the festive season, the manager or whoever was in charge of the premises should have foreseen that and could have taken initiative to replace the coffee machines with better ones (i visited during CNY 2025). Guests were kept waiting in line for some time just for a cup of coffee, which could have been prevented with preemptive measures.

Angsana spa: I had facial treatment on day 2 and body scrub on day 3. I was quite impressed with the therapist who did the seaside body polish for me. Although both therapists were polite and put in efforts on their parts, the latter did a pretty good job in ensuring that my body was scrubbed thoroughly. I could feel sufficient strength being exerted, and there was no sign of laziness. Thanks via (name of the spa therapist).

Angsana gallery (a small retail section next to the spa reception): I was quite disappointed as they did not sell any toiletries. The complimentary toiletries inside the room were diluted, almost like water. Luckily, i brought my own toiletries! There was no convenience store inside the resort, so if you need any toiletries, the only way is to go out into the towns to buy. I am not sure if the resort could order via online delivery for guests. (Just to share that i visited the 2 small galleries at the nearby Banyan Tree resort, and i was equally disappointed. Nothing much, nothing useful).

Overall, i liked the atmosphere due to the international crowds and the friendliness of the service staff. Yes, i will return in the future. By the way, the ferries could rock unbearably on the choppy waters during the journeys back and forth SG and Bintan due to strong winds. So, it is advisable not to eat too much before boarding, which could cause nausea and vomiting. But if you can take it, please go ahead and do as you...