The Sanchaya — Hotel in Bintan Island

Right from booking, communication was first class. It’s all the little extras that make this hotel special. From checking in at ferry terminal in Singapore, where they had left a little pack of ginger sweets for the crossing, to arrival where we waited in a lovely lounge sipping tea while they dealt with immigration and collected our luggage for us. The whole process taking 15 minutes!||The arrival at the hotel was down a long drive , that distinctly gave “ White Lotus’ vibes, check in was seamless, the manager was there to meet us and we were given a tour of the hotel and grounds which were immaculately maintained and stunning.||Our room a junior suite was nice, although a little dark and smaller than expected and lacked sufficient storage for a 7 night stay . Bedding was good quality , air con was not great as I like a room to be cooler when sleeping. Bathroom was very large , floor tiles could do with a refurb as appeared old and stained in places. Loads of nice toiletries and amenities. Balcony was comfortable and large offering a great view over the beach and pool. Ceiling fans would have been a great edition !||The pool itself is stunning , beautifully clean and perfect for a long swim. Never an issue getting loungers around the pool or on the beach. A nice touch was the the little basket of water, sunscreen and insect repellent that the guys delivered to each lounger. There are parasols which each set of loungers , but only one lounger received any shade which was a bit tricky when it was exceedingly hot .||The beach immediately in front of the hotel and in front of the hotels each side was immaculate, however what was disappointing was if you walked just a few hundred metres down the beach it was absolutely littered in broken glass and huge amounts of plastic bags and bottles , it was really upsetting to see the lack of care for the environment literally metres from the hotel. The sea was clear and so warm, however we were put off swimming in it after seeing the broken glass and rubbish which washed in at each tide . The hotels along this stretch really need to push for this to be cleaned as it is the sole reason we would not return to this hotel.|Sanchaya is doing its part to be eco, with no plastic water bottles or straws etc, but the immediate vicinity outside of its boundaries reflect badly .||Food in both restaurants were good quality and beautifully presented but not outstanding by any means and very seafood oriented, it was expensive for Asia . I was difficult to get chicken breast as almost all the chicken dishes were thigh which `I am not a fan of . The wine in particular was very expensive . Breakfast was good .||What makes this hotel outstanding is the staff, every single one was polite , courteous. Friendly and hard working. Nothing was ever too much trouble, they are literally the nicest team ever ! Their level of service with a smile was off the scale , and so lovely to experience. They do everything they can to make your stay amazing !||We has a super relaxing stay , we would have enjoyed a little more atmosphere in the evenings , we often had the whole restaurant or bar to ourselves which was a little weird , everyone seemed to go to bed by 9pm . Overall it was a lovely break .|Weekends seemed the busiest with families with young children coming for the weekend which rather than give the hotel atmosphere impeded on the relaxation of other guests , my pet peeve is nappies in the pool 🤮. Personally we feel this would be better suited to an...

It is very difficult for me to write this review as we had amazing but also disappointing experiences in the hotel but i will try to give a bit more details below. . In total we stayed 4 days in Sanchaya arriving from Cempedak (Private Island near Bintan) and leaving afterwards to Singapore seeking for a place to relax and forget work on the beach & pool.

Amazing Memories from Sanchaya are: The Staff was super friendly, always trying to help. Thanks especially to Ika from the Bar. The food and drinks are very very good. We had every evening a drink in the bar, which were delicious but pricy (however that is expected if you go a resort like this). The property has its charm with white sands and the 50m pool. Very impressive. Small service items - Like the Beach Basket with water, Frozen fruits at the pool and the farewell present from the GM. Beauty products from Aesop are among our favorites.

Why is it now only 2 stars? Sadly, our stay was not as relaxing as planned, which was the main purpose of our stay. Currently there is a construction site left & right from the hotel, and you hear during the full day noise (You can listen to the video i uploaded at Google maps) - reviews allow only pictures The beach looks very nice but going to water is difficult. Even there is a letter in the room which advises you to use flip flops (provided) at the beach as the ships pollute the sea and occasionally oil can wash up on the shore. This also leads the next point. As it is artificial sand on the beach there is always maintenance ongoing. During our first dinner there was a large excavator moving sands around. During the last night at 11 pm an engine was started at the beach (doing whatever …). In principle there was only little time in which not something was going on. Fixing the fence with a hammer, cutting the grass with a machine or even hosting a dinner with music on the beach for some officials … The last item is related to the hotel. Despite the constant maintenance which was going on, we had the feeling that the property could be in better shape. E.g. I assume the wood on the pool has not seen oil since opening in 2014, some nails where sticking out or where missing. The beach baskets (as I mentioned nice idea) also have been constantly used since 2014 (at least this was the impression) and in the room you saw the usage of the years. I had the feeling to be in a Grand Hotel, but a face lift / renovation would be required to live up to the expectations (of customers). As our main purpose of the stay was pool, beach and relaxation the critics above weight more then the positive experiences and for that I to stick to our the rating of 2 stars. Cheers Ps: I have to say that the hotel management admitted that there is inconvinence due to the noise level and was kind to give some discount of the food & beverage bill Pss: Some customers left early due to the noise & negative items above Psss: I don t want to stress it to much, but we had a cockroach in our bathroom. I assume it should not happen but can happen on a tropical island on which humans live, sleep and eat. My GF was not very amused discovering it in the morning 😊 (However I did not take this into consideration for the...

The hotel and its facilities are very nice. Here and there a few spots of improvements needed but otherwise a very attractive hotel with lovely features. A very pleasant stay starts with a dedicated lounge at the ferry terminal which is available upon arrival and departure (taking care of your visa and other requirements). Travel to the actual hotel is within short 20 minutes by hotel shuttle bus. You can chose between colonial style suites at the main building or near by or Thai/ Bali style villas on the large ground and a short walk away from the main building. The Thai villas are very nice, filled with all the necessary amenities and some top of the range products. Plenty of storage space, outdoor veranda seating and well kept exterior make it really nice. At the main section, the pool is with its 50 meter in length a true highlight, together with the very easy and close proximity to the pristine and huge beach section. Although facing north, the beach is actually in a bay and can be explored for hours. Also well worth mentioning is the spa which provides truly amazing treatments administered by very experienced therapists who will truly pamper you from start to finish. Regrettably, there are also a number of shortcomings. Although the hotel provides insect repellant for your daily use, even the best of preventions and best of cleaning/ spraying efforts of the staff will not stop billions of sand flees attacking you on the beach, especially after rain or during the evening hours when you become their dinner. However, the biggest drawback is the food and beverage section. For a hotel operating in such a high price category, the restaurant is a true letdown perhaps even the sole reason for not coming back again. Yes staff everywhere is very friendly, attentive and making it their business to know you by your first name from the start, but the entire food and beverage section requires a lot of improvements to even get close to a star rated service. Yes the drinks are well made (guess can be expected at prices of US$20 plus) but the restaurant service truly lacks what it takes. The food, expensive as it is, lacks any sort of imagination, is void of any special touches, and surely does not represent Indonesian cuisine in any shape or form. As said, staff are very friendly and trying their best however, if they are not taught the basics or led by indifferent managers, then things need to change. Management comes from the top. In summary, if you are looking for a nice place to relax in a colonial style building, not too crowded with a lovely pool, then please try the Sanchaya. However, if you looking for cuisine which is anything but poor, not even ordinary, then you better...