The Spa Villa Bintan — Hotel in Riau Islands

Highly highly recommended!

We first booked in March '24 and have just booked again in May '24 because it was great. My boyfriend and I really enjoyed our stay there, and we booked the Jacuzzi Ocean View Suite (5D4N) + Heavenly Spa. Staff were all polite and service oriented too!

Jacuzzi Ocean View Suite: Room was very spacious and well maintained + clean, even the balcony. If you're more hygiene conscious, I'd recommend giving the jacuzzi a quick wash before you first use it. The view from the balcony was AMAZING, facing the sea and the sound of the waves at your feet - the perfect getaway! It was also cooling because of the sea breeze, but do remember to put sunscreen or you'll get burnt like me. Wifi was strong in the room, though it was not as strong from the balcony/jacuzzi area so do take note of that if you are planning to stream movies from the balcony. Room was an ok temperature, but don't expect it to be super cold like 18 degree hotel rooms. The room takes a while to cool down since only 1 room card was given, meaning we can't leave the electricity on when we leave the room. Even still the room never felt hot so it was fine!

Heavenly Massage/Spa: You have the option to complete the 5 hours worth of massage/spa at one go, or split it according to your preference. Out of the entire package, my partner and I particularly enjoyed the anti-aging facial and the aromatherapy message! The massage room was nicely scented and dimly lit, super nice environment and mood to relax. The staff were also really nice and accommodating :-)

Food: So it seems to us that all the food in the villa is centralised at the one restaurant, so its really convenient. The gong gong and sambal stingray are a must get! Sambal kangkung and the vegetarian tomato penne pasta was really good too. Milkshake lovers PLEASE get their milkshakes omg - we tried the strawberry, chocolate and avocado + chocolate milkshake and they were all 10/10 its a MUST get. Our personal favourite mocktails were the Shirley Temple and Blue Lagoon, and we would start our day with AT LEAST one vanilla latte - because it's that good. The vanilla latte is a bit on the sweeter side (if you don't like sweet coffee, you can probably request for less syrup) but I'd recommend everyone to try it at least once if you want to try their coffee menu.

Food menu is also really comprehensive so you don't have to worry about getting bored of the food there since there is only one dining area - just try something different each time!

The complimentary breakfast was international, and had an egg station so that was nice! Don't compare it with those 5 star hotel breakfast of course, but it's a pretty good way to start your day plus its free so why not?

Amenities: We personally only used the pool table for a few games while we were there, and we watched the movie screening while we had dinner a few times because it happened to be playing. The movies they chose seem to be quite safe (e.g. charlie & the choc factory) and family friendly so no worries about that! We didn't try out the other amenities like the swimming pool etc but it looked quite well maintained and we saw other guests using it without complaints so you can give it a shot if you're keen!

Convenience: If you're lazy, this is a great villa for you. The restaurant was literally a 1 minute walk from our room and the massage hut was also a minute away in the opposite direction. Everything was a stone-throw away and we didn't have to do much walking. Great place to rot! All activities are literally within the villa because of how secluded the place is from the city so its super convenient to get to whatever activities you booked - water activities, your meals, massages etc. If you want to travel out and explore the kampong/city, then this place isn't for you.

Long story short, I'd recommend this place to anyone who: Wants a quiet, secluded getaway from the city Appreciates the ocean/sea view Wants all activities nearby within the villa with...

"A Tranquil Getaway. Literally.” While in Singapore and having received mixed reviews of trekking to Bintan - we decided to find out for ourselves. I did a lot of research and read plenty of reviews of this and other resorts. Especially if comparing the time and effort given in going to this trip versus simply taking a flight to Phuket or Bali. While you need a visa to enter Indonesia - if you are just visiting for vacation you can get a visa on arrival. Since this entire trip is not for those with weak stomaches. It is an hour ferry ride (from Tanah Merah Ferry - which is close to Changi Airport), and this ride could get ugly.. I have witnessed first hand from our ferry ride beginning to end those excited passengers pre-boarding through mid to end of the ride where everyone had little sick bags and those fleeing in and out of washrooms. No exaggeration, however, it could have been that one ride was filled with those with weak stomaches, or the ride was just unusually bumpy - because the ride back from Bintan Island was not as bad and far less people feeling sick. So it's a 50/50 gamble. The resort itself, is just peaceful and remote. This resort isn't like your other typical pool and beach grandiose resorts, if this is what you were/are expecting, you will be displeased and disappointed. This resort has got some unique traits that you will encounter only if you have travelled to some of the most remote parts around the world. Only then will you truly appreciate this resort for where and what it is. The resort's ground is beautiful, well-maintained, and the view is just breathtaking, and depending on the weather and time of day, the water actually dries out to mid-sea but the water level climbs back to shore by evening, but it's fairly shallow for some nice romantic walks. There really isn't a "beach" if you are wanting white soft sands, or a "pool" to lounge by. There are some lounge chairs if you want to get a tan. The resort does not have many rooms either, the resort's website is actually quite helpful and accurate, so do check out the rooms and its packages that they offer. We took the Romantic Spa package; which included 150 minute of spa time, dinner, breakfast, but also the ferry and land rides (a piece of mind if you don't want to worry about hailing cabs, etc.,) - we booked directly with the resort itself, we booked it online but called the number provided via their site, and they were extremely helpful and had a quick turn around time with everything. The booking was seamless. The Spa was the highlight of the trip of course, the staff and masseuse were professional and friendly. The food was good, they have decent bbq seafood sets, the chill crab was spicy and tasteful. The staff are friendly and helpful. They have mini activities for a decent price, so do give them a try. I do recommend the boat ride and snorkelling as those were the only ones we were able to squeeze in. It was a simple 2 day 1 night quick mini getaway we wanted at the very last minute. It was worth the trek (despite all the contrary and reviews we had read) - bring a book, iPad, and just relax by enjoying the sounds of the sea, it is really like no other. Go to the spa, walk around the waters, and enjoy a nice cold bottle of Indonesia's local beer (Bintang), eat some seafood and get those ants out of your pants. And if you are the type that just cannot relax, there is a mini area that has a pool table, magnet darts, and karaoke. Maybe it was the remoteness of where we were, or that it was an off season therefore there wasn't too many people, or that there was no queue anywhere, but our stay felt ever so relaxing. It almost felt like time froze while we were away. A true...

My holiday was too short to fully enjoy the facilities. We booked a 2D1N package, inclusive of return ferry, ferry transfer, 60 mins massage and 30 mins kayaking, one breakfast and one BBQ dinner with a Deluxe room costing S$998 for 5 pax.

The resort is about 1hr car/mini van ride from the ferry terminal. Do not watch the TV during the car/mini van ride as it made some of us feeling sick while going through the bumpy roads.

We were received with the welcome drinks, and the staff arranged for our check-in.

We went for the massage after arrival, the massage was the best we had in Indonesia (that includes the massage we had in Batam, Bali, Medan). It was not too oily, the pressure was good, the sea view from the room was nice and relaxing.

The lunch was not inclusive in our package and cost about S$111.10 for 5 pax. The lunch was tasty and good! I had the snapper + sotong set, the fish and the sotong was cooked just right therefore it tasted deliciously soft. The curry fish head we had was generous in serving, the curry was thick and fragrant and it came with lots of vegetables as well. The hotpot bean curd was good and generous in servings as well and my friend's son loved the Trikora fried rice.

It was a pity that the weather was not so good on our first day there, it rained and we spent the afternoon resting in the room. My room was reasonably big and everything was working fine (106), however the air conditioner was not working well in my friend's room (105), it was not cooling and felt stuffy. The staff top up the refrigerant during our dinner time, it improved a little but was still feeling stuffy. I guess it was time for aircon servicing or replacement. The water pressure for their showers was also not good as friends complained the water flow was weak.

The BBQ dinner looks sumptuous however it was not as good compared to the lunch as the BBQ food were all slightly overcooked. Oh, did I mention earlier that the fruit juice was good?? Especially the Avocado juice and they cost about S$5 per glass.

We spent the rest of the evening playing Pool and Carom. The jacuzzi was available, there were Foosball but the lighting wasn't so good therefore we decided not to play, and a relax area with bean bags were also available. We saw people putting up fireworks in the nearby area!

We manage to do the low tide walk in the sunny morning. There were many interesting species of crabs to be discovered. It was a nice, leisure morning walk where we took many instagrammable pics and we took a dip in the swimming pool thereafter. There was a bar next to the pool where one could order drinks and ice creams.

The breakfast was normal, there were Indonesian (Mee Soto alike, chicken porridge, fried rice) and western (cereal, egg station) style breakfast, nothing to rave about; and I concluded the meals that came with the packages doesn't taste as good as the ones we got to pay for.

We didn't manage to go for the complimentary 30 mins kayaking as it was raining when the tide came in and we got to leave by the next afternoon (plus we need to check out by 1200hrs). Our trip was too short to enjoy other facilities and activities like snorkelling, ATV, diving etc. We were nonetheless happy to have the short getaway.

We spent a total of S$1,211.30 for a 2D1N...