Indra Maya Pool Villas — Local services in Bintan Island

We went during the march school holidays for 3D2N and it was surprisingly quiet which leaves me to conclude that this is a seriously underrated resort. ||Service: Staff were courteous wherever we went. I appreciated that those staying at Indra Maya villas get their own separate transportation to and from the ferry terminal compared to the other guests staying at the other hotels within Nirwana gardens. The villa stay also comes with a “gold card” that gets you 20% food (except kelong restaurant) and 15% off spa. ||Room: For those travelling with big families, their 3 bedroom villa price is really affordable luxury for just $800SGD a night - lovely high wooden beam ceilings, spotless and clean in every corner, soft comfy beds, thoughtful additions like a stair gate for our 2 storey sea view villa - which took a load off my mind as I’m travelling with young kids ages 3-5 years old. Plenty of towels and pillows! You can tell the staff have paid attention to cleanliness when you move the sofa bed to the side and the floor below it is spotless. I liked the batik gowns each room was given instead of the usual white bathrobes - really added that exotic holiday feel. Having our own buggy to drive around was great - my hubby even took off for nearly an hour to just drive himself around the island and really enjoyed himself lol! My only suggestion would be to consider installing a water point for washing sand off feet at the entrance before entering the villa since guests are likely to be coming back from the beach. Did I also mention that the villa fridge drinks are free? Daily replenishment few cans of beer/coke/sprite and even a carton of fresh milk! ||Amenities: I absolutely loved the beaches - you can venture a slightly steep path down the slope of the tortoise C/D villas and find a little pristine quiet beach nook which was a lovely surprise - my kids spent the time nearing sunset spotting little hermit crabs in the rock pools. The beach front at both Mayang Sari and Nirwana Gardens as well was fantastic - soft sand and staff are doing a good job to keep it incredibly clean. Plus so many shady spots for my kids to play. The Nirwana gardens kids pool is 0.5m and suitably wide enough for toddlers to just wade around, has a decent sized playground next to it, and you can borrow beach balls for free from the pool hut next to it. Would be nice if the resort could consider having a kids pool slide though? Nirwana gardens may not seem as active as the other resorts in terms of water sport activities/ATV provided - I’m not sure if because of competition from other resorts? - but that certainly didn’t bother us cos we are a family with very young kids and so water sports wasn’t suitable for us anyway - we came with no agenda to just enjoy the beach and the pool and this resort was able to deliver on that.||Food: Daily buffet breakfast spread at the Deli restaurant at Mayang Sari is a short 1-2 minute buggy ride away from the villas was enjoyable, the usual eggs and porridge stations, the fried chicken both days was delicious and so was the “live station” mee soto (the mee goreng chicken soup the next day could be improved however). Admittedly there are limited options for meals - I would recommend only the Kelong (pricier than outside kelong options but worth it for the much cleaner ambience and sea view !!!) and the newly relocated (since 1st feb apparently) Spice restaurant (we didn’t manage to go because it wasn’t open for lunch - but I saw it was quite crowded with diners in the evening) which is now nearer the villas. I would skip the Dino bistro - felt like most of the food was reheated and the pizzas were very hard and board like - only the lamb shank and my kid’s cheese macaroni was satisfying. The char kway teow from Poolside restaurant was disappointing as well, much too salty that my kids refused to eat it - had to drive out to dapao butter chicken and naan bread from the Deli which turned out more decent. I hope the resort can consider making a more affordable BBQ package to have in the villa - the ala carte menu prices were really too pricey - maybe can consider having a set package per adult/child instead? I suppose those who are keen can arrange their own transport to go out of the resort area to visit the supermarket - the villa has a substantially equipped kitchen for cooking - I saw many clean pots/pans/cutlery in the cupboards although we didn’t get a chance to cook. Can consider to bring your own steamboat set? haha||Anindya spa at Mayang Sari: Price is around $20-30 for 30 min foot reflexology, and $60-70 for a 60 min balinese massage. To me price was acceptable - although there are options for cheaper spas outside the resort - mainly because of the decor and ambience - on entering there is plenty of greenery, sounds of flowing water, greenhouse kind of feel. Warm ginger tea also added a njce touch. Interestingly, their menu lists that its slight cheaper if you arrange for the spa services to be done at your villa instead, and they accept bookings up to latest 830pm. ||We enjoyed our stay and hope to...

We (4 adults + 1 child) stayed for 4 nights in Tortoise C – Kwa Villa. This particular villa is located right at the top of a sea-facing cliff. There are 3 bedrooms, with 2 opening to the pool and sea. The view of the sea is enchanting and it doesn’t get any more private than this. Wake up on a lazy morning in the master bedroom to this picture perfect view (photo attached). Comes with a good medium sized pool which is 1.5m at the deep end…its ‘almost’ an infinity pool as there is a villa wall that comes between most snaps, unless you take it an angle. Luxurious use of space inside and outside the villa. The buggy is a good little addition and is very relaxing and useful to drive around to all the different resort facilities. The resort is really huge in size, so the buggy is a must-have. Comes with a fully equipped kitchen and a good selection of complimentary drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), which are refreshed every night. The villa does show a degree of wear and tear, especially with the bathroom fittings, curtains and doors. It might be an acceptable compromise for the private villa experience – just be sure you know how private it really is as it’s almost borderline isolated. Of course, there are some who prefer exactly that experience. The chef and staff at Spice restaurant deserve special mention – the food, be it Indian or Indonesian, was consistently delicious in sufficient quantity and assortments. There are sparrows flying around in this ‘open-concept’ restaurant and some might not like that. Complimentary breakfast is a standard spread with adequate options (irrespective of whether it is at Spice or at the Coffee Shop). We did go down to the range to try our hand at archery and air rifles. The complimentary bowling coupons were a nice touch and the facilities were well maintained. We also went for the off shore adventure for 3 and this was also a good adventurous experience. The crew in charge take adequate safety precautions and are very skilled. All the staff at the resort were friendly and courteous.||||Things to be wary of – ||||1. The door between the outdoor shower and the inner bathroom had a small gap. At midnight, a giant centipede (see photo) crawled in and hid behind the toilet. I think more pest control in such isolated villas, especially before the monsoon season should be mandatory. I dread to think what I would have done if it had crawled into our kid’s bed or when someone was using the toilet.||||2. There are no wipers on the buggy and not enough lights on the roads. Add heavy rains, several speed humps as well as ups and downs making it very difficult to drive at night in such conditions. More overhead lights in the resort would be a welcome safety addition, especially because the roads are also shared with other regular automobiles and buses.||||3. There is a small pathway adjacent to the villa from where you can climb down to the tiny rocky beach below. At high tide, the waves are very strong and the sand recedes from your feet very quickly. If you are not careful, you could hit your foot in the sharp rocks easily (some which are buried just a few inches below the sand). Do not let children or weak swimmers go alone – the presence of the rocks is tricky and the water can suddenly rush up very quickly. ||||4. Everything is on the pricier side and a service charge is added to every bill. Everybody expects a sizeable tip (I am talking $5 - $10 tips) in addition to the charge. This becomes a bit awkward when they are looking at your hands rather than your face, for every small interaction. It’s a bit unusual to expect tipping in addition to a service charge for even bare minimum services and perhaps, the hotel staff could be compensated more adequately. The hotel could then advertise that tipping is not required unless it is for exceptional service at the...

Overall a gem near Singapore for a 2-3 days getaway. ||The property is massive with around 4-5 resort properties within the whole nirvana gardens estate. We stayed at Indra maya villas. ||You do feel the post covid effect at the place considering it recently started and still running load occupancy. Many restaurants and properties are still closed making it a dull place as yet. ||Overall it’s a warm feeling to be in Indonesia as the people are really nice and warm. Feel bad for the hard times they might have faced during covid with all the properties shutting down. ||Some pros of staying at the villa ||1) villas are massive and great for 6-7 adults and 2-3 kids. We stayed at the sea front villas which is right besides the sea with a large personal swimming pool. ||2). View is incredible, villas is luxurious with spacious rooms and 4 bathroom and 3 bedrooms.||3) you get a buggy along with the villas so moving around is super convenient ||4) the staff at nirvana garden resort is great and prefer to go and eat a Dino cafe or the coffee shop for morning breakfast. ||5) beach at nirwana gardens is amazing with white sand and clean waters. ||6) kitchen is fully equipped. Also has a microwave and a coffee machine. ||7) do carry a volley ball if you fancy a game as there is a volleyball court at the beach. Also few but not all activities are available like shooting, archery, horse ridding, billiards to name a few. ||Some cons of staying at Indra maya ||1) there is a large bathroom in the master bathroom which has open access to the back side which looks little scarier at night considering this place is scheduled at night and the doors don’t look properly. Also inviting some insects/ lizards inside.||2) spice restaurant talks about offering a variety of food but the vibes of this places is depressing and staff is not so friendly. Avoid eating there. Food is average here. This is the place where you can truly see the post covid effect. ||3) not all the properties are opened yet so it’s quiet and little lonely after dark . Ideally you can carry some food along and make it in the kitchen of the villa saving some money and venturing alone at night. Avoid venturing to secluded areas if you are not in big group. ||4) the beach place outside spice restaurant is really depressing. Light shuts down and there is no light if you feel like going to the beach at night. The coffee shop near beach doesn’t see any people and needs to lively up a bit. ||Suggestions ||1) Some big size coffee mugs and Normal glasses to drink water in the kitchen is needed. There re loads of wine glasses ||2) more options like insect repellent like a coil or spray is needed. Not enough for the entire villa. ||3) some programs like live singers or beach activity could be arranged for people to stay...