Research: Cheap Trip to Bintan

Many thanks Fiona Low, Cassandra Eng and Betty Lopez!

Source: http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/chronicle/lifestyle/vol15no5/p7.html

Fiona Low and Cassandra Eng share their tips on how the richest of experiences sometimes come from the lowest of budgets.

Bintan

My budget trip to Bintan was just as, if not more, fun as travelling in luxury.

I spent five days in a two-storey villa, had three full meals a day, bought a two-way ferry ticket, kayaked, played tennis and Laser Quest.

Here are five tips if you plan to visit Bintan with $200 and still have change to tip the bellboys.

1. Get as many friends as you can to go on the trip with you. The more people to split the cost between, the less you pay. Four friends and I shared four rooms with a total of six beds.
2. Look for a company-owned villa. Booking directly with the resort will set you back $600 a night, compared with $36 a night per room, which we rented through a company booking.
   When a company buys a villa in Bintan, any employee will get a subsidised rate when booking the place. If you have friends at such companies, book the villa through them.
   
3. Bring your own food. Food is expensive at the resort restaurants. We drew up a meal plan and cooked meals in the kitchen of our villa. Packing food and carrying it to Bintan requires planning and brute strength.
   For frozen stuff like fish and chicken, we packed them into cooler boxes and checked them in at the ferry terminal. For dry foods, we dedicated an entire 20kg of luggage to storing them.
   
4. Prepare your own indoor entertainment. We brought our XBOX, laptops, Nintendo DS Lite, board games and movies as wet-weather back-up plans. You’ll be glad you did when it rains.
5. Enjoy all the free stuff. With beautiful beaches and fine weather all year round, laze the day away by sun-tanning, wading in the sea or playing a game with beach balls. There’s not much need to pay for extra recreation. The most exciting thing for me was being able to drive the buggy. We had a Grand Prix-like race around the resort with the buggies.

Three things not to be missed!

1. Kayaking Explore the seas and beaches of Bintan in kayaks! You will discover hidden enclaves that are great for photo-taking.
   Prices are $10 per hour to kayak alone, and $15 per hour to kayak in pairs.
   
2. Laser Quest The laser quest arena in Bintan Lagoon Resort is more exciting than Singapore’s. There are high points where you can snipe people. Smoke constantly gets pumped into the area, adding to the war atmosphere and making the experience more authentic.
   Prices are at $6 for a 15-minute session
   
3. Star-gazing Drive a buggy to the Jack Nicklaus Sea View golf course in the wee hours of the morning. Standing under a blanket of stars in a pitch-black open field is a rare experience in brightly-lit Singapore. Though we could not take a picture of that sight, the scene will forever be etched in my memory.

Source: http://bettylopez10.multiply.com/reviews/item/1

Bintan on the Cheap

The most frequent requests I receive from my sisters,relatives and friends who visit us in Singapore is to bring them to Malaysia or Indonesia.

Just for everyone's information ,Malaysia is just 10 minutes away from Singapore by bus .That is if you are talking about getting a Malaysian stamp on your passport.The entry point will be Johor Bahru(JB).

Going to KL or Kuala Lumpur is another story.It takes about S$25(from bus tickets bought in JB) and 4-5 hours of your time to see the Petronas Tower.

Indonesia is another stop. Batam(for work and shopping) and Bintan(for leisure) Islands of Indonesia are just an hours ferry ride from Singapore. Of the two, I prefer going to Bintan(altho there is hardly any shopping here).

Bintan has the reputation of being a very expensive destination because all hotels charge in S$ and food prices are way way above hawker food prices. So if you are planning to go to Bintan (on the cheap) here are some tips:

1. Book your hotel rooms at ratestogo.com. The hotel rates in this website is half the price listed in hotel websites.
2. If you are booking a room at Bintan Lagoon Hotel(tagalugin ko na lang ha para d tayo mabisto), maski 1 na lang room ang book nyo maski 12 kayo kc d naman sila nagbibilang ng tao sa kwarto. Ang reception desk at registration nila napakalayo sa entrance ng hotel at d dadalhin ng bellhop ng mga bags sa kwarto nyo kaya OK lang na marami kayo.D rin bibilangin ng mga guests nila sa bus basta pasasakayin lang kayo .
   In comparison pag sa Mayang Sari kayo bistado agad kung ilan kayo sa kwarto kasi pag sakay pa lang ninyo sa bus sa ferry terminal binibilang na nila kayo at dapat your name is in their reservation list.
   
3. You must reserve a room in advance since going there without reservation is much more expensive and you might not even be able to get a room or cottage during peak seasons.
4. Ferry tickets are cheaper on Sundays and more expensive on Fridays and Saturdays(week ends). The price difference is about S$10(P300).
5. Di mahigpit ang mga hotels sa Bintan sa pagdadala ng food inside the rooms so kung gusto ninyong makatipid magbaon kayo pati snack items kasi again the prices of food is double and even triple in the hotel or convenience stores in the hotel.
6. Dont forget to check out the Bandung Factory Outlet in Bintan.It has an array of the cheapest designer and branded goods in the region.
7. If you have kids with you and you are dining at the hotel restaurants better not let them have the buffet meal which can costs as much as S$25(breakfast)-$35(dinner)/person. The ala carte menus range from S$10-$15.
   Also check out the buffet spread first before deciding to get the buffet dinner since baka di rin nyo makain eto. In most cases the dinner buffet is mostly steamed or barbequed seafood.
   
8. Remember that Indonesia is a muslim country so dont expect pork in the menu. However in Bintan Lagoon they had pork bacon in the breakfast buffet.
9. The best beachfront is at the Mayang Sari/Nirwana Garden. You can gaze at the stars at night straight from your cottage veranda or at the beachfront which is just a few steps away from your cottage.
10. If you want fun and sea sports, book at any Nirwana Hotel.Then you can use the facilities of Maya Maya or Nirwana Sports Club.

I hope these tips will be of help to those planning a trip to Bintan.