Bintan Quick Getaway
Carlo and I got so interested in Bintan
because of our friends in SG who were sharing their experiences in this island
near Singapore.
I booked a ferry ticket online via Bintan
Resort Ferries website - http://booking.brf.com.sg/. Total cost of two-way
ferry ticket per person is $46 plus additional levies and fees of $24. Thus,
the total cost for two tickets was $140 ($70 per person).
We chose Bintan Lagoon Resort as the
hotel because it is one of the cheapest 5-star hotels in Bintan. We chose the
sea facing room for a better view - which we paid for a bit higher rate compared to the normal rooms.
Okay, so here it is... Our 2D1N trip to
Bintan =)
Day
1
Departure was at Tanah Merah Ferry
Terminal. From our block, we took a bus going to the MRT and alighted at Tiong Bahru Station. From there, we hopped off at Tanah Merah
station and figured out where we had to head to. We should have had ride in bus #32, however, when I
checked SG Next Bus app, bus 32 wasn’t operating that time. So I told Carlo
that we could just opt to grab a taxi going to the terminal. Anyway, the taxi
bay was just a few meters away from the bus stop.
HELLO! Hahahaha!
When we reached the terminal, I noticed
that there were a lot of people queuing from one counter and another. It’s probably
because a lot would like to spend holidays out of Singapore. We waited for a
few minutes to get our boarding passes in BRF counter and proceeded to the
waiting area for boarding.
Inside the ferry boat =) Excited!!! Or scared?? Hahaha!
After around an hour, we arrived at Bandar
BentanTelani Terminal (BBT). Immigration and baggage checks were always part of
getting into a new country, so soon after we got cleared, we went outside and
look for the signage of Bintan Lagoon Resort. There was a man accommodating the
hotel guests for free shuttle from BBT to Bintan Lagoon Resort.
at BBT
Shuttle bus
If I remember it right, it’s a 20-minute
ride from the terminal to reach the hotel. Soon as we alighted from the shuttle bus, we were welcomed by a group of dancers
along the lobby.
The queue for checking-in was seriously
bad. Since it was a holiday, it took us around an hour to finish. =( Maybe the
staff should add more check in counters during holidays.
They gave us welcome drinks and map to
use to roam around.
Here’s our room =) It’s very spacious and nice. This is the “sea-facing” room. Not an impressive view but it was fine.
Right after we’ve settled in, we went for
a walk at the beach and took pictures.
Since we were so hungry (cos we hadn’t
taken lunch yet and it’s already 4PM IDT!!!), we decided to grab some snacks in
a mini grocery store at the 2nd level. We took a rest for a while inside
the room; and at around 6PM IDT, we went downstairs for dinner. There was Kopi-O that serve dinner buffet. It was friggin’ expensive. I couldn’t remember the
exact price in IDR but when it was charged to my credit card, it seemed like we
had it for around $80!!! The important note here is, since most of the foods
were Malay, they were very very spicy. =( They should have added few
international choices for some tourists who doesn’t like spicy foods. The
drinks weren’t also included in the buffet, so we had to order and pay
separately. I felt like I was robbed during this time. =(
Day
2
We woke up early for breakfast. This meal
was included when I booked the hotel. I was expecting to see something which I
can eat - and fortunately, there were. No photos during breakfast though :P
We then proceeded to dip in the pool..
And after 30 minutes, we went to the beach area. I was so happy! I missed the
beach sands in the Philippines =)
At around 12PM, we checked out and waited for the shuttle service in the lobby.
At around 12PM, we checked out and waited for the shuttle service in the lobby.
Overall, it was indeed a good experience. If you need sometime to relax and just chill, you can spend a weekend in Bintan. The only
thing I didn’t like there was the expensive food! You might want to bring food
with you if you don’t like to spend more. =)
*********************************************************************************************
Summary of Expenses
**We should have brought food with us. Cos if we did, I would have spent less than $150 only! Lesson learned :D
