Asia’s best kept secret confirms life’s a beach

Asia’s best kept secret confirms life’s a beach

Bintan offers an ideal city-break escape

From skyscrapers to sand in 45 minutes. Nothing could be easier to sell than a few relaxing days in Bintan to round-off a trip to Singapore.

With its quiet ambience and white sands Bintan is every bit a beach within reach, offering the perfect complement to a city break and the opportunity for clients to get a taste of what Indonesia has to offer.

In 1990 a Singapore consortium joined the Indonesian government to develop the north coast of Bintan as a resort destination and the result of some heavy Singaporean clout is easy to see. Singaporean investors have a large hand in the hotel pie, guests at properties are predominantly Singaporean and most prices are quoted in Singapore dollars.

Sightseeing is limited – the energetic may take a trip to the fishing village of Tanjung Pinang – but Bintan is really about miles of palm-fringed beaches and resort hotels that offer a wide range of activities.

Awareness of Bintan and what it offers is low in the UK. Premier Holidays product manager, Asia and Indian Ocean, David Carlaw reports static demand for Bintan. “The Banyan Tree is our best-selling hotel and it sells on reputation rather than location,” said Carlaw. “We’ll no longer be featuring Bintan as a stand-alone destination for 2001 but as a short extension from Singapore.”

Hayes and Jarvis has also taken Bintan out of its 2001 brochure, due to a lack of awareness in the UK market.

Thomas Cook Holidays was among the first to have a programme there and, six years later, is still one of a few operating there.

The two hotels featured in its Worldwide Faraway Collection 2001 brochure are selling well. Thomas Cook Holidays Faraway product manager Victoria Morris believes that Bintan has great potential as a future tourist destination. “It’s a popular alternative with customers on a stopover to other Asian destinations who want to experience the atmosphere, shopping and dining of Singapore without being based in the city,” she said.

Bintan Resorts has a three-day Supersaver Golf Getaway package. Starting from $602 for two people, it includes return ferry tickets, two nights’ accommodation, 18 holes at three of the four golf courses, use of a buggy for three games and transfers. It is valid until December 15.

Golden sands: with its miles of palm-lined beaches the island offers a relaxing taste of Indonesia

Indonesia by Teresa Machan

factfile

Amslam: annual windsurfingevent

singapore to bintan

Where is it? 45 mins from Singapore, the island is part of Indonesia but is like a tropical island extension of Singapore.

How do I get there? Accessible by catamaran from Singapore’s Tananh Merah ferry terminal. Ferries run five-times daily weekdays and eight times at weekends. Transfers are provided by resorts.

When can I go? The temperature averages 26C. Weather is generally sunny with rain and wind likely from October to March.

Useful information Bintan is an hour behind Singapore time. UK visitors require no visa. The currency is the Indonesian Rupiah but all hotels accept Singapore dollars and credit cards. Baha Indonesia is the national language but English iswidely used.

Accommodation

Bintan Resorts is a clutch of world-class resorts located on the island’s northern shore and is where the majority of tourists stay. These include:

Angsana Resort and Spa is the newest addition with 135 rooms. It features open-air spa pavillions and treatment rooms and an18-hole golf course.

Banyan Tree is a luxury retreat for those who don’t require entertainment to relax. It has just 30 villas, each with aprivate Jacuzzi or pool set into a timber sundeck.

Bintan Lagoon Golf and Beach Resort includes the Hotel Sedona and 57 resort villas set in 300-hectare gardens. It has a kids’ club, a Phytomer Spa, 11 food and beverage outlets and three 18-hole golf courses.

Club Med Ria Bintan offers an all-inclusive holiday in a 302-room village perched on a forested cliff. Offers a Petit Club for kids and has a 36-hole Gary Player golf course.

Mana-Mana Beach Club and Cabanas is a water sports resort for both novice and serious water sports enthusiasts. In January, the resort hosts its annual Amslam windsurfing event. In addition to snorkelling and diving there’s ocean kayaking, sailing and waterskiing.

Nirwana Gardens encompasses the Nirwana Resort Hotel (245 rooms and suites), Mayan Sari Beach Resort (50 chalets), Indra Maya (14 villas) and Banya Biru (36 villas). The four holiday experiences are set in 330 hectares of garden and beaches.