28 December 2010
Banyan Tree Bintan is one of the best or perhaps the best resort on Bintan, targeted at those who wants a relaxing time at the beach, villa, or spa and exclusivity. It is the only all-villa resort on the island.
It is a perfect place for a short getaway from Singapore. There was a promotional package for 2 nights stay at a Sea View villa, plus massage for 2 persons at the Banyan Tree Spa. So Bintan, here we come. Me and my wife.
To get to Bintan, we had to take the Bintan Resort Ferry from the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal located in the eastern part of Singapore. Travel time was about 45 minutes. Two classes of fares were available – economy and emerald class. Emerald class cost SGD21 more per seat per way and includes the Emerald Class suite of privileges. We booked the Emerald class tickets, just to start getting into the mood of pampering ourselves silly.
We had booked the morning ferry in advance using the online booking system. Upon arrival at Bintan’s ferry terminal (Bandar Bentan Telani), we were swiftly processed through immigration (one of the privilege of travelling in Emerald class) and transferred to Banyan Tree Bintan Resort in a small shuttle van. The standard resort check-in reception was given at the lobby – warm smiles, cool towels and cold drinks, then the good news that the resort would be upgrading us from the Sea View Villa to the Villa On the Rocks which is supposed to be more expensive. We accepted the offer and made our way to the Treetops restaurant for our lunch as the villa check-in time was 3 PM.
Service at Treetops was excellent as expected, the Indonesia dishes we ordered was not bad but the orchid on our table had seen better days.
I think the resort may had taken recycling a bit too far. LOL.
After lunch, it was time for the massage that was part of our package. The spa is located in one of the bungalows, high up on the cliff, overlooking the sea. As expected from a Banyan Tree Spa, the massage was great.
After the spa, we had tea and enjoy the views of the coast from the terrace for a short while. Then a buggy brought us to our Villa On the Rocks. There was a row of villas on the rocks, right next to the sea. We got the first one on the left.
The description of the villa on the resort’s website states:
The villa is built on the weathered boulders by the sea. The Villa On the Rocks is the ultimate setting for ocean lovers. Be lulled to sleep by the gentle wash of the sea, and awake up to the soothing sound of waves breaking on the rocks. Secluded behind a walled courtyard garden, the lavish accommodation provides privacy and dose of tranquillity and romance. In addition to the usual amenities, the villa features a sensuous four-poster bed, outdoor dining area, timber deck with private alfresco jet pool and ensuite bathroom with sunken bathtub.
Everything as described on the website was true, except for alfresco jet pool which was covered in tarpaulin, and did not look clean and operational. The interior of the villa was well decorated, with nice little touches to make you feel welcomed, although the furnishings were old but functional.
I did not eat the bananas with the rock salt as suggested. They tasted good without.
The Villa On the Rocks offers great views and sound of the waves crashing on the rocks just outside our room. Quite nice and perfect for an afternoon of relaxation in the room.
Even the shower area of the ensuite bathroom with sunken bathtub had views of the outdoors and it was a strange experience to shower with the blinds up although we knew that on one would be able to look in from the ocean.
There was even a cute little bat hanging on the elves just outside the entrance. Another freebie from the resort. There was a sign warning visitors of potential visits from monkeys, squirrels, reptiles from the small gecko to the large monitor lizards, deer, wild pigs and if lucky, even an anteater. Fortunately, the bat was the only wild animal we encountered.
Dinner tonight was at the Saffron, a restaurant serving Thai and Indonesian food. Service was excellent as well as the Thai food we ordered. As part of the rice service for our Thai food, the staff offered us to try a selection of steamed rice in various colours – green (pandan flavoured), yellow (kunyit), white (plain), dark brown (olive) etc.
The plain white steamed rice was still the best to go with the Thai curries and Tom Yam soup we ordered. The restaurant was built on top of the sea cliff and offered a view of the sea and the waves crashing on the rocks below. Unfortunately, the scene outside was not well lit (conservation of energy?), and the glass panels were misted from the condensation of the air-con. Else the setting would be perfect for a romantic dinner.
Then it was back to the villa for a good night sleep…but it was not to be.
“Be lulled to sleep by the gentle wash of the sea, and awake up to the soothing sound of waves breaking on the rocks.”
It was more like “kept awake all night by the loud sound of the waves breaking on the rocks”. Maybe it was just us or it was a night when the waves were extremely strong. And it was not even a stormy night. We told ourselves that we need to request for a “downgrade” back to our original booked Seaview Villa, which are located higher up on the resort the next day.
So we did not get a good night sleep. But it was sort of a new experience to lay in the warm bed and listen to the loud crashing waves outside.
