Bintan Angsana Resort & Spa (May 2008)

I wish I could do such a detailed writeup for every holiday that I've taken (boy I sure do envy travel writers!), but unfortunately daily life with its bills & responsibilities quickly swamp post-holiday euphoria.

Still, I hope that with this guide, people who're looking at a beach getaway in Bintan can learn from my absolutely fantastic experience & most importantly, know what to expect. =)

We'd decided on Angsana Resort & Spa but a week before departure, Xiaxue wrote such a scathing review of her experience with sand flies, tar glops etc, that I was griped with fear.

Perhaps it's because my travel motto has always been to have low expectations so that I'll be pleasantly surprised, or maybe she was just darn unlucky, but I had a completely different experience from Xiaxue's, I'm happy to report!

The Crowd on the Day of Departure

I was made a tad panicky by the claustrophobia-inducing crowd at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. It was the Vesak Day long weekend, and it looked like everyone's eager to get out of Singapore! It was all I could do to gaze at the crowd and envision them transplanted onto the beach, sans clothes.

Surprisingly though, the number of Singaporeans rapidly filtered out once we reached our destination - the Angsana crowd consisted of mostly foreigners, especially French and Aussies, with a smattering of Japanese tourists as well. My colleague who's been to Banyan Tree says that Angsana, Banyan Tree and Club Med are considered the more high end section of Bintan, with Angsana on the lower spectrum still affordable enough not to yell "WHAT? I could go to Bali with that amount!".

I would have prefered a more family resort like Nirwana since I was going with my parents. Unfortunately it's fully booked during public holidays. We did manage to go to the Kelong Restaurant at Nirwana for dinner - the prices are in SGD and very reasonable too.

At this point my colleague reminded me again: Going on a public holiday weekend, it means that family resorts are sure to be very crowded and you'd have to fight for pool or beach real estate. So I guess it's worth forking out more for a more exclusive resort during peak season after all.

Advice from an Urbanite Beach Noob
("noob" meaning newbie in online gaming slang)

Do not bring makeup or contact lenses.

In Singapore I find that I get better service if I look prettier and dress better. Maybe it has to do with people being more instinctively inclined toward pleasant things, or perhaps it's also that when I'm well put together, I am more confident of myself.

But in Bintan, I immediately ditched any fancy I had of looking like a glowing beach goddess and taking gorgeous photos of myself lounging lazily on the beach a la magazine shots.

I did not feel glamourous at all.

The humidity quickly overpowered me, and I sweated profusely. I found myself repeating what I call the "Rinse and Repeat" cycle:

1. Trudge to the beach, dip in the cooling sea water.
2. Float, float, float.......
3. Squeal as the waves nudge you here and there.
4. Flop onto the deck chair to dry, pretend to read, and get lulled by the sea breeze into a satisfying snooze.
5. If bored, proceed to the jacuzzi pool to be plummeted by powerful jets.
6. Have a lazy swim, get hungry and order decadently expensive but sinfully good meal to be served by the poolside.
7. Snooze, and repeat all over again.

Or, to summarise it: Dip, Dry, Dip, Dry, Dip, Dry - repeat ad infinitum until sunset.

Needless to say, I took no photos of myself. On the other hand, I have never felt so at ease in my natural self - flaws and all. I'll tell you why later.


Angsana Resort

My photos didn't turn out very nice compared to some I've seen on others' blogs. =(

But in my defence I must say that the architecture of the resort itself isn't very inspired. What makes it stand out is the exemplary service and the natural environment.


It also took me some time to get used to the fact that the Lobby is on level 2. I kept pressing the wrong floor for the lifts. I guess when you're on holiday your brain just somehow switches off.

In the next picture you can see the Lotus Cafe. At the very end that's the entrance to the Angsana Spa / Gallery, and more resort rooms. If you turn left that's to the pool and the beach.



Angsana Gallery where you can buy themed knick-knacks if you're so inclined.



And because they have nothing but ample supplies of sand for ashtrays, each one I passed by was carefully imprinted with their Angsana resort logo of a starfish. A lesser person might have been tempted to mess it up for the heck of it. (Who's to guarantee for what happened right after I took this photo though, heh!)



Angsana Resort is rather small. 4-storeys high of a longish building to maximise sea-front views. It means long, long walks from the lifts to your room, especially challenging for the lizard-phobic at night when the lizards come out to play but it's a small price to pay. I loved morning breakfasts on the balcony overlooking the gorgeous sea & pool views.











Lush greenery and a chalet-like building mean LIZARDS, LOADS OF LIZARDS.

I think I alarmed one of the cleaning crew when I walked out of our room at 3 in the afternoon, spied a humongous white/gray lizard hiding behind one of the pictures along the corridor and yelled a blood curdling scream.

Here's the Lotus pond with an entire dynasty of frogs living in it.



And that's when I realised why the swimming pool has a frog motif. During one of our evening strolls, the cacophony of frog croaks was deafening. Do not, on any account get a room facing the pond unless you have ear muffs.

The frog fountain in the day and at night. I am pretty pleased with the picture I took at night - chirpy frog, but oh so sinister with the shadows






Ground floor units would be good only if they're those pool or sea facing ones.

This one directly below us has a patio, big garden and private jacuzzi. I still see no point in spending more money to get the suite though. The pool's jacuzzi is a mere few steps away.



Such bliss, to enjoy a morning cuppa as you flip through the day's papers.




One thing you want to be prepared for - They don't receive Singaporean channels very well. We tried to tune in to channel U to watch the news, but there was too much static.

Which is surprising as I'd passed by this fabulous rooftop garden without realising that there're satelite dishes tucked discreetly in a corner.






One thing to note is that when I went to Bintan Agro Resort last year, they received Singaporean channels perfectly well. Not to mention it actually takes longer to reach Bintan Agro Resort (1 hour 45mins) than Angsana Resort (1 hour), so I assume Bintan Agro Resort is further away from Singapore than Angsana, right? (Or, the boats to Angsana go really slow.)

It's not a big problem though. I guarantee you'll be too tired by night time to watch much TV. So much activity, and I say this perfectly tongue-in-cheek.

In any case they have VCD players and a wide range of VCDs readily available for rent (for a fee, naturally). The amazing thing is, we passed by this angmoh standing by his room door, leisurely choosing from a folder of VCDs that a staff had sent to his room.

The Angsana chap didn't show any impatience or annoyance that the angmoh took his own sweet time to choose. He simply stood by the doorstep politely and patiently. He also made sure to make eye contact as other guests passed by and wished us a cheery good evening. That's service from the heart & a young man proud of his job!

Sigh. I really do miss the balcony of our room. Let's have one more artistic shot of it, followed by the full view from it.








The Spa

The treatment rooms are open air concept. Located on the rooftop and facing the sea.



At night, the drapes flapping in the seabreeze and the sound of waves make it a very relaxing experience. I reckon it will be very pleasant too during daytime if you manage to book a slot.

They have since stopped those tantalising-looking massages in a tent on the beach. The spa lady explained it's because of monsoon fears. That's not very assuring since we planned to lay by the beach whole day!

I remembered to take a picture only after the treatment. So please pardon the stripped bed on the right. The interior has very boudoir-like cosy furnishings.



We tried the 150mins package at USD$110 per person, and yes, it only lasted 2 hours with a 30 min cooldown period. I didn't feel ripped off at all though.

First you get a 30 min flower petals scrub that exfoliates your body. I feel that alone was worth it as the spa lady exfoliated places I myself could never reach or which I'd be too lazy to pay attention to. Certainly if you're lucky you can get your other half to do an exfoliating session for you once in a while, but we all know that guys don't do massages for their better half unless they have something else on their minds, eh?

You get to have a shower after the flower petals scrub. No soak though, that was a tad disappointing. I was looking forward to a good flower petals soak a la spa advertisements. Following which the therapist massages your nude body for a good 1 hour. And boy, is she thorough.  They really are very professional & discreet about it though.

After that's a 30 min Indian head massage or facial massage - you get to choose. The Indian head massage was quite a novel experience. When it ended, she sounded a gong beside my ears 3 times. I joked with my mom afterward that they must know we were so relaxed our souls drifted away that's why they're calling our souls back!

My masseur then asked me if I wanted to shower, but she advised that it's better to leave the oil on for 1 to 2 hours to benefit the body. I usually can't stand greasy stuff lingering on my body, but the massage oil they used was quite acceptable. My parents' masseurs probably couldn't communicate with them well, as both of them took a shower right after.




Here's the cooldown area where you get to sip hot ginger tea while ignoring the masseur as she strips the bed & gets the room ready for the next patron.



What impressed me about the massage is not the exorbitant price (again, perfectly tongue in cheek). It was the level of service and attention to detail. My masseur always addressed me by name, example: "Miss Tiffany I am going to wash my hands before we start the Indian massage". I like that communication and knowing what was coming next. You tend to feel a tad vulnerable lying there naked as someone kneads you all over you know?

I also liked that they had a chit for indicating what items you had brought along with you, like my camera and glasses. I didn't realise it, but she noted down discreetly what I brought when I arrived, and asked me to acknowledge before I left. It shows responsibility and unintrusive meticulousness. They are really very well-trained to anticipate customers' needs.

I left the spa feeling very pampered and relaxed in spirit.

World Class Service

I have something to confess. Because I got a wee bit alarmed at Xiaxue's bad experience, I included a note when I was booking through the internet: "As it's my parents' anniversary I hope that they will have a pleasant experience."

We got a surprise on the first night. They managed to catch us when we were out, and tadah look what we found on the table!



I don't eat non-chocolate cakes, but the mom happily polished it off. You've got to admit it's a really sweet gesture!

Another detail that impressed me was that when we checked in, the airconditioning wasn't working & I had to call them to fix it.

On the 2nd day after housekeeping, we found a letter from a manager apologising for the inconvenience and explaining the cause of the breakdown. I thought that was a very nice and sufficient gesture, but they even included complimentary gifts:



I am impressed beyond words. Most hotels I have been to are really impersonal. Some are tardy with the toiletries and you have to chase after them. It's rare to have an establishment take full ownership of their mistakes.

Again, am feeling very pampered. This is why they say money can make you feel like a king. But again, being rich doesn't mean people will fawn upon you. Sincerity can be felt, and I give all the staff full marks for excellent service that sincerely wants the customer to leave feeling good.

Over at Angsana Resort, I have the impression that it doesn't matter if you look gorgeous, you're angmoh or Asian, you wear branded threads, or you tip a lot. You can dress down, look like crap but the staff still treat you equally.

Food, glorious food.

There's a Veranda Lounge offering cakes (limited choices, at USD$4.50), and fantastic Iced Lemon Tea (USD$5.50).


Frankly, I should have saved some money and drank Iced Lemon Tea for the entire trip instead of being cheeky and trying out their cocktails like Angsana Daiquiri (USD$8.50) and Lagoi Sunrise (USD$8.50), or rose wine (USD$9.50) and champagne (USD$13). Even the smoothies are too milky for my taste.

Lotus Cafe at Level 1 features Indonesian and Western fare. Fish and Chips at USD$13, Beef Burger at USD$12, Nasi Goreng at USD$11.












Only the Nasi Goreng is worth ordering at all. The beef burger was horrid. Thick beef patty - I couldn't finish it at all.

I really regretted it after seeing my dad's Nasi Goreng. It's tasty and surprisingly comes with so many other accompaniments: 2 satays, 1 drumstick, and prawn crackers with tasty belacan sauce. Value for money!

We also took a shuttle bus (SGD$6 per person for return trip) to the Kelong Restaurant at Nirwana Gardens Resort.



It caters to Singaporeans and Malaysians mostly. Typical chinese restaurant decor with the usual seafood dishes. We ordered Gong Gong, Fried Lobster, Steamed Prawns, Sambal Kang Kong, Squid.

Only the Gong Gong is nice, all big and fleshy! They have a special sauce for it too. No wonder it's their famed dish. Even better than the 2 plates I had at Bintan Agro Resort..



Please don't order the fried lobster. Try steamed instead. Ours came deep fried in butter till the meat is dry and hard. Virtually unrecognisable as lobster. Totally can't be compared with the lobster at Angsana Resort's Pantai Grill.

Prawns were also not fresh. Maybe due to the public holiday, they're facing huge crowds so the standards dropped a little. In general quite a disappointing experience.

The following is a really interesting kelong bar set even further out into the sea. I wonder if anybody has become so drunk that they actually stumbled off and made a splash. We didn't have time to visit though, as the bus leaves every 2 hours. If we missed it, we'd have to hang around for another 2 hours!




So what would I recommend? The Pantai Grill at Angsana Resort, definitely.

The night decorations of this open air restaurant by the beach are nice, reminding me of Indonesian wayang backdrops. But the food at night isn't ala carte. It's buffet, and they don't have lobsters, only other grilled stuff. We ended up not eating dinner, since we had a heavy lunch so no point wasting money on buffet.







So if we can't eat dinner there, then why am I recommending it?

The Perfect Poolside Lunch at Pantai Grill

Half a grilled lobster (USD$16), Steak (USD$15) and Iced Lemon Tea (USD$5.50) - Perfecto.

I polished it off all by myself when the parents went to explore Pasar Oleh Oleh. I, on the other hand, am not that adventurous. I wanted to maximise every minute at the beach and pool.

Actually, for one person it's quite expensive. The irony is that usually on weekdays when I don't work, it's sufficient for me and my mom to share a packet of S$4 char kuay teow or nasi lemak for lunch. But here I am splurging so much. I guess going on a holiday means your perception of spending is totally warped.



Very juicy and tasty.

After a gigantic burp, lying by the pool reading and snoozing, I pottered off for more Iced tea at the Veranda Lounge next to the Lobby.






I should have done this every single day. :D

Don't worry. I've saved the best for last.

Ooh la la, the beach.

I shall give you a sneak peak of the glorious beach first.



The beach which they share with Banyan Tree is simply paradise: clear azure waters and pristine white sand. The Banyan Tree side is nicer to look at, but painful to wade in due to plenty of rocks. This is the Nirwana side with the amazingly soft pillowy sand! I read later that someone'd described it as "talcum powder". So true!



As compared to the Banyan Tree side which has more rocks (more Banyan Tree angled photos later):



The sand before Picasa's "I'm feeling lucky" button, already very beautiful:





After Picasa's "I'm feeling lucky" button. Wow! This must be a fake painted beach right?



I was pretty tempted to get some of this fine sand home for DIY exfoliation. The sand reminds me of my Body Shop Seaweed exfoliator facial wash!



Oh and does this not look like turd? I made my mom slather on lots of this "mud" onto my back, arms, etc. I reckon it's like doing a mud spa, ha ha.



Watching the sand and waves glittering in the sunlight made me tempted to just lie down and read my magazine half submerged in the water, letting the waves wash over me.








Yes, that is my mom slathering mud over me. Quite a mistake to be lazy and leave my magazine on the beach, letting the waves wash over it. Because it rapidly disintegrated. Goodbye, trashy magazine!

Here's my mom showing my dad the horrible remnants of it, while her daughter foolishly falls asleep on the sand without sunscreen. At noon. You can imagine how my skin itched and peeled after the trip.



Oh yes. Don't bother with decency on the beach. And no halter neck or string bikinis either. Strictly strapless tops/bikinis! Since I was with my dad, it didn't feel right to wear something too revealing. Decency or worrying about your fats wobbling is not worth it, for the end result:



Looking at these horrid tanned / not tanned bits, I say with much feeling (pain, namely): to heck with decency!! Of course, Indonesia being a Muslim country, there is a discreet note in the hotel room reminding guests to be mindful and refrain from sunbathing topless. Do try to curb yourselves.

One of my favourite activities there was ruminating on how many different shades of azure blue there are. Layers of layers of layers.... mmmm, sleepy...



No tar glops at all. Plenty of jellyfish warnings though we didn't spot any.



The mosquito/sandfly issue is quite ironic. I didn't apply insect repellent at all, even though the hotel readily provides free satchets of it. I didn't get a single bite. But in Singapore I always get insect bites.

I also naively thought I shouldn't spend on sunscreen because I don't go to the beach that often. I only brought along Body Shop Butter, which amused me to no end when I opened it after it'd been banged about in my luggage.




I am easily amused. My peeling and painful back on the other hand, is not as amusing.

Here are some photos of the sea view from our balcony at dusk and at night. We avoided going near the sea after dusk, because I read that sandflies are most active during sunrise and sunset.




That's taken around 4pm-5pm and we can see the moon already!


Here's the night shot.



The Banyan Tree side. You can see their villas peeking out.








Their infinity pool with excellent view of the sea is gorgeous. It may be my imagination, but it seems that even the sky is more bluish at the Banyan Tree side. Just kidding.





Last shot of an angmoh baby, so cute:



And there ends my fabulous beach adventure. Goodbye, Angsana Bintan!