Bintan
Discover Bintan
Bintan: the northern tip of the island, Bintan Resorts (Lagoi), 45 minutes from Singapore by ferry, full of expensive resorts and manicured lawns. As it has very little in common with the rest of the island, the resorts are covered in the Bintan Resorts article. Separated from the resorts by checkpoints and armed guards, the rest of the island is "real" border town Indonesia, home to electronics factories, fishing villages and local-style resorts (beach and adventure type) along the East Coast Bintan.
What to Experience in Bintan
Taste of Bintan...
Seafood in Bintan is fresh and affordable (about S$3–7/person) and Tanjung Pinang has many restaurants, although they usually have sub-standard fans and minimal or gaudy decoration. However, service is good and waiters are friendly. There isn't always an English menu, so take a look at the Indonesian phrasebook and learn the basics. Also remember that 'vegetarian' is defined differently here than other parts of the world, so if you are a strict vegetarian, make sure you mention no meat is to be included. Hygiene may be a problem, but restaurants here depend on repeat customers, so generally they will do their best to make sure you have an enjoyable experience. Drink bottled water. Except for a few 4/5-star hotels, tap water is generally not potable. Fresh tender coconut water may be available at a few places, if not at your own resort. As the locals are generally Muslims and thus do not usually drink alcoholic beverages, beer and wines are not available in every shop, but major shopping centres/hotel concierges can tell you where to buy them. While better than it used to be, Tanjung Pinang has a partly deserved bad reputation. Do not carry large quantities of cash or flash it about, and do not take unfamiliar taxis (particularly the touts at the jetty). Locals will readily befriend you, but they will inflate your bills and take a cut. However, the cut they take isn't very large unless they are really unscrupulous, so they still make good, friendly, and knowledgeable guides.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsFor detailed information on visas, see the Indonesia page. All Bintan ports, namely Sri Bintan Pura (Tanjung Pinang), Lobam and Bandar Bentan Telani/Lagoi (Bintan Resorts) are visa-free and visa-on-arrival points of entry. Tanjung Pinang's Raja Haji Fisabilillah Airport (TNJ) caters to a few domestic flights. The main Indonesian airlines Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, and Sriwijaya Air all offer daily flights from the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Local airlines offer connections to the remote Natuna Islands. A viable alternative is to fly into neighbouring Batam (BTH), which has a larger airport, and taking a ferry across. However, for most foreigners, unless you are coming from Malaysia or elsewhere in Indonesia, the most convenient way to reach Bintan would be to fly into Singapore (SIN) and take a ferry to Tanjung Pinang. There is a shuttle service connecting Changi Airport with Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, taking about 20 minutes....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Public transportation on Bintan is very limited, and is probably not worth the effort unless you have a passable command of Indonesian and a lot of time on your hands. Virtually all visitors use taxis or rent cars. However, as there are only a few main routes, Mikrolets are worthwhile investigating and whilst the locals don't speak much English, they will go out of their way to help you if you look lost. Taxis compete furiously for your custom and cutthroat bargaining is a necessity. The safety of these is dubious though, and it is generally advisable to avoid the taxi touts at Tanjung Pinang's ferry terminal entirely and arrange transportation with your lodgings. Car rental could cost between S$50–100/day for a sedan, depending on how far you go: all the way around the island, visiting Tanjung Pinang, the east coast, and the resort belt in the north would be a 4 hour, 200 km venture, while a short day visit to Trikora coast might be had for $50.
Money & Budget
The local wooden handicrafts are worth buying, if you're on the lookout for a souvenir or two. The prices are generally cheap if you can find the right places to buy from. The resorts use Singapore dollars as their de facto currency, but while they're accepted elsewhere on the island as well, exchange rates may not be in your favour and you'll usually be better off using rupiah. Prices on the "Indonesian" part of the island are on par with or slightly higher than other islands in Indonesia, while prices in Bintan Resorts are expensive even by Singapore standards. The major shopping centres in town, like Ramayana Mall or Bintan Mall, hardly compare to those in Singapore, Jakarta, or Kuala Lumpur, but the items sold are generally cheap, varied, and acceptable quality.
Language & Talk
Bahasa Indonesia, which is spoken throughout Indonesia, is modelled on the version of Malay which originates from Riau on the Sumatra mainland and the Riau Islands. In fact, Riau Malay is regarded as the purest form of the Malay language and visitors from Malaysia will find the Malay spoken here very similar to Bahasa Malaysia, which is the version of Malay spoken back home. English is spoken at Bintan Resorts and, to a lesser extent, the resorts of Trikora, but not much elsewhere. For detailed information on visas, see the Indonesia page. All Bintan ports, namely Sri Bintan Pura (Tanjung Pinang), Lobam and Bandar Bentan Telani/Lagoi (Bintan Resorts) are visa-free and visa-on-arrival points of entry. Tanjung Pinang's Raja Haji Fisabilillah Airport (TNJ) caters to a few domestic flights.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
While better than it used to be, Tanjung Pinang has a partly deserved bad reputation. Do not carry large quantities of cash or flash it about, and do not take unfamiliar taxis (particularly the touts at the jetty). Locals will readily befriend you, but they will inflate your bills and take a cut. However, the cut they take isn't very large unless they are really unscrupulous, so they still make good, friendly, and knowledgeable guides.