10 cheap Bintan resorts for glamping and seaside holidays under $200/night

Because of how cheap and easy it is to book short seaside getaways and “glamping” (literally glamorous camping) trips, Bintan is trendier than ever.

By ferry, the idyllic Indonesian island is just an hour away from Singapore.

Bintan is known for some of their famous resorts, like Club Med and the Banyan Tree:

… which, as you can tell, are relatively expensive.

Thankfully, there are a ton of cheaper alternatives available. If you don’t quite have the budget (or annual leave) for a luxurious year end trip, here are 10 cheap Bintan resorts to get your fix of #BeachVibes.

10 CHEAP BINTAN RESORTS UNDER $200 PER NIGHT

NIRWANA BEACH CLUB

• Cheapest price (at time of writing): $72 via Agoda
• TripAdvisor rating: 4/5 from 189 reviews
• Family-friendly
• Good for adventure water sports

Like most of the resorts in Bintan, Nirwana Beach Club sits by the waterfront and have a suite of family-friendly facilities and activities for their guests.

The resort features a rustic vibe, with 42 colourful cabanas and a sea-facing infinity pool (at Nirwana Gardens, free for guests).

Nirwana Beach Club is the cheapest of the Nirwana group of hotels and resorts, and is especially suitable for those who enjoy sea sports, as they organise water sporting activities like jet skiing, couple parasailing and scuba diving as well.

Nirwana Beach Club address: Kawasan Pariwisata Lagoi, Jl. Panglima Pantar, Sebong Lagoi, Teluk Sebong, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands 29155, Indonesia

BINTAN SPA VILLA BEACH RESORT

• Cheapest price (at time of writing): $73 via Agoda
• TripAdvisor rating: 4/5 from 794 reviews
• Value for money
• Lots of amenities and activities

To be honest, most Bintan resorts are the same: they have beautiful beaches, spacious villas, optional day tours and massage and spas services. Bintan Spa Villa is the same, but for a very affordable price tag.

According to many online reviews, the service, cleanliness and facilities far exceed what was expected of a cheap, 3-star resort. In addition to the 2 outdoor jacuzzis, there is a swimming pool, seaside spa and beachfront restaurant. For those with kids, there are also nightly movie screenings.

Bintan Spa Villa Beach Resort address: Km. 38 Jl. Pantai Trikora | Teluk Bakau Bintan, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands Province 29153, Indonesia

BINTAN AGRO BEACH RESORT

• Cheapest price (at time of writing): $95 via Agoda
• TripAdvisor rating: 4/5 from 68 reviews
• Pristine beach with white sand and clear waters
• New, sea-view rooms available

Bintan Agro Beach Resort is located on the East coast of Bintan, so the journey there is slightly longer (1h 45m by ferry). They’ve got all the usual beach resort frills like hammocks, seaside rooms, spas and more.

Do note, however, that there is only one restaurant (Sun Moon seafood restaurant, Chinese cuisine) — although reviews on the food are decent, the price-wise they seem expensive. Also, I read quite a few reviews complaining about the resort being crowded with tourists groups, so if you want a quiet getaway, this may not be it.

Bintan Agro Beach Resort address:  Jl. Pantai Trikora km. 36 Teluk Bakau, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands Province 29153 Indonesia

BINTAN LAGOON RESORT

• Cheapest price (at time of writing): $104 via Agoda
• TripAdvisor rating: 3.5/5 from 3,055 reviews
• Has its own ferry service (75mins from Singapore)
• Situated on a 1.5km beach that overlooks the South China Sea

As you can tell by the sheer number of reviews, Bintan Lagoon Resort is one of the most popular resorts in the area. It spans over 300 ha, with 450 rooms, villas and suites. They even have their own ferry which goes directly to the resort, taking about 75 minutes from Singapore.

Most notably, Bintan Lagoon Resort has 2 championship golf courses designed by Jack Nicholas and Ian Baker Finch, making it a must-visit for golf enthusiasts. From reviews, the rooms are quite “meh”, but the communal facilities are great.

Bintan Lagoon Resort address: Jl. Indera Segara Site A12, Lagoi, Teluk Sebong, Sebong Lagoi, Tlk. Sebong, Kabupaten Bintan, Kepulauan Riau 29155, Indonesia

NIRWANA RESORT HOTEL

• Cheapest price (at time of writing): $105 via Agoda
• TripAdvisor rating: 4/5 from 1,647 reviews
• Access to all Nirwana Gardens facilities (part of Nirwana group)

Another mega-resort with 241 rooms and suites, Nirwana Resort Hotel is one tier up from the cheaper Nirwana Beach Club (above).

Since it’s part of the Nirwana group of vacation villas, all guests are entitled access to the various facilities in Nirwana Gardens, including the popular infinity pool. If you’re not content lounging around on hammocks, you can pay for land and/or sea tours and dive trips (extra charges applicable).

Nirwana Resort Hotel address: Jalan Panglima Pantar, Lagoi 29155
Bintan Resorts, Indonesia

CASSIA BINTAN

• Cheapest price (at time of writing): $116 via Agoda
• TripAdvisor rating: 4/5 from 538 reviews
• Part of the Laguna Bintan Integrated Resort
• Features an 18-hole golf course

Cassia Bintan describes its resort as “part hotel, part service apartment”, so expect more of an AirBNB instead of villa vibes. It’s like a beachfront condo home, with even a full kitchen so you can cook if you want.

There are 6 restaurants to choose from, but of course, you dine on your own dime. But like most resorts, there are a bunch of free daily activities for guests. At Cassia, you can play soccer and volleyball, go jet skiing and for yoga.

There are chargeable activities like snorkelling and ATV safari rides too.

Cassia Bintan address: Jalan Teluk Berembang, Laguna Bintan Resort, Lagoi Bintan Resorts, Indonesia 29155

MAYANG SARI BEACH RESORT

• Cheapest price (at time of writing): $157 via Agoda
• TripAdvisor rating: 4/5 from 705 reviews
• Access to all Nirwana Gardens facilities (part of Nirwana group)

As with their beach club, Nirwana group describes their other resort property, the Mayang Sari Beach Resort, as rustic as well. The difference is that this one is slightly fancier, featuring cottage-style chalets, each with a private garden- or sea-view veranda.

All Nirwana group resorts come with access to their many facilities and amenities, so if that’s what you’re after, you can go for the cheaper, above-mentioned ones. If you want a more comfortable room, you can try Mayang Sari Beach resort — many reviewers agree that the rooms are generally nicer and cleaner.

Mayang Sari Beach Resort address: Jalan Panglima Pantar, Lagoi 29155
Bintan, Indonesia

THE RESIDENCE BINTAN

• Cheapest price (at time of writing): $158 via Agoda
• TripAdvisor rating: 4.5/5 from 327 reviews
• Infinity pool, guided nature tours, and more facilities

The Residence Bintan has a 4.5-star TripAdvisor rating with many raving reviews of how clean and fabulous this resort is — perhaps this justifies its relatively expensive price tag?

Although considered more expensive on this list, the Tanjung Pinang resort is still quite affordable and you can get a night’s stay for under $200.

There’s an infinity pool for the ‘gram, and compared to the other more well known resorts, there are much fewer tourists. Sounds perfect for some quiet time.

The Residence Bintan address: Kampung Galang Batang, Tanjung Pinang, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands Province 29153 Indonesia

ANGSANA BINTAN

• Cheapest price (at time of writing): $162 via Trip.com
• TripAdvisor rating: 4/5 from 2,241 reviews
• Part of the Laguna Bintan Integrated Resort
• Features an 18-hole golf course

Although more expensive, Angsana Bintan remains wildly popular. There are some 2,000+ reviews on TripAdvisor, many raving about their trip to Angsana was like a “dream holiday”.

I’ve personally never been there, but from the photos, everything does look pretty upmarket. It’s not as “atas” as the Banyan Tree (which is also in the same group), but it looks better than Cassia.

So like all the resorts in the Laguna Bintan Integrated Resort, you can participate in free activities like sports, trekking and yoga, or top up for water sports like snorkelling and jet skiing.

Angsana Bintan address: Jl. Teluk Berembang Laguna Bintan, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands Province 29155 Indonesia

ANMON RESORT BINTAN (GLAMPING)

• Cheapest price (at time of writing): $177 via Agoda
• TripAdvisor rating: 4.5/5 from 73 reviews
• Glamping concept, rooms look like teepee tents

Anmon Resort Bintan is an up-and-coming concept resort. Several of my friends have been and all recommend it. Google it and you’ll see images of large, white tents, but don’t worry — it’s not really camping.

Instead, it’s “glamping”, whereby it’s just a tent-inspired facade. The interior is like any other hotel or villa. It’s fully air-conditioned and has proper bedrooms and bathrooms. That’s why “glam camping” mah — it’s all the camping photos, but without the sweltering heat and creepy crawlies.

One thing to note: many reviewers say the resort restaurant is expensive. For cheaper meals, head to the nearby Marine Park cafe.

ANMON Resort Bintan address: Jl. Raja Ali H. Km 1 Tourism Area, Teluk Sebong, Lagoi, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands Province 29155 Indonesia

This article was first published in MoneySmart .