When you think of a paradisiacal Indonesian island, Bali first comes to mind. But the maritime world of the Southeast Asian state is so diverse that another island was forgotten for a long time. Bintan is by far the largest island in the province of Riau, and if you don’t like the tourist boom in Bali, you will probably find the fulfilment of your holiday wishes here. Those who have chosen Bintan for themselves will usually head for this wonderful retreat from Singapore or the Malaysian Johor Bahru. And those who have finally landed can look forward to an exotic paradise with wonderful beaches.
A 250-kilometre-long coastline
To discover the island of Bintan on the map or the globe, you should orient yourself in the Malay archipelago to the Indonesian Riau Islands. They are located southeast of Singapore and virtually on the eastern coast of Sumatra. Bintan is almost exactly 1,173 square kilometers in size, enjoys a coastline of a little less than 250 kilometers and designates Tanjung Pinang on the southern periphery as the capital. The vegetation here is particularly lush and those who prefer long hikes on the beach as a holidaymaker on Bitan can expect miles of walks in the white sand. Where the beach regions end, a dense rainforest begins with mangroves near the sea and a jungle full of palm trees.
A paradise on the China Sea
In the north of Bintan, a holiday resort has established itself that does not have to shy away from comparisons with other tourist hotspots in Indonesia . On an area of 23,000 hectares, a true holiday paradise has been created on the China Sea. Those who stay here are very often interested in sports, because the resort is the venue for internationally acclaimed competitions in triathlon, marathon and extreme sports. If you want to take it a little easier, you will find your Eldorado in one of the four golf courses designed by designers. This almost paradisiacal resort was completed by a four-star hotel in Lagoi. There is an artificial lagoon here – surrounded by pristine mangrove forests and the meandering Sungei Sebung River.
An insider tip in Southeast Asia
It is by no means only the proximity to Singapore that makes this island a preferred destination for international tourism. The Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry has its terminal close to the luxury resorts. So the distances are short and the holiday pleasure long. Ferries and speedboats run between Singapore and Bintan every day. The quite fast catamarans take little more than an hour for the crossing. By the way, the state of Singapore has leased the wonderful island on its doorstep to Indonesia for 99 years. Hardly anyone has understood that this island is largely unknown in Europe. But this also has its pleasant side, because Bintan has so far been largely spared from mass tourism and continues to enjoy the status of an insider tip in Southeast Asia.
On the island, the guest is king
On Bintan, the customer is king without ifs and buts. This is also evident in the hotel complex of the Banyan Tree, where guests are chauffeured from the restaurant to the sea in environmentally friendly and electrically powered cars. Or from the exclusive spa area to the golf course. The island is cosmopolitan and the people who live and work there are extremely open-minded and friendly towards their guests. It may play a role in this that almost all religions of the world are represented here. This is a multicultural island with a very special charm. In some resorts on Bintan, it is common for holidaymakers to be entertained with interesting evening programmes. Music always plays a major role in this. If you want to discover the island, you can put yourself in the care of an island bus. In addition, taxis or rental cars run with and without a booked driver. The island metropolis of Tanung Pinang is undoubtedly worth a somewhat longer visit. With an interesting old town and pile dwellings in the sea.
Encounter with harmless monitor lizards
Not far from the mangrove forests with their abundance of water birds and primates, the Buddhist temple of Sungai Ular rises in Tanung Pinang. The diving areas on Bintan are also extremely popular. If you dare, you can experience a largely intact underwater world with corals and go to shipwrecks off the coast. All this is a region away from any civilization and a paradise for people who have the gift of feeling with their eyes and seeing with their soul. Incidentally, the sights on the island also include a cave dedicated to the Virgin Mary. A chapel and Stations of the Cross were also built here, which were built by refugees from Vietnam . On an excursion across the island, visitors should not be surprised if they occasionally encounter monitor lizards that can reach the stately size of one and a half meters. But unlike the monitor lizards on Komodo, those on Bintan are completely harmless.
