Bintan Island

Bintan Island is a 45-minute catamaran ride away from Singapore. It is a highly popular short-break destination for Singaporeans and expats, who flock to the upmarket beach resorts on the northern shore of the island to relax and play golf at four top-class courses. Bintan Resorts, a Singaporean company, controls this prime piece of land along the island’s north shore, and has effectively turned the area into an offshore enclave of the Lion City, with reliable power supplies, potable water and decent restaurants. You don’t even have to change your Singapore dollars into Indonesian Rupiah.

Not surprisingly, this is where most Singaporeans and other weekenders head.

The Bintan resorts have little that’s authentically Indonesian about them (other than the staff), but are more than adequate if you’re looking for a stress-free place to kick back, and enjoy some top-class golf, a host of water sports or other activities.

Outside Bintan Resorts, the island retains some of the sleepy island charm that is largely lost on neighbouring islands. The old town of Tanjung Pinang is a charming port town, particularly its seafront, where traditional stilted houses jut out over the water, and old sampans and large freighters stream in and out of the harbour.

When to travel to Bintan Island

From April to October, the seas are right for diving, water skiing and jetskiing. It is also a good time of the year to take up scuba-diving and snorkelling, when Bintan’s marine life is at its abundant best.