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On the west coast, Tanjung Pinang is a busy provincial city, while the high-end resorts in the north of the island around Lagoi do beach escapes right. For the working stiffs from Singapore, there are the more rustic beaches on the eastern end of the island around Pantai Trikora for affordable weekend escapes.
Tanjung Pinang
The main port town on the island is a bustling mercantile centre with more ethnic diversity than most Sumatran towns. There is lots of provincial-style shopping and nibbling on Chinese and Indonesian specialties. Nearby are several traditional-style villages and temple attractions that tickle the culture-bone of weekending Singaporeans.
ORIENTATION & INFORMATION
The port, hotels, and other necessities are all within walking distance. There are plenty of ATMs around town and bank branches, mainly on Jl Teuku Umar.
Bank Mandiri (Jl Teuku Umar)
BCA bank (Bank Central Asia; Jl Ketapang)
BNI bank (Bank Negara Indonesia; Jl Teuku Umar)
Extreme Internet (Jl Mawar 9A; h10am-10pm) On the 2nd floor of a wartel office.
Pinang Jaya Tour & Travel (Jl Bintan 44) Air tickets.
Post office (Jl Merdeka) Near the harbour, on Tanjung Pinang’s main street.
Tourist information centre (Jl Merdeka 5; h8am-5pm) Behind the police station; the helpful English speaking staff organise city tours
Wartel (Jl Bintan)
Wartel (Jl Merdeka)
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
You can stroll around Tanjung Pinang in a leisurely hour. The older part of town is found around the narrow piers near Jl Plantar II. The harbour hosts a constant stream of vessels, from tiny sampans to large freighters.
The following sites can be visited independently or through tour programs arranged through the tourist office.
Penyenget
A short hop across the harbour from Tanjung Pinang, tiny Penyenget was once the capital of the Riau rajahs. The island is believed to have been given to Rajah Riau-Lingga VI in 1805 by his brother-in-law, Sultan Mahmud, as a wedding present. Another historical footnote is that the Penyenget-based sultanate cooperated with Sir Stamford Raffles to hand over Singapore in exchange for British military protection in 1819.
The island is littered with interesting relics and can be walked in a couple of hours. The coastline is dotted with traditional Malay stilted houses, while the ruins of the old palace of Rajah Ali and the tombs and graveyards of Rajah Jaafar and Rajah Ali are clearly signposted inland. The most impressive site is the sulphur-colored mosque, with its many domes and minarets. Dress appropriately or you won’t be allowed in.
There are frequent boats to Pulau Penyenget from Bintan’s main pier (from 7am to 5pm).
Senggarang
A fascinating village sits just across the harbour from Tanjung Pinang. The star attraction is an old Chinese temple, now suspended in the roots of a huge banyan that has grown up through it.
The temple is to the left of the pier, where boats from Tanjung Pinang dock. Half a kilometre along the waterfront, Vihara Darma Sasana, a complex of three temples, all said to be more than a century old, occupy a large courtyard facing the sea.
Boats to Senggarang leave from Pejantan II wharf.
Sungai Ular
Snake River swims through mangrove forests to Jodoh temple, the oldest Chinese temple in Riau Islands. The temple is decorated with gory murals depicting the trials and tortures of hell. You can charter a sampan from Tanjung Pinang harbour.
SLEEPING & EATING
All of Tanjung Pinang’s accommodation is within walking distance of the harbour.
Bong’s Homestay (Lorong Bintan II 20) A few basic rooms will make you feel like a stowaway. The family speaks English well and is good at US trivia.
Hotel Surya (Jl Bintan 49) Quality varies at this multi storey hotel. Fan rooms are basic concrete boxes, while some rooms have sunny windows and new paint.
Hotel Laguna (Jl Bintan 51) Tanjung Pinang’s corporate stay, with big beds and walk-in shower.
Hotel Melia (Jl Pos 25) Bright and airy rooms and enormous suites with views over the harbour.
In front of the volleyball stadium on Jl Teuku Umar, an open-air food court whips up tasty snacks.
If you’re looking for Padang food, there are several places on Jl Plantar II serving good fish or jackfruit curries.
The colorful pasar buah (fruit market) is at the northern end of Jl Merdeka. In the evening there are several food stalls scattered around town serving mie bangka, a Hakka-style dumpling soup.
GETTING AROUND
It is fairly easy to get around central Tangjung Pinang by catching one of the many opelet. The opelet don’t have fixed routes, so tell the driver your destination and see if he agrees.
The bus terminal is inconveniently located 7km out of Tanjung Pinang, along the road to Pantai Trikora. But there aren’t many services that leave from here.
To get to the outlying beaches is expensive. A taxi from Tanjung Pinang to Pantai Trikora is a long ride. You can also fish around for share taxis, but most drivers won’t want to cut a deal with a ‘rich’ foreigner. If you head out to the main highway, you can catch Barakit-bound public buses that pass through Trikora.
Another not-so-affordable option is to rent a car, which gives you flexibility in exploring the beaches around the island. Renting a car in Tanjung Pinang is cheaper than relying on the resorts in Lagoi.
Pantai Trikora & Around
Bintan’s east coast is lined with rustic beaches and simple wooden bungalows. The main beach is Pantai Trikora, which is pretty enough at high tide but turns into miles of mud flats at low tide. The beaches to the north around Malangrupai have more consistent surf and turf. Regardless though, the area is relatively deserted: just you, the ocean and a few napping dogs. A group of small islands off Pantai Trikora are well worth visiting and there is good snorkelling outside the monsoon season (November to March).
SLEEPING & EATING
Accommodation at Trikora is outside the village of Teluk Bakau. The following can organise snorkelling trips to offshore islands:
Shady Shack. A handful of weather-beaten shacks face directly to the sea. This is just a step above camping and is a good excuse not to shower or brush your teeth.
Gurindam Resort (Telok Bakau, Km 35) Designed like a Muslim fishing village with stilt-frame bungalows built over the water, this is a dream come true for down-to-earth family getaways. There’s fishing in the attached fish ponds, a thatched-roof restaurant big enough for energetic tots, and a small swimming beach.
Lagoi
Bintan’s resort area stretches along the northern coastline of the island along Pasir Lagoi, with acres of wilderness buffering the hotels from commoners to the south. Security is in full effect, with checkpoints at access roads and at hotel entrances. The beaches are sandy and swimmable, the resorts have polished four- and five-star service and there are water-sports activities and entertainment for all ages.
There are three golf courses in Lagoi designed by champion golfers: Bintan Lagoon Resort Golf Club, Laguna Bintan Golf Club and top-rated Ria Bintan Golf Club.
SLEEPING
There are three resort compounds comprising several hotel clusters, private beaches and golf courses. Check with travel agents about weekday discounts, which can be as generous as 50%.
Of the three, we found the hotels within Laguna Bintan (Angsana Resort and Banyan Tree) and Nirwana Gardens (Nirwana Resort) compounds to be accommodating and well maintained.
Angsana Resort & Spa Bintan. The more dressed-down companion to sophisticated Banyan Tree, Angsana is best suited to young professionals. The breezy common spaces are decorated in zesty citrus colors, with private rooms sporting a contemporary colonial style. The superior rooms are nice but the suites are super.
Banyan Tree Bintan. More private and privileged than Angsana, Banyan Tree has the famed spa facilities and a high-powered retreat deep in the jungle. The hotel shares the 900m-long beach with Angsana.
Nirwana Resort Hotel. More targeted to local families, Nirwana is comfortable and unfussy, with sweet staff but not the best beach. The lagoon-style pool has a large baby pool area, but the grounds are little thirsty. The suites have sea views and huge bathrooms.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Kijang airport is currently used for cargo, not passenger, flights.
BOAT
Bintan has three ports and services to Batam, Singapore and other islands in the Riau archipelago. Tanjung Pinang is the busiest harbour and the best option for folks planning to stay in Tanjung Pinang or Pantai Trikora. If you’re bound for the resort area of Lagoi, the port at Kota Sebung is more convenient. Tanjung Uban is the third option.
To Batam
Regular speedboats depart from the main pier in Tanjung Pinang for Telaga Punggur on Batam (45 minutes) from 7.45am to 4.45pm daily. There are also boats that go from Lagoi to Batam’s Telaga Punggur.
To Elsewhere in Sumatra
There are boats to Pekanbaru (daily) and Dumai (daily).
Tickets for all of these destinations can be bought from agents on Jl Merdeka, just outside of the harbour entrance.
Daily ferries travel to other islands in the Riau chain, such as Pulau Karimum’s Tanjung Balai (2½ hours), Pulau Lingga’s Daik (3 hours), Sungai Buluh on Singkep (3 hours) and Penuba (3 hours). The Anugra Makmur company runs boats every 10 days to the remote Natuna Islands.
Pelni sails to Jakarta weekly from the southern port of Kijang. Travel agencies in Tanjung Pinang can supply tickets and schedules.
To Malaysia
There are boats to Johor Bahru in Malaysia (five departures) from Tanjung Pinanag. Tickets can be bought from agents on Jl Merdeka, just outside of the harbor entrance.
To Singapore
Boats from Tanjung Pinang go to Singapore’s Tanah Merah between 7am and 6.30pm. There are more frequent services on the weekend.
Bintan Resort Ferries is the only company that handles transport between Lagoi and Singapore; ticket prices vary based on day of week.
Getting Around
For Lagoi-bound visitors, most resorts organise shuttle service between the harbor at Kota Sebong and the hotels as part of the package price.
