A ferry from Singapore and a scenic drive through rural Bintan lead to a secluded resort where spacious villas, Indonesian flavours and heartfelt service reward the journey.
The Residence has spent three decades building a collection of envilable resorts around a strong sense of place. The brand began with The Residence Tunis in 1996, later expanding to Mauritius, Zanzibar and the Maldives. When The Residence Bintan opened in 2018, it became the group’s first property in Asia, bringing its discreet approach to luxury to the largest island in Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago.
Bintan may sit close to Singapore, but the resort feels considerably farther away. The ferry across the Singapore Strait takes about an hour, followed by an 80-minute drive from Bandar Bentan Telani terminal to the island’s quieter eastern coast. Roads thread between flooded mangroves, durian plantations and palm groves, while green-domed mosques appear between villages. Monkeys gather playfully at the roadside. By the time the resort gates come into view, Singapore feels like a distant memory.
The arrival sets the tone. Low-slung architecture, shaded seating and twin reflection pools draw the eye towards the sea. Tropical tranquillity takes hold almost immediately, helped by staff whose warmth feels instinctive rather than rehearsed.
Island Living
Spread across 70 hectares, the resort comprises 127 terraces and villas surrounded by gardens and facing a calm bay. Designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates, the property combines contemporary lines with dark timber, pitched roofs and details influenced by traditional Javanese aesthetics. It resembles a carefully composed village, with bicycles and buggies moving between manicured lawns, palms and tropical planting.
Our 135-square-metre One Bedroom Deluxe Beachfront Villa is built for lingering. A separate living room is arranged around a sofa and daybed, while the bedroom centres on a substantial four-poster bed dressed in lavish linens. Dark wood provides warmth without making the interiors feel heavy, and large glass doors keep the sea and surrounding greenery constantly in view.
The bathroom is equally generous, with double vanities, a separate bathtub and a powerful rainfall shower. Yet the villa’s strongest feature lies outside. A private deck opens onto a swimming pool bordered by mint-green loungers, beyond which the beach is only a few steps away.
Silvery lutungs move through the trees, occasionally pausing to inspect the new arrivals, while slender palms frame the golden shoreline. Privacy is convincing rather than absolute, but dense planting gives each villa a sense of seclusion. It becomes easy to lose an afternoon between the pool, terrace and warm shallows of the South China Sea.
Destination Dining
For an isolated resort, the dining programme offers sufficient variety for a long weekend. The Dining Room handles breakfast and all-day dining, balancing Western staples with modern Asian dishes. Mornings begin with a generous buffet of tropical fruit, pastries, eggs, noodles and Indonesian favourites, best taken outside while the bay is still and the heat and humidity have yet to build.
Dinner belongs to Rica Rica. The Indonesian restaurant draws on the flavours of the archipelago, using local produce and familiar recipes without burying them beneath unnecessary technique. Satay skewers arrive smoky from the grill, paired with sauces that move from sweet kecap manis to the deeper heat of Padang spices. Beef rendang is aromatic, slow-cooked and comforting, particularly alongside fragrant pandan rice. The menu ventures further with Bintan spiny lobster gado-gado, banana leaf-wrapped snapper and oxtail prepared in the style of sop buntut. Desserts continue the regional thread, from coconut-rich black rice pudding to a chendol panna cotta.
The Earth Basket experience adds a worthwhile farm-to-table element, using produce harvested from the resort’s kitchen gardens. The Pool Bar, meanwhile, is the place for light lunches, cold drinks and sundowners overlooking the infinity pool. With few alternatives beyond the resort, greater nightly variation would benefit longer stays, but Rica Rica is strong enough to warrant a return visit.
Rest and Recreation
The beachfront infinity pool is the social heart of the resort, elevated just enough to create an uninterrupted view across the water. Cabanas provide shade, a children’s pool keeps younger guests occupied, and the mood rarely becomes noisy.
The compact gym covers the essentials for a holiday workout, although the outdoors provides the more appealing exercise. Complimentary bicycles are the easiest way to navigate the extensive grounds, whether heading towards the watersports centre or exploring the grounds.
The sea invites activity. Kayaking, snorkelling, jet-skiing and island-hopping can all be arranged, while land-based diversions include archery, yoga and ATV trails through the rust-coloured terrain beyond the resort’s perimeter. Families are well served by a Kakatu Kids Club, offering treasure hunts, cooking, crafts, batik painting and nature-led activities.
At the spa, stepping stones imprinted with the leaves of local flora meander across manicured lawns to the treatment pavilions. Inside, the scent of lemongrass oils fills the air, and what better place to have a Balinese massage than Indonesia? As the soles of my feet are pummelled by fists and elbows are placed between my shoulder blades to ease tension and vast sweeping motions cascade across my limbs, the only interruption is the sound of bird song.
With eight private couple treatment rooms, a reflexology room and spaces dedicated to beauty rituals, the spa is more substantial than its secluded setting initially suggests.
The Verdict
The Residence Bintan is a boutique brand that understands that remoteness can be a luxury. The journey is longer than that required for the island’s northern resorts, and travellers seeking nightlife or constant stimulation may find the location limiting. Yet that distance is precisely what gives the property its appeal.
Spacious villas, a peaceful beach, appealing Indonesian food and staff with genuine charm create an island retreat that feels restorative rather than performative. This is not Bintan at its busiest or flashiest. It is Bintan at its most unhurried, offering a hidden oasis where elegance and nature spectacularly combine, and the reward for going the extra distance is the rare pleasure of having nowhere else to be.
Where: The Residence Bintan, Kampung Galang Batang, Kabupaten Bintan, Indonesia
Contact: www.cenizaro.com