The Residence Bintan

The accomodation, facilities and staff are really great

When you pay the price for a high-quality resort, one of the fundamental expectations is to enjoy truly restful nights.During our stay, The Residence hosted a private event on the beach. We were informed only on the same day, leaving us with no option but to endure loud music and party noise until past 2am before it finally lowered enough for us to fall asleep. This significantly impacted our experience.When we raised the issue, the only response we received was that our feedback would be escalated to top management. While this is the bare minimum, it did nothing to address the situation, nor did it restore our experience or give us any confidence in returning.At the very least, guests should be informed of such events well in advance of their stay, rooms should be allocated as far as possible from the event area to prevent noise disturbance (we were given one of the closest villas despite the resort being more than half empty), and a commercial gesture should be offered when a complaint is made. These are basic expectations for the level of service a resort of this standing claims to provide.In addition, the dining options are extremely and unjustifiably overpriced when compared both to the actual food quality and to local pricing standards. It felt as though pricing was inflated simply because guests have no real alternatives nearby, resulting in very average food being sold at unreasonable prices.We are extremely disappointed by these two points, which cast a negative tone over our trip, despite the resort otherwise having strong potential and many positive aspects.

Great location near the beach near, staff amazing.

One of the bikes they provided to us was broken, but apart from that the service was great so there's nothing really that bad!

breakfast was great.not many beach activities due to high tidegreat for kids

NA

The property itself is beautiful, and we appreciated that our request for connecting rooms was accommodated. The beach was also a highlight, especially at low tide, when the tide pools gave our kids something fun and engaging to explore. The kids’ club was another positive, and we got lucky with good weather during monsoon season.

Overall, the experience fell a bit short of our expectations. The food, in particular, was not great. At breakfast, coffee options were limited to hot machine coffee, which was quite weak. There was a kopi stand available, but I was hoping for a simple iced americano, not a coffee so weak my husband thought I had ordered tea. The standout meal for us was the Indonesian buffet night, which we genuinely enjoyed. In contrast, the in-room dining and kids’ menus were underwhelming.Communication with staff was another challenge. Most interactions were handled via WhatsApp, but it often seemed that prior messages or requests weren’t tracked, including basic details such as our checkout timing. As a result, we frequently had to repeat requests, for example for silverware or bowls in our room, which became frustrating over the course of the stay.The resort also offers bicycles to explore the property, which is a nice idea in theory. However, for families with young children, the setup felt limiting. Children are expected to sit on a rear saddle without a seat, safety harness or helmet, holding on to the parent's back to not fall off. Our five-year-old was already over the weight limit for the back saddle, and no alternative options were offered, like a kids' size bike, which meant we always had to wait for a buggy instead as we were at the far end of the property.Having stayed at other resorts in Bintan that are closer to the ferry terminal, I struggled to see what set The Residence apart enough to justify the additional travel time.

The beach, the quiet, the food

The long ride to get there (but that's not something that can be changed!)

The staff is exceptional—friendly, courteous, and a real strength of the resort.

While the location is convenient, the sea is not as scenic as in other parts of Indonesia. Additionally, prices at The Residence Bintan tend to be significantly higher.

Hard to think of where to even begin. The service was immaculate: staff were super friendly and attentive to our needs. We had to constantly request for staff to ferry us from place to place via buggy as it was raining heavily, but they never seemed bothered by it. Wherever we went, staff would greet us with beaming smiles. They also communicated well and fast with us via WhatsApp when there were upcoming events or updates to our booking.The food was also pretty good for the price we paid. Breakfast is a buffet with a wide spread of dishes, while lunch and dinner can be had at The Dining Room, Rica-Rica, and the Pool Bar. The Dining Room offers more international cuisine, while Rica-Rica's is more local fare. The Pool Bar is where one can chill over bar snacks and drinks. It even has a live band that performs once every few days. Very lovely vibes! We even made friends with some of the other guests during our stay. Everyone's just so happy and relaxed.Prices there are more than reasonable too. My wife and I spent about $170 on food and drinks over the course of our 3D2N stay. Considering the quality of the food and the service, it was really well-worth the money.Yeah, we really love the place!

The bathroom floor is made of marble, which gets slippery very easily when it's wet. Be careful if you have little ones who might walk into the bathroom, unaware of how slippery it can get.You might also have insects in the room. It was not a big problem for us though. We only had ants and a couple of flies, but they didn't really bother us.

We loved everything at The Residence. The food was delicious, the pools and beach were lovely and the kids really enjoyed the games room, particularly the excellent ping pong table. The staff were very accommodating, and easy to contact using WhatsApp messages. We unfortunately left 2 pairs of shoes behind and it was very easy to organise shipping them home to us. I would highly recommend The Residence and would definitely stay again.

Small yet many things to do. Clean and quiet.

Game room facilities were a little out dated.

This resort is exceptionally beautiful, and the service is of a very high standard. I was there with my parents and we had a great time. The view of the ocean from the pool and restaurant was stunning. We liked the Games Room where we played pool, ping pong and board games. The food was really delicious as well, we loved the range from the international cuisine and the Indonesian food at Rica Rica was also impeccable. I requested a yoga mat and match sticks and the housekeeping was also very prompt in bringing those over. The spa and gym were very beautiful, and I was glad I managed to get massages everyday. Buggy service was helpful especially when traveling with older people. Staff was very fun and respectful. Earth Garden was a great experience as well, and many thanks to the staff there (Ros I think his name was) who gave us a great tour with the animals and farm. I also liked that it was not overly crowded or noisy, which was good for relaxing. I had to work in the mornings and the Wi-Fi was also stable and I had everything I needed.All in all, a wonderful experience and I am already thinking of going back again for a weekend ?

Wonderful hotel. From the moment we arrived, we felt special with a free shuttle from the ferry terminal to the resort itself. Took a long time, 75 minutes but worth it for 5 days of tranquility. You were greeted with cold towels and a cookie upon arriving into Bintan. We got the Seaview Villa and it was huge, you have your own pool overlooking the sea.You were provided bicycles, we had a romantic dinner at Rica Rica which was spectacular. The Dining Room and Pool Bar weren’t that bad either. We had an option to get a buggy to ferry us but we didn’t mind walking or cycling! With free yoga sessions daily, it was a nice way to start our day. The main pool was massive and I truly enjoyed my time at the main pool. Even had movie timings and animal feeding at a small farm within its compound. The food was alright, but the staffs were excellent. Always smiling. Kay at the dining room was excellent. Always attending to us during our breakfast. Mustika and Octa over at the reception was excellent in attending all our wants and needs with a WhatsApp chat away. The boys at the pool bar was super friendly, always joking around when we were hanging out. Kiki from the farm was very kind, helpful. He was knowledgable and very nice to us.

Ordered an ice bucket for the room, waited for an hour and I decided to walk to the restaurant to get my ice bucket. Could be better with the service in this sense

Easy access to the 3 restaurants and pool area from our room . Welcoming and friendly staff throughout the resort

Spa was great, service was good. View was awesome, loved having a private pool close to the beach. The place is beautiful and well kept. Staff always smiled and were friendly and helpful. Also loved the welcome drinks.

The door would not lock. They sent someone to fix it immediately, but was unexpected given the price of the room. Food was okay, somewhat meh for the price.

The service is great as well as the pool villa

The food was not special. Nor in the Indonesia restaurant as well as in the dining room restaurant

The entire place.

The food was decent, but it lacked a certain spark that would have elevated it to the next level. It felt like the dishes were prepared with efficiency rather than love. The flavors were somewhat bland, and the presentation could have been more appealing. To take it up a notch, I'd suggest adding more attention to detail in the preparation and presentation. With a bit more love and care in the kitchen, the food could truly shine.

Ariz(?) at the Dining Room - she was the only one that cared and listened to our various requests/needs. The farm for the kids where our child was able to participate in feeding the rabbits and the chickens.

Service from the staff - it is impersonal and chaotic. So many things went wrong during our stay but just to give a few examples, every request to the reception takes 30 minutes+ and often our requests were ignored completely, RicaRica restaurant was reserved for us and another group of friends that were staying at the resort more than a week before arrival - we only found out by chance that the whole evening at the restaurant would be a buffet and no ala carte menu would be available. More than 2.5 hours was spent after that to come to a compromise after so much stress.

- Amazing location, apart from all the rest/noise of the island, which creates a very calm relaxing and beautiful vibe- Infinity pool was super nice, very clean, overlooking the ocean and sunsets. Never very crowded for us but we went during weekdays.- Rooms are very spacious and nice touches with their terraces or pools. - Each room have complimentary bikes to move around the resort which is great and gives a cool vibe to it.- Staff were very kind and helpful every time we approached them. - Breakfast buffet was incredible (with both asian and european options). The variety was very big, definitely one of the best (if not the best) breakfast buffer we've seen in an hotel.

Not a negative but 2 things worth remembering:- the hotel is about 80mins shuttle bus from the ferry port (but to be fair, most of the nice hotels in the island are at least 30-40mins away from the ferry port anyways).- location is in the middle of nowhere (which also contributes to its beauty and calm) so you will do everything inside the resort and food/drinks prices are on the expensive side (I'd say European prices which considering you are in Indonesia, it is quite high). Quality is pretty good though. There are 2 or 3 restaurants in the resort. Overall, if your plan is to relax in a resort (and not leave the hotel) and don't mind european prices, then I would definitely recommend this resort yes!

I liked the overall esthetic of the property. The greenery and pool were great.

The property could use some maintenance and updates. Doors were not properly sealed, lawn areas were not landscaped, and food options were very limited. There was a high pitched buzzing that could be heard in my room starting around 6a every day lasting for hours. The bikes provided were visible old and rusted (my villa actually did not have a bike at all). Additionally I had a sea view pool villa where the sea could only be seen during high tide and was mostly obstructed by trees, and the lounge chairs provided were very dirty. There was also an issue with ants within the room.

Excellent resort and superb overall experience! Staff are outstanding. I highly recommend this resort for families - my children were engaged throughout our stay. The staff - headed by Mustika and his team - and service were the highlight of our stay - kind, attentive and able to go beyond to support us. Breakfast has a lot of variety, facilities are excellent. My children enjoyed the lawn (playing with a football), water sports, collecting shells on the beach, visiting the farm animals/ birds and enjoying food at the various restaurants.

Beautiful grounds. Very attentive staff. Wide selection of excellent food. Very comfortable rooms. Bikes for everyone to use around the property.

There's no natural light in the bathroom. We were in villas opposite the pool & you couldn't open the louvres. You have to pay for the kids' club. You can't swim at the beach, because there's a sand bank & it's too shallow.