Written by Junanto Xu
Edited by Beverley Lennon
We know, family trips to Bintan and Batam are nothing new for many of you, but we truly believe that there’s pleasure in the beloved repeat destination and plus, there’s always something new to see and experience with the kids!
Maybe something magical that will make their eyes glow – like taking a quiet boat tour into the mangrove forests in search of fireflies?
And what if we told you, this itinerary shows you some different sides of Bintan, while combining with your must-haves such as seafood, spa and family activities? After all, an island getaway is always a safe bet when it comes to family vacation!
And if like us you like convenient ways to travel with the family, check out Klook! Their family-friendly services range from private car charters, day tours, and attraction vouchers that will definitely save you from long hours of planning and whining!
Read more:
19 epic things to do in Bintan that will put this hidden gem straight on your bucket list
11 Affordable luxury beachside resorts and villas in Bintan for family and friends (2 bedrooms and more!)
12 Exotic hidden island getaway in Riau Archipelago less than 2 hours from Bintan and Batam
Sponsored by Klook
A worry-free family trip with Klook!
If there’s something you want when travelling with the family, it is to make great memories. And for this, you’ll have to master the art of planning an awesome vacation for the kids because otherwise, things can surely take an ugly turn.
It’s a nearly impossible mission: Multiple generations in unfamiliar surroundings and expecting everyone to have a great time the whole time. But who knew, you can now make your family vacation yield joy and lasting memories by pre-booking activities at least. We highly recommend you to use the convenient services offered by Klook, which makes travelling so much easier and cheaper for families, especially in Bintan since you are required (by law) to book a car with driver. So why not opt for Klook’s private car charter with driver? That way, you don’t have to end up haggling with local drivers when you are there and risk paying for overpriced charters.
It’s important to appreciate your family’s quirks and treat your time together as an opportunity to relax and renew, instead of focusing on the potential stress. Learn from our blunders, dear friends, and thrive on your next family trip. Your children, parents, aunts, and nephews will thank you for pre-booking your tours, car charters and so much more, instead of getting into a fluster settling everything when you’re there.
Who knows, you just might end up being the family member who saves the trip for everyone (and with only a few clicks online)!
Overview
On this trip to Bintan, you’ll get to have fun, relax and educate. Build memories by exploring the island’s hidden gems and staying at a comfortable family-friendly resort. You’ll enjoy long days at the beach building sandcastles or at the largest swimming pool in Southeast Asia (Treasure Bay) with a magical mangrove night tour, delectable seafood and so much more!
Here’s a quick overview of this itinerary
Tap sections below to scroll to the relevant section
Getting to Bintan
Day 1: Enjoy a seafood floating lunch and sail through mangroves with fireflies!
Day 2: Find Bintan’s hidden paradise with white sand beaches and clear waters!
Day 3: Spend the day at Southeast Asia largest man-made pool!
Best time to travel
Getting around
Cost Breakdown
Getting to Bintan
From Singapore: Direct ferry (Total cost: From SGD $41.35)
Take a direct ferry from Singapore (Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal) to Bintan. Bintan has three ports, with most ferries arriving at Tanjung Pinang Ferry Terminal. There are several ferry companies travelling from Singapore to Bintan and back daily, such as Sindo Ferry and Majestic Fast Ferry. Duration of ferry ride: 1-2 hours.
If you take the Bintan Resort Ferry from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, the return tickets will cost SGD 57 and ferries arrive at Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal. Duration of ferry ride: 1-2 hours.
Love great deals and reliable services? With Klook, you can pre-book tickets online (SGD $56 for return tickets arriving at Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal) to enjoy more affordable prices for the family and prompt response from their team!
From Malaysia: Ferry from Johor Bahru (Total cost: From RM 192)
Take a ferry via Citra Indomas from Johor Bahru Stulang Laut Harbour to Tanjung Pinang Ferry Terminal. Return tickets from: RM 192. Duration of ferry ride: 2 hours 12 minutes.
Itinerary
Day 1
Make your kids eye glow with a floating lunch and a firefly encounter!
📍 In Singapore
Get ready for your trip! If you want to share your family adventures with the world, get a local 4G Portable WiFi from Klook and pick it up in Singapore itself!
📍Once in Bintan
Just sit back and relax. With Klook, you get to pre-book your private car charter and enjoy the convenience of being picked up by a driver!
Welcome to Bintan, the small Indonesia island paradise located one-hour ferry ride from Singapore. Enjoy your first day with a scrumptious seafood lunch over the water and explore the magical mangrove forests with dancing fireflies – a scene straight out of a fairytale!
Indulge in fresh seafood at a floating restaurant – The Kelong Seafood Restaurant (1 – 2 hours)
Hungry children are fussy children! What better way to calm them down than by tucking into a delicious seafood feast at this restaurant above the sea! Kick off this family trip with their delectable chilli crab and gong-gong (sea snails) that come with complementary ocean views!
Check in for nap time at your villa – Lagoi Bay Villas (2- 3 hours)
Check into your lavish villa and take a short rest at this 2-bedroom bungalow before heading out for more adventures! We’re sure the kids will love the private pool and homey vibes!
Lagoi beach, Plaza Lagoi shopping mall, and iconic restaurants like Food Gram or Idola Cafe n Resto are all within walking distance from this stay so you can enjoy a convenient location throughout your holiday!
Photo Via Juliiahsu
Check Rate on Agoda
Sip cocktails (and juices) by the beach – Xana Beach Club (1 hour)
What better way to start the holiday than by putting all of your stress away? Come, sit and sip cocktails at Xana Beach Club, or grab some munchies too! The venue is ideally located smack-bang on the beach so you know where the kids will be playing at ;)!
Watch fireflies dance while sailing through a mangrove forest – Mangrove River Tour (2 hours)
Come onboard a local fisherman boat and embark on a magical journey sailing through a mangrove forest. This scenic trip is also educational as it will give you insights on the mangrove ecosystem and is bound to make your eyes glow while thousands of fireflies (if you’re lucky) dance around you!
If you’re looking for an affordable and hassle-free option to join this tour, check out Klook’s Night Mangrove tour and sign up for a memorable experience with pick-up and drop-off services offered. You can even book a tour that includes dinner so you can indulge in fresh local delicacies before or after the tour.
Photo Via Fitclaa_shop
Check rate on Klook
Step into a funky tropical eatery with delicious local delicacies – Warung Yeah!
How can you possibly miss local dishes like Sate (meat skewers), Nasi Goreng (fried rice), Ikan Bakar (grilled fish) and more while you are in Indonesia?! Take your kids to this playful warung (local eatery) and treat them to authentic Indonesian flavours!
Day 2
Find Bintan’s hidden paradise with white sand beaches and clear waters!
Get your swimwear and sunscreen ready because we are heading to a hidden tropical island! Yes, an island near Bintan! Step onto White Sand Island and bask in a pristine bonewhite beach outlined with azure waters. How can the kids not be happy?
Before heading back to the villa, you’ll get to indulge in incredible seafood (recommended by locals) and escape to wonderland with a relaxing family massage at an affordable price!
TripCanvas Tip: We recommend you to have breakfast at your hotel before leaving for the island-hopping trip.
The little Maldives of Bintan – White Sand Island
A short boat ride from Trikora area will take you to tropical paradise – White Sand Island!
The expansive stretch of white powdery sand and azure blue water competes with those you can find around islands in the Maldives, we’re not even kidding! Enjoy laying on the beach, building sandcastles or why not experience some thrilling water sport activities with the kids?
Photo Via Goldie_berlin
Your toes-in-the-sand dining experience – Coco’s beach club
Just when you thought you’ll have to eat off a crappy pre-prepared meal at the island, you’ll find this family-friendly beach club with nothing fancy but a reasonable range of food and drinks! Don’t miss on their Chinese-style seafood (available on pre-order; kindly inform them one day prior to your lunch) while you enjoy a beautiful beach and even more spectacular sea views.
Photo Via Viviioctaviani, Caesadhanisa
Release baby turtles for a good cause! – White Sand Island Turtle Conservation Center
Bintan is also where you get to vacation with hatching baby turtles. Sea turtles know how to choose the friendliest beaches and at White Sand Island Turtle Conservation Center, you get to help releasing baby turtles into the ocean. The on-site guide here will be pleased to introduce their life cycle and give detailed information on their vulnerability.
Photo Via Lajayatravel
A local’s favourite seafood spot – Teluk Bakau Bay View
Find freshness in every bite at this locals’ favourite beachfront seafood restaurant. Coming from Bintan, I often drive down for over an hour with my friends only to indulge at Teluk Bakau Bay View, yes it is worth the hype! We absolutely love their juicy “pepe” (a kind of seashell) and deep-fried squid!
Photo Via Oxa-oxandra
🚨Calling all foodies!
Want to find out more hidden culinary gems like this while travelling around Bintan? Book your Food hunt tour with Klook as they take you to explore and indulge in delicious local delicacies!
A kid-friendly spa for ultimate family relaxation – D’Bintan Salon Day Spa
Conclude this long awaited family vacation with a complete treat. Sign up for soothing body treatment sessions at this family-friendly spa. The venue welcomes kids of 6 years old and above so you’re sure to be completely at peace during your body massage!
Photo Via Jettymagallona
Website
Day 3
Spend the day at Southeast Asia’s’s largest man-made pool!
Make your last day in Bintan memorable! Book your family in for the craziest of times at Southeast Asia’s biggest man-made pool and have fun with the kids with an array of exciting activities before exploring a mystical abandoned ship that is soon-to-be transformed into a hotel and museum!
Kids will go CRAZY at this gigantic pool – Chill Cove @ Treasure Bay
Buying a ticket to Treasure Bay is one of the best ideas you can possibly have when on a family vacation to Bintan. While the venue is famed for featuring Southeast Asia’s biggest man-made swimming pool, you can also enjoy other activities like riding an ATV on off-road trails or kayaking around a mangrove forest! The kids will have a blast!
If you’re looking for a value-for-money option that will save you time and bring you convenience, pre-book your entrance tickets and thrilling water sports with Klook and enjoy a full day of fun in the water!
Photo Via Skyscrapercity.batam, Hendracong, Nadiamaya
This ship is soon to be transformed into a hotel and museum! – Doulos Phos
Explore this iconic ship in Bintan that is soon to be a hotel and museum! The iconic ship has a significant history as it initially set sail back in 1914. The top photo spot is located minutes away from the harbour, which makes it easy to drop by before heading home!
Photo Via Ultravimar
Website
Kids asking for an extended holiday?!
Sign up for a day trip to Penyengat Island to witness the majestic Melayu kingdom remains or visit Senggarang Water Village to learn about the civilization of Chinese immigrants on Bintan Island!
Best time to travel
Most recommended time to visit:
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You can visit Bintan anytime as the local weather is generally hot and sunny (always summer!) with a chance of rain throughout the year.
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If you wish to enjoy the tropical sun at its best, March to October would be great as the region enters the dry season.
Least recommended time to visit:
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Avoid visiting on weekends to skip big crowds.
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If possible, avoid visiting on public holidays or school holidays (June and December)
Getting around
Rent a car with driver
Due to Bintan’s restrictions on car rental services to foreigners, you can only rent a car with driver as the island has strict local transportation laws and regulations, so you will be required to opt for services from a private driver to bring you around. We would highly recommend you to pre-book your private car charter with driver with Klook so you can enjoy a worry-free family trip in the hands of an experienced local driver!
Travel Budget- Estimated Cost Breakdown
Do note that the breakdown below is based on estimated costs. Actual costs may vary slightly.
Ferry cost: Approximately SGD $56 (Approximately SGD $224 for 4 pax)
Activities (2 adults + 2 kids): Approximately SGD $336 (calculated based on activities listed, not inclusive of shopping)
Car rental (4 pax): Approximately SGD $234 (for a private car with driver for 3 days)
Total costs for food (2 adults + 2 kids): Approximately SGD $204
Total costs for hotel (4 pax): Approximately SGD $404
Estimated Total for 2 adults + 2 kids from Singapore (Ferry+Activities+Transport+Food+Hotel): ~ SGD $1,402 (~USD $258 / SGD $350 per pax)
Ready for your Bintan family trip? Share it with friends and family and help them plan their annual Bintan trip too!
PLEASE NOTE: All the above information is correct at the date of publication. If you come across any changes or updates, please let us know and we will update the information accordingly. Thank you!
Tell us
| PLEASE NOTE: All the above information is correct at the date of publication. If you come across any changes or updates, please let us know and we will update the information accordingly. Thank you! Tell us |
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