The Resort

Food:

Choose from four varied eateries: Saffron, a romantic retreat with authentic gourmet Thai food, The Cove for delicious Mediterranean pasta, pizza and bruschetta; snack on salads and sandwiches among tropical trees in Treetops; or enjoy a romantic dinner or barbecue in your own villa.

Accommodation:

Guest staying the night can choose from eight luxury villas depending on their needs and style, including the spa villa, Bayfront Pool Villa, the still-house Balinese-style Seafront Villa, Villa-on-the-rocks for ocean lovers, or the intimate Valley Villa - great for honeymooning couples. Villas cost $300 US to $1,000 US per villa per night.

Activities:
The main attraction at Banyan, apart from the serenity, is their reputed spa treatments for harmony of body, mind and spirit. Choose from ancient Asian healing to European rejuvenation treatments like Swedish or Balinese massages, tropical fruit body scrubs and conditioners, facials, hand and foot, and hair treatments.

When you're feeling more relaxed, turn on the adrenalin. Amid golden sands and coconut palms, try out exhilarating water sports (aside from the monsoon season from November to April), like canoeing, catamaran, water-skiing, and windsurfing, speedboats, banana boat rides. Swim in the rock edge pool or beach pool, stroll on the beach or play tennis on one of two courts. Children are welcomed at the Kid's Club at Angsana Resort & Spa or you can leave your little ones with a babysitter.

The Laguna Bintan Golf Course

Architect:
Greg Norman, course architect, said of the Laguna: "At no other location have I been given the opportunity to create four different styles of course on one site... the course is as good as it is because the canvas it has been created on is so strikingly diverse."

Type:
Parkland

Landscape:
Located in 60 hectares of lush tropical setting overlooking the South China Sea, Banyan Tree Bintan is the perfect getaway from busy Singapore. The resort is surrounded by a tropical rainforest and is fronted by a secluded golden beach. The course winds through forestlands, natural wetlands, coconut groves, and an abandoned quarry.

Playing the course

The Laguna Bintan feels like playing in a tropical Eden. The par four, 7th is called the Quarry Hole. This unique and challenging hole plays through an old and disused quarry that presents some unusual obstacles. Both the disused quarry and the spectacular ocean directly behind the green provide a dramatic backdrop to a lovely and challenging hole. The memorable signature holes 7 and 8 are framed by the South China Sea. The penultimate hole, par 3, 8th is as much a photo opportunity as it runs alongside the beautiful Laguna Bintan Beach. In stark contrast, a daunting rock face that must be avoided at all costs borders the right-hand side.

Score Card - Facts

Address:
Banyan Tree Bintan, Site A4, Lagoi, Bintan Island, Indonesia

Website:
www.banyantree.com/bintan

Telephone:
Tel: +62 770 693 100

Course and lengths:
Black Tee: Par 72, 6,893 yards (6,309 meters)
Blue Tee: Par 72, 6,444 yards (5,890 meters)
White Tee: 6,093 yards (5,670 meters)
Red Tee: 5,688 yards (5,200 meters)

On the course dress code:
Collared T-shirts

Tee times:
First tee off: 6.45am
Last tee off: 2.30pm (18-holes) and 4.30pm (9-holes)

Handicap:
No certificate required.

Green fees:
Hotel guests pay reduced green fees of S$ 55 for 18-holes in the week, or S$ 85 at the weekend. Day visitors pay S$ 70 in the week or S $130 in the weekend for the same.

Packages:
A one day Golf Escape or Golf and Spa Escape package offer one day all-you-can-play golf for two, inclusive of green and buggy fees, a set lunch, a 90-minute massage and transfers. Weekday prices start from S $88 per person.

Other costs:
Caddies are S $20 for 18 holes, and S $25 for a cart for play or sightseeing. Rent clubs for S$ 35 and shoes for S$ 15. Land transfer is offered at S$ 8 for two ways.

Facilities:
Apart from golf, the resort also offers a wide range of sea sports including canoeing, catamaran sailing, water skiing, wind surfing, snorkeling, fishing, speedboating, and banana boat rides. Two tennis courts and a rock edge swimming pool are also available, besides the excellent Banyan Tree Spa.

Location:
Bintan is an Indonesian resort island located just a 55-minute boat ride away from Singapore and it is home to luxurious beach resorts and several world class golf courses. International passports are required and some visitors will be required to apply for a Visa-On-Arrival. To reach the Singapore Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal for your catamaran connection to Bintan, take the East Coast Parkway Expressway, Exit 2A and look out for Tanah Merah Ferry Road, which is located next to the SAFRA Resort.

More information

Adventure Golf: Singapore
Bazaar: shopping guide to Singapore