Before I dive into my Pantai Indah Lagoi review, here’s some context on how we picked this resort out of the many resorts on the island.
We were looking for somewhere close by to celebrate my birthday and when saw that some resorts were going for almost 50% off on Klook, we decided to give it a go. Our qualifying factor for deciding on a resort was that we wanted a villa with a private pool, but not at exorbitant prices, so Pantai Indah Lagoi really fit the bill and we went ahead with that.
Getting to Pantai Indah Lagoi Bintan
The quickest and easiest way to get to Bintan is to take a ferry from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. The ride takes around 60 minutes and as of March 2023, a return trip starts at SGD 90.
Upon clearing customs, you will see many booths, each belonging to the various resorts on Bintan. After walking for a bit, we found a staff holding a paper with Pantai Indah Lagoi written on it and were ushered to a sitting area to wait for our pickup. After about a 10-minute wait, we were shown to the car that took us to the resort. The ride to the resort took about 15 minutes.
To use the complimentary pickup service, you’ll have to email the resort with your ferry details, which we did, right after booking our villa.
The Villa
We got the 1 bedroom villa and first impressions upon stepping in were that it was stunning. The air conditioned living room was separated from the bedroom, and the kitchenette was outdoors.
The open air kitchenette has a microwave, coffee machine, kettle and fridge.
The Bedroom
The bedroom was separated from the living area, with the bed facing the pool. The bed was so comfy we took a 2-hour long nap the moment we touched the bed after check in.
There was a good selection of television channels as well, but the LCD display of the television looked like it was going to spoil soon.
The Bathroom
The shower is separated from the toilet bowl, and my favourite part of the bathroom is definitely the double sinks.
The bathroom is not air conditioned as it is partially open air, which is the area next to the bathtub.
Overall, the bathroom was clean, but the toilet bowl had a weird smell so we kept it close.
The Pool
As the villa was surround by trees and plants, the 1.4m deep pool was often filled with dead leaves and a couple of insects, hence we chose to not go into pool during our stay. We did sit by the pool with our legs dipped in though.
The Food
Legenda Cafe is the only restaurant within the resort. This is where breakfast was served as well. The breakfast spread was not huge, but sufficient. However the taste of the food were a bit of a hit-and-miss.
Besides breakfast, you can get your meals here as well, but we did not try any as we left the resort for our lunch and dinner, which I’ll talk about later in this post. As Legenda is right by the beach, you can also order food and drinks to enjoy on the sand.
The Spa
Anindya Spa was located in what looked like a 2-room villa. I’m a big fan of massages so I just had to get one at the resort. As one would expect, it was pricey. I got a 30-minute foot massage (RP 249,000) and 45-minute back massage (RP 399,000). These prices were before a 15% government tax too. *insert pikachu shocked face*
Once we decided on our massage, we were whisked away into one of the bedrooms of the villa that houses the spa. My massage was only average overall. There were some points that were really painful and due to uneven strength used. My biggest gripe however, was that there was a beetle flying around the room and I couldn’t fall asleep due to the buzzing sound. First world problem, I know.
As the spa was housed in a 2-room villa, it seems that they would only be able to accommodate 2 couples at any given time slot, as each room had 2 beds.
The Activities
There aren’t many activities at the resort. They only offer ATV, archery and bicycle rental. We did not try anything as nothing piqued our interests.
The Surrounds
Lagoi Bay
Lagoi Bay is a 5-minute drive away and acts like a “town center” for the area. This is a small area with shops and cafes, but as of 2023, most shops have closed down, likely due to covid and it feels a little like a ghost town. To get here, we had the resort arrange a car to take us there, which cost us IDR 50,000/car for a return trip.
Warung Yeah!
Warung Yeah! is one of the remaining eateries in the area and also one of the higher rated ones on Google, so we decided to give it a go. The prices were reasonable and the food was tasty but slightly too spicy for me (but I’m not a big spicy eater). We got the Nasi Goreng Yeah (IDR 39,000), Mie Goreng Gila (Rp 40,000) and Samosa Kentang (Rp 18,000).
Opening hours: 12pm – 8pm
Address: Sebong Lagoi, Teluk Sebong, Sebong Lagoi, Teluk Sebong, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands, Indonesia
Pujasera Lagoi
Pujasera Lagoi is a hawker centre about a 10-minute drive from the resort. Similarly, we got a car, but since this was further, it cost IDR 150,000/car, if I remember correctly for a return trip.
Visiting this hawker centre was the highlight of the trip. The mee goreng was one of the best I’ve tasted, it was well seasoned and had plenty of wok hei. We ordered mee goreng, kang kong, sambal sotong and a plate of white rice, which costed us around IDR 79,000, less than what we paid for the car to take us there.
Address: 582J+7GP, Sebong Lagoi, Teluk Sebong, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands 29152, Indonesia
The Service
The Pantai Indah Lagoi staff were always quick to greet and happy to help. We also requested for them to help clear our pool of fallen leaves and they came over promptly, though the pool quickly filled with leaves again because there were quite a few trees around our pool area.
As the resort grounds were quite big, you can call front desk for a buggy whenever you want to leave your room for another destination.
Connectivity
Wifi wasn’t a problem anywhere in the resort.
Final Rating
We paid SGD 269.53 for the villa, excluding the miscellaneous spending like the drives out to lunch and dinner.
Would I visit again? Maybe, if I wanted to be disconnected from people. This resort had a very different vibe from Montigo Resorts and was much less crowded. It is a good resort to have quality time with your significant other, or family members as there’s nothing much to do in the resort, or its surrounds. If you’re a golfer, the Ria Golf Club is nearby and you can see parts of it across the street from the resort’s entrance, so I may visit again when I head back to Bintan for a game of golf.
Cleanliness: 4/5
Price: 3/5
Ambience: 3/5
Value: 3/5
Remote Workability: 3/5, because there’s nothing to do after work