Tipping is not a necessity in Bintan as hotels levy a 10 per cent service charge and 10 per cent government tax on accommodation and dining bills. So don't waste your money, you are already tipping 20% of your total bill for most purchases.

Bintan is one-hour behind Singapore time. So remember to change the time on your watches when you get there.

All hotels in Bintan accept Singapore dollars, even the pasar oleh oleh in town.

Don't worry about the food and language. Seems almost like Singapore, as up to 50% of the tourists there are singaporeans. Moreover, bintan resorts are established and managed by singaporeans, so that explains.

I've stayed in Nirwana Resorts, Bintan Lagoon and ManaMana. All are pretty good. But personally, i prefer Nirwana as its located in a cluster of many other resorts, which are within walking distance. Most importantly, i could just stroll over to Mana Mana Sea sports centre. Its the hub of all sea sports in bintan. Cool place to just hang out even though you don't wanna get into the water. Nirwana has a great spacious pool too. With a great view of the south china sea, you can almost stay in the pool forever.

I would not recommend staying in ManaMana Beach Resort as the room lack MANY basic necessities (e.g. hot water flask, phone). The food and service needs much improvement. This is the only resort which wanted tipping for bringing their guests to their rooms!

After staying in the Bintan Lagoon Villa, i must say it lives up to its five-star rating. An international resort, with a wide variety of food and entertainment. But i must say that if you are stayin there for 4-5 days, life can get a little boring. Cause unlike Nirwana, you are confined to just Bintan Lagoon itself, no other nearby resorts to explore. Though Bintan Lagoon has its own seasports centre too, its quality and quantity of the equipment is not as good as Mana Mana's. I'll tell you more about each resort in the other sections.