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#10 of 12 hotels in Lagoi
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Banyu Biru Villas is located on the north western coast of Bintan Island, less than 10 minutes from the ferry terminal and a mere 55 minutes ferry ride from Singapore's Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. Banyu Biru Villas is surrounded by landscaped gardens and set within Nirwana Gardens. For cosy family reunions or group gatherings, stay at one of the Banyu Biru Villas which are fully furnished for a comfortable homestay away from home. Designed in four contemporary styles, 17 lovely villas are available for your short-term stay. *Banyu Biru Villa guests have access to all facilities and restaurants within Nirwana Gardens
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Mid-range
Great View
Languages Spoken
English, Chinese, Indonesian
Location
Jl. Panglima Pantar, Lagoi, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands Province 29155 Indonesia
Banyu Biru Villa
158 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
The entire resort compound of Nirwana Gardens Hotel was large & spacious but dated. The facilities were not well-maintained and everything was charged at an exorbitant rate that you would have to think before doing anything at all. The villa at Banyu Biru was OK, but again you could tell that it hasn't been renovated for a good 15-20 years. If given a choice, I would stay somewhere else in Bintan for my next visit.
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Date of stay: January 2020
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from NirwanaGardens, Public Relations Manager at Banyu Biru Villa
Responded 18 Feb 2020
Dear amarkoul, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We are sorry for failing to exceed your expectations and we sincerely regret that our resort infrastructure continues to affect your experiences with us. Our property has been doing partial upgrading without removing the rustic feel of a resort and our last refurbishment for Banyu Biru Villa was completed 4 years ago which we are constantly maintaining and working on other phrases of the Resort. We understand your sentiments and are sorry that you will be staying elsewhere in the future. However, please be assured that it would be our pleasure to welcome you back.
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Staff were all polite and efficient, villa was clean and good. We really enjoyed the pool facilities and the breakfast at The Coffee Shop. However, the other eating places were a bit overpriced for the quality of the food provided.
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Date of stay: January 2020
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from NirwanaGardens, Public Relations Manager at Banyu Biru Villa
Responded 21 Jan 2020
Dear laurentiakky, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We strive to provide world-class hospitality and are thrilled to know that you appreciated the exemplary service provided by our team of dedicated staff members. Do be assured that we are reviewing the points you have brought up and we continue to work hard to ensure that we deliver the best to our guests. See you again soon and as always, we remain at your service.
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We had booked a five night stay in one of the smaller two bedroom villas. The villa complex is part of the very big Nirvana Gardens resort.
We liked The banyu biru villa swimming pool that was empty - really empty, three quarters of the time The view from the beach and pool. The weather which was sunny apart from your usual 1/2 hour lunch time tropical downpour.
We disliked The five or so restaurants spread across the resort which tended to be expensive - Singapore prices but without the quality. We ended up having lunch and dinner at the Dino Bistro on a regular basis. The main swimming pool. The fact that you had to pay for every activity - which meant that we avoided them like the plague.
Now would we go back - not sure as we found the resort lacking personality.
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Date of stay: May 2006
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In the name of dynamic pricing, Nirwana overcharges for a 2 star Banyu villa property. They cheated us by falsely quoting a 'promo' rate and excluded the additional benefits that were advertised for the villa.
This villa doesn't even have proper air conditioning. Service is poor, property is old and the rooms and beds are below average. Other Nirwana properties are equally terrible.
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Date of stay: January 2020
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from NirwanaGardens, Public Relations Manager at Banyu Biru Villa
Responded 18 Feb 2020
Dear Atul, We are sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations and you’d felt that you have been quoted unreasonably for your last trip but as mentioned in our email to you, we would like to clarify that the rates given to you were in full transparency and also listed on our website. The reason the rates were slightly higher than usual is due to the price rise for festivities/holidays. Your travel dates happen to coincide with Chinese New Year. We would like to assure you that we are committed in our transparency to our guests and information on all online packages can be found on the property offer page (including rates and package details). We did not exclude any perks from the package because it was never indicated in 2020 Birthday Rewards. You may refer to the information on the offer page url listed in our email. Hope this elucidate the matter and once again, we are sorry for the unpleasant experience. Please feel free to reach out to me directly at marketing[at]nirwanagardens[dot]com[dot].sg if you need any further clarification. On behalf of all the staff of Nirwana Gardens, we wish to thank you for your past stay with us and we hope for another opportunity to deliver a better experience to you in the near future.
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Villa is very old and dingy. Bed sheets n towels were clean but mattress n covers were having stain marks. Everything there was old. Sofa was old n springs were coming out. Need a renovation.
Everything in the resort is costly and doesn't give value for money feeling.
Positive: Staff were very friendly. Checkin n checkout was very smooth. Kitchen was well equipped. Resort has everything require for a family holiday.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from NirwanaGardens, Public Relations Manager at Banyu Biru Villa
Responded 8 Jan 2020
Dear kapilshr, Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. We’re sorry your experience didn’t match your expectations and we would like the opportunity to investigate your feedback further. We would greatly appreciate if you could email us at marketing[at]nirwanagardens[dot]com[dot]sg with your booking reference, contact details and further details of your experience. Customer satisfaction is very important to us, and we would really appreciate if you get in touch with us about the room you stayed in. Thank you!
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Too overpriced and poor facilities, activites were expensive as well. food was mediocre and expensive, much better places elsewhere. Service however was good, and the wifi I was connected to was weak. Villa is old and small, no air-condition on the first floor wich makes it very hot. Ov3rall, not reccomended for its price
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Date of stay: December 2019
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from NirwanaGardens, Public Relations Manager at Banyu Biru Villa
Responded 8 Jan 2020
Dear jjjjjjjjj2020, Thank you for having taken your time to provide us with your valuable feedback relating to your stay with us. We are sincerely concerned and apologise that we fell short of your expectations in some area. Your comments will help us to continually improve the standard of facilities and services offered to all our guests. Do be assured that we are reviewing the points you have brought up and we continue to work hard to ensure that we deliver the best to our guests. Although you have indicated otherwise, we hope for the opportunity to welcome you back on your next return to Bintan, should you choose to stay with us again in the future.
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The prepared rooms were great and I could spend my stay very comfortably. The kindness and quickness of the staff further increased the satisfaction. The weather was also very clear and clean, so I felt good. If I have a chance to find it again, I want to go again.
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Date of stay: August 2022
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My review echoes those of a previous reviewer who wrote that this is just not worth the effort. How true that is!!
We have lived in Singapore for over 18mths and during this time have been told many times that we should do ourselves a favour and go to Bintan. Many spoke of the pristine beaches and the many wonderful, family-friendly accommodation options. Nirwana Gardens was recommended so 3 nights were booked in a 2 bedroom Banyu Biru villa as this was a cheaper option than 2 adjoining hotel rooms (we are a family of 3 adults and 2 children).
The ferry left Singapore late (don't bother getting to the ferry terminal too early as there is nothing to do) and was a fairly good trip. Once we arrived, the line through immigration was long! Luckily, we were whisked through by an immigration officer as we had 2 children under 5yrs. He took our passports, got them stamped and bought them back while we were waiting for our luggage. Be warned though, after handing our passports back, he kept his hand out waiting for a tip!
We got through Customs and found the resort people greeting us at the other side. They ticked our names off the list, took our luggage and ushered us to a waiting bus. And there we sat. And sat and sat. We had to wait for everyone else staying at Nirwana Gardens to get through immigration before the bus could leave. Finally we were on our way. Checking in was a complete disaster. Of course all the people on the bus were checking in at the same time so another nice long line at Reception. The staff had no idea what to do. We thought that they would be used to this as the buses arrive several times a day full of guests. They were bumbling around, getting in each others way. It was ridiculous. The booking ended up not being in my name and they had to speak with the Manager in order for us to get an extra room key because they told us they couldn't do it. What a start!
Anyway the Banyu Biru Villas although part of the Nirwana Gardens complex are a 5min golf buggy ride away from reception. The buggy service was quite good and we used it if we wanted to go to where all the facilities were. We just called for a buggy and the longest we ever waited was 15mins which we thought was quite good.
The villas look nice enough from the outside but it is a different story inside. They are old, smelly and not suitable for small children due to the very steep spiral staircase and the face/head level of the sharp-edged coffee table. The kitchen has a medium-sized fridge/freezer, microwave oven, gas cooktop and kettle. There are cutlery, plates and glasses. Beware of the plates and bowls though as we found several that had not been washed and had mouldy food caked on them which was disgusting. There are 2 bedrooms upstairs and 1 bathroom. The bedrooms are nice with excellent air conditioners which we had running all the time. Bathroom was tiny with no handtowels or bathmats provided.
The lounge area had a very dated sofa that was stained and smelly. TV reception was pretty bad and (I hate to sound precious) there was no DVD player which is a godsend when you have small children and the tropical thunderstorms roll in. The villa had not been cleaned properly as there was an army of ants on the coffee table as something had been spilled and not cleaned up and rubbish had been left in the TV cabinet from the previous guests. Again, beware of the staircase. We ended up putting the ironing board in front of the bottom step as my 1yr old just couldn't resist climbing it.
Lets move to the service. It appears that Basil Fawlty trained the staff! They were clueless. They moped around looking dazed and confused most of the time. Drink orders arrived after our food, orders went missing and dirty plates just stayed on our table right up until we had left the restaurant. The best service we got was from the staff at the towel counter (although when I asked for 5 towels he wouldn't give them to me until I showed him there were 5 of us!). Everything was in "Bintan time" so you got what you ordered when they could work it out and were ready to get it for you.
The food is very average and very overpriced for what you get. Everything is priced in Singapore dollars and we paid a lot for food that was not that good. Breakfast buffet was OK but not a lot of healthy options apart from fruit. We had a dinner buffet one night which was a Mexican theme and it was terrible. The food was overcooked and because no-one was eating it, it sat in the bain maries for too long so it dried out. We found that the food at the poolside bar was good. It has burgers, pizzas, etc and if you can put up with the terrible service you will do OK. One dining highlight was a Thai restaurant at one of the other Nirwana Gardens properties (Mayang Sari I think) which had outstanding service and food.
The main pool is nice and has a shallow area for kids with seating so that you can watch them without having to be in the water. The adult pool has a jucuzzi section and is quite deep in places. There is a bar in the pool but we didn't use it.
On our second day we stumbled across a pool within the Banyu Biru villas area which we were not told about. It has a slippery dip into a shallow pool which is perfect for kids. Our 4 and a half yr old loved it and we struggled to get him out when it was time to go for dinner.There were plenty of loungechairs on the edge and there was also a towel counter so you didn't have to trek up to the main pool to get towels. It seemed that a lot of other people were also not told about the pool as it was only us and 2 other families there. This was the highlight of the holiday!
Forget about the beach. We didn't know that it was monsoon season (north-east) when we were there so there were warnings not to swim. The bottles of kerosene/turps (?) were everywhere. Those that risked it and went swimming, came back with oil all over them so had to use it to get it off them. Pretty grose!
Anyway checking out was not so bad. They confirmed our ferry tickets for us which was good and we confirmed what time we needed to get the bus back to the ferry terminal. We arrived on time and waited in line to get on the bus. Up the steps we went to get a seat and found that there were no seats left. We got off the bus and spoke to the driver who didn't believe us so went to check himself. He got off and muttered something and then headed towards Reception. He bought someone back with him who advised us that we must have made a mistake with our ferry time and asked to see our tickets. When we showed them our tickets and told them that perhaps they were the ones who had made the mistake the colour drained from their faces. It turns out that they had miscalculated the numbers and there were quite a few of us whose luggage had gone on the first bus without us. Lets just say that we had not seen them move so fast the whole time we had been there!! To their credit, they managed to organise another bus to pick us all up and get us to the ferry on time. A piece of advice, check your luggage in yourself at the ferry terminal as it is much faster than letting the Nirwana people do it.
As I read over this review, it sounds really negative. But the problem we had was that we work hard and when you are spending $S500+ a night, we expected a whole lot more than what we got. We hate the feeling of thinking that we got ripped off and on this occasion, we did. So do Bintan if you must but stay elsewhere.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My family and I went on a 3 days 2 night trip to Banyu Villa. We had about 13 people altogether in the villa. We brought our own food from Singapore mostly to accomodate for the stay.
Good Points : Friendly Locals Good Buggy Service Nice Beach Cool Mini Zoo
The locals were definitely nice. They are nice to talk to, and they were quite helpful when it comes to asking for directions. Most of them are able to speak and understand English, and they were quite happy to entertain us.
The lobby for the main resort was Nirwana Gardens and our villa was beside it. The free buggy service to and fro from the lobby area was really good. They help to carry our luggage as soon as we arrive from our place. Not to sure for those who is staying at other villas, beside Banyu Villas because there were a few.
The beach view was lovely. The wide beach, lovely sunrise and sunset, is a nice view. The best time to see the sunrise is as early as 6am. It would already be dark by 6pm so having to be there at 5pm might be the good time for a sunset. I happen to saw a group of people clearing the beach in the early morning to ensure that it's clean.
There was a little mini zoo, there had a few cobras, fishes, vultures, parrots, goats, chickens and rabbits.
Bad Points : Quite Expensive Rooms not well prepared Activities not so attractive
Items over at the villas is expensive, though there was some cool packages that includes fireworks, most of the items there are expensive compared to Singapore. A packet of Milo cost $1.50 SGD, and some drinks can go as high as $5SGD. Taking into consideration that this is a resort, things might be more expensive, but still, I could have got it cheaper in a resort near Singapore. The attractions, certain souvenirs was expensive as well, ATV going as high as $120 per hour. If you're on a budget, be well prepared. Cannot comment on food there, because we brought most of our own food.
Our rooms were alright, and was quite huge, but it didn't come fully maintained. Some of the switches were not working. The important of all, the kitchen lights, were not working, and that was where we were mostly for breakfast/lunch/ dinner since we plan to cook ourselves. The master bedroom air-conditioning was spoiled and some of the light above also needed replacement. When called for servicing, they were unable to meet to our needs, which i find was a little bit disappointing. They had one of the lights fix, but some couldn't be fixed. The kitchen lights wasn't fixed.
The activities I would say was alright because they had a lot of things, but it wasn't attractive firstly because of our budget and the expensive price. Bowling was alright, but the condition of the place was below average. Other activities that I manage to see was alright, they had archery, paintball, combat skirmish, trampolines, and some water sports.
Pool was opened at 10am which i find a bit too hot to swim in. The normal timing in Singapore would have already been 11am where the sun was already high, and having to have that weather to swim wasn't so good.
Advice for others If you're planning to come here and on a budget, do seek out the locals, and ask them for help. They're quite helpful. My family went to rent a car and the nice driver brought my family down to a market that was made more for the locals in Bintan, to get cheaper food or things to cook back in the resort.
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Date of stay: May 2013
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My extended family stayed 2 nights over a weekend, taking 2 back-to-back villas. Overall, I would say we enjoyed the stay and below are my comments.
Villas - I've seen mixed reviews in this website and was prepared for the worst. Perhaps we managed to draw the long straw as our unit was not bad for a resort that's been around for a few years. There are signs of wear and tear and patched up repair work here and there but overall it was ok. Utensils are available and well maintained except I'm not sure why they want to provide toasters as I wouldn't want to use something that I cannot wash myself before using it. Also, will probably need some forensic tests, but there might be some blood stains on one of the blankets.
Food - Not cheap. Conservatively, you will probably need to budget around $15 per meal per person. Probably need to budget more if you intend to go for better stuff on the menu. You can also save by bringing your own food. But it will be a challenge carrying food from your home to Tanah Mareh, lug them up and down the ferry and transfer to the hotel by bus.
Staff - Friendly and helpful. Different from the lively bunch at Club Med, but good enough.
Activities - Have to pay for many of the sports activities and many are unavailable until 10am local time which is already 11am in Singapore.
Things to consider bringing - Torchlight (especially if there are small kids as some places can be quite dim. Even if they are not afraid of the dark, how often do they get to use a torchlight nowadays? Let them have some fun!), umbrella (for going between places as you can't possibly keep calling for the buggy everywhere you go), some bread or instant noodles for supper as room service is expensive. Another way to save money is to have a heavy breakfast and then save by having instant noodle or sandwiches for lunch in your villa.
Comparing with Club Med - I would say both has pros and cons. Club Med has it's free flowing drinks, very friendly staff and more activities are covered in the package, but I'm not sure if I'd want to pay so much upfront or to pay less and then decide what I want or don't want to do or eat and then pay accordingly.
Overall, Banyu Biru or Nirwana Resort is considered a good option for a short vacation from Singapore. But as a car owner, I personally prefer driving up to one of the resorts along the Malaysian coast.
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Date of stay: November 2012
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from NirwanaGardens, The Management at Banyu Biru Villa
Responded 27 Nov 2012
Hi VerySingaporean, Warm greetings from Nirwana Gardens! Thank you for the time you had spent to write us a feedback on your stay at Banyu Biru Villas. We were pleased to read that you and your family had enjoyed your vacation at Nirwana Gardens. We have taken note on comments you had given, especially in regards to the housekeeping and F&B. We will convey these comments to the Departments and Department Heads accordingly to review and improve on, to ensure an enjoyable experience for our guests in future. Most of our activities are only open from 10am onwards, giving our guests ample and luxury time to enjoy their daily buffet breakfast before starting the day. You could also consider buying the "All-in" Activities Pass at our Activities Desk in Nirwana Resort Hotel - it includes a list of activities for you to enjoy at a very special rate of only S$38++ :) Indeed, our prices are all in SGD, as is the same for all the other Bintan resorts in the area. We would also like to share that due to limited suppliers in Bintan, and because some of our food supplies are also imported from overseas, this will impact the cost of our food. However we try our best to cater to all kinds of foodies through the variety of our F&B outlets. For a "cafeteria" style of dining, we also have our Makan Makan food court at the Nirwana Resort Centre, which provides different kinds of cuisines for Guests to choose from, according to their likes and taste. It is also our service motto to "Serve with Extra (S)miles" and we were pleased to read that our staff were friendly and helpful during your stay :) We understand the limitations of transport modes to Bintan, and although the most convenient route right now would be the 55-minute ferry ride from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in Singapore to Bintan for our guests arriving from that direction, we are in anticipation of the Bintan Resorts Airport set to open in 2015. Perhaps in future, there might be suggested routes for car owners like yourself who would enjoy road trips instead! Once again, we would like to thank you for the review, your comments will definitely help us in our efforts to serve our guests better. We surely hope to welcome you back to Nirwana Gardens soon! Warm Regards, Management Team Nirwana Gardens
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Dear fangwolf, each newly renovated double-storey villa comes complete with a Master bedroom and an en-suite bathroom with rainfall shower. There are two accompanying Twin-sharing bedrooms with a common bathroom and rainfall shower. On the first level of the villa, there is a bathroom with flush toilet and sink for the convenience of the guest. Hope this helps!
Hi Hanna, Nirwana Gardens span across 330 hectares of land and it comprises of 5 properties within this land. One of the five property is Banyu Biru Villa. All resort guests of Nirwana Gardens are welcome to patronize the various recreational facilities and restaurants within Nirwana Gardens. There is a complimentary shuttle service at a scheduled timing for guests to travel point to point within the resort. The F&B outlets available at Nirwana Gardens are Neydles House, The Poolside, Dino Bistro, The Coffee Shop, Spice Restaurant, Kelong Seafood Restaurant, Calypso Floating Bar, The Pub, Mayang Sari Beach Hut, The Beach Club Bar and Makan-Makan Food Court. Hope this helps and you may also visit our web for more information. Thanks!
"Should have sufficient power sockets for the lights and power socket is not provided in the shower room for the hair dryer. Room should have a dressing table."
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