The Highlights:
1. The room (teepee) is spacious. Fits 4 pax easily (has extra pull out bed). Comes with 2 bean bags as well. The bed is very comfortable. What we like is that there's sufficient hooks, hangers and power points for all 4 pax in the room. The hotel provides sufficient amenities and is not stingy in providing more bottles of mineral water per your request. It can get a little hot in the afternoons so I'd suggest you spend more time outside doing all the activities nearby.
2. In general, the service was really good. There's no phone in the room so you have to use the messenger to communicate with the service staff but response was efficient. The hotel staff is mostly helpful and friendly.
3. We spent Xmas in Anmon and opted for the Xmas eve buffet dinner. The Food spread was good and there were performances that kept us entertained throughout the night
4. Strong wifi across the resort
5. The entire resort (including getting around treasure bay) is big but getting around is rather easy. You can rent a scooter or request for a buggy to take you around the lagoon (and to the activity center)
6. You can sign up for all the land/water activities at the lobby. We traveled with 9 teenagers and there were many activities that kept them thoroughly occupied. They particularly loved the ATV challenge, jet skiing, kayaking through the mangroves and wake boarding. That also allowed us parents to enjoy our own free time.
7. The BBQ by the tent was one of a kind experience. The hotel catered for 17 of us with a dedicated chef doing the grilling. Food was aplenty and good. The overall setup was Instagram worthy.
8. We were lucky that it didn't rain during our 4 nights there and we were blessed with clear blue skies. It was sunny, windy and at night you can gaze at the stars
The lowlights:
1. There's only one check out counter and it can get chaotic during check out time. Check out is 11am so be there early to sort out your bill. There were some discrepancies in our billing, partly because we had 5 rooms so it took a while to sort it out.
2. Breakfast was ok but can be improved. The served the same kinds of food daily with the exception of either fried rice or noodles each alternate days. I think the hotel can do better with different varieties.
3. The rooms can be better insulated. As mentioned it can get real hot... if you choose to stay in the room
Things that we hope won't happen to you:
1. During the Xmas party, there was a lucky draw. When our room was called to come up front and pick from the lucky bowl, we thought we had won something. Instead, it was a piece of paper that said "better luck next time". The the MC asked me to read it out loud. Not sure what was their intention of saying it is a lucky draw, I felt a little embarrassed to walk up there and be let down. I feel the hotel should just allow everyone to win something even if is is just a small token, e.g. 10% off when you order a drink at the bar, etc. Something simple but yet allow guest to save a bit on money they would have spent at the hotel anyway...
2. The day trip around the island was a total let down. Firstly, when we check in on the first day, we had already booked the day tour and we told the hotel we have 17 pax. On the day itself, they came with a 14 seater van and there was no way 17 of us could fit in. They insisted but we said no. So they brought another MPV but we had to pay extra. Secondly, the tour guide said within 7 hours we can cover like 4 to 5 places, including lunch. Just so you know, Bintan is a big island. It takes hours to get from one side to another. Out of the 7 hours of tour, we spend at least 4 hours in the road. How can you cover like 4 or 5 places? At the end we only made 3 stops. One a Trikora beach (which is ok), one to check out local delicacies and then to china town... which we only spent 15 min because there is nothing. And lastly because their car ran out of gas/petrol and for some reason the gas station refused to sell them gas (not sure why) we had to make our way back to the hotel. The restaurant that we stopped for lunch was not even ready for us. I had imagine that if we had sign up 2 days earlier, proper preparations would have been made. Instead, when we arrived, the tables were not ready and it took a while to set it up and have the food ready. That kinda eats up your touring time. We spent 4 hours on the road, which there's nothing to see. A total waste of time and our day. I hope the hotel can be upfront but all these details and what is realistic first before getting people to sign up. We could have stayed at the resort and enjoyed all the activities with the kids. What a let down.
If it weren't for these 2 incidents, I'd say this would have been a perfect trip for all of us. The kids truly enjoyed the time spent at treasure bay and the BBQ dinner by our tents was just amazing. Overall, we still had a good time and I'd still recommend this place to others.
