If you are in desperate need of a getaway but have limited time, Mayang Sari is a great place to go. I only had 2 days and was contemplating places like Tioman, Penang and even Bangkok. When I decided on Bintan, I was warned to be prepared to be disappointed. On the contrary, I was pretty impressed, especially by the cleanliness of the beach - it was so clear that when i stood in it, i can see fish swimming around my legs!

We were deciding between Mayang Sari and Nirwana Resort. When we got there, we had a look around - Mayang Sari was more rustic, more laid back and quieter while Nirwana Resort had more facilities, more restaurants/bars and more hype. We were very satisfied with our choice as Mayang Sari was a lot less crowded and had a bigger beach area. We stayed in a sea-facing villa and it was near perfect. The decor was very rustic and chilled; there was free drinks (soft drinks & mineral water) in the minibar, the bed was huge and soft, and the sea was right outside our porch. The only down side was that the bathroom was a little old but it was clean and everything else made up for it. The service was great - everyone was really friendly and helpful.

The resort was really well-maintained. We had a pleasant surprise when we walked from our hotel over to the nirwana resort hotel. We came across this "zoo" area where they kept animals like a vulture, hawk, crocodile, giant catfish, cobra, pythons... it was pretty impressive! I totally didn't expect that. The swimming pool was really nice, especially the jacuzzi bit and the pool bar was lovely.

Price-wise, it really is Singapore rates. We had dinner at the Kelong and I think it was a little overpriced and definitely not the best seafood. The black pepper crab was nothing like what we have in Singapore (it was a lot more buttery and sweeter) and the scallops were bland. Breakfast was a huge buffet spread at the Spice restaurant, with an amazing view of the sea and the beach so that was pretty awesome. One piece of advice - bring your own snacks and alcohol if you want to save some money. We did that and had a great picnic on our porch.

At first I was really hesitant to book this resort because of the mixed reviews (both positive and negative) that I read here in TripAdvisor. But then I still decided to book this resort (for 5 people) due to time and budget constraints. My expectations were not that high before we went to this place, especially for a person who came from a country that has lots of beautiful beaches (The Philippines). But when I saw the beach, I was truly amazed. Not really the most perfect beach out there, but the place is quite astonishing. There came a point wherein we felt that we own the place, less tourists and ideal for me and my friends! It's better than Phuket (Kata, Karon and Patong) to be honest with you, and less people, more privacy! And mind you, we went there during the holiday last week (Hari Raya). The staff was very helpful although I must agree that the price of food there is quite expensive (very Singaporean!). Also, don't try the Spa in the hotel, very expensive and not worth it. Go to Oleh, Oleh for cheaper massage! Anyway, in general we really enjoyed our stay, especially the sunset and the sand!