Banyan Tree Bintan
Oct 13, 2011, 9:56 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: Hyatt Discoverist, SEIBU PRINCE CLUB Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 20,434
My family and I stayed at the Banyan Tree Bintan last summer. On the surface, the villas are gorgeous (we had one with our own pool) and the scenery was spectacular (from our view of the ocean, you could see Singapore on a clear day...even saw some fireworks from there at night!) We had some issues with the wildlife, such as a large monkey jumping onto the deck of the restaurant at breakfast and stealing some food from the table next to us, a squirrel biting through a tube of sunscreen we had left on the table outside, and lots of flying, biting bugs, but I don't hold that against them; it's just part of the territory of staying in such a jungle location. Nor can I hold the screaming honeymoon couple next door to us against them either, though be warned that it is a possibility if you want to take children to this resort.
However, the food was only adequate, quite disappointing for the price, and it's very difficult to eat elsewhere if you don't speak the language. Speaking of language, it was very difficult to communicate to most of the staff; they spoke English with a strong accent that was difficult to understand, and they probably didn't understand our English very well either, given all of their mistakes. Nor did they seem particularly helpful when they did understand, shockingly so for a place that charges the rates that they do. And the kicker was being woken up on the final day at 5:30am by rain leaking through the thatched roof, through the filthy canopy covering the bed, and onto my face. I could accept all of this at a reasonably priced hotel, but not from a hotel priced at the highest levels of luxury hotels.
I chronicled my issues and let them know about them via the questionnaire in our room. I did eventually get a reply from the general manager, and after some back and forth, he decided to refund half of the room expenses, but the tone of his correspondence and the whole nickel-and-dime feel of the discussion left me with an even worse impression of the place than before.
If you have to go to Bintan (and, really, there are a lot of better choices than that in Indonesia, let alone the rest of southern Asia), I still couldn't recommend the Banyan Tree in good conscience. Try the Club Med instead...at least they know how to protect their brand.
However, the food was only adequate, quite disappointing for the price, and it's very difficult to eat elsewhere if you don't speak the language. Speaking of language, it was very difficult to communicate to most of the staff; they spoke English with a strong accent that was difficult to understand, and they probably didn't understand our English very well either, given all of their mistakes. Nor did they seem particularly helpful when they did understand, shockingly so for a place that charges the rates that they do. And the kicker was being woken up on the final day at 5:30am by rain leaking through the thatched roof, through the filthy canopy covering the bed, and onto my face. I could accept all of this at a reasonably priced hotel, but not from a hotel priced at the highest levels of luxury hotels.
I chronicled my issues and let them know about them via the questionnaire in our room. I did eventually get a reply from the general manager, and after some back and forth, he decided to refund half of the room expenses, but the tone of his correspondence and the whole nickel-and-dime feel of the discussion left me with an even worse impression of the place than before.
If you have to go to Bintan (and, really, there are a lot of better choices than that in Indonesia, let alone the rest of southern Asia), I still couldn't recommend the Banyan Tree in good conscience. Try the Club Med instead...at least they know how to protect their brand.
Oct 14, 2011, 4:42 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
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Well, if we're bumping 5 year old posts, this is what I put on tripadvisor about our stay there in 2009:
"Some of the BT reviews on here have been a little harsh. I have stayed at some of the top beach resorts in the world (most recently Reethi Rah in the Maldives) and, whilst BT is NOT in that league, it isn't bad. Put simply, the resort seems to be 20 years old, it is showing its age, and with Bintan in decline as Sentosa opens new resorts and budget airlines make Phuket / Langkawi an easy alternative it is difficult to see much changing.
We were upgraded from a 1-bed pool villa to the 1-bed spa villa, which has the best views of any villa - an astounding vista over the bay. Facilities-wise, you can't complain - very large private pool, outdoor jacuzzi, outdoor bath and shower (and an indoor one), steam room, treatment room etc. The staff left petals on the bed each evening in different displays.
Where it goes wrong is in the little things. The 1-bed villa layout is weird, as they are 2 separate buildings - your reception room with the sofa is a courtyard and two locked doors away from your bedroom! The roads / paths throughout the resort are DESPERATELY in need of resurfacing and this would make a major impact on how the resort looks. Food was generally good, but breakfast lacked inspiration - where were the piles of fresh fruit you expect in Asian hotels?
The beach is shared with Angsana next door and you can cross-charge. If you don't want the privacy of a villa, Angsana is a cheaper option and you can still use the BT restaurants (and vice versa). Overall, I WOULD come here again if I was in Singapore and looking for a beach resort for the weekend, simply for the convenience, but I am under no illusions that a $50 flight to Phuket or Langkawi and a stay at Trisara or the Four Seasons Langkawi would be in a COMPLETELY different league for a similar price."
"Some of the BT reviews on here have been a little harsh. I have stayed at some of the top beach resorts in the world (most recently Reethi Rah in the Maldives) and, whilst BT is NOT in that league, it isn't bad. Put simply, the resort seems to be 20 years old, it is showing its age, and with Bintan in decline as Sentosa opens new resorts and budget airlines make Phuket / Langkawi an easy alternative it is difficult to see much changing.
We were upgraded from a 1-bed pool villa to the 1-bed spa villa, which has the best views of any villa - an astounding vista over the bay. Facilities-wise, you can't complain - very large private pool, outdoor jacuzzi, outdoor bath and shower (and an indoor one), steam room, treatment room etc. The staff left petals on the bed each evening in different displays.
Where it goes wrong is in the little things. The 1-bed villa layout is weird, as they are 2 separate buildings - your reception room with the sofa is a courtyard and two locked doors away from your bedroom! The roads / paths throughout the resort are DESPERATELY in need of resurfacing and this would make a major impact on how the resort looks. Food was generally good, but breakfast lacked inspiration - where were the piles of fresh fruit you expect in Asian hotels?
The beach is shared with Angsana next door and you can cross-charge. If you don't want the privacy of a villa, Angsana is a cheaper option and you can still use the BT restaurants (and vice versa). Overall, I WOULD come here again if I was in Singapore and looking for a beach resort for the weekend, simply for the convenience, but I am under no illusions that a $50 flight to Phuket or Langkawi and a stay at Trisara or the Four Seasons Langkawi would be in a COMPLETELY different league for a similar price."
Oct 14, 2011, 7:08 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
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LOL...well, this was the only post I could find on Banyan Tree Bintan, and I figured it deserved some content, staleness be damned! Though I admit it wasn't an exhaustive search, so sorry if I missed any other place where this was already discussed.
Glad that you had a good experience there!
Honestly, the bad things weren't bad enough to keep us from having a good time, but the misses were just things that I couldn't forgive from a place that prices itself as a first-class luxury resort.
P.S. Love your user name! ^
Glad that you had a good experience there!
Honestly, the bad things weren't bad enough to keep us from having a good time, but the misses were just things that I couldn't forgive from a place that prices itself as a first-class luxury resort.P.S. Love your user name! ^
Oct 15, 2011, 1:52 am
#7
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: 1A
Programs: UA GS, NH Diamond, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist (formerly Courtesy Card sadly), Amanjunkie, CLEAR
Posts: 3,713
Looks nice!
Getting off topic here, but check out this link to their rates page.
Scroll down to the calendar. Are those the guests NAMES sitting there visible on the Internet for the world to see?!?!
Getting off topic here, but check out this link to their rates page.
Scroll down to the calendar. Are those the guests NAMES sitting there visible on the Internet for the world to see?!?!