Is this island worth a 3 days 2 nights visit? Costly and enclosed. Ferry to Bintan from S'pore is S$63 return for economyand S$105 for Emerald Class. Ride is smooth and fast (45 mins) on turbo jetboats.
Room charges for villas that has 3 bedrooms with double or 2 single beds (for 6 people)are S$350 per night. Food at the hotel are international rate and there is no recourse for cheap food as there are no villages nearby (there is a tourist village controlled by the establishment which are just as costly). For example a bowl of laksa cost S$17. Breakfast is S$16. We brought our own food and cook.
What can you do? Swim in the pool, in the sea, (be careful of sandflies, they bite you today and you itch tomorrow.) When you swim or sit by the beach you most likely will be bitten.
Beautiful beach and clear sea. Hire a taxi (S$80) or minivan (S$120) for 6 hours and tour the whole island, (2 1/2 times Singapore) go to Trikora, Kawal, Jambatan Kawal and of course Tanjong Pinang, the capital. Beware if you visit the Shangrila restaurant in Tanjong Pinang for seafood - they have a menu without prices for you but insist on a menu with prices so that you know what the price will be before you start ordering in order to prevent any misunderstanding.