We are a family with four young kids, including a set of twin toddlers. Our key criteria for travelling, for now, are convenient and affordability. Adventurous hikes and fanciful trips will have to wait.
We selected Nirwana Gardens in Bintan for a 3-night stay because Bintan is only a one-hour ferry ride from Singapore and the range of activities available in the resort. As for the accommodation, we went for a 3-bedroom villa in Banyu Biru Villa with the intent to maximise our time spent with our grandparents. That is what having a family holiday is all about.
Read on for our experience of staying in the resort. Scroll down to the last paragraph for our verdict.
Banyu Biru Villa
Banyu Biru Villa was refurbished not too long ago. The beds are cosy, every room is clean and inviting. The bedrooms upstairs are air-conditioned. The kitchen is fully equipped and comes with complimentary water, coffee and tea set. Toiletries and towels are provided too. The resort staffs would refill the supplies on a daily basis. Internet access via wifi is unlimited also, throughout the resort.
Other Accommodation Options in Nirwana Gardens
There are four other accommodations to choose from, including the luxurious Indra Maya Pool Villa, the rustic Nirwana Beach Club, the beautiful Mayang Sari Beach Resort and the modern Nirwana Resort Hotel. There is at least one restaurant available in each accommodation type.
This is the Mayang Sari Beach Resort.
Nirwana Resort Hotel below.
Activities
What struck us most throughout the stay was the alluring beaches everywhere. Young and old, we all took tons of photos at the waterfront.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqqpHUahkBm/
There are two infinity pools in the resort, one located near the main lobby where the Nirwana Resort Hotel is. The other is in Bayu Biru Villa where we stayed for three nights.
There is a simple water slide at the Bayu Biru Villa pool. Unlike the main pool near the main lobby, this swimming pool is less accessible to most of the hotel guests. Thus we had the entire water slide to ourselves the whole morning. The kids sure had a lot of fun.
Our package provided us with a free buggy for three days, and six free sessions of bowling game in the Recreation Centre every day. After our bowling sessions, we would go around the Recreation Centre to explore other activities to take part in. So we did archery, flying fox and table tennis. Other exciting programs include the ATV ride, Ninebot tour, jungle trekking, elephant and horse riding, and diving. I could have left my little ones in the Nablez Kids’ Club for a day of adventure.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqmrnLthwbP/
Mini Zoo
The resort maintains a mini zoo at the edge of the Nirwana Resort Hotel, where they kept komodos, rabbits, an aged parrot and some fishes.
The fish in the photo below is eerie. It stalked us as we walked around the huge fish tank and made eye contact with us. It is unlike any other fishes we saw in other aquariums. Perhaps it is the sheer emptiness of the fish tank that is causing such behaviour from them.
In case you are keen to go out of the resort, there is a bigger zoo known as Safari Lagoi Bintan. It is a refuge centre for animals and birds rescued from illegal pet trade and exotic meat markets. Be prepared to see the animals living in small cages though.
Dining Options in Nirwana Gardens
With so many dining options in Nirwana Gardens, we went to a different restaurant every lunch and dinner.
But the meal which we enjoyed the most was a private BBQ held in our villa. Not only it was cosy, but the food was ample and tasted great. My personal favourite was the delectably grilled prawns in the picture below.
Calypso Floating Bar – we went there for a drink before dinner at the Kelong Seafood Restaurant. It is the perfect spot for winding down and admiring the beautiful sunset in Bintan.
The Kelong Seafood Restaurant – my hubby and I were not satisfied with our dining experience there. Although the ambience was cosy, it was too dark for eating. The crabs were freshly taken out of the tanks, but perhaps because we are very used to eating Sri Lankan crabs, we didn’t find these crabs appetizing. The meat texture of the local species is a lot chewier, lesser flesh with a harder shell to crack. The rest of the dishes were average too. However, the bill that came was unexpectedly high at around SGD200 for five adults and two kids, excluding the two toddlers. We ordered a plate of fish and crab separately, and the rest were meat, vegetables and eggs.
Lunches in the Neydles House and Spice Restuarant were pleasant, though nothing to scream about.
We decided to give the Hot Pot and Asian Grill a miss after studying its menu and went to the Dino Bistro instead. It was a wise choice.
Our Verdict
Great accommodation! The villa is clean and cosy, and it gave us many opportunities to get together. However, we were kept busy with the two toddlers venturing up and down the staircases by themselves as there is no safety gate installed at the stairs. The resort is child-friendly and has ramps to accommodate prams in most of the places, save for entrance into the bowling centre. Staffs were friendly and professional.
The buggy was free-of-charge for four days and three nights. Standard buggy rental rate is Rp 750,000 for 8 hours on Friday, Saturday and public holidays. With the buggy, we could go anywhere within the vast resort.
Food was expensive and disappointing to some extent. The price tag is similar to what you may pay in Singapore. In case you are contemplating to book a villa for a large family stay, cooking some of your meals in-house may be more worthwhile. The kitchen is well equipped for you to whip up a meal.
Outdoor activities are ample, but most programs come with a not-so-cheap price tag.
My mother liked our stay very much. She liked the accommodation and the beautiful resort. There was no rush, and there were activities to keep everyone entertained, except the toddlers because we did not send the toddlers to the kids club.
Wifi is unlimited and stable.
The rest of our restless, active selves are not entirely satisfied with the activities that are available to us, because almost everything is payable. See the price tag here. Perhaps it is because we are not used to confining ourselves in a resort.
We spent about SGD350 per pax, excluding the ferry ride. Would it be more worthwhile to pay another SGD250 per pax for a 3-night stay in Club Med Bintan instead? We would get unlimited meals, drinks and play.
If you are looking for a place to rest your mind and body, and spend quality time with your loved ones, Nirwana Garden may be a great place to consider. If you are the fun-loving type but on a budget, Nirwana Gardens is still wonderful for some fun, but perhaps you need to set your expectations right.
You may also be interested in:
A Weekend Getaway to Ranoh Island, Batam
Legoland Malaysia Theme Park – our first visit
Our Family Trip to Pulau Besar, Malaysia
Packing List for the babies – a weekend city trip
Chiang Mai with kids – 7D6N- Nov 2019
Click here to book a Banyu Biru villa in Nirwana Gardens from Trip Advisor* now.
Don’t want to miss my posts? Subscribe here to get updates from me.
* Contains affiliate links
Hello, may I know how much does the private BBQ held in your villa cost? Do I need to request from Nirwana in advance?
Hi Elaine, sorry for the late reply. We cannot recall the cost of the package but we did make arrangement earlier.