Cassia Bintan: New Family-Friendly Apartment-Style Resort in Bintan!

Travelling with the kids has never been an easy task whether you are planning a long vacation or short getaway. As parents, we know kids are unpredictable, one day they were as excited being a mini globetrotter, the next day, we got to pacify a change of heart. To fully enjoy the freedom of being flexible without losing your bliss away from technology and strife while handling the little dictators, we have the perfect hideaway to get your sanity back. Fitting in a fuss-free and flexible schedule to accommodate the whole gang. 

Introducing Banyan Tree’s latest offer of the comfortable, affordable and family-friendly resort – Cassia Bintan!

Being a one-month-old, new stylish hotel-residence style resort located at Laguna Bintan Resort Complex, Cassia Bintan is merely a 10mins ride away from the Bandar Bentan Telani ferry terminal. Departure from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal for a 45mins ferry ride. Consider a home away home vacation with stunning beachfront apartments, and the godsend freedom to chose your preference of self-customizing your stay.

If you chose to pick from the menu, there are Banyan Tree’s exquisite restaurants to dine in, and if you decide to just cave indoors, you could easily whip up your own dishes and be your own chefs with food hampers for purchase from the Lobby’s mini market at Market 23!

The great advantage of having two sister property – Banyan Tree Bintan & Angsana Bintan’s facilities next door, you will never be out of activities and restaurants to dive into. From restaurants, sunny pools to getting a luxe massage or even adrenaline rushing sports on land and water, there is a seamless connectivity for Cassia guests to hop over and back. without travelling far. Every day you will be caught with plenty of surprises on the typical beach holiday with Cassia’s signature customisable options, eclectic design and flexible accommodation. 

GARDEN LOFT 

On the day of arrival, the excitement of checking in, to actual taping our card into our two bedroom garden loft was such a delightful experience. Once we got off the pickup transport from the ferry terminal, it took a dedicated team of Cassia friends to make sure our room was ready for a stay.

We were located in the more newer block, boasting a contemporary loft style, with a mezzanine level that provides extra living space to accommodate a space for more family members. Completing the awesome staycay vibe with an al fresco garden, living area and also a modern kitchenette with a freedom of some DIY time!

It’s extremely hard for the lobby’s beautiful and quirky graffiti-esque art done by local street artists to go unnoticed. Similarly,  each room is lined with the traditional Indonesian elements of artwork that features a pop of colour that provides a quirky and immersive cultural experience. 

Kids being kids, my older boy went straight into the master bedroom to claim his territory and was awfully amazed that there are TVs in every room (yes, he conquered the guest room next!). All he wanted was to just lay in and chill in front of the cartoons.

Apart from the two bedrooms, loft rooms also come in one bedroom, so depending on your travel buddies, you are free to choose between a 41-52 sqm standard room that offers a generous space of master bedroom with a separate living area. Two-Bedroom Apartment Garden range from 62sqm to 71sqm and feature a spacious master bedroom, guest bedroom and a separate living area.

Need an option to opt for non-disturbance throughout the stay or requests for daily housecleaning, it can easily be arranged at an additional charge.

DO IT YOURSELF AT CASSIA

To get your free-and-easy dine-in options, be pampered with the choice of having a DIY time with Cassia Bintan’s unique grab-and-go food and beverage options from on-property supermarket Market 23 which stocks an extensive variety of fresh ingredients and delicious ready-to-eat meals. Not to forget, always prepare and plan for unexpected situation when the little ones are hungry by pre-ordering “hampers”.

During our stay, we decided that we need to have a go at everything including cooking! Much to our surprise, there are an array of pre-packed food “hampers” available at the Market 23 labelled “Seafood lovers”, “Meat lovers”, and plenty of local dishes such as Mee Goreng and Pad thai, and no fret of not knowing how to cook it, as there was a recipe book already prepared in the apartment for us to follow and become master chefs ourselves!

We heard that to cure hangovers, there are actually hampers called “Hangover hangers” to “nurse” you back after the party. If you are itching for some BBQ, steamboat or even Mookata time, head back to the Lobby’s Market 23 for your digs as there are onions, chopped garlic, sauces and even cooking oil available for your convenience! Unlike those resorts that are inaccessible to any convenience stores or mini-marts, Cassia have their food supplies which really gave us a peace of mind that we won’t be left hungry in the middle of the night!

UNIQUE DINING EXPERIENCE

When its time to take a step back and step out into the comfort of scrumptious meals cooked by professional chefs, we loved the flavourful dishes we had both at the Tree Tops – a local Indonesian restaurant located within Banyan Tree resort, and Dinner at Hole 17 (yes! an unbelievably romantic candlelight dinner at the golf course!). We were so flattered to be served a gourmet medley under the stars! (too bad, our kids decided to end the night early that day due to the darkness and frequent company of little bugs but husband and I both agreed it was our few moments of enjoying our honeymoon!). 

For couples or families who are more adventurous, do not hesitate to ascend to the dramatic rocks beachside, where a personal chef and waiter orchestrate dinner amidst the hypnotic sounds of the sea at Dinner on the Rocks, or step into the waters, climb on the local boat and ride the gentle wave of the South China Sea for dinner at their traditional fisherman’s house at Kelong Dinner! 

 

Breakfast happened every morning at Angsana Bintan’s resort, where we enjoyed a galore of full buffet breakfast at Lotus Cafe. There were fresh fruits juices station, live egg cooking stations, noodle stations as well as local delights tie-up with the international cuisine! It didn’t take us long before our pants got tighter from the morning feast! For guests that booked directly from Cassia, gets free breakfast!

FAMILY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES

If all you want to do is to just soak up under the sun, dig your feet in the white sandy beach along the XANA beach club, or even invigorate your senses at the award-winning resort spa in Bintan (we’ll tell you more about this later!), you can arrange for the easy way out – drop the kids at the babysitting club right beside the spa (that’s liked the perfect situation right?).

Another way, bond with them at the vibrant Lobby! They even got that hipster-looking coffee machine for you to chill and hang out!

Grab your teammates and beat Cassia friends to a game of foosball, or partake in an array of games, from the classic board, card games or even darts!

Purchase locks and hook it onto the metal frame of the Cassia trees found on the hill up to the resort, as a replica of those love locks found in Korea, but this time for a good cause as all proceeds will be donated to the orphanage in Bintan! 

Turtles freeing program are also available at the meeting point aka Lobby, but only at a selection of timing and dates. To avoid disappointments, better to check on their releasing details from the friends of Cassia! Unfortunately, we did missed it this trip, but thank goodness we took a shot of one of the little babies left behind after his pals are released. 

If you got kids that’s are bigger than ours (our toddler is 3 years old), go and discover Cassia in an adventurous way! Take on jet skis, hop onto an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) or even explore the mysterious mangrove and soak up in cultural tours to learn more about their cultures! 

Lastly, maybe to you all you need is a good pampering rub down at Angsana Spa Resort, we highly recommend to try out their Dreams or Angsana massage package! Both are created to calm down worn out bodies and soothes your body into a rejuvenated state! Most pampering part was, the massuar did a clean up on our feet before we started the real deal! 

Are you tempted to stay your school holidays or weekends at the newest kid in the block? Then better get your eyes peeled at our contests details below! Watch our video on our Facebook page for more details too!

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