We stayed at the angsana for 4nights/5days in October. On arrival at he ferry terminal we were efficiently whisked onto a bus and taken to the resort.

We were staying in a suite which was very spacious, but somewhat basic in its style...from the website we had been expecting a more luxurious surroundings. The major problem however was the bathroom which had draining problems meaning it completly flooded whenever you took a shower. The towels provided were threadbare which is really way below par for a hotel that is aiming to be a luxury resort.

The pool area is beautiful, and you can walk straight down to the beach which is pretty much exclusive to to the hotel guests. The sea was the warmest I think I've ever swam in...lovely. There are facilities for jet-skiing, banan-boating etc all of which were good fun, but also well away from swimers so not disruptive.

We were a little disappointed with the food which didn't meet the high standards that we beleive the hotel was aiming for. The spread at breakfast is poor for a hotel of this quality, and whilst evening meals were good, they weren't great. 2 nights we went to the Banyan Tree for dinner - our best meal was at The Cove restaurant and would recommend it if you are visiting.

Overall this was a pleasant stay, but if the Angsana is aiming for 'luxury' status they are not acheiving it yet.

The setting is stunning and service standards are very high.
Room supplies were good, view was also good.
Would have liked to have been able to leave the room through the doors to the pool, instead of going through the hotel.
If I were to pick any faults it would be that there isn't a wide range of places to eat in (but enough for 2d1n!), and the massages are a little pricey (I'd prefer to pay less and have a shorter one - some of them are 2.5 hrs long!).
Would highly recommend this resort!

We just got back from a perfect stay at the Angsana. We were there for 5 days and 4 nights. The boat trip over from Singapore was easy. We changed to an earlier boat last minute which was no problem. (bring a sweater though as air con was on high!).
There is an Angsana office at the Ferry terminal on Bintan where they tagged our bags for us and took them off our hands and we hopped on the bus which was waiting. Only about 10 mins from Ferry Termninal to hotel. It took about 15 mins to check in as we weren't quick to get off the bus, but I took the kids for a wander while my husband waited in the queue.

Our room was fantastic. We had a two bedroom suite -- a double bedroom for the kids (aged 3 & 5) to share and a Kingsize bed for us, separated by a lounge with a TV & sofa, a small table with chairs and a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, sink, two-burner hob, and plates, cuttlery, glasses etc. So, it wasn't the most beautifully deocrated room in the world, but it was very clean, very comfortable, and nice and large so we weren't cramped with our suitcases etc. The view from the rooms was outstanding. We overlooked the pool and the beach & sea and it was really breathtaking.

The pool area was fantastic, with a very shallow area for babies & toddlers, a 90cm deep area for slightly bigger kids and then a huge area in the middle for everyone. We were lucky as it was very quiet the week we were there, so no problem for lounge chairs around the pool and towels etc. They also give you as much free bottled water as you want.

The kids club was great. You can sign the kids up (aged 3-10) for all day for US$35 per child or per hour activity for US$6. Each day has a programme of events. We put the kids in about 4 hours per day and they loved it. The staff running is were great, and changed the activities if the kids wanted to do something special. They did a great variety of stuff -- pool games, t-shirt & hat painting, face painting, indonesian dancing, treasure hunts, beading etc. Kids were begging us to let them go, which was fab as we were then free to do whatever.

We didn't do much, expcept for alternate between the amazing white sand beach with warm warm water and the pool! We did some snorkeling which wasn't amazing, but still fun, and the little black and yellow striped fish come very close to the shore so the kids could see them too. The beach is lovely and shallow quite a way out which was perfect for the kids. We also did some waterskiing and wake boarding which was great!

There is a shuttle to a nearby tourist town. Went and had a massage in the local beauty salon which was 1/4 price of hotel spa (but nowhere near as posh!) but excecllent massage nonetheless. Bought a couple dresses for the kids etc. Tried the restaurant which wasn't great.

The food at the hotel was really good. Breakfast buffets weren't amazing, but plenty to choose from and changed daily. Service was so friendly around the hotel. Met the Food & Beverage manager's wife in the pool with her daughter who gave a us a great tip. the General Manager is Thai and they have a thai chef, so you can ring room service and request things which aren't on the menu. The last night we had the satay fest on our balcony, and ordered a Thai Green curry, phad thai, Tom Yum Gong (sp?) which were all amazing!

Leaving was very well organised. They arranged to pick up our boarding passes for the boat ahead of time, so we could maximize our stay at the hotel. Our pick up for leaving was 4:30, so they let us keep the room until 3pm. At the terminal they excorted us with our luggage to the bag drop area.

This hotel is one notch down from the top of the range, but for a holiday with kids it was perfect. There were no snobby airs around the place, and noone gave us any dirty looks when the kids threw tantrums etc. We could just relax an enjoy. We went for pre-breakfast swims, and could go have breakfast in swim suits and a sarong. The kids had the most amazing time and we had a rest! The staff were all so friendly and accommodating. All the meals were excellent. the atmosphere is relaxed and laid back -- no one out to impress, everyone just having a nice break. We will definitely go back!

My husband, myself, our 9 mth old infant & our domestic help stayed at the Angsana Suite in Oct 08 for 3D2N. We chose to stay with Angsana Resort as Banyan Tree Resorts generally do not accept infants. We thought that the Angsana Resort would be a good choice as they are known for their above average service.

The Angsana Suite came at a premium & cost more than a good room in New York or junior Suite in Santorini Greece.

The service for their Angsana Suite was surprisingly terrible:
Transfers to-and from resort - we waited 20 mins, with no explanations, before the transport left the ferry terminal for the resort. Also, our family had to cramp in with the rest of Angsana guests on their big bus on our trip back to ferry terminal.

No speedy check-in - we noticed that regular guests were served ahead of us at our check-in.

Angsana Suite's principal name - Angsana resort listed our Filipino domestic help's name as the principal name. We were indeed surprised that a well-known resort made such a mistake.

No infant bath tub-Angsana staff took over an hour to inform us that infant bath tub was not available. I had to call 2-3 times for updates. For a family friendly resort, it surprised us that there were no infant bath-tubs at all. Even Goldens Sands Shangrila in Penang had, even when we stayed in a regular room there in Jul 08.

Indifferent Angsana staff at ferry terminal - our family attempted to check in our baggage on our own at the ferry terminal and approached an Angsana staff already at the baggage counter for advice. He ignored us at first & when approached a second time, merely shrugged his shoulders & pointed us back to the Angsana service counter 50ft away. We were weighed down with our infant, stroller & some luggages at that point. A staff from another resort (friendlier than the Angsana staff we approached) on his own accord, advised my husband to place our check-in baggage on the belt & take the claim ticket. When I looked back 5 minutes later at the Angsana service counter, the same Angsana staff was talking & laughing with another staff & did not bother to return to check on us.

Other Comments:

Living room Air-con breaking down - intermittent problem on morning we were checking out. Such issues should have been resolved before guests arrived.

Master bedroom - surprisingly small bed & day couch took up some space in the room. A bigger bed would have been more comfortable as Suite already had lounging areas in the living room & patio.

We were surprised by our terrible experience as Angsana Resort is a well-known name with above average service in general.

Since Angsana Suite did not have any special service despite coming at a premium, we would not recommend this Suite to our family & friends since the Angsana staff seemed hard pressed to cope with the demands of such a Suite.