The Sanchaya

Spectacular” is an understatement when talking about The Sanchaya. From the moment you arrive, it feels like stepping into a perfectly curated world: colonial heritage style, lush former-jungle surroundings, a stunning (and huge) pool, beautiful suites, an excellent restaurant and bar, a library, and a management welcome that even includes a few words in your own language. Simply a perfect experience. We wanted to spend the last three days of our Singapore trip somewhere relaxing near the beach, and The Sanchaya on Bintan Island, Indonesia was recommended to us. It’s just a one hour ferry ride from Singapore. For the return trip we chose Emerald Class (similar to premium class). Check-in in Singapore was quick and smooth. After arriving at the Bintan ferry terminal, Sanchaya staff take over and suddenly all your worries disappear. They bring you to their private lounge, offer tea or coffee, arrange the visa on arrival, and handle your luggage. While you relax, they also complete your resort check in at the terminal. Once everything is ready, you’re driven to the resort (only about 10 minutes). You’re welcomed by management already fully checked in. You can take a short tour, or go straight to your suite/villa. We went directly to our suite because our daughter didn’t feel well after the ferry ride. Tip: if you’re prone to seasickness, take a pill before the ferry even if the sea doesn’t look rough. We chose a suite because villas have stricter occupancy rules (typically only two people). The suite was enormous: separate living room and bedroom, a huge bathroom with both bathtub and shower, and a large terrace overlooking the pool and beach. The maxi bar is replenished daily and was free, and the suite also had an espresso machine. Breakfast is served in the restaurant and is mostly à la carte, with a smaller buffet selection. The choice is excellent. My advice: skip the Western classics and go for the Asian options more flavor and more memorable. Between 5–6 PM there was a sunset hour with complimentary drinks (I’m not sure if this is included in all rates), and it was a lovely touch. Local in house gin is what I went for, 10/10. The resort itself is breathtaking, art everywhere, unique colonial design, and an atmosphere that feels both grand and intimate. But as always, what truly makes the difference is the people. The staff are beyond attentive, honestly the best I’ve encountered anywhere in the world. Anything you need is handled immediately, and with warmth. We also appreciated the early check-in and late check-out. The only downside was that we visited during the so-called low season with monsoon winds, so the beach wasn’t really usable. That said, it didn’t take away from the overall experience. You simply have to go and see it. We will definitely be back.

Our stay at The Sanchaya was exceptional. We are grateful to Greg and the entire team of Artisans for their genuine care and outstanding attention to detail. The pristine beach, large pool, spa and elegant suite made it effortless to relax, while the yoga pavilion, padel court, bicycles, cricket lawn and library offered plenty to do. Breakfast was outstanding, and the food and drinks throughout our stay were consistently delicious. Time truly flew by, whatever mood we were in. From arrival at the ferry dock to our farewell, we felt completely looked after. Hospitality at its very best — highly recommended. Gudrun & Irene

This weekend at The Sanchaya exceeded all our expectations. We felt like rockstars from the get-go as we relaxed in their designated lounge on arrival at the port while the resort staff obtained our visas. The Sanchaya is set amongst beautifully landscaped grounds that feature an olympic sized infinity pool with views out to the sea and a white sand beach doted with coconut palms. Our villa was Balinese in style, spacious, private and immaculate. There is an old school colonial charm to the resort mixed with fun and quirky modern touches. Special mention and thanks to manager Greg and his team of "Artisans" ...Pipit & Siti from front of house, Elma who gave us such a friendly welcome each morning at breakfast, head chef Budi - the food was amazing - and Ron, Rey & Bimo in the bar. Nothing was too much trouble and the staffs' smiles and laughter made our stay even more memorable. We will definitely return!!

What a nice place to stay! Great staff, great location, great spa, great food… it’s all in the details. I am coming back soon. Thank you for all your kindness…totally relaxed Karla (Belgium)

My wife and I have been staying in Singapore this past year, and wanted to take a 2-night break (M-W) in Bintan. I'm a Titanium-elite member with Bonvoy, but as I was browsing hotels, the Sanchaya caught my eye. It was rated very highly.  Obviously expensive, but it had the classic colonial look I was looking for. I booked the Junior Suite on the Amex website, which actually uses Expedia for the booking.  The prices on Amex and Expedia were the exact same. A couple days before my stay, I was looking at Sanchaya's own website, which shows the blueprints of the different room layouts. Found out that the Junior Suite was actually just one bedroom/sofa area + the bathroom, and so a bit restrictive, while the Sanchaya Suite had a separate sitting room and thus a much bigger overall size. My wife needed to get a bit of work done during this stay, using the phone, so I wanted the separate space. I emailed the staff that I was considering the upgrade and might upgrade during check-in. They said ok. We took the ferry from Singapore to the Bintan Ferry Terminal, where the check-in process starts.  When you arrive, there is some ferry terminal staff holding up signs that direct you to the Sanchaya line.  That's where they begin to process your visa, collect your passports, give you a buzzer, and process you and your baggage through security. When you exit the security check, on your left you'll see the Sanchaya lounge. The staff will ask for your buzzer and will manage collection of your passports for you. This is where they'll offer you water/coffee/tea while you wait. We waited maybe 15 minutes for the entire immigration process to complete. The Sanchaya's valet then took our bags onto the van, and we were off to the Sanchaya. It is a group shuttle managed by the Sanchaya but on this ride it was just my wife and I.  A bit hard to believe that on the full ferry ride over, my wife and I were the only Sanchaya guests checking in! The van ride took about 15 minutes. When we got to the Sanchaya, the GM Greg and a concierge were there to greet us.  Another staff came up to us as we stepped in, to offer a welcome drink (a kind of shot).  At that time, we were offered a 15-minute tour of the Sanchaya by Pipit.  A great tour.  Unless you are exhausted, this introductory tour is a must, to help you get acclimated.  Pipit was great. The Sanchaya Suite we got was lovely (we got room #3 on the second floor, I saw it sometimes denoted as #203). Upon entering, there's a small living room fit for 3-4 people to hang out a bit, and then a "long" hallway down to the bedroom, with a bathroom in the middle of the hallway. Outside the bedroom there is a sizable wraparound outdoor balcony with a large couch, coffee table, and then an additional dining table for 4.  The balcony, as is, would be large enough to host a 7-person party, all seated, with no problems whatsoever.  (I only say this to give a sense of the space; certainly, the hotel will come knocking if you try to have such a huge party!) There is what seems like some wear and tear here and there in the room. But it's not serious, and supposedly adds to the charm of the room. The room includes a complimentary mini-bar, which includes a few types of chips, soft drinks, juices, Bintang beer, coffee, tea, and water.  All that is replenished daily.  There's also a fairly large safe.  Two pairs of room slippers, two pairs of flip flops, and a beach bag are also complimentary. The facilities are remarkable. Very relaxing. There's a salon/library, a bar/games room, a meeting/videowatching room, and a gym, and bicycles, all open-access. There's also a bookable wine-cheese tasting (room), and bookable spa treatments. The beach area is very private and quite immaculate.  (The one thing that all prospective guests should be aware of is that this is, from top to bottom, a place with quite mature decor.  There's no Kids' Club here.  The youngest kid that we saw here at the resort was ~8 years old.  The average age of everybody else was around 40 years old, haha.) The pool is very big. Olympic-length, comfortably holding 3-4 lanes. There's no significant shade over the pool itself but there are nice sunbeds and shades over those.  Throughout our 46-hour stay here in mid-October, we saw not a single mosquito.  Not one.  Not during the day, not at night.  The hotel mentions that you should look out for sandflies while outdoors; however, perhaps because we didn't go out at night, we actually never saw even one during our stay! Our first day upon check-in, we ordered room service twice. We got the laksa and the wagyu burger for a late lunch. And then for supper we had one order of the spring rolls (3 medium sized ones). The following morning, breakfast was lovely. There's a buffet spread of breads, pastries/donuts, yogurt muesli, and laksa. And then free unlimited choice of food on their extensive a la carte menu. If you take breakfast early around 7am on a weekday, chances are high you'll have the entire dining room to yourselves. There is a bit of variation in the breakfast buffet spread, every day. Overall, there are only 30 rooms total at the Sanchaya, around 20+ buildings in total.  For that reason, I would not call this a hotel but rather an estate. There is a secured gate in order to enter the entire compound, and the staff at the secured gate has guest names and pictures printed out on paper (!) by the first morning after check-in, if not earlier. To walk the entire grounds of the Sanchaya's compound, including the beach and all the facilities, takes up to ~30 minutes. This is unmatched if you are looking for quiet sanctuary in Bintan.  It just doesn't make sense to try to compare this with the hotels in Bintan.  Even the other accommodation compounds in Bintan (i.e. Banyan Tree) seem to be a bit more 'campy', without the same kind of refinement.  You're never in line for anything here. Actually, we saw a total of 8-10 guests on our entire check-in day, mostly around the pool; and then until 10am on our two mornings, an average total of 2 guests (both during breakfast). If you are looking for understated elegance (think Ritz Carlton Reserve), ideal for introverts, the Sanchaya is for you.  From what I observed, the average age of guests at this Sanchaya tends to be quite old.  I think the typical guests are those in their mid-to-late 40's with teenage kids, or 60+ nearing or after retirement.  30's guests with young kids who still want some elegance may find Banyan Tree more their style. On our check-in day, we booked snorkeling via the Sanchaya staff, for the following day. Snorkeling wasn't very good; only small fish. Not a knock on Sanchaya, just be aware that Sanchaya's particular dive center's snorkeling excursion may require tempered expectations. After snorkeling, we had a late lunch at the poolside restaurant.  Across the 46 hours, we ate exclusively at the hotel, either at the two restaurants (Tasanee and The Dining Room) or via room service.  The food ranges from average to excellent.  My best experiences were the Mie Goreng at Tasanee, and the large avocado-spiked salad for breakfast in The Dining Room. The staff are very friendly and very well-trained.  Pipit, Deff, Yohan, Difki, Elma, Madon... I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of names.  Everybody was great.  Reassuring smiles everywhere.  Pro tip #1:  If you need a room that accommodates 2, and you need space, and you can afford it, get the Sanchaya Suite and don't think twice about it.  Shop around, but (as of Oct 2025) it appears you'll be able to get a nice F&B/Spa credit with the Sanchaya Suite if you book directly on their own website.  Aside from that credit, just about all the other perks listed on the Sanchaya Suite bonus deal appear to be available to all guests regardless of booking. Pro tip #2: In case you are staying in a Sanchaya Suite with a "publicly accessible" set of balcony doors, these may be unlocked when you check in. If you are uncomfortable with that, you can let the staff know and they will lock those for you.  We weren't really worried about theft, but it's probably good practice to always lock your bedroom's balcony doors anyways. Pro tip #3: The room service menu is a bit limited. If you ask, you can order food that is on the restaurant menus that is not on the room service menus; if it's not late night, it's generally no problem.  Your bill when you check out will then indicate it as the restaurant's food even though it was room service. Pro tip #4: If you get a strange-looking device as your TV remote, click the button at the bottom with the 'red dot' in order to turn the TV on and off. :-) VERDICT: In general, we were very happy with our stay.  Very relaxing overall.  The staff are great.  In my opinion, they were genuinely interested and charmed to serve the guests.  If you are looking for some privacy from your companion, for whatever reason, then the Sanchaya Suite is definitely the way to go.