SINGAPORE — Just an hour’s ferry ride from Singapore, Bintan Island offers a quick sojourn out of the country for a quiet respite from urban life.

The island boasts a plethora of resort villas that caters to every age group and budget.

One of the newest hotels, Cassia Bintan by the Banyan Tree Group, will open at the end of the month, with an eye on families. The Banyan Tree hotel group also manages two other resorts on the island — Banyan Tree and Angsana Bintan.

Cassia Bintan offers an apartment-living concept in Bintan, meant to provide travellers with a home away from home. There will be 56 apartments available when the resort launches and, by 2019, the property will have 180 units in total, comprising one- and two-bedroom apartments and lofts, each equipped with a living room and kitchen.

THE FRIENDLY RESORT

The resort staff here really want to be your friend — so much so that they call themselves Cassia Friends. Dressed in colourful t-shirts, they greet arriving guests excitedly and usher them to the lobby, which features pop music blaring from speakers.

The lobby — also known as the Meeting Point — is a hive of activity. To the right is a dart board, and toward the rear is a foosball machine. Stacks of board games such as Uno and Monopoly sit on a counter for guests to play with.

Cassia Friends do not just help you check in — because they are like your friends, you can even challenge them to a game of foosball or grab the chance at beat them in a game of Uno.

Just about every spot around the Meeting Point is an Instagrammable location. Bright neon spray-painted drawings inspired by Indonesian street artists adorn the walls. There is even a photo wall for you to get that perfect #OOTD (outfit of the day) shot.

LIVING THE LOFT LIFE

There are five apartment blocks on the premises. The nearest to the Meeting Point are Blocks 1 and 2, and the furthest, Block 5. My loft was in Block 4, which meant it was a fair distance to get to my apartment.

As I entered my apartment, I was greeted by a vibrant room bathed in the property’s signature colours of teal and white.

Similar to the other rooms on the property, the living room and bedroom are decorated with pieces of art featuring animals found in Indonesia, such as the Komodo Dragon and rhinoceros.

If you are the sort who likes to cook, each unit comes with a fully equipped kitchen — complete with an induction cooker, microwave oven and steamboat pot. Or, you could even have a barbeque party on the verandah, which overlooks a garden.

The one-bedroom apartments and lofts come with garden or rainforest views.

UPSCALE ‘CHALET’ EXPERIENCE

A big part of the apartment-living experience is cooking a meal, or enjoying a steamboat or barbeque. As such, Cassia has a 24-hour gourmet station from which you can purchase ingredients for whatever you want to whip up. You can get fare such as salmon and tenderloin steak, or select a themed hamper — choose from Hangover, Breakfast, Steamboat, BBQ, Wine & Cheese, and Movie Night.

Every room also features a recipe book by executive chefs from Banyan Tree Group resorts in Bintan, and includes Indonesian dishes such as Udang Balado and Ikan Asam Pedas.

While you are generally expected to clean up after your dinner party, there is also an option to pay housekeeping (169,000 Indonesian rupiah/S$17 for just the kitchen or 384,000 Indonesia rupiah/S$39.20 for the whole apartment) to clean up after you. Yes, guests will want to note that unlike at regular hotels, you will not get daily housekeeping services. Apartments are only cleaned every other day, which means if you are staying on a 3-day-2-night package, there will not be housekeeping unless you pay for it.

DESTINATION DINING

The hotel offers seven Destination Dining options, which take guests to scenic spots nearby. The options include Dinner on 17, where guests travel by buggy to dine at the 17th hole of Laguna Golf Bintan; Fisherman’s Table, where guests sit in a traditional fisherman’s boat while savouring a seafood meal; and Massage of the Senses, where guests enjoy a spa treatment at a private clifftop cabana before dining there.

Each Destination Dining option offers a unique set menu and costs from 909,000 Indonesian rupiah/S$92.80 to 2,352,000 Indonesian rupiah/S$240, depending on the menu.

I tried the Kelong Dinner Destination Dining offering. With life jackets safely fastened, we boarded a local boat and headed toward a kelong (an offshore wooden structure) to have our dinner. The ride to the kelong offered spectacular views of the sunset.

At the kelong, we sat at a wooden table with LED lanterns placed on pandan leaves, which also served as table mats. The kelong had a built-in kitchen, where a personal chef prepared our meal.

Dinner started with Otak Otak (ground fish mixed with spices and grilled in coconut leaves), Gong Gong (steamed sea snails) with ginger and garlic, and Sop Ikan (fish soup with scallions) cooked with onions and curry leaves. Our main course was Kepiting (stone crab with black pepper sauce), Ayam Kampung (chicken) and Sayur (vegetables) consisting of kangkong belacan and baby kailan.

We ended our dinner with a bowl of Palu Butung, a chilled rice pudding dessert with steamed banana and pandan syrup. A tip: There are no toilets on board the boat or at the kelong, so make sure you go to the loo before you embark on your journey.

Bintan also offers a wide array of activities, and the resort organises excursions for guests.

You can try your hand at driving an ATV through the rainforest, go on a snorkelling tour, or ride a jetski. Families can also attend a soap-making class, or watch baby sea turtles being released into the ocean (seasonal).

Cassia Bintan opens Aug 31. Room rates start from USD88 (S$120.30) for a one-bedroom apartment, including breakfast for two and free Wi-Fi. Located at Jalan Teluk Berembang, Laguna Bintan Resort, Lagoi. Visit www.cassia.com to make your bookings.

This trip was made possible by Cassia Bintan.