Kamuela Villas Lagoi Bay Bintan

I stayed in the deluxe Suite Villa with my wife and we absolutely loved it! I look forward to coming back again soon. We really loved the Villa layout, cleanliness, space and privacy. It wasn’t perfect. Yea only the bedroom had aircon. But the high ceiling and ceiling fan helped to keep the living and dining area cool. Anyway there’s the pool to keep you cool ;-) The furniture and fixtures looked old. The bathroom door didn’t shut properly and the draining rack door was also partially broken. The remote for the ceiling fan was initially missing but they responded quickly when I asked them for help. The kitchen was quite big but there is only a kettle, sink and refrigerator and tableware for exactly 2 people. They said they would bring a microwave when requested. They did bring me wine and beer glasses when I requested. So perhaps they will bring cooker and pots also if you need them. The pool for this Villa was quite big (7x3m) and walls provide adequate privacy throughout the Villa. Bathroom was big and spacious. I loved the outdoor shower and didn’t bother to try the nice bath tube. Service was fantastic. Starting from the free pickup from the ferry terminal. In the Villa, I just texted my request using WhatsApp and they responded almost immediately. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. One of the problems we faced each morning was the mess left behind on the floor by a bird or bat. But housekeeping arrived quickly to clean and mop up the mess. Breakfast from the restaurant was delivered to our Villa. We got to choose the food and the delivery time the day before via WhatsApp. I recommend the soto ayam, mee goring, nasi lemak, and gado gado. Kamuela’s location was really good. The neighborhood was quiet, clean and safe, comprising of 3 other high end hotels and Lagoi Plaza, which sadly had no shops open because they didn’t survive Covid. That said the plaza was still well maintained and well lit at night. For lunch and dinner, there was 3 eateries within 5 min walk that served very good local food and decent seafood. There was a mini mart there where we picked up beer and snacks for our stay. So Lagoi Beach was only 5 min walk from the Villa. The beach was pristine and deserted when we were there on Monday and Tuesday. The sand was white and fine. There was an activity hut open offering sea activities like water scooter rental, kayaking, snorkeling trips etc. Kameula offered in-room massage but we went to D’bintan Salon Spa 15 min away by car which had better spa options. The spa provided free transport to and from Kamuela so it worked for us.

I was deciding between giving 2 or 3 stars for my stay. Firstly, 2 weeks prior to my arrival in June I decided to confirm my reservation and to ask about hotel transfer from the ferry terminal. The good news is they offer free transport to and from the ferry terminal. The bad news for me was that they messed up my reservation. I booked in March and within a few days I made changes to the dates of our stay , and got an email confirmation that the dates have been modified. Come June, and here I am shocked that they claim their system did not capture the change in the dates of my stay! They told me the dates I want are now fully booked! I had my extended family all looking forward to this trip and it was frantic for me having to communicate back and forth with them to try to work something out. In the end, they found something for me but I had to make do with what they offered. Originally I booked 1 signature 2-bedroom villa and 2 premium 2- bedroom villas, but have to settle for 1 premium 2- bedroom villa and 2 deluxe 1- bedroom villas with extra beds. Some of our family members had to sleep on the roll away beds placed in the living rooms and mind you the living room is not air-conditioned and had mosquitoes. The best finale is that when the bill came, they charged me for the price of my original booking! They said their prices were dynamic and if they charge me the latest prices of the villas I stayed in, the bill will become more expensive than my original booking. I cannot believe they did not realise that they messed up my reservation in the first place! Other than this big dissatisfaction, the staff were very friendly and helpful, and service quite good. It's the service that prompted me to give overall 3 stars, else it'll be 2. There's only 1 restaurant there and I wouldn't recommend eating here unless you have no choice. The free breakfast ain't great either. Hardly anything nearby except for a beach. Sad to say I'll not recommend this place to any of my friends.