Hotel review: Bintan’s luxury resort, The Sanchaya, is a tranquil haven for art, beach and padel lovers

Past the arrival courtyard, the entrance leads into the iconic Sanchaya vista, featuring floating saga seed sculptures, an infinity pool and sweeping views of white sand beaches and palm trees. The large red fibreglass saga seeds—also crafted by artist Nahappan—symbolise life, strength, hope, and growth, adding to the beauty and symbolism of the environment.

In a separate interview, Natalya Pavchinskaya, the chief executive and founder of The Sanchaya, shared that the artwork within the property was curated over three years before its opening in 2014. 

The 10-hectare beachfront estate features 29 spacious and carefully curated themed villas and suites. We checked into one of the three Leelawadee villas set around a 17-metre swimming pool. Typically available as part of a package, the cluster of villas was designed to host a multigenerational family or a group of friends that want to be close in proximity yet appreciate privacy. 

Stepping into the Thai-inspired villa, our spacious, high-ceilinged interior embraced a dark wood aesthetic. The double-door entrance opened into a bedroom graced by a majestic four-poster king bed on the right, and a roomy bathroom adorned with a standalone tub on elegant four legs on the left.

After the early morning ferry, we found delight in the fully stocked maxi bar. Singaporeans will immediately recognise the chocolates by Janice Wong, the Singaporean pastry chef who collaborated with The Sanchaya to create unique flavours exclusive to the luxury property. 

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It was also hard to resist the fluffy pillows and 464-thread Egyptian cotton sheets, but we had a full day of activities ahead of us. Once the sun set, we eagerly returned to our villa sanctuary and slipped between those fine linens, bodies and minds lulled into deep relaxation. 

The Sanchya’s private white-sandy beach provides a sanctuary that one can spend the mornings and evenings strolling on. On the other hand, active sports lovers like ourselves were spoilt for choice choosing from yoga, archery, croquet, stand-up paddle, cycling and more. We spent most of our stay on the brand-new padel courts.

If you haven’t yet heard of this racket sport, padel can be quickly described as a combination of tennis, pickleball and squash. Sometimes called padel tennis, it is of Mexican origin. While it shares the same scoring system as tennis, with similar rules, the technique and strategies for winning are markedly different. 

Over the weekend we were there, The Sanchaya hosted a clinic with coach and reigning champion of the Thailand Padel series, Luiz Ruiz. Despite being a relative beginner to padel, I have decent ball sense thanks to my basic training in tennis. My partner, in contrast, had played padel before and was a varsity tennis player. So the clinic was tailored to distinguish the fundamental rules and layout of padel. With Ruiz’s guidance, he fine-tuned our serve, forehand and back, explained the court’s delineating lines and the distinction between the metallic netting and transparent glass walls.

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As the sun set, the clinics were followed by the inaugural Padel Cup. The friendly competition served to foster camaraderie between the players of different levels. Held as a round-robin style competition, this format allowed all players to play against each other.

After the first few qualifying rounds, we were all treated to fresh coconuts and cool towels while the scores were tallied to determine the semi-finalists. The final four players then battled it out for first prize with the winner triumphantly winning a three-night stay at The Sanchaya. Overall, it was a well-organised and fun tournament, providing as many laughs as there were intense points.

The Sanchya is home to two restaurants, The Dining Room and the al fresco Tasanee Grill. It was in the serene ambience of the indoor dining room where we enjoyed most of our meals. While the menu offers diners a taste of the world—from Japanese bentos to Australian Wagyu Tenderloin—the daily breakfast spread was something we looked forward to each morning.

Featuring an array of freshly baked bread, tropical fruits, pastries, artisanal spreads and creamy yoghurts, there was plenty to choose from to nourish the soul. A highlight of the buffet was the made-to-order Indonesian noodle soup, delicately spiced and invigorating. The contemporary European and Indonesian menu also offered hearty options to satisfy discerning palettes. 

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For a taste of local flavour, you won’t want to miss Indonesian specialities such as sayur lodeh, a coconut broth vegetable stew, and the classic savoury salad, gado-gado. 

Every Saturday, the Tasanee Grill hosts an outdoor barbeque spread that tantalises the senses. Sizzling grills line the main infinity pool and the aroma of meats, seafood and aromatic spices wafts through the warm tropical air, whetting appetites with each passing breeze. Skilled chefs cook your food to your choice of doneness and serve you at your table as you enjoy the sunset views.

For those seeking a lighter fare, refreshing salads and a bountiful selection of tropical fruits offer a vibrant counterpoint to the heartier grilled delicacies. From succulent grilled corn, and savoury local fried noodles to plates of pisang goreng, the immersive experience at Tasanee Grill encapsulates the essence of tropical luxury.

Wine lovers will be pleased to know that The Sanchaya is the only resort on Bintan that has a sommelier on its premises. The Decanter, the on-premise wine cellar, has a wine list with boutique wines from the less-discovered award-winning vineyards across the world. For those who want to discover your next drink, the sommelier is available to design a “discovery wines” journey.

The Sanchaya is dedicated to nurturing creativity and advancing arts and culture. As such, the resort also has welcomed a variety of notable figures, including artists, film producers, musicians, fashion designers and photographers, as participants in its artist-in-residence programme nurturing creativity and advancing arts and culture. Most recently, LA-based visual artist Darel Carey was featured, whose masterpiece is the black and white wall installation in The Library.

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