Bintan Island, a tropical island in the South China Sea part of Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago, has quietly outgrown its role as a simple weekend escape from Singapore, emerging instead as a finely curated playground of luxury – thanks to one property in particular. On this tiny island sprinkled with powdery sands and embroidered with every shade of green imaginable, is a most unexpected cocoon of unparalleled opulence: The Sanchaya. This sprawling beach-front estate – set on a private stretch of Lagoi Bay – is setting the tone for Bintan’s luxury identity, a 5-star property with colonial-style villas, sweeping manicured lawns that wouldn’t look out of place in the Cotswolds, and a wine cellar fit for even the most fastidious oenophile.

The experience starts long before you reach the estate – step off the 50-minute ferry from Singapore, and you’re greeted almost immediately with chilled towels and freshly brewed coffee at The Sanchaya’s private VIP lounge. I hand over my passport and immigration is seamlessly handled for me as I sip my coffee, and before I know it, we’re in the car and on our way to the property.

As I drive through the towering gates that separate The Sanchaya estate from the rest of the world, it starts to feel like I’ve just crossed a threshold to another reality, a portal to another century. On the horizon, I spy the lofty Great House – the centrepiece of the estate – with grand shuttered windows, a crisp white facade gleaming like freshly pressed linen, and majestic colonnades rising to the skies. It could easily be mistaken for a cross between a governor’s mansion and a set piece from a forgotten F. Scott Fitzgerald chapter. A welcoming committee is waiting to escort me into the stunning main building, where polished teak floors, soaring vaulted ceilings, rattan chairs and sprawling verandahs create a tableau that is at once stately and deeply cinematic, punctuated by striking sculptures, rare artefacts and unusual objets d’art.

I gravitate instantly towards the sea breeze, spying a 50-metre infinity pool in the distance, and giant red saga seed pods made of fibreglass floating gently in a tranquil central pool in the courtyard – a living, breathing work of art by Singaporean artist Kumari Nahappan. Her work also takes centre stage in front of the Great House in the form of a 2.5 metre tall pearly-lustrous sculpted pineapple – The Guardian Angel. This vibrant artistic spirit, as I would soon find out, adorns much of the property and is very much a reflection of the tastes of its founder and CEO, Natalya Pavchinskaya. Art is thoughtfully curated all across the estate, and rare collectables and furnishings have been handpicked to illuminate the richness of Southeast Asia’s layered culture and history.

My first order of business on this slightly overcast morning: breakfast. The seaside Dining Room recalls the colonial tropics with its whitewashed walls, dark timber accents, and chandeliers that hang with just enough hauteur to remind you that refinement works best when understated. The whole room is bathed in natural light and smells deliciously of roasted coffee – I take a generous sip of my pour, and am particularly impressed by the layered notes of cacao, toasted spice, and lingering afterthoughts of tropical fruit. I ask the waiter about it, and he tells me it’s the Sanchaya Blend, made with 100% Arabica beans from different parts of Indonesia.

Breakfast unfolds before me as a kind of liturgy in which the sacraments are viennoiserie and eggs Florentine; fresh island produce is set beside European patisserie, Indonesian delicacies share the table with artisanal preserves, and a fabulous range of eggs and gourmet sides are available to order, all best enjoyed al fresco on the front terrace with unbroken views of the sea. Breakfast has suddenly become theatre, with the pool as foreground and the South China Sea as backdrop, the kind of view that makes a second coffee inevitable. After indulging just a bit too much, I decide to walk off the hefty breakfast (and second coffee) with a stroll around the property.

Set across ten hectares of manicured grounds with croquet lawns, tropical gardens, private lagoons and a world-class spa at the far end of the property, The Sanchaya is designed as a self-contained realm of quiet indulgence. The Great House functions as the intellectual, social and architectural heart of the estate, housing 9 suites alongside the Dining Room, Library, Bar and Wine Cellar, each curated with a sense of period elegance. The Villas extend into the estate – Sea View Villas gazing theatrically out at the South China Sea, and Garden Villas hidden within lush foliage for added seclusion. The Private Residences, more expansive still, provide multi-bedroom layouts and private pools, suited to extended stays or larger parties. Overlooking the ocean is Tasanee Grill, Sanchaya’s beachside restaurant serving up a refined take on Thai street food.

As we stroll back to the Dining Room, Ricky is waiting to greet us with a warm, beaming smile and some fascinating tidbits about Bintan Island. He’s wonderful company and we chat about everything under the sun, over a steaming hot meal of traditional Indonesian delicacies – including a hearty Indonesian seafood soup, what executive Chef Budi calls an “Indonesian bouillabaisse”. After lunch, I decide to take a plunge in the infinity pool and a long walk on the beach, excited to stumble upon several gong gong along the seashore (gong gong are sea snails – a local, briny delicacy native to Bintan). I forgo the slimy sea snack for now and opt instead for a nap back in my suite.

As I walk back into the suite, sultry, honeyed jazz music is already playing on the sound system, chocolate truffles are laid out for me on the table, and I’m instantly enveloped by a warm feeling of well-being; the beauty is in the little details. I put on a pot of tea in the most exquisite bone-china style electric kettle, slip into a bathrobe that’s as fluffy as a Persian cat, and sink into my uber cosy living room couch to gorge upon my truffles. The Sanchaya, as I soon realise, renders boyfriends a bit redundant.

The suites themselves embody an understated opulence, with a refined palette of grey, white, and wood; heirloom antiques and vintage maps are paired seamlessly with indulgent modern amenities, and bespoke pieces are crafted to echo the property’s sense of place. A Lefroy Brooks claw-footed tub anchors the marble-clad bathroom, and the richly stained hardwood parquet floors lend the refined interiors their signature warmth. The wooden writing desk in the corner calls to me with a seductive, almost rakish charm, as though it knows it will win me over eventually (I imagine even penning a grocery list here might feel like classic literature). Through the French doors, the enormous veranda greets me with wicker, wood, and an unbroken sweep of sea. Morning coffee and afternoon tea here is an absolute delight. I plop onto my Ploh super-king bed, cocooned in Egyptian cotton sheets, and slip into a heavy slumber, waking up just in time for my favourite time of day – cocktail hour.

Step into Sanchaya’s Bar and you half expect one of Graham Greene’s protagonists to be brooding in the corner, penning a dispatch between sips of cognac. Its dark wood panelling, shutters open to a teasing sea breeze and bottles gleaming like trophies on parade suggest intrigue as much as leisure, with a fascinating collection of curios and curiosities on display, cigars for guests to enjoy, and a distinctly old-world gentleman’s club aesthetic. At the far end, an impeccably ordered backlit wall of spirits surveys the room, offering everything from rare single malts and artisanal gins to rum and gin blends made in-house with an assortment of herbs and spices.

I met Ricky down at the Bar for cocktail hour, and upon his astute recommendation, I ordered a signature Bintan Pineapple-Chilli Margarita – an eloquent, balletic blend of soft fruit and sultry heat. The bar’s coasters catch my eye: mini replications of chromolithographed Liebig trade cards – collectable advertising cards issued in the late 19th and 20th centuries by German company Liebig Extract of Meat, rendered in a style that plays into every outdated Orientalist fantasy imaginable. I absolutely love them – they’re peculiar artworks in miniature, and resting a cocktail glass on them feels like a small act of vandalism (I can’t quite bring myself to blemish them with the condensation of my margarita). Just next door to the Bar, the Salon and Library brim with atmosphere – rows upon rows of books and encyclopedias, cosy Chesterfields in rich caramel-hued leather, and the perfect excuse to pair a cocktail with a chapter or two. I don’t have time, however, to linger with a book – my cocktail this evening is merely the prologue, the climax of the tale is waiting for me at the wine cellar.

The Decanter – Sanchaya’s expansive wine tasting room – feels like an avid collector’s private cellar, with climate-controlled glass wine walls featuring a vast collection of boutique New World discoveries and award-winning vintages. Every pour at the Decanter is ensconced in Riedel stemware, meticulously designed glassware that’s distinctively shaped to highlight the nuances of each grape variety and wine region. The estate sommelier and fromager Ron Perez already has a decadent spread curated and beautifully laid out on the table, an edible (and drinkable) welcome party of creamy Camembert, Danish blue and Morbier cheese; plump, voluptuous grapes; and a perky glass of prosecco.

Our first tasting is a lovely, easy-to-drink Malbec, Santa Julia’s Malbec del Mercado 2021, a sustainable red from Mendoza, Argentina, infused with the blackberry and plum richness emblematic of the terroir, and anchored by a farm-to-table ethos. Ron leads us through the tasting with a charming blend of good humour and fascinating anecdotes – he’s got an incredible story behind his wine journey, and is truly passionate about every pour. My favourite of the evening is the Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, a beautiful, bold red from Venice crafted with the traditional appassimento method of drying grapes before fermentation. The result is a full-bodied beauty with a lingering, velvety finish, ripe with dark cherries, cocoa and spice – the perfect wine for cosy nights by the fireplace, or long, lingering evenings like this one, paired with good company and good conversation. I was naive enough to think that the night was over with this bottle – but no – the closing act of the evening is a Kong Ming Dinner, a 9-course private meal of unparalleled proportions. Octopus salad with citrus confit and roasted peanut, tuna sashimi with mango sambal and crystallised ginger, Bintan berakit lobster in a coriander butter soy sauce; needless to say, I slept very well that night.

The next morning, despite having sampled half the cellar, I wake up early enough for morning yoga with the lovely Devi. Each stretchy asana seems to unspool the excesses of the previous night; however, the mat – unlike the sommelier – shows no sympathy for excess. After a light brekkie, it’s off to the Sanchaya Spa for some much-needed TLC.

The Sanchaya’s Spa embraces an ethos of refined simplicity, with therapies rooted in Southeast Asian tradition and carried out in an atmosphere where light, scent, and sound are calibrated for calm. Signature treatments include herbal compresses, hot stone therapies, and a blend of Thai and Balinese-style massages. My lovely therapist Tini started by guiding me through each of the massage oils, explaining their benefits – orange and sandalwood oil for the root chakra, cucumber and coriander oil for the solar plexus and to detoxify the system, rose and lavender for the heart chakra, eucalyptus and chamomile for the third eye. The massage was heavenly and as I would soon find out, the cure for too much Merlot is 90 minutes of the Sanchaya Signature massage with rose and lavender oil.

As I waved my goodbyes and left the estate behind, my whirlwind stay started to feel quickly like a distant, passing dream. The memory of The Sanchaya is not carried away in photographs or souvenirs but in textures: the salt of the sea on the breeze, the quiet of the library at dusk, the scent of freshly roasted coffee in the Dining Room. It stayed with me like the finish of a fine single malt – lingering, elusive, and unmistakably sweet. The undisputed leader in the realm of luxury on Bintan Island, The Sanchaya reigns with a quiet confidence, where grandeur is always felt, but never flaunted.

T: +62 770 692 200
W: The Sanchaya
E: Reservations

Written by Nirupama Belliappa for Luxuria Lifestyle International