Bintan Island, an Indonesian island very close to Singapore, is famous for prostitution.
In the UK, SAGA holidays, a company that caters for the over-50s, now takes tourists to Bintan.
Bintan has 'friendly people' (Bintan Lagoon Resort - Saga.)
"The rooms were musty and had green mold on them.... The 'bar' ... playing Bryan Adams music non-stop from 5pm - 12pm at high volume... Very bland food for about US$60/person per meal." ( “I should have trusted the reviews.” )
"The resort is run down and well past it's best and it is now mainly catering to cheap Korean family package vacations..." - “Avoid this Hotel at all costs”
The northern part of Bintan, Bintan Resorts, has hotels.
The southern part of the island has electronics factories, fishing villages and some 'low-key' beaches.
Armed guards and checkpoints separate the two parts of the island. ( Bintan travel guide - Wikitravel)
Tanjung Pinang, the largest town on Bintan, has a large Chinese population. It is not a particularly safe place.
You can travel around by minibus (cheap) or taxi. Some taxis are dangerous.
Poor restaurant hygiene can be a problem in Indonesia.
Bintan has a village called 'Kilometer 24'.
This village is supported entirely by prostitution.
Brothel owners and local authorities set up the village in 1992. (http://www.thinkcentre.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=241 )
To supply the brothels, Indonesian gangsters buy girls from parents in West Java or trick girls into coming to Bintan for 'work'.
The brothel girls get to keep very little of the cash handed over by customers and are often in debt.
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