May I ask how's the weather of 民丹島 in end of Sept & early Oct? We're planning for a trip, our last year experience in Phuket was pretty bad, cos we went for 5 days, & it rained for 4.5 days.
If you're using BNO, you can apply for visa just when you're arriving at the ferry terminal in Bintan. There's a counter which special for visa application.