While better than it used to be, Tanjung Pinang has a partly deserved bad reputation. Do not carry large quantities of cash or flash it about, and do not take unfamiliar taxis particularly the touts at the jetty.
Locals will readily befriend you, but be warned, they will inflate your bills and take a cut. However, since the cut they take isn't very large unless they are really unscrupulous so they still make good, friendly, and knowledgeable guides.
talk
Bahasa Indonesia, which is spoken throughout Indonesia, is modeled on the version of Malay which originates from Riau on the Sumatra mainland and the Riau Islands. In fact, Riau Malay is regarded as the purest form of the Malay language and visitors from Malaysia will find the Malay spoken here very similar to Bahasa Malaysia, which is the version of Malay spoken back home.
English is spoken at Bintan Resorts and, to a lesser extents, the resorts of Trikora, but not much elsewhere.