Tuesday 18 March 2014

2D1N Batam Review


Since I had never step foot into Batam, on the spur of the moment, I decided to have a quick weekend getaway to this neighbouring island. Took the Sindo Ferry from the Singapore Cruise Centre at Harbour Front. It costs about $46 for a two-way ferry trip. There are numerous timings to depart at and the schedules can be found on Sindo Ferry's website. Bought tickets to Waterfront ferry terminal as my hotel, HARRIS Waterfront, was just a 3 minute car ride from the ferry terminal. The hotel also provides a complimentary shuttle to the hotel so don't bother taking a cab!

Harris prides itself as a family-oriented activities filled resort. During my stay there, I saw quite a few corporate groups making use of the facilities to have team bonding activities. By and large, Harris' best and most well maintained facility has got to be its huge swimming pool. With water polo nets, basket ball hoops and a pool that goes as deep as 2metres, this facility makes the hotel shine when other parts have failed. 





While the hotel does have other facilities to entertain guests, proper maintenance seems to be lacking throughout these facilities. However the hotel does try hard to please its guests. I was always greeted by the staff with a simple but pleasant "Hello". With the friendly and trying hotel culture, it sure did make my stay a more memorable one. 


Harris has both a new and old wing. Upon request, I stayed in the new wing (above white building), on the 5th floor and had the luxury of a sea view. The hotel room cost SGD $60 for a one night stay and it was booked through Agoda. I really like how the room was clean and quiet! 



The tranquil sea view I had from the balcony of my room.
Indeed a refreshing getaway from the hustle and bustle of fast pace Singapore.

After checking out the facilities around the hotel and checking into our room, we took the shuttle bus to Nagoya Mall. It costs SGD $5 for a one way ticket. The journey took about 30 minutes. Driving through Batam opened my eyes to what Singapore looked like in the past. We drove on single lane roads which had no traffic lights. I saw the ingenuity of the people through the modifications of their motor scooters to create a makeshift boot. Hawker stalls littered around the long roads. The simple slow pace life brought calmness to my soul. Oh how I wish every weekend could be like this! 


Upon reaching Nagoya mall, we headed straight to A&W for a round of curly fries. There's a handful of food stores around to satisfy all your hunger pangs but don't expect any fresh seafood restaurants around the area. You are definitely better off trying their local Indonesian delights. There's also a JCO donut outlet where donuts were going for less than 1 Sing dollar! Scouted around for some homemade kueh lapis and ended up buying half a box that cost me SGD 8. Apart from the food stores, the rest of shops failed to please. The fashion is rather backdated so don't expect to find the latest blogshop clothings here. There are numerous stalls at the basement that sell handphone accessories but again, most of the iphone casings were last season's designs. We scouted around for a few massage shops and were pleasantly surprise to find one that provided a 1.5hr foot massage for SGD 8! 

As dusk approached, we headed to Derlima for our seafood dinner. We chose Derlima as it was not only near our hotel but prices were also cheaper. (Read more about seafood restaurants in Batam, here.) For dinner, we had 5 dishes consisting of fried rice, bean sprouts, fried prawns, a barbequed fish and a huge crab cooked black pepper style. Our total damage was only SGD $50. Hooray to cheap crabs! Actually I heard from a friend, the only place that sells crabs at an expensive price is Singapore. -_-

The next morning, we woke up to a sumptuous buffet breakfast at Harris' cafe. Its a continental spread of mostly western food. There were croissants, ham slices, waffles, eggs cooked your style, cereals and local delights such as nasi lemak. Oh yes, and the breakfast was part of $60 room deal. So it worked out to $30 per pax for the room and morning brekkie. 

Headed for a quick dip in the pool after breakfast. Quick because unfortunately, it drizzled quite a bit and we were told to stay clear from the rain. Spent a bit of our spare time shopping at the hotel's Polo Ralph Lauren store. T-shirts prices were going for a steal because Ralph Lauren has been known to have their factories in Indonesia. 

Checked out at 12noon and took the 1.20pm ferry back to sunny Singapore. I like how the ride back to Harbour Front allowed me to marvel at Singapore's skyline. From the 3 Marina Bay Sands towers, to the financial buildings in the CBD and finally the beautiful seaside houses along sentosa, you definitely have to admit that the ferry ride does provide for some nice sightseeing. And before I end, let me share with everyone something funny that happened. I tried buying DFS at the ferry terminal but low and behold, I was stopped! Why? Because apparently, you can only buy duty free goods if you have been away from Singapore for more than 48hours! Oh wells, I shall wait for my next trip to Macau then. 

Admiring the Singapore skyline on the way back from Batam.
Can you spot the flyer? 

Things to do in Batam
- Eat cheap JCO donuts
- Buy homemade kueh lapis
- Eat cheap and fresh seafood 
(not those catered by tours, pick and choose yourself)
- Go for a massage at a steal
- Be surrounded by nature 
- Relax in the comforts of your hotel room
- Indulge in your hotel's facilities
- Enjoy a nice buffet breakfast in your hotel