We are back in Batam!

 

Ya, I know right. We might as well apply for PR ya?

 

But we have compelling reasons to be back.

 

With the wealth of experience, allow us to introduce to you the most value-for-money/ best value Batam package deal.

 

 

Plus a 10% off voucher code, we ended paying only $45 per pax. Tip: From time to time, deals.sg has voucher codes that offer additional discounts so keep a lookout for them and time your purchases.

 

It's easy to dismiss this package with many other deals boasting prices lower than $50.

 

But these packages exclude ferry terminal charges of $27 per pax (look under terms & conditions) which plumps the prices up to above $50.

 

As advised by the local merchant, we proceeded to collect our ferry tickets 1.5h before our ferry timing of 8.45am. But the Pacific Ferry counter only opens at 7.30am.

 

You may still want to reach earlier though as a long queue forms even before the stall opens for business.

 

View of Marina Bay enroute to Batam.

 

Even though it was a Monday, the queue to clear immigration snakes to  near the entrance. According to our guide, it was very much worse during the weekends with people reaching at 9am only clearing customs at 12 noon.

 

Besides the usual deadpan humour, one thing that stands out about our guide is that he is very meticulous, pre-empting us on a number of potential problems.

 

He warned us against (1) clubbing in local pubs where junkies lurk, (2) flaunting our phones & wallets in the open which attracts snatch thieves, (3) speaking to road vendors who may hypnotize you into handing over your money, (4) bringing back to Singapore the 4 prohibited items (alcohol, cigarettes even if pack is open!, VCD/DVDs, chewing gum), (5) smoking in non-smoking rooms (even in the toilet) which will slap you with a $1,000,000 Rp fine.

 

He also pointed out to customers staying at Harmoni One Hotel that the standard room consists of two twin beds and shower area and it will cost S$20 to upgrade to the deluxe room with a king size bed and bathtub.

 

The city tour is much similar to that before (read about previous Batam trips here) so I'll only mention the new experiences.

 

 

Our first new item on the itinerary was go-karting!

 

 

After alighting the bus, we were whisked to sign an indemnity form. From the cursory glance at the regulations, all participants have to attend a briefing before going on the go-kart.

 

After signing it, the helper directed for me to mount the go-kart. And then came the 'briefing'. He pointed to the right pedal and said 'go' and then to the left pedal and said 'stop'.

 

He pulled at the starter engine a couple of times, waking the kart to a gentle rumble. And off we go, roaring down the tarmac which sends gravel flying into our faces.

 

 

The package consists of only 5 rounds around a ~100m round track which is just enough to warm up. Drive along the outer banks to prolong your enjoyment.

 

 

Another new visit was to Mama Vimara Duta Maitreya Buddhist Temple, the biggest temple in SE Asia.

 

 

Buffet lunch @ Sari Bumbu Restaurant. It is my third visit and I finally remembered to take photos of it.

 

 

By the way, my favorite fried bee hoon had been replaced by fried noodles. Although the restaurant has free wifi (password: saribumbu), you may want to fill your stomach first with only ~20 mins given for lunch.

 

When the rest of the group went for their massages, we were shuttled to BCS Mall. When I was there, I realized that the money changer in the mall offered slightly better rates than in Singapore!

 

As usual, we got takeaways from BCS Mall for dinner. No prizes for guessing what we bought. This time we got the Bee Hoon Goreng as well, which the missus really liked.

 

There were a couple of hiccups during the trip which we can't really blame our guide for he has so many different groups on different packages. So my advice is to know your package terms well.

 

First, the guide wanted to collect terminal fees from us which is included in our package.

 

Then he forgot about the 'high tea' but when asked, he was apologetic and furnished us with a curry puff and a pack of jasmine tea each (not sure if that is the actual high tea).

 

And although our package promised a free upgrade to the deluxe room, we were almost given the superior room. Upon highlighting it to the reception, they fulfilled the upgrade even though we couldn't produce our deal vouchers which had been taken away by the tour guide.

 

Our hotel this time is the GGI hotel which looks not too shabby but is very poorly maintained.

 

 

Almost every piece of furniture is creaky or spoilt and the cleanliness of the room is debatable: the main door needs to be hoisted to close, the sliding door to the balcony is jammed and can only be opened slightly, towels and bed sheets are stained, the bathtub and curtains are yellowish and spotted with moss, the armchair appears to have a smear of dried blood, the aircon is weak and blows out stale air, the hot water flask cap is broken, the shower knob comes off when tugged, the lobby toilet is very dirty and has no paper.

 

View from the balcony.

 

No deposit is needed as there is no minibar in the room, only the usual complimentary water and coffee/ tea sachets. There is also no shaving kit and hair dryer in the room.

 

The slippers were missing in my parents' room and we got it one hour later after calling reception twice.

 

After dinner, I made my way to the gym and for the first time in my history of hotel visits, the gym was packed *gasp*.

 

 

Seeing the troves of bodybelt clad and grunting gym goers makes it not hard to guess that the gym is actually a commercial gym.

 

With no towels provided, no water dispenser, and a barely functional aircon, I wasn't too interested in working out.

 

When I went back to my room, the missus wasn't in it. After pressing the bell and knocking on the door a few times, a hotel staff saw me, muttered a few words in Bahasa Indonesia which I figured out later that he was asking if I needed to enter the room.

 

And what he did next stunned me. Using his access card, he opened the door for me! As much as I was impressed by his helpfulness, I was shocked by the ease in which I was given access to a locked room and the seemingly lack of security awareness! Well, maybe he had seen me before although I had no recollection of that.

 

As usual, we plugged in our thumbdrive into the TV usb port and watched movies at night.

 

Soundproofing is not good and the hotel stands in front of a busy road so there was the incessant roaring of engines.

 

At about 4am, we were awoken by the morning prayer broadcast which was pretty loud even in the room.

 

The hotel breakfast was simple but adequate. There's even an egg counter which served the tastiest fried eggs I've tasted in hotel breakfast buffets.

 

 

Visiting the gym in the day, it became the typical deserted hotel gym.

 

We crossed the road to get to Harbourbay Mall which was like playing some 90s computer game where we had to sneak through narrow windows of continuous and erratic traffic, amidst the plumes of sand and smoke.

 

 

Most of the shops are closed except for the OG supermarket at the basement and a couple of restaurants like Godiva Bistro, J.CO Donuts & Coffee, and BFC.

 

 

Although we were starting to get slightly tired of BFC, there was a half price promotion for the nasi goreng set!

 

But the taste was slightly different though. Seems like there isn't strict consistency between different branches of BFC.

 

Travel Tips

 

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[Ferry] Ferry to Batam is free seating. Take the window seat to the left of vessel for views of Sentosa, St John Island, MBS and flyer skyline. Window seat to the right for views of Reflections at Keppel Bay, Bukom, Semakau, Sebarok islands. Opposite directions apply for return trip.

 

[Porter] Porters at the ferry terminal will offer to carry your bags/ luggage but they expect to be paid ($1 per item). So insist on carrying your own bags if you do not want to pay.

 

[Drinking Water] Tap water is not potable in Batam. There is no water dispenser in the hotel gym where you can fetch water so do purchase extra bottled water from the supermarket if needed.

 

[TV] The TV in the room has a USB port. If the plethora of cable channels cannot satisfy you or your kids need their daily dose of Barney, you may want to bring along a thumbdrive loaded with your favorite videos. Short of charger heads? Connect your device via usb for makeshift charging. Remember to remove your thumbdrive after that!