BATAM

Batam is one of the Indonesian Riau islands, it is close to the island of Bintan.

Whereas Bintan is best known for it's resorts catering to families and golfers, Batam is more industrialised and contains a large number of factories. Batam does also have family resorts and golf courses.

Batam is easily reached from Singapore on fast ferries. Most go from Harbour Front in Singapore. I have used ferries to Batam Centre and to Batu Ampar, now known as Harbour Bay. The ride from Harbour Front to Harbour Bay takes about 45 minutes, which is about 20 minutes quicker than going to Batam Centre. In addition Harbour Bay is nearer to Nagoya where most of the hotels are situated.

Arriving at Harbour Bay

At the time of writing this (May 2007) I always book my hotels from a company called Kaha. They issue vouchers which provide good discounts. Generally if you see a supposedly bargain room on the hotel's own web site, which matches the Kaha price, it will generally be for a room that is not as good as the one you would get by booking through Kaha. To me that makes no sense, but that is how it is. Kaha have an office at Batam Centre and in a shop house near the Goodway Hotel. I call them first to reserve (+62 7787034790).

Hotels I've stayed at include the Panorama, the Grand Majesty, the Puri Garden, the Formosa and the Goodway. Currently I prefer the Goodway. It is a decent hotel and feels more Indonesian than international. It is also very convenient for the Nagoya entertainment district. This area contains several bars including Beyond Pub, Red Rose, Bistro, Last Pub, Chili Pub, Wallabies, Steps, Ice Pub, Jungle Bar, plus the amusingly named Lucy's Oar House and the Red Cock Inn. The Goodway Hotel also has a wine bar, which is nice for a quiet drink and for watching sports on TV.

There are several food courts in Nagoya. My favourite is the A1 food court. Food is good value and you can buy jugs of beer from the many beer girls who will crowd around you when you arrive. It is worth asking for "Fresh Beer". This is the only beer which is brewed in Batam itself.

Batam is also a good place to have an inexpensive massage, with prices ranging from around US$5 - US$10 for a 90 minutes session. One of the cheaper massages can be had at Laguna, next to the Puri Garden Hotel, while a more expensive one (with cleaner better surroundings) is Sports Massage, which is close to the Goodway Hotel.

For those who like discos, there is the very loud Pacific disco near Harbour Bay. I find it too loud and am usually deaf for at least 24 hours after visiting it. I prefer the No Name disco in the Harmony Hotel.

Turi Beach Resort

I have also stayed at the Turi Beach Resort. This is more suited to families and couples. It is rather a long taxi ride to Nagoya, although you can get a ferry directly to the nearby Nongsapura Ferry Terminal, from the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in Singapore.