Batam & Bintan are Indonesian islands, each reachable by 1 hour ferry ride from Singapore. Check either Batam Fast or Penguin Ferry for detailed schedule & price. Bintan can be said as a “resort” island, build to suck Singapore Dollars as a short holiday destination for Singaporeans. 90% of the island operates and will charge you in Singapore Dollars instead of Indonesian Rupiah! Batam, on the other end, is not yet evolve like Bintan – I don’t know how long they can last, at the moment Indonesian Rupiah is still somehow wanted in the island.
I found Batam offers more things to do rather then Bintan. My favorite massage place is Sport Massage. Their price tag start from IDR 200,000 (+ SGD 30) for 2 hours, compare to Bintan’s SGD 100 for 1 hour! Another upper scale spa is Devata Spa in I-Hotel. Staff in both places speaks fluent Indonesian but very minimum English. So… good luck!
For golfers, Turi Beach Resort maybe a better choice of hotel. This hotel also has stunning café on the pier above the sea water. Arriving in Batam for the first timer, may be tricky. First you better check whether you do not need a visa or can obtain “visa on arrival” to enter Indonesia. If you need to obtain a visa on your arrival, you better bring USD 10 notes with you, as the immigration booth exchange rate is almost can be described as a rip-off.
Second problem after immigration is transportation. If you arrive in Batam Centre ferry terminal, heads straight away to the second floor, and find a connecting bridge to Mega Mall - shopping mall accross the terminal. It is a good idea to book your return ticket with the ferry operator as you will pass the counter anyway. Taking taxi from the shopping mall is much safer and the price is sort of fixed. FYI, no metered taxi in Batam.
I found Batam offers more things to do rather then Bintan. My favorite massage place is Sport Massage. Their price tag start from IDR 200,000 (+ SGD 30) for 2 hours, compare to Bintan’s SGD 100 for 1 hour! Another upper scale spa is Devata Spa in I-Hotel. Staff in both places speaks fluent Indonesian but very minimum English. So… good luck!
For golfers, Turi Beach Resort maybe a better choice of hotel. This hotel also has stunning café on the pier above the sea water. Arriving in Batam for the first timer, may be tricky. First you better check whether you do not need a visa or can obtain “visa on arrival” to enter Indonesia. If you need to obtain a visa on your arrival, you better bring USD 10 notes with you, as the immigration booth exchange rate is almost can be described as a rip-off.
Second problem after immigration is transportation. If you arrive in Batam Centre ferry terminal, heads straight away to the second floor, and find a connecting bridge to Mega Mall - shopping mall accross the terminal. It is a good idea to book your return ticket with the ferry operator as you will pass the counter anyway. Taking taxi from the shopping mall is much safer and the price is sort of fixed. FYI, no metered taxi in Batam.
its really good to read your blog to enhance knowledge.i tink u may get sum fruitful information about u.k. and u.s.a. from my blog.
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Hi Arpana! Thanks for visiting and leaving comment. Yeah, I checked out your blog. I love traveling and see new places. I have been to US but not UK.. yet. Cheers
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