Travel Brochure to Batam, Indonesia |

Travel Brochure to Batam, Indonesia

By Jimmy Hoffman
24 July, 2013
1 Comment

Over the past weekend I was lucky enough to visit Batam, Indonesia. Situated just to the south of Singapore, Batam is the largest city in the Riau Islands province of Indonesia. Due to the close proximity to Singapore, Batam has grown into a major port and industrial zone. Most foreign visitors to the island come from Singapore, which is exactly how I got there.

After the short 45 minute ferry ride south my girlfriend and I arrived at Harbour Bay, one of five ferry terminals on the island, and closest to my hotel. It was past nightfall when I arrived so I was unable to get a good view of the island. In fact, all I could see were the hotels situated around Harbour Bay. The first thing I noticed after stepping off the ferry was garbage polluting the waters near the harbor. This was an indication that the laws in Batam were much more lax then those of Singapore, where a steep fine would be issued for polluting. After breezing through customs it was time to eat dinner.

Padang Cuisine

For dinner we ate at Sederhana. Sederhana offers Padang cuisine, which is one of the most popular foods in Southeast Asia. Padang food is cuisine of the Minangkabau people of the West Sumatra province of Indonesia and is named after West Sumatra’s capital city, Padang. After entering the restaurant and taking a seat the waiter delivered several assorted dishes to our table. From there we picked what we wanted to eat and was charged according to the plates consumed. Among my favorites were the beef rendang and curry chicken. After dinner we checked into the hotel and called it a night.

When I woke up the next day my tour guide (girlfriend) was eager to show me around Batam. She grew up in Batam, so this would be a special day for both of us. We first visited Nagoya Hill, which is one of the many shopping malls in Batam. Since I am not really a shopper I am going to skip that part. I did, however, find it interesting that most restaurants in the mall had sheets covering their windows. I realized this was because of the Ramadan holiday. Indonesia is primarily an Islamic country so most restaurants cover their windows during fasting time (dawn until sunset) to respect any Muslims that pass by.

We had lunch in Nagoya Hill mall on their food street. We ate at Warung Cobain, which offered some traditional Indonesian dishes. I ordered Roasted duck with rice. After receiving this dish I noticed the chili sauce looked much different then the chili sauce I was use to in Singapore. For those of you who don’t know, chili sauce is an essential side dish in a lot of Southeast Asian cuisine. The chili sauce at this Indonesian restaurant had lots of peppers and spices mixed in. After putting some of the chili sauce on my roasted duck and my pile of rice, I dug in. After a few mouthfuls I realized my mouth was burning! The chili sauce at this establishment and in Indonesia as a whole was much spicier then most I had previously tasted. I managed to survive my meal by taking in several gulps of ice lemon tea. Overall the meal was good. After lunch it was time to visit one of the largest Buddhist Temples in Southeast Asia.

Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Buddhist Temple is said to be a major attraction in Batam, however on the day we visited only a handful of people were on site. The massive building contains several serene chambers for worshipping. All of these chambers contain statues of either Buddha or another deity according to the Buddhist religion. The worshippers had left food spread out around the statues as a way to connect with the spiritual world. This meritorious act also serves as a reminder not to be greedy or selfish. The temple also includes a shop and vegetarian restaurant. My girlfriend informed me that the temple serves free lunch everyday and that this was common amongst Indonesian temples. This temple is definitely a must see if you travel to Batam. Even I got chills while walking through the many chambers. Next we visited Coastarina.

Coastarina was built on a concept that it would be a luxurious residential area on Batam’s coast. Just like The World Islands in Dubai, Coastarina was envisioned to be a landmark with several artificial islands in the shape of the world. Residents would live on an island named after a country on “x” continent. It was also suppose to provide a vast coastal area with shopping and entertainment options along with white sand beaches. The shopping and entertainment area is where we visited. My first impression as we drove through the checkpoint (paying a small fee) was that this area was a rundown amusement park. I did not see any luxurious residential houses, shopping areas, or white sand beaches. The only thing I saw from the original concept was the big concrete letters spelling out “COASTARINA”. Although this area seemed like a failed attempt at building a significant landmark it was bustling with people. It seemed like this area was the place to go to hangout with friends and family. In addition to some amusement type options there was also a nice cafe located out on the water with some great views of Batam. Coastarina is an interesting area and I would recommend checking it out if you have some extra time.

After Coastarina and dinner with my girlfriend’s family we went back to Harbour Bay to have a few drinks. There are several nice restaurants located here. We walked to the boardwalk area and took a seat. I was excited when I saw the price for beer was as low as $19,000 Rupiah (~ $2.50 SGD / $1.90 USD). A nice site to see as a beer on the coast of Singapore would be well over $10 SGD. After a couple drinks and a dead car battery we walked back to our hotel and went to bed.

The next morning we woke up and planned to go to Barelang Bridge, which is a chain of 6 bridges (various types) that connects Batam, Rempang and Galang. Unfortunately, by the time we got our car battery jumped it was too late to make it to these bridges. Instead we went to Nagoya Citywalk.

Sup Buntut

Nagoya Citywalk is a newly opened shopping center full of modern shops and entertainment options. For a Sunday afternoon I would have expected this area to be bustling with people, however that was not the case. While there we ate at Kultur Resto, which is an Indonesian Restaurant. I tried the Sup Buntut (Oxtail soup) which was absolutely delicious! After our stomach’s were full it was time to head back to the ferry terminal and take the trip back to Singapore.

My trip to Batam was the perfect way to spend my birthday weekend. From the business centers to the slum areas, Batam is rich with culture and great tasting food. If you are living in Singapore and want to get away from all the hustle and bustle, take the short trip to Batam where you can enjoy a nice relaxing beer at a fraction of the cost.

Accommodations: Swiss-Belhotel

For the two night trip we chose to stay at the Swiss-Belhotel. For about $65 SGD ($50 USD) per night you can stay at this 4-star international hotel, which boasts a high quality standard of services and facilities. In addition, the hotel is conveniently located within walking distance of the Harbour Bay Ferry Terminal in Batam’s central business and commercial district.

Lobby

Upon arrival we were greeted by friendly staff members who pointed us towards the decadent lobby. After checking in we whisked ourselves up to our fifth floor room. The modern room was clean, comfortable and had all the amenities you would expect in a 4 star hotel. The only negative thing I noticed was that the business chair was missing some padding on one of the armrests. Everything else was up to par, including the shower, which had a rain shower nozzle making showering that much more enjoyable.

Although the Swiss-Belhotel offers four on-site dining options we only had time to eat at the Swiss-Café for their breakfast buffet. I thought they offered a great selection, (beef stew, chicken, rice, noodles, fruit, American breakfast, desert, etc.) however I cannot say all of the food had great taste. I will say I really enjoyed their pineapple juice.

One additional thing that I think is worth noting. In the past I have experienced several hotels that claim to have fitness and business centers, only to find out when I arrive that they have insufficient areas with minimal necessities they call “business” and “fitness” centers. This is not the case at the Swiss-Belhotel, which is well equipped to cover all your needs in both these areas.

If you are traveling to Batam the Swiss-Belhotel is definitely worth thinking about. The Swiss-Belhotel is indeed 4 star worthy and you can spend the night for only 3 star prices. If you are looking to stay at a hotel that is clean and safe in the heart of Batam then the Swiss-Belhotel is the one you should pick. I would stay there again in a heartbeat!