One night in Batam

... is enough ;)

I always have the impression that Batam is like Bintan (I haven't been to Bintan though), that there's nothing except a place to chill and have a more laid-back life than Singapore.

Ferry

Thank God, the ferry rides to and fro were smooth and I didn't get seasick which I usually do! When we arrived, I was taken aback by their very slow and inefficient service (the same at the customs and hotel). I guess coming from Singapore, we expected a little too much, maybe it's a good thing to experience a "slow life" for a day or two.

The hotel service is exceptional, the staff never failed to greet us with smiles and I am impressed. I will go back again just because of great service, even though the amenities really need a huge revamp. Harris resort always has very positive reviews from the travellers and I am not surprised after spending a night there. They have a few options, there are some "houses" right in front of the beach and two blocks of building. The older one which we stayed in is named Funky while the newer block is named Trendy. We were given a room on the 4th floor (out of 5 storeys) with pool view. It was spacious, with good comfortable beds and shower, even though the bathroom lock was faulty, the wardrobe door came off and I had to put it back! The TV had Singapore channels and a few good cable channels, there was also free wi-fi but very slow and weak up on the higher levels. It was like staying at our local NTUC chalet where you just stay there, use the amenities, do nothing except chill... They have bowling centre, gym, sauna, jacuzzi, a huge pool, table tennis table, squash court, nail services and other activities which you can arrange through the hotel. The downsides are the facilities are pretty worn out, everything is in Singapore dollars and it didn't work out to be very cheap, especially eating and shopping in Harris. So we used the limited shuttle service to get into Nagoya Hill shopping mall to get food and slightly more affordable shopping. But Batam on the whole is like olden Singapore, just not very developed and populated and I feel the malls are mainly patronised by tourists especially Singaporeans and thus things are not cheap like in other parts of Indonesia (e.g. Bali), but it is still compared to shopping in Singapore.

Harris

Our package was a great deal, it included the hotel stay, ferry tickets, transfer, 60 minutes Indonesian oil massage, a game of bowling and a pizza lunch. I bet more than half the guests were Singaporeans! I met my another friend there during the trip, she was with 3 others. And my friend met 2 friends too, the world is small indeed. As nearly everyone booked the same package, we had trouble trying to get our timings sorted (especially the spa timing and departure ferry timing) but with the help of the spa manager and the guest relations officer, we managed to get things the way we wanted. I am very pleased. Good job, Harris! Even on the way back, the general manager and staff were there waving goodbye with big smiles as we departed for the ferry terminal.

Everything was very slow... and so our ferry back was delayed by 30 minutes. Most things were still done on papers and quite labour intensive, and thus the slow service. But overall, I would say I had a very relaxing weekend and it was my first time having a full body massage (you'll be surprised they actually "outrage" your modesty!). But it was a good laugh ;) It will be a good place for a family getaway and maybe the next time I will be back and staying at the new block :)