These information is for those who are curious.
I just came back for a 1 night stay at Harris Hotel in Batam. I did
all my booking seperately.
(A) Pengiun Ferry
Ticket cost = $22
Departure tax (sin) = $5
Departure tax (Batam) = $3
Pls check the ferry timing cos some of the timing have been
cancelled due to lack of "traffic".
Dino ferry (competitor) timing not so "fantastic", go very few
timing slots!
(B) (i) Harris Hotel
- It is about 5 mins away from the waterfront city.
- Pickup by van (very clean)
- Hotel is so-so (like 1st world hotel but bigger and
cleaner)
- Food (we had pizza "big" and carbona pasta "little") but
good
- Room is not carpeted but very clean. 2 single bed (quite BIG) + 1
sofa + 1 armchair
- I would say YES to stay there again if I can get cheap rates. Cos
the staffs are good and very responsive!
(ii) Holiday Inn
We saw that it was the opposite direction (i.e. when van came out
of the ferry terminal, left is towards harris, right is towards
Holiday Inn)
(iii) Melia (Parnoma
It's in the city
(C) From Harris to City
Taxi = $10 (But u can ask to pay rupiah = 50k which is cheaper) on
way
(D) City
It's very much like going Malaysia, Johor when it was a "hit" in
the 90s. Everything simple
(F) Food
- Ate at the street food, pretty clean (the place we went). Ate Bak
Kut Teh, dh loved it cos got pig's blood...he miss it! *yuck* I had
Nasi goreng.
- Water, pls buy from super market...cheaper
- A1 Food Court - Hai San seafood. CHEAP! Had 2 small steam crabs,
black pepper chicken, Dou Miao and white rice. Total 85k rupiah
(S$15/S$16). The shop is near Lucky Plaza, pls don't let taxi
driver cheat u like we did. Taxi shld cost abt 5k - 10k. Either
that, walk! (ask around) Cos it's really NEAR!
(G) Shopping
(i) Matahari (Lucky Plaza)
--> Forgot abt shopping there...cos when we went to city we were
hungry for lunch
(ii) Robinson
--> Bought 3 tops and 2 pants for my kids. Relatively
cheap...abt $2-$3 per top or pants
(iii) Centrepoint
--> pretty new. We bought DVDs there. Buy 5, free 1. Cost us abt
90k rupiah ($16/$17). Very CLEAR...ask them to let u check
first.
(H) Exchange rates
- we changed our money in Sin at suntec. Pretty good rates.
- Or u can change at the shopping centre. (Yesterday rate S$1 =
5.7k rupiah)
(I) Massage
Didn't go for it. So can't comment.
Pls note:
- For taxi, take those that have the word TAXI
- Going to town, if u not afraid of dust and dirt (it's really like
Malaysia lah), then bring the kids. If not, stay at the hotel
- Bring some spare singapore dollars =)
- For hotel (harris), u can check if u can pay via rupiah or S$.
Though everything there is priced S$.
- Mineral water (500ml) in supermarket cost abt 700 - 1300 rupiah.
Outside is twice the price.
- Indonesia is 1 hour behind us!
- Some pple speak hokkien/cantonese, english and Indo Malay,
Indonesian.
