2 Day 1 Night Media Famtrip at Batam Island, Indonesia + Cross Border Tourism Promotion Program

In my upbringing of 29 years and counting, I have always wondered how Batam Island is like from a different perspective, since I've only been there once in my life for a church retreat. Being in a church retreat would mean that you'll likely be in the hotel for a couple of days, with close to limited or no time at all to explore the island. So in other words, I've yet to really see Batam Island and the things it has to offer.

A media invite came into my inbox rather last minute last week, and it was a media invitation to the Island of Batam! Naming it the "Cross Border Tourism Promotion Program", it was a collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism of Republic of Indonesia and various ferry operators and businesses in the tourism industry to boost the number of international visitors to Batam and Bintan islands. The highlight of this invitation would be a 2 day 1 night trip to Batam, to experience what the island has to offer. 

Do read on as I have some really good Hot deals to share with you guys right at the end of the blog post!

So lo and behold, I signed up for it with the couple friend, Terence and Jacintha and off we go! 

Batam Fast

We met as early as 830am for the media press conference, before setting off to Batam via Batam Fast Ferry.Via Batam Fast Ferry, it only took us 45 mins to get to Batam Island. What's cool is that they have plugs for us on board the ferry to charge our phones and stuff! That's a very positive thing to have on board a ferry I must add. A pity I don't have photos of the ferry and their amenities. Here're some I manage to source online for:

The ride was rather smooth I must add. Probably one of the smoothest ride I've taken for a long while now. 

Upon arrival at Batam Center, we cleared immigration swiftly, and was transported to our first destination via a private bus.

First stop: Lunch @ Ikan Bakar Cianjur

Ikan Bakar Cianjur (IBC) was the tourism of Indonsia's choice of place for our first meal in Batam. Interestingly, IBC dates all the way back from 1989 in the city of Cianjur, West Java, where the restaurant won a local cooking competition. I was only 1 years old then! 

IBC prides themselves in using fresh ingredients, put together for a delicious healthy meal. They were further awarded "GEMARIKAN" (Gerakan Memasyarakatkan Makan Ikan) by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. 

Upon arrival, it is easy to see why this place was their choice for us to have our lunch as it was really clean and modern. Their staff were expecting our arrival, and thus were at the doorsteps to greet us upon our arrival.

Being VIPs for the day, we were escorted to a private dining room where all our food were already ready for us to feast! How thoughtful. 

We had some of the famous dishes like the Gurame Bakar,  Gurame Goreng,  Sayur Asem, and many more. It was a delicious affair, to say the least. 

Ikan Bakar Cianjur

Address: Jl. Centre Point, Tlk. Tering, Batam Kota, Kota Batam, Kepulauan Riau 29444, IndonesiaHours: 

10AM–10PM

Phone: +62 778 466333

Second stop: Shopping @ Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall

We were then brought to Nagoya Hill Supermall for some retail therapy. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised as I didn't expect Batam to have a mall like this. Haha. Boy was I soooo wrong man.

We chanced upon a really cool ice cream store right in front of the entrance. Their ice cream was too pretty to be missed man. 

It was really some good ol' fun times with these bunch. 

I regret not taking more photos at the mall, as I was busy shopping and eating. There's an A&W there which most Singaporeans like yours truly would definitely pay a visit to! Haha. I'm so glad A&W is coming back to Singapore soon. 

Here are some pics of the mall I manage to source online. 

There are many eateries there, which features from Indonesian meals to western ones to Chinese food. It was a good mixture of food, I must say.

There are also many shops that sells their famous Layer Cake. Named Kueh Lapis, it was certainly a childhood food for me as I use to have tonnes of them when I was little.

Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall

Address: Jl. Teuku Umar No.1, Lubuk Baja Kota, Lubuk Baja, Kota Batam, Kepulauan Riau 29444, IndonesiaHours:

 10AM–10PM

Phone: +62 778 433988Province: Riau Islands

Third stop: Spa Experience @ ESKA Wellness Spa Massage and Salon

We were brought next to have a relaxing time at the Eska Spa! I must say that of all the massage and spa experience I've been to, this will probably rank top 3 easily! It was such a good experience man.

Apart from the usual full body massage which my masseur really was hitting all the right spots with the right strength, the package even comes with some hot stone experience!

it was my first time experiencing it, and I must say that it complements the massage really well.

Apart from the superb spa experience, this place screams picturesque too! It was really a modern spa place, with some really Instagram worthy rooms. 

Overall, I would really recommend this Spa to anyone in Batam, or planning to go Batam!

Eska Wellness Spa Massage and Salon

Located in: Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall
Address: Nagoya Hill, Jl. Teuku Umar, Lubuk Baja Kota, Lubuk Baja, Kota Batam, Kepulauan Riau 29444, IndonesiaHours: 

10AM–10PM

Phone: +62 778 7493866Province: Riau Islands

Fourth stop: Dinner @ Turi Beach Resort + Check-in

After a long day of activities, we were finally brought to our dinner place, which was also the resort that we will be calling in the night - Turi Beach Resort. You may find more information on this resort at their website.

They had arrange our dinner by the beach, which was an interesting affair. A generous buffet spread by the beach, it was really a good way to end the night. 

The rooms were nothing fantastic, just the usual resort style room. It wasn't that bad too, just the norm I guess.

Here are some of the photos I took the next morning, just before we set off back to Batam Center to return back to Singapore.

The famous Turi Beach pier.

Conclusion

It was definitely a good getaway, for sure. Above all, who knew Batam could offer so much more than just the usual stereotypes of gambling and resort/beach life? I'm glad I went for this trip to have my eyes opened to a different perspective of Batam Island and the life here.

Given that the trip to Batam only takes less than an hour to reach the Island, and the fact that immigration wouldn't take too long either, I would definitely see myself coming back again, should I need a short and affordable getaway from the city life, into a slower paced life, a resort life.

Thank you Tourism of Indonesia for the kind invite for this media trip! It was definitely a good one for me.

HOT DEALS PROMO!

From now till the end of 2017, foreign visitors who want to explore Batam via Singapore or Malaysia can now grab travel packages with very special price, especially from Mon - Thurs. 

These HOT deals promo consist of a ferry return ticket from Singapore to Batam at a price of only SGD 20 including terminal fee! This is way cheaper than the usual price, more than 40% discount! (Usual price at SGD 48.) This applies for travelling with Batam Fast to all ports in Batam, namely Batam Center, Sekupang, and Nongsa Pura. Meanwhile, Habour bay has set the price at SGD 26 for weekdays and SGD 28 for weekend. 

To get the SGD 20 ticket, you only need to choose one out of the 250 tour packages available from the 58 different tourism industries, such as hotel, spa, golf, and many more.

For more information, you may visit the website here.