Batam Island in Indonesia is so close to Singapore. So anytime one feels the urge to travel or hit the nearest beach, he/she can book a ferry ride going to Batam. I had felt this feet itch one time in 2011.
I only had a weekend therefore I should wander somewhere near Singapore, and then I saw Batam as I browse thru the internet. A visitor from the Philippines (my boyfriend that time, to be exact, which I am more than happy we parted ways, haha, kidding!) also went with me.
I booked a room at Turi Beach Resort. I think most of the resorts/hotels fronting the beach are quite expensive. If you wanna dig on cheaper accommodations, you must book somewhere in the city area. However, I’m not sure if there are nice public beaches in Batam. I just love the simplicity of Turi Beach Resort and the touch of the Indonesian culture (though i got a li’l scared of some statues). Well, so far, all hotels I have stayed in Indonesia actually have many Indonesian art and sculptures. So i think generally, Indonesians do preserve their culture even in the most modern edifice.
We also had a glimpse of the city. We had lunch at Golden Prawn 933 restaurant. They serve a variety of seafood dishes that are very very affordable, worth all the dollars! My favorite? The mantis shrimp and sea snail dish. . But i must say how they cook these doesn’t have anything special. I mean, my mom can cook exactly same dish if we feel like eating sea snails and mantis shrimps. I still enjoyed the food in Golden Prawn though. 🙂
We also visited some Buddhist temples, drove go kart, shopped some souvenirs and of course spent most of our time sitting lazily by the beach.
There’s really not a lot to do in Batam but if you’re into quick and peaceful getaways, Batam is one of the good ideas. When I went there, I must say the place has actually relieved me from stress and somehow given me the peace of mind I needed, however, there are just some things that’re out of our control, like people’s misbehavior. =P
The Restless Firefly 