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Sunday, April 6, 2008

Batam

Overall, I think Batam is a good place for spa and seafood. If you are looking a spa retreat getaway at a lower price, consider Batam as your option because the spas in singapore are mostly more than $150. With the same amount of money, you can get to enjoy spa and a truly relaxing getaway from singapore. However, if you are thinking of a shopping destination, I would advise you to go countries like Bangkok, Hongkong and Taipei where you can source for cheap deals instead. How about going there during the labour day period with your loved ones? Both of you can do spa together in a couple's room? Great idea? Most likely, I will try cable ski next time. :)



Guan Yin Statue At KTM Resort

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi ther! im planning a short trip to batam nxt month & am browsing the web for some tips / gd places to go. do u hav any gd shopping pl to recommend?
heard from frens there is a shopping ctr tat sells a pretty gd lot of 'look-a-like' goods & bags. do u happen to know wher it is?
btw, wat r the currencies tat i shld bring over? Sing dollar? US dollar? rupiah?
so sorry to trouble u...

anyway, u can drop me a msg or sumtink & my blog if u r convenient.

http://www.xanga.com/hapypp

thanks!

HappyGirl said...

Actually, I don't really fancy the shopping at Batam, the only thing that impressed me on their shopping centres is their supermarket, big,large quantities and cheap especially beer. I think Batam Shopping Mall is one the best options among all. Another popular one which is the Mega Mall. It is best to bring Sing Dollar and Rupiah. US dollar is not neccessary. You can actually exchange for rupiah when you reach the pier. The Batam Sekupang Terminal's exchange rate was quite good. Much more better than shopping centres. Anyway, there isn't any great difference in it. They also accept Sing. If you are eating seafood, pay rupiah is more worth it. If they accept your sing dollar, their conversion is around 5500=$1. If you wish to know more on the spas, i can provide you with more information. :)

Anonymous said...

hi ther! reali thanks alot for ur reply! will take note. i'll b goin 3day2nite & most prob b staying Holiday Inn (as my fren recommend). dun tink will do any water sports (im afraid of sun! haha!).. jus wanna gt out of SG for a short break.. mostly shld b lazing ard. :)

HappyGirl said...

Holiday Inn is a good choice indeed. The rooms are big. I think you should give it a try to their spa but it maybe on a higher side for this kind of price in batam. As I am a spa person, i continously do spa and massage for my 3days 2 nights stay there. I would suggest you one spa session at holiday inn and one spa session at either Batam Spa Villa or Harris. If you are going to Batam Spa Villa, contact the Singapore representative and ask for a free pick up. :)That Spa is kind of cool for couples to go there.

miss chye said...

hi there, was searching for info when i chanced upon ur blog..like to ask u some qns..is harris near town or any of the big shopping malls? thanks in advance!!

HappyGirl said...

Hi chye, harris is not near any shopping malls or town. Any resorts that are near the sea is quite out of the way. If I am not wrong, harris do provide one time free transport to town. If you are going to the town by taxi, it normally around $10-$13.

Anonymous said...

Which one do you prefer Holiday inn or Batam Spa Villa?.. how's the food in Batam Spa Villa?

HappyGirl said...

It can't be compared in terms of their pricing. Both have their own strength because we are talking about different ambience and different therapists. If I were to choose one, I would choose the spa at holiday inn. The food at batam spa villa are generally okay and was so much more better than what I ate at Golden Prawn. Edible, not too bad but not the best too. I would give 6.5 points out of 10.

Anonymous said...

hi! just wanted to say thanks for sharing your Batam trip. i find it very useful...my family and i plan to visit Batam while in singapore this august. thanks again!

HappyGirl said...

No Problem :)

Anonymous said...

Hi! I chance upon your blog when I google for reviews on Batam Spa Villa.

Have you stayed there before? I heard from my fren that the room of the resort isn't that good. The bed she slept in got ants.

Regards
Winny

HappyGirl said...

Hi Winny, you can check out more of my reviews file under Batam. Go to categories(on the right), click for batam. If you want to stay at Batam Spa Villa(KTM resort), it is best to opt for the beachfront cottage or family room which i find it more acceptable. Do not stay at their standard stilt(It is one the most horrible room that i encountered). I was lucky enough that I did not sleep on bed with ants. I would say the room is more suitable for budget travellers. You can check out the pictures of the rooms found on the batam posts in this blog. Overall, I think it is still worth the price with the spa package throw in. I don't think it is a resort that is suitable for couples or elderly, it is more suitable if you are going with a group of friends, especially if you or any of your friends like fishing because there is fishing point. Harris Resort is another option that you can considered. :)

Anonymous said...

Huh?? So it's a norm that the beds are with ants.

My fren told me that she heard it's bad. The bed has got ants.
So you encounter the same.

Well..i guess better dun book this resort coz I'm going with my parents.

Thank you very much for your feedback and advise.

Winny

HappyGirl said...

Hi Winny, you got me wrong. I did not sleep on beds with ants. If you are going with your parents, maybe you should opt for hotels that are in the town if your main concern is to go for shopping. All the beach resorts in batam are quite out of place including harris or holiday inn. Harris is one of a good alternative that is cheap and better. However, it can snap up quite fast if you are going on weekends. So, remember to book early. :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much! I've booked Harris!! :D

M' said...

am planning a trip to batam.

i had wanted to book the rooms on stilt before reading yours.

and thanks to ur blog post.
it will be a great prevention to a disaster. =D

Anonymous said...

hi, am planning to book spavilla till i chance upon this blog post.
anywhere can u intro which is good for couples, spa and good food? thanks

Anonymous said...

Hi Babe,

I was googling on Batam & your link was displayed.
I really need some information as i'm gng 2 celebrate our bdae (my bestie & i bdae) on e 02/08/09.
We want 2 go for some pampering session & BatamSpaVilla was 1 of e option but aft reading your post & ur readers' comments. I'm appalled by the standard. How can we have any relaxation in that place! LOL!

I was thinking of Batam View Beach Resort but i did not know where it's located as we also wanna go for some shopping at the famous megamall. Are they near to each other?

While the rest of the hotels & resorts such as Harris & Holiday Inn are too common & the price r very exorbitant!

I really hope that you can give me some of your best recommendations. Appreciate all of it :)
TIA!

Email: Janna_joe@hotmail.com

HappyGirl said...

Hi Anonymous, actually the ambience in batam spa villa is quite okay.. they have really nice sea view, but just that the resort abit cannot make it. Haha. The therapist that i got was quite professional. If you want, you can simply just go there for spa and not about staying there if you are comparing to harris and batam view because KTM resort do not have fantastic rooms, just only great views.

Basically, all the resorts near the sea are quite far away from shopping centres. It would be roughly about 30-45 minutes away.

My advice would be a resort stay in Harris, Holiday Inn or Batam View and you can opt for a 2hours spa session at Batam Spa Villa if you are looking for cheap alternative. If I don't remember wrongly, harris do offer cheap spa deals package. You can check out again. :)

Anonymous said...

hello :)

chanced upon yr blog whilst i was searching for KTM resort. this is my second trip to batam with my boyf (went to harris the first time), and i'm considering KTM resort with the spa package at 168sgd. will be booking the beachfront cottage, can you provide any more information about the room? cos im pretty particular about cleanliness and the size of the room. it's air-conditioned ryte? :)

mind getting back to me at galish_gal@hotmail.com ? thanks! really appreciate it! :DD