BATAM TRIP 2015

Made our short getaway trip to Batam, last month. It's our second trip together but sadly, Huda can't make it so it was only the four of us. Its our first trip with Kiki, though :) 

Planned for this trip about a month before the day itself and i'm so happy that everything went smoothly! 

Booked our ferry tickets (return trip) by Sindo Ferry and it only cost us $48 which is definitely cheap but you can also try other ferry services like Batam Fast or Wavemastsr as they have different kind of promotions every time. Just survey on it first and check for the cheapest price that is available. We booked the ferry that will stop us at Batam Center International Ferry Terminal since our hotel is just located right next to it.

The last time i visted Batam was in 2009 and i was only 13 at that point of time. Batam has changed, A LOT (or maybe its just me that feels like it changed tremendously.) Our hotel is just located right next to Batam Center. It is so convenient for us as we don't need to spend extra money just to travel to our hotel. 

Harris Hotel (4 Stars) was our pick this time round. I was the one who booked the hotel via Bookings.com. The hotel itself has one of the highest ratings among all other hotel in that area. In total, the hotel cost us approximately $254 (including tax) so if you convert it to Rupiah, its only RP 2,217,000. Each of us only forked out $60 for hotel (2 nights)

We arrived around 1pm (Indonesia Time) and checked in immediately because our room was ready! We chose the connecting room as it will be easier for us to move around if we need anything from each other. After an hour of resting, we head out to start our ADVENTURE! 

First stop: NAGOYA HILL SHOPPING MALL

First things first, A&W for late lunch! Nom nom nom! Its been a long time since i crave for A&W! After our lunch, we bought some snacks and shopped around at Matahari but nothing caught my eyes...so i didn't shop for clothes, yet *grins*

 Next, our driver, Pak Dody drove us to the nearest and popular spa called The Spa Secret to book our spa session for the next day. I chose the Warm Chocolate Massage and paid a deposit of RP 100,000 ($10.50) and the total amount was RP 360,000. I will go on to the spa session later on below...

Back to the hotel and rest for the day :-) and oh, i loooooveeee time difference! Everything felt so slow in Batam. I don't have to think about work at all! 

Day 2! 

Rise & Shine! We decided to stay in the hotel till 1pm and had our lunch at Batam Center before meeting our driver and go for our spa session! The journey from our hotel to the place itself is only 15-20 minutes. 

The Spa Secret, Batam. 

Located near Nagoya Hill, one of the most popular spa spots in Batam, based on TripAdvisor (i did my homework before the trip, heh.) 

After browsing the catalogue again, i decided to settle down for two treatments, the Warm Chocolate Massage and a Foot Reflexology. In total, i paid RP 570,000 ($39-$40) for a 3 and a half hours of RELAXATION! The massage was indeed a great one, i needed it soooo badly after so much standing at work and after all those (i call it) "internship tiredness" haha. The foot reflexology was nice and ticklish at some point of time but i am used to it already so no problem. After the treatments have ended, they served us Ginger tea to clear all our winds in the body, lol. I ABSOLUTELY recommend The Spa Secret if you really need a good massage when you're in Batam.

Feeling refreshed and rejuvinated, i asked Pak Dody to drive us to a street stall that sells all the dried fruits because my mum asked me to buy some for her. Everything was so cheap and delicious. Since we started our day late, by the time everything ended, it was time for dinner. We had dinner at Golden Prawn (requested by Kiki) and it was the best and cheap seafood dinner after a massage. What I like the most about this restaurant is that, they allow you to catch your own fish, prawns, crabs and more. It means, YOU GET TO CHOOSE THE PORTION!! And obviously, i chose the biggest crab for my Black Pepper and Chilli Crab...ahhh *drools* The prawns we 're a bit to small that it feels like we're chewing on crackers instead of prawns. The dinner cost us RP 880,000 ($80-$90) 

Before we head back to the hotel, my two friends who craved for Banana Fritters with Cheese (Goreng Pisang Cheese), decided to ask Pak Dody to stop somewhere so they can go and find their cravings. Pak Dody was so kind to help us to bargain the price for the banana fritters, 3 boxes for only RP 40,000 ($4-$5)

Since it was already late night, we made a quick stop at Batam Center Mega Mall to see what we can buy and the only thing that i got from Matahari was a palazzo pants and a shirt, thats it... :) i am so proud of myself that i did not splurge on any other things! *taps on my shoulder* 

Day 3

SWIMMING DAY! I excitedly woke Rynne up at 9am so that we can go swimming before checking out!

We spend most of the time on our last day at the hotel lobby and pool after checking out and walked around Mega Mall for the last meal of the trip...A&W as requested by yours truly, me :-) haha! 

And then, it was time to hop on to the ferry and go home. 

In total, I spent $250 for my Batam trip and I had fun on this trip! Thank you to my two girls and Kiki for the fun times together! Can't wait for more trips together this coming holiday! 

Till next time Batam! 

Much love!