Short Journey
We took the ferry from Singapore and arrived at Teluk Senimba ferry terminal only 45 minutes later. There was the staff from Holiday Inn waiting for their guests. The journey from the terminal to the resort took only 5 minutes. On the whole, the journey took about 1 hour. With an active toddler, long journeys is out of the question for us.
Friendly Welcoming
We were warmly received at the reception counter by the staff at Holiday Inn. During our stay, we were often greeted with smiles by the staff, be it the concierge, the restaurant staff or the pool boys.
Relax
We took a walk around the hotel and caught sight of the swimming pool. It was beautiful. There is even a slide for kids. My daughter is not old enough to go on the slide which plunges into the pool, but we brought her to the shallowest end of the pool. She absolutely loved it, splashing around, and making attempts at swimming, like the other kids in the pool. It was so relaxing at the pool.
Shopping
Although we chose a resort which is away from town, to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but we decided to see what the town has to offer in terms of shopping experience. We took a cab to a mall called Nagoya Hill. There was a giant hypermart, many stores with the latest fashion and lots of restaurants.
Food
The food was cheaper at the mall than at the hotel, of course. There were lots of restaurants serving local and international cuisine. There was several fast food outlets as well. You can also lounge at the coffee parlors, similar to Starbucks. We did not have much time though, so we skipped the coffee. If you are a fan of seafood, there are also many restaurants serving local seafood dishes.
Favorable Exchange Rate
The Indonesian rupiah is a weak currency. At the hotel, prices were set in Singapore dollars, although you can choose to pay in the rupiah. But when you go to town, all payments are made in the rupiah, which will be to your advantage. We did not bring any Indonesian rupiah and had to look for a Money Changer. Luckily there was one at the mall.
Places of Interest
There are several places of interest we did not get to go due to time constraint. One of them is the Barelang Bridge, which is the symbol of Batam. We will definitely go and visit it when we come back to Batam.
Kueh Lapis and Keropok
If you get to go to Batam Center, you can order Kueh Lapis, which is a layered cake. You can come back in one hour to collect the freshly-made cake. It's delicious. There are some ready-made ones sold at the hypermart, but nothing beats the aroma of freshly-baked Kueh Lapis. There are also many keropok (like crackers) to choose from - fish, prawn and many other flavors.
There are many other things I like about Batam which is not listed here. This island is out to attract tourists from other countries, especially those who visits Singapore, as it is just 45 minutes away. My trip is too short, I feel. I will definitely come back here to visit Batam again, to explore all the other fabulous things that I missed out during this trip.
