2012 - Batam and Singapore

Batam and Singapore

22 - 29 June 2012

We have a week deposited into RCI in 2010 that will be expiring in July 2012. We have no intention of flying anywhere for holiday in 2012. So we had no choice but to ask RCI for suggestion on nearby resorts that we can go for a week. Since we have not stayed in Batam before we decided to exchange our RCI week for a week stay at Goodway Hotel in Batam Island. We had stayed in their sister hotel in Bali in 2010.

From what we gathered from the Internet, there is nothing much in Batam to keep us occupied for a week we decided to stay only five nights in the resort and spend two nights in Singapore. For our Singapore stay, we booked the Amrise Hotel in Sim Avenue (Geylang area) through Booking.com

To get to Batam we have to board the ferry from Harbour Front in Singapore. So we decided to take the KTM train departing from KL at 11:30pm on 21st June and arriving at the Woodlands station in Singapore the next morning. Our second class sleeping berth cost us RM46 each. For our return journey we took the First Coach from Novena Square in Singapore and arriving near the Bangsar LRT station.

Day 1 (22 June 2012)

The train ride to Singapore was quite pleasant though we did not sleep well due to the constant movement and carriage noise. Upon arrival and after clearing immigration we took a cab to the nearest MRT station which is Marsiling. We thought Woodlands Station is the nearest station from the KTM terminal but the taxi driver was kind enough to tell us to drop at Marsiling Station which is nearer. Since it was still early we decided to have breakfast at the food court nearby before proceeding to Harbour Front.

Upon arrival at  Harbour Front we bought the ferry fare to Batam's Harbour Bay Pier. The return fare is SG48 per person. The journey took 45 minutes. We then took at taxi to Goodway Hotel which is just 5 minutes away. Since we had no knowledge of the usual fare we paid 40K Rp (approx RM13) for the short ride.
 

With my brother, sister-in-law and my wife waiting  to board the ferry to Batam at Harbour Front.

Inside the Wave Master 10 ferry cruising to Batam

Goodway Hotel is located in the heart of downtown Nagoya(now widely known as Lubuk Baja). The Nagoya District is the down town centre and business hub of Batam Island. Goodway Hotel is only 20 minutes from Nadim International Airport, 10 minutes from Batam Centre Point International Pier and  5 minutes from Harbor Bay Pier. Goodway is within easy access to shops, restaurants, banks and other establishments.

Upon checking in we had our shower before venturing out to the Nagoya Hill Shopping Centre which is about 10 minutes from the hotel. 

Nagoya Hill Shopping Centre

The Nagoya Hill Shopping Center is Batam’s newest mall, opening in 2007, and has 3 floors of shops, with a walk-through arcade on the ground floor. Located centrally in Nagoya, it is full of specialty shops, ranging from clothes and shoes, sports goods & apparel, traditional Indonesian handicrafts, furniture and Batik, electronic items and household white-goods, plus there are a few furniture shops on the 3rd floor There is a large supermarket on the 1st floor selling just about everything, and it is reasonably priced

The arcade on the ground floor has lots of restaurants, coffee shops and fresh fruit drink stalls, both with indoor and covered outdoor seating. The restaurants sell a variety of Indonesian, Asian and Western food and snacks, so there’s no reason to go hungry!

Food Street inside Nagoya Hill Shopping Centre. If you are entering the mall via its main entrance the Food Street is on the right and left.

Food Street on the right

Food Street on the left. We had our early dinner in one of the restaurants here. We had Ayam Penyet, Gado Gado, Fried Rice and Fried Noodles, all typical Indonesian specialty.

After dinner we walked around Nagoya Hill Shopping Centre doing some window shopping. After that we went around looking for foot reflexology to sooth our tired legs. We inquired from the hotel bell boy who recommended the Sports Massage Centre which is just 5 minutes walk from the hotel. The 90 minutes foot and shoulder massage cost 80K Rp. The foot massage here is very good and is much better than what we have tried in  Malaysia and Thailand. It is really worth the money. Before and after the massage we were served hot ginger tea. After the massage we had a good night sleep.

Day 2 (23 June 2012)

Normally RCI exchange's room does not come with breakfast. But hotel profile provided by RCI mentioned that complementary breakfast is included. The hotel reception staff explained that the profile was not updated. We managed to haggle with the hotel to honor what is mentioned in the profile. After breakfast we explored the hotel premise, in particular the swimming pool area which is in the middle of the hotel. 

Checking my emails using the free wireless internet outside the Japanese Restaurant. The swimming pool is on the left.

We then took a walk around the shops in Batam town. Most of the shops sell handbags and luggage bags. After more than an hour of walking we took a taxi to Batam City Square (BCS) Mall.

BCS Mall

 

BCS is a large shopping center in Nagoya. It has several boutique specialty shops, selling brand name clothes for men & women, handbags and fashion accessories, brand name shoes of all kinds, for men & women, as well as plenty of jewelry stores, offering watches, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc.

There are also furniture shops that sell household furniture, such as dinning room settings, sofas, lounge suites and bedroom suites. Individual furniture pieces can also be purchased. Restaurants and snack food outlets are available in the shopping center. Although the shopping center is large it is still to be filled to capacity with shops, but there is a good selection available.

For lunch we have seafood soup with rice in one of the restaurants opposite the BCS Mall. We noticed the restaurant served very delicious looking fish head soup and decided to come back here for lunch on another day. After lunch we walked to a Top 100 Mall which is about 15 minutes away. We then took a taxi back to the hotel for a rest.

We had our seafood dinner at the roadside stall outside the entrance of Nagoya Hill Mall. The food was below average and the price was not cheap too. We suspect they overcharged us, thinking we are some Singaporeans! After dinner we went into Nagoya Hill Mall for more window shopping.

Tonight only myself and my brother went to the Sports Massage Cenre for another 90 minutes of foot and shoulder massage. 

Day 3 (24 June 2012)

After breakfast we asked the hotel staff what other malls in Batam that we can visit. We were given two choices, Kepri Mall and Mega Mall. We took a taxi from Nagoya town to Kepri Mall for 40K Rp. The mall is quite new with many shops still not opened. The anchor tenant is Carrefour. We loiter around the Mall for an hour or so before taking  a taxi  to the Mega Mall which is opposite Batam Centre Ferry Terminal for 45K Rp.

Mega Mall

Mega Mall - Batam Centre is a large shopping mall opposite the Batam Center Ferry Terminal, so you can walk across the connecting foot bridge and start your shopping experience!

The mall covers 5 floors so it is packed with specialty shops, fashion and clothes shops, electronic goods and furniture stores. Branded names can be bought from most of the stores at good prices, and discounted sales are held regularly throughout the year, especially during the Ramadan month and Christmas & Chinese New Year periods.

The ground floor is home to Hypermart, which is a large supermarket and sells lots of items, and has a good bakery that makes fresh bread, pastry and cakes daily. Plenty of restaurants and snack food outlets are scattered throughout the mall, offering Indonesian, Asian and Western foods and are open whenever the mall is open. We had our lunch in one of the restaurants that serves Indonesian food.

We then took taxi back to our hotel for 40k Rp. This evening we decided to go for the full body massage at the Sports Massage Cenre before our dinner. The two hours body massage was relaxing. After massage we walked to Nagoya Hill Mall for dinner at a Chinese Restaurant. The food here is much better and cheaper than the roadside stall where we had our seafood dinner yesterday. After dinner another round of shopping at Nagoya Hill Mall.

Day 4 (25 June 2012)

After breakfast we again walk around Nagoya town before ending up In Nagoya Hill Mall again to cool down. We then took a taxi to BCS Mall for 20kRp. We wanted to try the fish head soup but unfortunately the stall was closed. Apparently it closes on Monday.

 

We then settled for simple porridge for lunch before taking the taxi back to the hotel for another 25K Rp. We had a short rest and then went to the Sports Massage Centre for our foot and shoulder massage before going for dinner. Tonight we went back to the same Chinese restaurant  and ordered their set dinner.

 

Evening scene of Nagoya Hill Mall entrance

Night scene of Nagoya Hill Mall entrance.

Our set dinner at the Chinese Eestaurant

Day 5 (26 June 2012)

After breakfast we relax at the pool area before venturing out. 

Stairs leading to the Gym Room

The hotel has a well equipped gym room but the equipment are a bit old

 

We took the local bus to the Diamond City Mall locally known as DC Mall  for 2KRp each. It is an average size mall just like the ones we visited earlier. We found a Christian CD shop selling very cheap worship songs in English and Mandarin. We bought some since we cannot get such CDs in Malaysia.

Diamond City Mall (DC Mall)

Diamond City Mall, or more commonly known as DC Mall, is in Nagoya. It is a medium sized mall with quite a few shops. Clothes, fashion accessories, shoes and jewelry shops are available, as well as a shop selling traditional Indonesian clothing (Batik). There is a computer shop selling both new and second hand computers. A beauty shop and art shop (with resident artist) are also in the mall. The mall also has a supermarket. Restaurants and snack food outlets are available here.

  Diamond  City Mall ceiling

 DC Mall interior

We then took a taxi to BCS  Mall to see whether the fish soup stall is open for lunch. Fortunately it was open but the fish heads were sold off. We ordered a big pot of fish tail soup instead and some fried fish and a pot of Bak Kut Teh from another stall. It was a satisfying lunch. Later we walked into BCS Mall again for our final visit before taking a taxi back to the hotel.

Batam City Square Concourse 

Across BCS Mall there are some unique greetings boards by the roadside. These are decorated with artificial flowers and are erected up to greet or congratulate the person or company

After a short rest in the hotel we went for our final foot and shoulder massage at the Sports Massage Centre. After the massage we decided not to walk to Nagoya Hill Shopping Centre for dinner. Instead we opted to try the Japanese Restaurant in the hotel.

Enjoying my hot ginger tea after the foot and shoulder massage

Having our dinner at the hotel's Japanese Restaurant

Day 6 (27 June 2012)

After breakfast we checked our from the hotel and took a taxi to Harbour Bay Pier for our ferry back to Singapore. We had lunch at the Harbour Front Food Court before boarding the MRT to Aljunied Station. The Amrise Hotel is just 10 minutes away form the MRT station. After a short rest we took the MRT to Bugis Station. We decided to have buffet steamboat dinner in one of the many restaurants around Bugis Junction.

Entrance to Bugis Street

We never failed to try the ice cream potong (ice cream sandwiched with two wafers or bread) whenever we are in Singapore. Throughout the years the price remains at SG1 a piece. Here we see a big group queuing up to buy the ice cream from a vendor. 

A street busker from Japan trying to earn some money to finance his holiday

Fools gold on sales.

Beautiful orchids grown in snails shells on sales

Confucius statute near Waterloo Street. Around here you can see many street vendors demonstrating their products. We bought some in our earlier trip as we find them quite handy.

Another busker making music using a  normal saw. 

After dinner we took the MRT to Bayfront station just in tome to watch the light and sound show from the esplanade in front of Marina Bay Sands Hotel

View from  Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Whirlpool fountain. The glass is at least 3 inch thick 

Underneath the whirlpool fountain

Day 7 (28 June 2012)

After breakfast we decided to take the MRT again to Bayfront Station to take a peep at the Gardens By The Bay, Singapore latest landmark. Gardens by the Bay is an integral part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a ‘Garden City’ to a ‘City in a Garden’. As part of this master plan, eighteen towering Supertrees take vertical greenery a step further, integrating over 200 species and 226,000 plants with a host of other functions, like solar power generation, ventilation towers, and rainwater collection for the horticultural conservatories in the gardens.

We managed to take a shot of the Giant Trees from a distance. We were politely told by the workers to go back where we came from because it has not been opened. We actually came here through a tunnel in the MRT station. Below are actual shots of the Gardens By The Bay under construction and areas that have been opened earlier..

Work in progress for the Supertree Grove at the Gardens by the Bay. Source: Flickr / chooyutshing

Photo: Then Chih Wey/Xinhua Press/Corbis

 

The Flower Down in Bay East of the Gardens by the Bay Source: Flickr / chooyutshing

A view of the majestic Marina Bay Sands Hotel

This is the tunnel that we used to go to the giant trees site. It was not opened to the public yet. It is lined up with mirrors on both sides of the walkway giving rise to multiple reflections.

Shopping Arcade inside the Marina Bay Sands complex

More shopping archades

Found this nice looking Gold Fish on display while window shopping

View from the top of one of the many Cafes in Marina Bay Sands

Singapore Flyer in the distance

Water lily pond outside the Art Science Museum, Marina Bay Sands

Unique stainless steel bridge linking Marina Bay Sands to the Singapore Flyer

View form the stainless steel bridge

The unique design of the Art Science Museum

Water Lily

View of Marina Bay Sands Hotel for the Art Science Museum

We had early lunch at the food court in Marina Bay Sands before taking the MRT to Chinatown Station to explore Chinatown which we had done many times in the past.

Lighted gold fishes made from coconut shells in one of the shops in Chinatown.

After having ice kachang and chendol at one of the food court near Chinatown we took the MRT to Harbour Front to

We had early dinner in Food Replublic, a food court that is designed to look like olden days houses. Some of the decoration are old doors and wooden planks as can be seen above.

Traditional lanterns in the Food Replublic

Black man gymnast at Harbour Front.

View of the Resorts World Sentosa from Harbour Front

Day 8 (29 June 2012)

After our breakfast we checked out and took the MRT to Novena Station to board our coach back to Kuala Lumpur. We had our lunch at the Novena Square food court.

Restaurant at Novena Square

It has been a relaxing week away. We look forward to visit Singapore again, God willing next year and explore the Gardens by The Bay. We will most definitely go over to Batam for a few days to enjoy the cheap food and foot massage.