I was supposed to break my recent batam trip into a few entries and blog them in chronological order.
But i am stuck for the portion on the ferry from Singapore to Batam! Alex, our navy specialist, would be an expert to share with us boring details on ships, structures and landmarks encountered during the water ride.
It's okay. The beach resort is, no matter what, a key attraction for my badly needed overseas relaxation.
To start from the very beginning, i booked a two-days-one-night package with New Century Tours. This is a full board package (meals covered) inclusive of a one night accommodation at Batam View Beach Resort, ferry tickets, land transfer etc.
Hassle-free is the word.
Picking us up from the ferry terminal at Nongsapura was a bright yellow van from the resort. So bright you will never ever miss it! Unless you are colour blind of course.
I should have picked an earlier time for the ferry since i wanted to go for some batam shopping and the only shuttle to Mega Mall - Batam Centre (S$5 per person, two-way) was leaving at 2pm sharp! The time was 1.20pm when we were checking in and we had not utilised the lunch voucher!
There was absolutely no time to take in the condition of the room as both of us rapidly changed and dashed to Wangi Melati cafe to claim our set meal - which i shall touch on at a later date.
Lunch was quickly settled and we boarded another yellow mini-bus for our shuttle to Mega Mall. The ride took almost 30 minutes and i was all sweaty due to the powerless air-conditioning at the back where i am seated.
Mega mall, contrary to its name, is not as big as Suntec City. However, it is huge within the Batam context and does offer a lot of food choices. Fashion wise, you will be better off in Singapore.
Seriously, Alex and I did nothing but partake in leisure eating in Mega Mall. Yes, despite the heavy set lunch we had back at the resort, we could not resist having A&W Root Beer Float, KFC and J.Co Donuts!
Okay, maybe we did spend a bit of time shopping in the hypermarket located at the basement. Grocery management style differs from country to country; i have never seen frozen products like nuggets being sold by the gram except in Batam.
We got back to our hotel room at around 6pm. The above picture is the view from my room. Not many people were at the pool as i deliberately booked for a Monday. I badly needed peace and quiet instead of constant screaming!
The facade was not at its best but it's never the exterior that bothers me. What's most important in a hotel/resort room is comfortability, coziness, cleanliness and with no funny smell.
Our room satisfies all the above conditions! I especially love the balcony and chaise longue. Should have brought along a novel for increased relaxation.
It was too early for dinner. Hm... wrong. We were too full for an early dinner and decided to take a stroll along the private beach (it looks more like a lagoon for me). It will do some good in aiding our digestion for the feast later on!
This private beach owned by the resort is also home to the standalone villas. Frankly, unless i have a big group of friends, i will not want to book it on a weekday. It can get very eerie at night! Haha.
Water sports and aqua activities are organised in this area too (extra charges apply). I have not always been very adventurous when it comes to sea water. Blame it on the movie - JAWS!!!
Less risky activties like looking for crabs, seashells and tiny hermit crabs hidden in the sand are much more preferable. However, do be careful of stonefish buried in the sand - you would not wish to have any slight contact with the most venomous fish in the world!
Time for dinner! To be discussed in detail at a later date. =P
The night was still early after the heavy meal and i competed with Alex on the pool table (S$2 per game). Surprise, surprise, i won the first round! Sadly, i was thrashed terrible (i managed only one ball in the pocket) for the second.
Rise and shine for breakfast buffet. It was a fitful night for me as Alex insisted on keeping the lights on! Apparently this has something to do with ghost encounters. Breakfast was better than the ones i had in Bangkok - seriously, how can breakfast be so bad in those Bangkok hotels i stayed in?
A few hours to spare so it's time for further exploration!
Small animal enclosures dotted the resort; caught sights of iguanas, cockatiels, parakeets, lories, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, chicken, squirrels etc. There's even a small scale crop and scent garden that serves the purpose of education in a family resort!
Thinking the night before was low tide, we trotted back to the private beach again for relaxing feet submersion.
Damn we were wrong.
Super low tide! I could walk out a hundred over meters away from land and the water did not even reach my knee!
The water was super clear and i could make out numerous fish, crabs and a gazillion hermit crabs! Those shit like shadows in the water were in fact the cone shells shielding all the hermit crabs.
Pictures above shall attest to the level of truth of my supposedly exaggeration (gazillion hermit crabs, in case you are wondering)!
A final look before climbing back to our hotel. In the daytime, the villas did look very inviting. Okay, maybe i should consider staying in one of them on a busy weekend.
Incredibly hot weather made this pool appeared very tempting! It was a few years since i last swam (thanks to my obese torso) but i could not resist tearing off my top and torpedoed into the water.
Shiok! How could i forget how much i enjoy the water! Time for some hardcore exercise when i am back to Singapore.
While waiting for checkout, i redeemed my almost forgotten welcome drink - a thirst quenching lychee concoction. Next time, i shall eliminate the shopping trip or book for a 3 days, 2 nights package!
This overseas getaway was definitely too short for me to rejuvenate my mental mana!
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