Went on a day trip to Batam on our own. Arrived at Singapore Harbourfront Terminal and booked a return ferry to Sekupang Batam at Batam Fast counter SGD40/pax. This included the SGD15 fuel charge and SGD6 passenger departure fee but excluded the SGD7 to be paid in Batam (SGD6 passenger departure fee and SGD1 insurance). There are basically three main carriers to Batam i.e. Batam Fast, Penguin and Wavemaster. Managed to get the 9.20am ferry which was delayed and we finally took off half an hour later.
Upon arrival at Sekupang, we cleared immigration with ease. For those who require a visa for entry, you can apply on the spot. We realised that it was not the correct terminal for shopping at Megamall - Batam Cnetre when we reached the foyer. For Rp70,000 (RP7,500 = SGD1), it took us another thirty minutes drive to reach Megamall by cab. It then dawned on us that we should have taken the ferry to Batam Centre ferry terminal in the first place.
Comparing Megamall - Batam Centre to Nagoya Hill shopping centre where we went to during our last trip, the former is smaller and of a higher class. Lots of well-known international eateries like KFC, Pizza Hut and A&W abound. A limited variety of local food can be found either at the Food City on Level 2. More varieties can be found at the various family restaurants like Ayam Goreng Fatmanati and Pempek Kollecta on Level 1 or Solaria and Bakso on Ground Level.
A&W outletWe adjourned to Gadeno New York Pizza & Steak on Level 2 for lunch. Ordered the Twin A set comprising a pan pizza, sirloin steak, fries and 2 glasses of coke for Rp90,000. Real value for money. Offering free hot spot if you want to surt the internet, Gadeno offers a cozy ambience, attractive prices and great service with friendly staff. Our sirloin steak came with black pepper sauce and was succulent and tender, cooked to perfection. The crust of the pan pizza is similar to that of the pan pizza served in Pizza Hut.
Sirloin steak................................Pan pizza
If you are not up for steak and pizza, you can go for spaghetti, fruit salad or set meals with rice. Or you could choose from their side dishes like onion rings, chicken nugget, spicy wings or pastry puff soup. To accompany the meal, you could have juice, milkshake, float or smoothie amongst other options. A banana split ended our great meal.
Gadeno.......................... Banana split
If you are feeling stressed out, you could pamper yourself with a royal relaxing massage on Level 2 by a Grand Odiseus Spa professional therapist. Massages start from Rp 165,000 upwards.
Alternatively you could just go for a movie show and relax there or play some video games, all located on Level 2. A few tables and chairs in the foyer area are available for you to wait for your movie to start or your kids to finish playing.
While you are at the cinema area, we suggest using the restroom here as it is much cleaner, brighter and has no short supply of toilet paper.
A simple wash and haircut will set you back by just Rp29,000 at Christopher's Salon on Level 1. You could also have a sixty minute foot reflexology done there at Rp35,000. If you are a little more adventurous, you can try the hour and a half 3 in 1 Reflexology for Rp67,500. This 3 in 1 reflexology comprise foot reflexology, back, head and hand massage. Feels good!
Foot reflexology..........3 in 1 reflexology
Matahari department store spread over two levels and Hypermart on Lower Ground are local brands. You can find some gems in Hypermart. For example, the French bread similar to a baguette was on offer at only Rp5,500 here whereas an actual baguette in Bread Talk was going for Rp16,000.
If you run short of Rupiah, there are two money changers on the ground floor and one in front of Hypermart on Lower Ground. Suggest you check out the exchange rates with the one on the Lower Ground as we found that to offer the best rate amongst the three.
Number 61 on Ground floor had some good bargains too. We managed to get some bermudas for Rp80,000 and t-shirts for Rp65,000.
Bread Talk, a Singapore confectionery, has a good following here. Prices of their items suit the local market, thus explaining the queue. This is comparable with the local brand J Co Donuts & Coffee. Accordingly we heard that the donuts here are 'softer and taste better' than those sold in Singapore. Moverover it costs only Rp 30,000 for half a dozen, Rp53,000 for one dozen and Rp 91,000 for two dozen. The donuts are sold by the dozens. They disappear as soon as they get on the shelves, thus needing to be constantly replenished.
J.Co Donuts & CoffeeIf you are going to Batam during the weekend or on a public holiday especially so if it is a long weekend, do ensure that you confirm the timing of your return ferry as soon as you arrive in Batam to avoid getting stranded and not being able to get a ferry back to Singapore which almost happened to us. Fortunately for us, we managed to get the last two out of three available seats on the last ferry back at 9.30pm Indonesian time, 10.30pm Singapore time.
Whilst crossing the overhead bridge from Megamall - Batam Centre to the Batam Centre ferry terminal at 8.30pm to catch our ferry home, we could see lots of cars still in the Megamall carpark. This testifies to the fact that Megamall is also a place where the locals hang out.
By the time we arrived in Singapore and cleared customs and immigration, the mrt station was already closed. Being left with no choice, we had to join the long queue for a taxi which fortunately kept coming in and there was a constant stream. This could most probably be attributed to the fact that the midnight surcharge had already begun.
A word of caution. If you still have some Rupiah left, do get them changed back to your local currency. This is due to the fact that their currency can expire and this frequently happens when a new government takes over.
