Why join a tour when I have been to Batam so many times? I was curious about what I missed in Batam, and I get to stay at a better hotel for less! The hotel room at Nagoya Hill Hotel with breakfast for two and the ferry tickets cost more if I were to buy my own. Plus, this tour is free and easy for the first day, so I could do all my shopping, massage, hair colouring, etc before the city and shopping tour on the second day.
Which Tour Agency?
Soon Travel Kosey Low Click to Whatsapp: +65 8168 7449 Tel: 6970 0490 Email: enquiry@soontravel.com.sg Website: www.soontravel.com.sg Twinshare $75 weekday $80 weekend Extension charge $49 weekday, $54 weekend. Cost for Single is $124 weekday, $129 weekend. Extension charge $98 weekday, $103 weekend. Taxes and surcharges: $29 per person Tipping of the driver and tourguide is $2 per day each. Hotel: Nagoya Hill Hotel, which is located within Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall area, and is 1 min walk away through a sheltered walkway. This hotel is also famous for its Halal Chinese Restaurant with Dim Sum. | Having gone on the Aegean Cruise with Soon Travel in the past, I knew booking would be a breeze. All I had to do was to whatsapp him with the date I wanted to travel, a photo of my passports, and he would handle everything fast. I sent him a photo of both my mum's and my passport, and an itinerary, together with the e-tickets, were emailed to me really quickly. Hassle-free and easy, I didn't need to meet him at all, even payment was transferred. E-Voucher from |
Day 1: Travelling to Batam on Majestic Ferry
I went to Harbourfront Cruise Centre #03-41 to collect my boarding pass, and the process was fast. I had to pay for for the Passenger departure tax and surcharge of $22 per person here, as stated in the e-voucher.
| After getting off the ferry and passing immigration, I found my guide waiting at the door with my mum's name written on a sign. How cool is that! A mini van then took us to our hotel, and we were the first to drop off and get checked in. |
Nagoya Hill Hotel
I was so happy upon reaching the hotel - the lobby was spacious and there was a welcome drink for all. Check in was fast and everyone at the hotel spoke good English. Nagoya Hill Hotel has a gym, spa, swimming pool, convention rooms. a good restaurant and if you go to the second level, it leads you out directly via a sheltered walkway to Nagoya Hill Shopping Area, filled with spa and massage places, good food and shopping. If you head out from the front lobby, walk towards the right side and you would be out of the Shopping area with the taxi cartels, so you have the option to take Grab or Gojek which is typically $0.90-$3.20 SGD per trip. They also have an hourly option on Grab, which is lower priced than the going rate of $50 per 8 hours for a driver. | |
Oriental Restaurant in Nagoya Hill Hotel
It was too early to check in as the hotel was full the day before, so we went for an early lunch in the hotel - I've heard quite a lot about a halal dim sum restaurant, so I was pleasantly surprised that it is located within the hotel!
The food was great, and the service was fantastic too. I loved the little touches like the tea pot design, the changing of plates and having both chopsticks as well as fork and spoon laid out on the table. Look at the prices of the food - so affordable! Coffee shop prices in a beautiful banquet restaurant. Hover over for captions!
The food was great, and the service was fantastic too. I loved the little touches like the tea pot design, the changing of plates and having both chopsticks as well as fork and spoon laid out on the table. Look at the prices of the food - so affordable! Coffee shop prices in a beautiful banquet restaurant. Hover over for captions!
The rooms were still not ready, so we decided to go and watch a movie at Nagoya Hill Shopping Center, top floor! Watching a movie for $3.50 is certainly worthwhile, especially when the sound system is top class and the seats were plush and comfy. After the movie, we had a snack from both Wendys and A&W. What cute toys from A&W, but the chicken that came with them were small and not enjoyable at all. Thankfully the Rootbeer Float is as good as my memory of it, ice cold and satisfying!
Finally it was 2pm, and our room was ready. We strolled back to the hotel and got our keys. The room that greeted us was very pleasant indeed! Can you imagine how worthwhile the $75 per pax for a 2d 1n tour to Batam is? I didn't expect such a spacious and well furnished room for that price! Breakfast is included too, how wonderful! I actually expected a budget hotel for the price I was paying for the tour package, so I'm really over the moon happy!
Nagoya Hill Hotel Room - Twin Beds
After checking in, we walked back out to the shopping area, this time, for massage. City Fresh Spa is one of my favourite massage places - the foot reflexology is fantastic, and the price is affordable too. Located at the shophouse cluster, directly in front of Nagoya Shopping Center's JCO Donuts, you can find it easily. The receptionist speaks English, and besides massage, they have nail and hair services too. I've included their price list here for easy reference. Just click on the photo for a larger one!
Dinner at A2 Foodcourt
After massage, it's time for Dinner! My favourite food court as it is easy to grab to and has a lot of variety! Lok Lok is fantastic here, and the skewers are grilled with different seasonings. Seafood is cheap and tasty - I usually go to the stll in the middle with the chinese boss. The cost of the Grab ride was just $1.10.
We woke early for breakfast, and I'm glad we did! The spread was awesome, as you can see in this video. We wanted to have enough time for breakfast and a shower before embarking on the shopping and factory tour in batam, hence we were among the first to get to the breakfast! I tried to taste a little of everything, but was way too full before I got through half of the buffet! | |
Day 2: Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya temple
After the great buffet breakfast, my mum and I checked out and was ready for the day ahead. First, a mini van came to pick us up and we were brought to Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya temple which was built in 1999, though it looks very clean and new. Apparently, this temple is renowned and devotees from Singapore will definitely visit if they come to Batam. This temple is very modern, and apparently has links to Taiwan. |
I've never gone on a tour of Batam before, so I was really excited to see the sights of Batam and check out the shopping areas. My tour includes a massage at the end of the day too, so I'm eager to find out if the massage place would become a new go-to place for me when I visit Batam again.
70°F Koffie Factory
So how much is the coffee? $188 for the beautiful set of Civet Cat coffee set, $27 per pack of Coconut Creamer and the Peaberry beans were $22. Many in the tour group I was in bought the $188 gift set and peaberry beans. There was no hard sell or pushy sales people. | Our next stop was the coffee factory, and another tour guide from the factory took over, speaking in Mandarin. The tour was informative, and I learnt more about the different types of coffee and beans. Having seen a coffee tree before, I was still surprised to learn that there are two different types of beans that get processed, roasted and ground. Flat bean and the Peaberry bean which is whole. After viewing the roasting machines, we were brought to a room to try the different coffee types. The only one we didnt try was the Civet Cat Coffee. I quite enjoyed the coconut coffee creamer, which is a great alternative for people who are lactose intolerent. After the coffee tasting, we were invited to purchase if we wanted to. |
Latex Factory Tour - Awesome Pillows!
So what is the cost like? 2 pillows for $144 2 travel pillows for $69 Good and peaceful sleep: Priceless | Pelangi Latex Factory tour was pretty facinating with their guide, originally from China, bringing us around and doing demos with the latex matress and pillows. We all got to try the pillows and mattresses, and I really liked the pillows. We bought 4 pillows in total, and were given a cabin sized suitcase to bring them home in. How would it fit? They have an amazing way of packing and vacuuming the air out of the plastic pack that defies all logic! Can you imagine that a queen sized mattress can be vacuum packed to fit a 28" luggage case? According to the guide, sleeping on the latex pillow reduces snoring, and I promptly bought the pillow for my dad! According to my mum, it really works! For me, I am sleeping on my travel pillow at night, and it really helps with my shoulder aches - I wake with no aching shoulders! |
Golden City Batam
Our next stop is also where we would have lunch at, Golden Prawn 933. Before lunch, we had the chance to check out the local snacks and delights at a shop, but I realised the prices were much higher than the supermarkets and at BCS Shopping center, so we didn't buy anything. The seafood lunch which is included in the tour is so worth it!
The seafood lunch at Golden Prawn Batam was surprisingly good, as their fish, clams, crab, prawns were all very fresh. It is much better than when I went for dinner during one of my trips - I thought the cooking methods were terrible then. The chili crab this time round was cooked to perfection, very different from when I went for dinner the last time and they had deep-fried the crabs I chose, before stir frying with the chili sauce. This time, the crab was well coated with the sauce, and the flesh of the crab was firm and sweet. This 10 course lunch with drinks was so filling and I was suitably full after the lunch. We were supposed to vote and decide if we wanted to watch the Indonesian dance here, but most of the group voted to skip and move on to more sights and shopping. | I'm amazed how everyone can keep climbing up and down the bus with no complaints, and I had to work muscles that I've not used for a long time for this! |
Majid Cheng Ho - Cheng Ho Mosque
Built with chinese elements, I didn't realise that it is a mosque. I felt the mosque looked really beautiful, and had to take a tourist shot with my mum :) For more history about the mosque, check this out!
On the bus, we also were entertained by our tour guide, who told us more about the sights we were travelling past. I even got to see the Admiral Cheng Ho cruise ship as it was docked. The cruise ship used to be stationed in Singapore, and I was quite surprised to find it in Batam now. It's a beautiful ship which housed a restaurant in which I ate at when I was 14 years old, so it certainly brought back fond memories of my grandfather and his birthday we celebrated on board. |
Highlight of the tour : The Illusion Batam
This is actually my favourite part of the tour. I was really impressed that the staff, though they couldn't speak very much English, were really good at positioning people in photos and helping to take pictures. This is a great place for people who like taking fun photos, and I was also admiring the artwork, most of which are hand painted.
Golden Layer Cake Tasting and Sales
| Layer cake tasting - they had so many different flavours and types of layer cakes which are baked onsite and made fresh daily. With the number of tourists buying layer cakes, you can be sure that yours is made on the same day. |
Factory Outlets - Polo and the Batik Gallery
From a hat that becomes a bag to low to high grade "branded" items, the first factory outlet has it all. We browsed but didn't get anything, as most of the items are priced higher than the shopping center at Nagoya. I liked the local indonesian souvenirs though, and the batik gallery was both interesting and informative.
Golden City Shopping and Mini Indonesia
Go Kart, Mini Indonesia as well as the dried seafood store were quite forgettable. No one was managing the Go Karts when I visited, and Mini Indonesia is exactly like what you see in the video. Would I come back to Golden City? Was there anything that interested me enough to come back on my own? It's a resounding No. For families, the children would probably enjoy running around in the garden and climbing up the mini houses, pretending to be giants. | |
Go Massage Batam
The last stop, finally, was the massage at Go! Massage. Honestly, I felt that Go! Massage was really pricey and a new massage therapist did my massage, so I had to stop her halfway as her techniques were very wrong. My mum enjoyed her massage, so did everyone else, so I guess it was the luck of the draw. I personally would not go there again, as it is far more expensive than City Fresh, the spa I like to go to, and the massage therapists are not trained properly.
Sport Massage Batam as well as City Fresh are both better in terms of the trained therapists, but ambience wise, Go! Massage looks better.
Sport Massage Batam as well as City Fresh are both better in terms of the trained therapists, but ambience wise, Go! Massage looks better.
Was the Soon Travel Package worth it?
So, was the package worth it? It is more than worth it! It's super affordable! If I were to book everything on my own, I would have spent at least double of the $75/pax package! Let's look at the the itinerary again:
DAY 01
(Singapore Time)
90 Minutes Before departure time please Assemble at Harbourfront Centre, Collect your boarding pass based on confirmation ferry operator and Embark on
high-speed air-conditioned ferry to Batam.
(Please refer to the Ferry Time Under the Booking Information).
(Batam Time)
Upon arrive at Sekupang International Ferry Terminal and after immigration and custom clearance, you will be greeted by PT.Nusajaya Indofast T&T experienced and friendly Local Guide (Red Color Uniform) and escorted to awaiting air-conditioned bus and Transfer to Hotel for check in and free leisure.
DAY 02
07:00hrs Breakfast at Hotel
08:30hrs You will pick up by Guide and Join our One Day Batam City & Shopping Tour, en route you will be visit:
➢ Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Temple.
➢ Polo Outlet.
➢ First Factory Outlet.
➢ Golden Tourist Shop & Bird Nest Shop.
➢ Lunch will be serve at Golden Prawn 933.
➢ Indonesia Cultural Dance.
➢ Golden City: where coverage very wide range of sport activity such as High Rope Teambuilding, Go Kart Circuit Centre, Paintball, Flying Fox, Kayaking,
etc. (at Own expenses), Taman Mini Indonesia, Cheng Ho Mosque & Golden Cheng Ho Cruise.
➢ One Stop Service (Golden Layer Cakes, Chocolate House, Batik Outlet & Golden Factory Outlet) with own expenses.
➢ THE ILLUSION.
➢ 70F Koffie Factory, where you can learn about coffee and see how it’s made.
➢ Latex, nature latex experience center, we are going to learn more about how will the quality sleep affect our long term health consequences and the
impact of health problems.
➢ Last stop will be at Batam Shopping Mall & Massage (own expenses).
18:00 hrs Process to International Ferry Terminal.
19:00 hrs Ferry Boarding from Batam Center to Singapore.
(Route for itinerary & time subject to change and arranged by Guide)
We managed to do everything except for watch the indonesian dancers as most of the group didn't want to waste time watching. In conclusion, I felt that this tour was quite the eye-opener, and there was no pushy sales people, neither were there people asking us to top up for extras.
Where else can you get a holiday for less than $100 per pax, with no hassle of a jam? It's only at Batam!
Soon Travel
Kosey Low
Click to Whatsapp: +65 9834 7998
Tel: 6970 0489
Email: enquiry@soontravel.com.sg
Website: www.soontravel.com.sg
DAY 01
(Singapore Time)
90 Minutes Before departure time please Assemble at Harbourfront Centre, Collect your boarding pass based on confirmation ferry operator and Embark on
high-speed air-conditioned ferry to Batam.
(Please refer to the Ferry Time Under the Booking Information).
(Batam Time)
Upon arrive at Sekupang International Ferry Terminal and after immigration and custom clearance, you will be greeted by PT.Nusajaya Indofast T&T experienced and friendly Local Guide (Red Color Uniform) and escorted to awaiting air-conditioned bus and Transfer to Hotel for check in and free leisure.
DAY 02
07:00hrs Breakfast at Hotel
08:30hrs You will pick up by Guide and Join our One Day Batam City & Shopping Tour, en route you will be visit:
➢ Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Temple.
➢ Polo Outlet.
➢ First Factory Outlet.
➢ Golden Tourist Shop & Bird Nest Shop.
➢ Lunch will be serve at Golden Prawn 933.
➢ Indonesia Cultural Dance.
➢ Golden City: where coverage very wide range of sport activity such as High Rope Teambuilding, Go Kart Circuit Centre, Paintball, Flying Fox, Kayaking,
etc. (at Own expenses), Taman Mini Indonesia, Cheng Ho Mosque & Golden Cheng Ho Cruise.
➢ One Stop Service (Golden Layer Cakes, Chocolate House, Batik Outlet & Golden Factory Outlet) with own expenses.
➢ THE ILLUSION.
➢ 70F Koffie Factory, where you can learn about coffee and see how it’s made.
➢ Latex, nature latex experience center, we are going to learn more about how will the quality sleep affect our long term health consequences and the
impact of health problems.
➢ Last stop will be at Batam Shopping Mall & Massage (own expenses).
18:00 hrs Process to International Ferry Terminal.
19:00 hrs Ferry Boarding from Batam Center to Singapore.
(Route for itinerary & time subject to change and arranged by Guide)
We managed to do everything except for watch the indonesian dancers as most of the group didn't want to waste time watching. In conclusion, I felt that this tour was quite the eye-opener, and there was no pushy sales people, neither were there people asking us to top up for extras.
Where else can you get a holiday for less than $100 per pax, with no hassle of a jam? It's only at Batam!
Soon Travel
Kosey Low
Click to Whatsapp: +65 9834 7998
Tel: 6970 0489
Email: enquiry@soontravel.com.sg
Website: www.soontravel.com.sg