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Nowhere in Sumatra is the pace of development more rapid than on Batam. With the island’s proximity to Singapore, Batam is the labor-intensive production leg of the Singapore-Johor Baru industrial triangle. Land and labor are cheaper here than in Singapore and many electronics companies have established production plants in the industrial park of Mukakuning. Much like the factory towns outside of Hong Kong, Mukakuning employs and houses mainly young women from impoverished areas of Indonesia. Hardly anyone living in Batam is a native and half the population is under 30 years old.
In addition to industry, the island has made several unsuccessful bids at diversifying into a tourist destination. Because its miles of coastline are too close to Singapore’s harbour to be swimmable, resorts have tried to distract tourists with golfing and gambling, a promising combination until the Indonesian government unplugged the casinos.
The next jackpot scheme is to develop the island as a retirement community for East Asians, Singaporeans and Jakarta-based Chinese. New housing complexes are going up faster than new factories.
Besides using Batam as a transit point for boats from Singapore to Sumatra, it is unlikely that a tourist would purposely come to Batam. The majority of foreigners here arrive on corporate assignments and find that the island has cultivated a bit of a boys club ambience. The main town of Nagoya has plenty of girlie bars to make the buttoned-down execs feel like studs.
Orientation & Information
Most travellers to Batam arrive at the northern port of Sekupang by boat from Singapore. Sekupang has an international and domestic terminal next door to each other and all the short-term necessities that new arrivals need: immigration desk and moneychangers. There are no ATMs at Sekupang, so arrive with cash to avoid a taxi to Nagoya.
The main town on the island is Nagoya, with hotels, banks and other necessities. To the south is the island’s administrative centre, Batam Centre, which also has port facilities.
Waterfront City and Nongsa are the surviving resort areas that attract Batam expats on weekends and package tourists from elsewhere in Asia.
On Batam, Singapore dollars are as easy to spend as the Indonesian rupiah.
Nagoya
This is the original boom town, showing a lot more skin than you’ll find in the rest of Sumatra. The heart of town is the Nagoya Entertainment District, where bars and massage parlours indulge male camaraderie with lap dances and take-home prizes. Although it ain’t pretty, Nagoya is ultimately functional, with Western geared food and entertainment sneaking in just under Singapore prices.
The city is divided up like Singapore into main avenues and tributary blocks and exhibits a certain Chinese industriousness similar to the city-state.
INFORMATION
Awal Brothers Hospital (Jl Baloi)
Western-trained doctors and international facilities, 7km south of Nagoya.
Barelang Internet (Komplek Batam Plaza 4)
Bank Danamon (Jl Imam Bonjol) Across from Goodway Hotel.
Batam Tourist Promotion Board (next door to Sekupang domestic terminal) It can help with local information and hotel bookings but keeps erratic hours.
Post office (Jl Imam Bonjol)
SLEEPING
The really cheap stuff isn’t worth it in Nagoya, but the midrange numbers are luxury compared to mainland Sumatra. The majority of midrange hotels are in the small lanes behind Goodway Hotel.
There are a handful of top-end hotels where visiting corporates are housed. The top-end lobbies often suggest great expectations but don’t deliver inside the rooms.
Hotel Bahari (Komplek Nagoya Square, Block D) Bahari I and II occupy the block, with comfy concrete boxes with hot and cold showers.
Goodway Hotel (Jl Imam Bonjol) Displaced gentleman are lucky to have this classic hotel in this far-flung corner of the world. The décor is subdued and the best rooms have balconies.
Planet Holiday (Jl Raja Ali Haji) Service is crisp, the rooms are modern and as the tallest building in town there are views over squatty Batam.
EATING & DRINKING
Nagoya has a tasty mix of Indonesian and Chinese restaurants and warung.
Grill Bar (Goodway Hotel; Jl Imam Bonjol; h10am-11pm) Chase away the rice blues with a manly meal of New Zealand Angus steaks at this cherished expat restaurant.
Kedai Kopi Indah. A popular in-town stop for Chinese-style seafood dishes, such as pepper crab and fish claypot. Located behind Panorama Hotel.
Golden Prawn (Bengkong)This famous kelong (open-air seafood restaurant) is considered one of the best on the island. Everything is charged by the kilo.
For local food, head to the night market (Jl Raja Ali Haji) or the big and raucous Pujasera Nagoya (food centre, opposite Hotel Sahid Rashinta).
Goodway Wine Bar (Goodway Hotel, Jl Imam Bonjol) Through the wild-west saloon doors is a comfortable tap room for unwinding expats. Kenneth, the publican, once peddled his ‘very British’ demeanor in Hollywood, a role he plays today.
There are lots of other naughty nightlife options, but this information isn’t a secret. Just drop into the Wine Bar and chat up the Benny Hill gang.
Waterfront City
Near the shipyards, Waterfront City’s resorts are a strange occurrence: beach-side resorts without beach activities. Instead they focus on resort diversions: swimming, spa-ing, golfing and organised activities. These resorts are heavily marketed to East Asians, mainly Koreans. Weekday discounts through travel agents might over-ride the obvious drawbacks.
Harris Resort. This fun-in-the-sun resort is targeted to families and folks of all ages.
Holiday Inn Resort. Mainly a corporate hotel, Holiday Inn has classically decorated suites with balconies overlooking the pool. The internationally recognised spa is a fave for Singaporeans who don’t want to spa-trek all the way to Bali.
Nongsa
Batam’s prettiest, but still unswimmable, beach occupies the less-developed Nongsa peninsula. Casino resorts had provided the biggest draw for nearby Singaporeans, but the Indonesian government recently outlawed gambling, effectively drying up business.
Turi Beach Resort. Of the surviving resorts, Turi is the best and provides a close but delicious escape for Batam-bound visitors. The thatched-roof huts designed in the Balinese style have all the midlife comforts and a linen-suit ambience.
Golf courses in Nongsa offer attractive promotional packages during
the week; Singapore-based travel agents typically have the best rates. Nongsa’s two courses are Tering Bay (Jl Hang Lekiu, Km 4), which was designed by Greg Norman, and Palm Spring Golf Resort (Jl Hang Leiku).
Nongsa’s favourite kelong is the Rezeki Kelong (Batu Besar).
Getting There & Away
AIR
Hang Nadim airport is on the eastern side of the island. Garuda, Merpati, Mandala, Bouraq and Air Asia operate to/from Jakarta. Merpati destinations also include Medan, Padang, Palembang, Jambi and Pekanbaru, as well as Pontianak in Kalimantan. Jatayu also flies to Medan.
Most of the hotels in Nagoya have travel agencies.
BOAT
Batam has five ports and services between Singapore, the Sumatran mainland and other Riau Islands.
To Pulau Bintan
The ferry dock at Telaga Punggur, 30km southeast of Nagoya, is the main port for speedboats to Bintan.
Boats to Bintan’s Tanjung Pinang (every 30 minutes from 7.30am to 5.50pm) take 45 minutes. There are also boats to Bintan’s Lagoi resort area (three times a day).
To Elsewhere in Indonesia
The main reason travellers come to Batam is its links to the Sumatran mainland. Dumai Express and Surya Gemilang Jaya are the best of the domestic carriers.
Boats leave from Batam’s Sekupang terminal to Pekanbaru (6 hours, two morning departures). In order to make the connection without spending the night on Batam, you’ll need to catch the first ferry from Singapore at 7.30am and assume that the Indonesian boats are running late as usual.
There are also two morning boats from Sekupang to Dumai (6 hours), one morning boat to Kuala Tungkal on the Jambi coast and three boats weekly to Palembang (8 hours).
Other destinations from Sekupang port include Karimun (1 hour, every hour from 8am to 4pm) and Pulau Kundur (2 hours, every hour from 8am to 2.30pm).
Pelni ships pass through Batam to and from Belawan (the port for Medan) and Jakarta. The tickets can be bought at the domestic ferry terminal or at travel agencies in Nagoya.
Singapore
Frequent services shuttle between Singapore and Batam, taking between 25 minutes to 45 minutes depending on the pier. Penguin has the biggest and fastest ferries (25-minute crossing).
Sekupang is most widely used by tourists because the terminal that receives boats from Singapore’s Harbourfront Centre is next door to the domestic terminal for transfer to the Sumatran mainland. The boats to Singapore run approximately every hour from 6am to 6.45pm, and to Batam from 7.30am to 8pm. Batam Center and Waterfront City have services only to/from Singapore’s Harbourfront Center.
The last boat to leave the island departs from Batam Centre at 9.30pm. Waterfront City’s schedule is fairly limited, with only four departures per day. Ferries to Nongsa shuttle back and forth to Singapore’s Tanah Merah, with eight departures per day between 8am and 8pm.
At Sekupang port don’t buy a ticket from the many touts and refuse any offers of ‘assistance’ to see you through immigration.
Getting Around
Taxis are the primary way to get around. Sample fares are as follows: from Sekupang to Nagoya (45 minutes) and Batam Centre to Nagoya (30 minutes).
Blue-and-white bemo shuttle between Nongsa and Nagoya. There’s also a public bus from Telaga Punggur to Nagoya.
