Batam Island of Indonesia is just 20 kilometers to the south of Singapore. The island is known as an industrial hub with large shipyards and oil service sector but it is a popular tourist destination from nearby Singapore and Johor. Main lure of Batam is Batam's night life, a naughty and sleezy one, or this was the case until a few years back. Since casinos are down and steps are taken to reduce sex tourism in Batam, a family oriented tourism is developing.
If you are heading to Batam from nearby Singapore, try to take advantage of many Batam travel deals advertised on coupon sites. Most of these includes ferry plus hotel stay with some extras like shopping tours and dinner coupons.
In this article we will focus on some of the most popular places to stay in Batam instead of individual hotels. Before that let us answer the main question : Bintan or Batam? If you are looking for a hotel stay with cheap shopping, eating and hotels pool will work for you to do swimming head to Batam. If you are looking for a resort with decent beach and all-inclusive, head to Bintan.
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| Batam Island Map |
Nagoya, a.k.a Lubuk Baja, is the main town of Batam and is the city center where you can find most hotels, food or entertainment. The Nagonya town center is closed to Harbour Bay (Jodoh) which is a short drive from the center. Batam's biggest mall Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall is here with Matahari department store. Another popular, probably more popular, mall is Batam City Square (BCS). Many tourist from nearby Singapore comes here to shop for local products and every day items which are significantly cheaper compared to Singapore. Hypermart in Nagoya Hill Mall and Mega Mall are quite popular. The Nagoya Entertainment District here is Batam's most notorious place of sleazy nightlife.
Nongsa Resorts
Nongsa Resorts on the northeastern tip of Batam is the answer to Bintan Lagoi on the neighbouring island of Bintan. The area has some resorts aiming mainly to tourists from Singapore. It is not as good and exclusive as Bintan Lagoi (Bintan Resorts) but some of the best resorts in Batam are here. A ferry ride from Singapore to here takes around 35 minutes.
For resorts in Nongsa Resorts, refer to Batam Nongsa Resort Hotels page.
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| 5-Star Montigo Resorts Nongsa is one of the best resort in Batam and near Singapore. |
Sekupang city has a brand new harbour front with modern facilities and is accessible from Singapore via direct ferry. Batam is a golfers paradise and he harbour at Sekupang is a popular destination for golfers playing at Indah Puri, Batam Hills and Southlinks.
For hotels and resorts in Sekupang refer to Batam Sekupang Hotels page.
Waterfront City
This place is technically in Sekupang. It's name may have city but this place is a tourist oriented development with 2 hotels and nothing more. This is a popular getaway from Singapore with two large hotels and enough to keep you busy just for a weekend. Indeed since many people come here to do nothing, the place offers a pleasant escape.
There are two places here to stay. Harris Resort Batam offers relatively cheap family holiday with large pool, bowling alley and restaurants. It has a beach but you cannot swim there so just head to somewhere else if you need a beach resort. Holiday Inn Resort Batam is one of Batam's best branded hotel with a large pool and a lot for kids offering a nice family holiday.
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