Travelogue: 2 Years Anniversary Trip to Batam 18-04-2015 to 19-04-2015 Day 2

Day 2

Had our complimentary breakfast at Taman Sari Cafe in the resort. It caters international buffet breakfast and serves quite decent food. They had varieties ranging from Nasi Lemak, Bee Hoon, Porridge, Cereals and Fruits. There is also an egg section where the cook will fry any eggs of your choice, from scrambled eggs, sunny side up to omelette. They also had a cooked to order Fishball Noodle. I LOVE how buffet restaurants offer cooked to order dishes because it seems more fresh.

We checked out at 12pm and left our baggage at the lobby and went to explore around the resort and start our photo-taking session.

*PHOTOS TIME*

  

We were able to witness people parasailing right at our balcony 

My initial plan was to have lunch at Rezeki Seafood Restaurant. When we were at lobby and wanted to ask the cab fare to the place, the staffs told me Rezeki is closed on that day which was a Sunday. We double checked from the website and was sure they opened from Monday - Sunday 9am - 9pm. So we noted down the number and I proceed to asked another staff to help me call the number and he told me that Rezeki was closed.

My plan for seafood lunch was spoiled. I chose to have lunch there because its near to the resort and it is rated number 16 restaurant in Batam at tripadvisor. The closure of Rezeki gave us reason to visit Batam again to try that out.

As we run out of rupiah, we will need to find a money exchange nearby. The staff told me that they don't exchange money in the hotel so the nearest money exchange place will be at Nongsa Ferry Terminal.

So after awhile of considerations, we decided to have lunch at the hotel's cafe instead. We went back to the Taman Sari Cafe where we had breakfast for a simple lunch and we were be able to pay by card as well.

The boy ordered Aglio Olio IDR99,000. Portion was reasonable. The aglio olio had more black pepper flavour than the olive & garlic ones but still decent enough for hotel food.

I had Fish & Chips IDR118,800. The fries were fry to crisp. The fish used was not the dory fish we had in Singapore, instead it's the normal kind of nasi lemak fish. You will be able to taste it as the smell is strong. I would say its still edible accompanied with chili or mayonnaise sauce.

Total bill came to IDR263,538 with 10% service charge IDR21,780 and 11% tax IDR23,958.

We still had IDR128,000 left so we spend it on tidbits. Went to the Aqua Shop located in the resort which is the only Convenience Store that sells tidbits and drinks. As the store is monopolize, 1 can of coke cost IDR44,500 which is insane. We only bought a can of coke in there.

There's a pool bar in front of the shop and we bought a Magam Ice Cream which cost IDR40,000 but it cost IDR10,000 in Nagoya's Hypermart. What a HUGE difference!

Gathered at the lobby at 5pm for the hotel transfer to ferry terminal. We still had some rupiah left so we spend it at the Nongsa Shop at ferry terminal. The things there are so much cheaper which is about the same as Nagoya's Hypermarket so we bought another 2 packets of tidbits back.

Things to Note

1. We changed a total of SGD150 to rupiah for 2 days. It is not enough if you intend to shop and eat a lot especially seafood. 
2. If you are travelling with more than 2 people and visiting many places, do consider hiring a cab for a day. Some drivers offer me at a rate of SGD50 per day. (I didn't hire a cab because there's only 2 of us and our one day cab fare is only SGD36 for the places we traveled)
3. The journey from Turi Beach Resort to Nagoya Mall is about 45mins
4. When you are at the arrival hall of the ferry terminal, there will be 1 staff holing a sign stating "Turi Beach Resort" and he will lead you the way to the free shuttle bus service.
5. Batam is an hour behind Singapore
6. Nongsa Ferry Terminal is nearest to Turi Beach Resort. So depart from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal instead of Habourfront Ferry Terminal. 

What to do in Nagoya Shopping Mall

1. Have a meal in A&W
2. Buy Ding Tea! Its only IDR22,000 (SGD2.20) for a large cup of milk tea. Nagoya Mall consist of many bubble tea shops like Ding tea, Share tea, Chatime)
3. Try Ayam Penyet Ria
4. Purchase Batam Layers Cake
5. Catch a movie in the mall (They were screening fast&furious 7 at the time of our visit)
6. Spend time in the arcade. Most games cost only 20cents in Singapore.
7. Head to the Hypermarket located at basement and grab all the snacks, necessities, instant noodles and whatever you would like to grab.

Seafood Places

1.  Harbour Bay Seafood Restaurant
2. Rezeki Seafood Restaurant
3. Personally I don't recommend Golden Prawn Seafood because its too touristy as it is where all the tours will bring you but you can still try it if you are keen.

What to do in Turi Beach Resort

1. There are a wide range of recreation activities you can choose from and prices can be found here
2. There's a billiard room at level 1 as well
3. Swim and chill by the pool
4. Spam lots of photos
5. You can purchase liquor from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal's DFS and bring it there to drink with a group of friends
6. Snack and have cup noodle for supper in the room 

Goodbye Batam, Cheap hypermarket stuffs, Cheap & Delicious Seafood, Awesome Sea View, Delicous Kueh Lapis. We will be back for more for sure.

Now I can't wait for Hong Kong trip with the boy during June :)

*Photos are all taken by Nikon D5000. Thank you my boy for taking photos under the sun. Love You <3*

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