Batam Info / Interest / Help Thread

[Black Page]

Originally Posted by nono1973

i am kind of sure,regulars no longer visit ALL booking joints/MPs in their every single trip anymore, and most time will visit their favourite food eateries,eat their favourite food , shop for only things they come Batam for ,etc etc. The whole mentality is different for the different level and types of traveler.

Indeed.
On my first time in Batam, I visited many restaurants, and I wanted to see many places.

Now, I have ONE restaurant in Windsor, ONE street "restaurant" for ikan bakar, ONE restaurant in Harbour Bay. I have my coffee at JCO at Nagoya Hill. I always stay in one of the same 2-3 rooms in Formosa. I always have a look at NoName then I move to Newton or P3 every night. I rarely change the daily routine, because I feel that is the best I can do.
Interestingly, the same happened in some other places of the world where I have become a regular. First time: exhaustive exploration. After few times: stick to the same 2-3 well-experimented places. No risk to go wrong.

Booking joints? If I decide to have a look, I try to visit as many as I can, to be sure I am not missing some isolated rare "gem" hiding in one of the places. This did not change since my first visit.

By the way, dear Nono, you know what would be EXTREMELY USEFUL to all visitors, including new ones, almost regulars, expecially returning visitors after a long time?
A list of booking joints (be them named as "massage" or "KTV") kept updated every month, area by area. Not a big work: just a list of names with area where they are located.

New joints open and traditional ones close (Permata Indah! SIGH!!) or change name (Sedona a.k.a. Gold Bird). Instead of grabbing an ojek and asking for "cewek", it is much better to have a piece of paper in hand with that magic list of 15 places. Many ojek drivers do not know all of them, or DO NOT WANT to go there, if not forced, because commission is lower. Having a list in hand is strongly advisable IMHO.
I recently found a piece of paper, all deteriorated, which I used to keep with me on my first year in Batam. All those names are now history (New Berlian!)

[pandknight]

Originally Posted by super4hundred

Just checking last sat 1st Sept, went to Batam from harbourfront to batam Centre and it was madness the crowd was wow 1st time see queue snaking so long... Got special event or its normal? Went 1050am ferry

Start of school holiday. I totally forgot about that and have never seen batam centre nor Harbourfront that packed. Crazy shit. But the ones who went there were families, so booking joints (at least on the sunday) was quite empty. A lot of choices.

Trip would have been great if I didn't hurt myself in the pool, bleeding.. had to send back my girl early. Haiz..

[mygirly]

Originally Posted by pandknight

Start of school holiday. I totally forgot about that and have never seen batam centre nor Harbourfront that packed. Crazy shit. But the ones who went there were families, so booking joints (at least on the sunday) was quite empty. A lot of choices.

Trip would have been great if I didn't hurt myself in the pool, bleeding.. had to send back my girl early. Haiz..

Sounds serious...what happened?

[Ojekbtm]

Originally Posted by Black Page

Indeed.
On my first time in Batam, I visited many restaurants, and I wanted to see many places.

Now, I have ONE restaurant in Windsor, ONE street "restaurant" for ikan bakar, ONE restaurant in Harbour Bay. I have my coffee at JCO at Nagoya Hill. I always stay in one of the same 2-3 rooms in Formosa. I always have a look at NoName then I move to Newton or P3 every night. I rarely change the daily routine, because I feel that is the best I can do.
Interestingly, the same happened in some other places of the world where I have become a regular. First time: exhaustive exploration. After few times: stick to the same 2-3 well-experimented places. No risk to go wrong.

Booking joints? If I decide to have a look, I try to visit as many as I can, to be sure I am not missing some isolated rare "gem" hiding in one of the places. This did not change since my first visit.

By the way, dear Nono, you know what would be EXTREMELY USEFUL to all visitors, including new ones, almost regulars, expecially returning visitors after a long time?
A list of booking joints (be them named as "massage" or "KTV") kept updated every month, area by area. Not a big work: just a list of names with area where they are located.

New joints open and traditional ones close (Permata Indah! SIGH!!) or change name (Sedona a.k.a. Gold Bird). Instead of grabbing an ojek and asking for "cewek", it is much better to have a piece of paper in hand with that magic list of 15 places. Many ojek drivers do not know all of them, or DO NOT WANT to go there, if not forced, because commission is lower. Having a list in hand is strongly advisable IMHO.
I recently found a piece of paper, all deteriorated, which I used to keep with me on my first year in Batam. All those names are now history (New Berlian!)

Which restoran in Harbourbay

[Black Page]

Originally Posted by Ojekbtm

Which restoran in Harbourbay

Wei Wei 1. I don't recommend it in particular. I go there not because I believe it is better than others, or the ones in Windsor, but because:

1) I have fond memories of that restaurant. The first where I went on my first visit to Batam many years ago. The place where I took so many girls.

2) I need a few places where to go with different girls. I don't take many girls to Windsor, so that beer girls there do not think I take a different girl every night.

[pandknight]

Originally Posted by mygirly

Sounds serious...what happened?

Haha, dove into the pool, hit the pool floor hard, cut my lips, chipset my tooth cut on my nose bridge. Looks like i got kneed by someone in a fight. Hahaha

[AsuraWrath]

Originally Posted by hawkeye007

Scored a rate of 10,700 at BCS mall today, the highest ever that I have ever received...

Rate on XE went up to as high as 10756, a >10 year high...

Didn't even need to talk much, exchange rate was 10800 opp formosa 10 mins ago when i'm only changing S$100.

I think the arrow's pointing up towards 11000rp for 1 sgd in 2018.

[Ccmj]

Just went batam couples days ago. For work and leisure. 4 nights trip with . Try wechat girls 3 times . Expected not tally wirh pic so reject all way. Just give them taxi fare back no more then 10k. But must first hand inform not tally will reject. For rates: ST goes 500k - 700k . LT 1m above . All can nego. But do not expect much. Try 2 clubs “Noname” well not much maybe i went on weekdays. Then F1 club with slightly better quailty girls. Rate 1mil above.

[nitecrawllerr]

Originally Posted by Black Page

I recently found a piece of paper, all deteriorated, which I used to keep with me on my first year in Batam. All those names are now history (New Berlian!)

During the old days...Batu Ampar jetty time. Teres was this joint named "Berlian" beside present Sinar Bulan hotel years back. One of my favourite haunt. Mammy and the cewek very friendly. This the only joint tat i ever do ST at the joint itself. And another favourite joint of mine was "KTV Angel"...very near to Batu Ampar jetty too.... Even the mamy i sapu!

[Trenz]

Originally Posted by AsuraWrath

Didn't even need to talk much, exchange rate was 10800 opp formosa 10 mins ago when i'm only changing S$100.

I think the arrow's pointing up towards 11000rp for 1 sgd in 2018.

It goes back to 10780 just now at around 130pm...

Now heading for lunch at citywalk,going to try the sushi there.

[Black Page]

Originally Posted by nitecrawllerr

During the old days...Batu Ampar jetty time. Teres was this joint named "Berlian" beside present Sinar Bulan hotel years back. One of my favourite haunt. Mammy and the cewek very friendly. This the only joint tat i ever do ST at the joint itself. And another favourite joint of mine was "KTV Angel"...very near to Batu Ampar jetty too.... Even the mamy i sapu!

Your years of experience in Batam are much more than mine. Thumbs up for you. I can only fantasize about how good was the life there, well before I could even IMAGINE there was a place named Batam.

My first time, I felt like venturing in the Far West from Singapore, intimidated by some silly information on the web about how dangerous and sinful it was.
I remember New Berlian, one block from Formosa. The ladies were not the youngest in island (euphemism), but booking was starting from 350k. My first booking girl was from there, and, although she could not win the Miss Indonesia contest, she really pampered me as a king.

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by Kaboon

Those hotels under organization,their price has gone up a bit. Other 3 star older hotels like Utama,Formorsa,Goodway,Nagoya Plz,89, Hana & the rest has come dwn by at an average of 15% over the last few years. My friends once told me,Batam is a place where by many hotels can break even with just abt 65% weekend occupancy,their profit would mainly comes from weekday stayer.

Hehehe...i guess you didnt recce Goodway Hotel for a while,hehehe...it is now closed.

http://batam.tribunnews.com/2018/09/...erasi-di-batam

After about 20 years,it finally lose it competitiveness.... i think this is a very old hotel (should be more than 20 years) and according to the old Batam thread in this forum,it starts with the name Mandarin Hotel,later becos of some haunting issue,they change their name to Goodway. 20 years later,they are completely out of business.

http://batam.tribunnews.com/2018/09/...tel-batam-jaya

I have stayed in the hotel twice...and one of the time was during CNY. More news on Goodway hotel's closure.

http://www.batamnews.co.id/berita-37...hal-biasa.html

http://batamnews.co.id/berita-37230-...y-tumbang.html

I have a feeling that it might be renamed and reopen again,hehehe...since this hotel is very near to NED.

3 more very old time hotels Mercure, Novotel and Sari Jaya were also close down this year too. Novotel renamed to Travel Lodge hotel tho.

Hmm...could this part of the reason of the closure?

http://batampro.id/dari-lantai-3-hot...at-bunuh-diri/

[Kaboon]

Originally Posted by nono1973

3 more very old time hotels Mercure, Novotel and Sari Jaya were also close down this year too. Novotel renamed to Travel Lodge hotel tho.

I didn't knw Sari Jaya was closed. Few years ago,i used to hear from my supir saying that it used to be owned by a very rich local old man,some years back after the father pass on, his children start squandering all the money away. The piece of land where the hotel is situated is bigger than most other hotels in Batam,i think they might have sold it.

[iicycold]

Originally Posted by pandknight

Haha, dove into the pool, hit the pool floor hard, cut my lips, chipset my tooth cut on my nose bridge. Looks like i got kneed by someone in a fight. Hahaha

wa! so jia lat ah?!

hope u r ok nw....nxt time mus careful look b4 u jump...

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by nono1973

Trailer

Not too sure how is this movie is going to be like,but well...i am planning to watch it if i have the time and of course provided that i am in Batam during that time. Hehehe...hopefully no one eats and drinks while watching this movie tho,hehehe...i will be heading to a quiet Batam theater (if i am watching it).

While waiting for Predator to "show up" in Batam,hehehe...can go watch Big Brother 大师兄 at BCS mall or Nagoya Hill Mall,hehehe....nice movie,worth every dollar if it's no more than S$4.

Its a Chinese movie tho,i would say its a non-stop action movie with a storyline on the educational system,hehehe...people are rating it a 9/10 online,i would say its worth a 7.5/10 tho.

Enjoy!