At a Glance: Batam, Indonesia

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Planning to visit Batam, Indonesia for a quick weekend getaway? Well, here's an easy guide to help you plan your itinerary:

batam indo 3
1) Know how to get there. Visitors from Singapore will find it a breeze as all you have to do is to hop onto one of the many fastcraft boats that will take you straight to Batam Centre for just an hour-long ride. Visitors from other countries may opt to fly in and land in Batam International Airport or to fly to Singapore and have a side trip to Batam.

novotel batam 7
2) Choose a hotel. We enjoyed our stay at Novotel Batam Hotel and do highly recommend this to you as well. There are also a number of resorts present in the island.

3) Where to eat?! 
The most important question, if you ask me. Well, I do agree that a visit to Batam won't be complete without having the following:
harbourbay batam 1
- SEAFOOD! Try Harbour Bay Seafood Restaurant or Wey Wey which was also recommended to us by the hotel's front desk officer.
- Authentic Indonesian dishes: There are plenty of options and for this trip, we tried Warung Cobain Restaurant which we both were happy about.
- A&W: Definitely a must for all 90s kids out there. Need I say more? :)

4) What to buy? 
batam layer cake 2
I wasn't really able to do much shopping around Batam as I really just wanted to go there, to relax and to eat. That is if you count the grocery shopping that we did because things are just way cheaper compared to the ones we get in the Lion City. Before leaving Batam, be sure to bring home a box of their famous Kueh Lapis (Layer Cake) which can be found in all shopping centres and supermarkets.

batam layer cake 1
I tried the Original Kueh Lapis from La Moist which had butter in it. Some actually made use of margarine so be sure to ask if you're not a fan of margarine like me too. They also have other flavors such as pandan, cheese, prunes, cinnamon, mocha and chocolate. I enjoyed having a slice (or two) every night after our trip. Definitely the best thing we bought from Batam, Indonesia.

There you have it! A short (yet sweet) travel guide to all those planning to visit Batam!
Let me know how your trip went, would love to hear all about it below.

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