It's a relatively small island(but approximately twice the size of Singapore) where the majority of the tourists come from the neighboring countries such as Singapore or Malaysia or even from the west.
Batam seems to be an infamously famous spot for 'massage' centers, if you know what I mean! But yeah, it's good to get some real good relaxing massage at a relatively cheaper cost. As for the places to see, there is a Hindu temple which looks far different from a typical one. Doing shopping in Batam can be real cheap especially for goods such as handbags, wallets, ladies accessories, foot wears and so on.My cousin and I even managed to buy a few cases for our iPhone which came for a cheaper than it would cost in Singapore.The 'Art of Bargaining' is the key attribute that you should posses in oder to get some great deals! And yeah, at times you may find yourself difficult to communicate with the locals due to their lack of knowledge in English language, therefore learning a few words from Bahasa Indonesia or even Malay in prior to your visit would be a great help.Even some simple sentences such as 'apa ini' (What's this?) can be a great help!
Despite visiting a few malls, however, I did not find it any better than Thailand or Dubai (obviously!).The highlight was that I got to spend my 21st birthday in Batam.As for the water sports, we heard that there are quite a few like para sailing, water skiing and all that but we had to travel further away from our hotel and would need to spend at least a whole day there so we ditched that plan and ventured onto shopping areas instead. Next time if there is a need to buy cheap iPhone accessories or need a massage for relaxation then Batam is the place! Considering the list of places to see,you will certainly not need more than 1 or 2 days to spend there.
The ferry which carried us all.
Shopping is NEVER tiring!
We also bought loads of crackers!
The entrance of the Hindu Temple. Nice, isn't it?
