Exleftseat

Can someone help me out how I would get from Singapore
to Batam? There is a ferry service. How far is it from Changi,
what are the hours of operation? I am arriving late at night
from Tokyo, do I need to stay overnight in SIN?

Kismaibat

Check out the following;
www.singaporecruise.com/ferryschedule.aspx
http://www.penguin.com.sg/ferryschedule.htm

There are 2 main ferry terminals in Singapore;
Singapore Cruise Centre is located in the center of Singapore,nearer to Sentosa Island.
Tanah Merah is closer to Changi.

You may need to overnight because I don't think they have a late night service to Batam.
You may be able to catch an early morning service though.

When you reach SIN, you may want to consider staying in transit and clear the next morning or just stay at a reasonably priced hotel.

If you still need more info, there is plenty online.
Just google Batam, or Batam Ferry Schedules or Singapore Ferry Terminals.

Hope that helps.
Cheers!

demue

Make sure you figure out where on Batam you want to go to. Tanah Merah is almost next to Changi but ferries from there go to certain places on Batam while the ones from Habourfront (Singapore Cruise Centre ) next to Vivo City shopping mall go to other ones. Some routes may overlap but not all IIRC.

So best figure out where your hotel is and what the closest ferry terminal on Batam is then look up which ferry line from what location in SIN serves that. You will most likely have to overnight in SIN as the previous poster indicated because the last ferry goes smth like 9pm but I'm not sure.

If you are not there for work reasons but for R&R than there is not much to do on Batam other than play Golf (quite cheap) and ... well go for 'entertainment' (no comment required ). Overall the place is not the nicest one. If Golf or decent beach is on your mind and you want to stay close to SIN than I would go for Bintan. Nicer hotels, nicer golf, less sleaze though a bit pricier overall. Trip from SIN not much longer than to Batam. Have fun ...

opushomes

I'm assuming that you will be arriving about midnight when the U.S. carriers arrive. If it were me, I would book a room at the transit hotel as there are no night ferries to Batam. Then in the morning I would take either a taxi or MRT to Harbourfront depending on your budget. Ferries leave fairly frequently during the day, although on Fridays and weekends, they fill up pretty fast. Take any company. There are multiple ports on Batam, so it is best to know in advance which where on the island you desire to go. Taxiis are now coupon controlled, so no more bargaining. Taxiis to Nagoya in January were 45000 rupiah. In January RT SIN-Batam was about $27 U.S. Visa on arrival is $10 for approximately 1 week, $25 for a 30 day one. Visa are payable in U.S. dollars and dollars are quoted above. You can also pay with Sing $$, but the Visa is a couple of U.S. dollars higher that way. Be sure to get your visa before getting in the immigration line.

If you decide to go to Bintan, then take a taxi to Taheh Maruh terminal where the ferries dock. Buy your ticket and away you go.

Note: There is a one hour time difference between Singapore and Indonesia. Travel time to Batam is approx. 1 hour. Bintan is approx. 1.5 hours. The last ferry back is somewhere around 8 p.m. The ferry companies have web-sites. One is Penguin, another is Batam Fast Ferries.

797-3

Bring exact change in USD for the visa on arrival in Batam.

unagi1

opushomes is spot on as relates to travel to Batam's Nagoya town from Singapore. There are other options depending on where you are staying.

Batam (with a few hotel and area exceptions) is largely a weekend destination for Singaporean males out for R&R. When we went to Batam, we stayed at what is now the Panorama Regency, it was a Melia property at the time 3 or so years ago IIRC.

When we went to Bintan, we took the ferry from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, quite close to Changi airport. Bintan (at least the resort area nearby the ferry) is more of a family or couples type experience. Singaporean families go there for weekends. It was ok for two nights and a day, massages were cheap for my wife and her sister, food and drinks were relatively cheap. Good seafood.

Yaatri

We went to Batam fro SIN last April, exactly a year to date. We took the MRT to the Harbour Front first thing in the morning. Whether you catxch a ferry from Tanah Merah or Harbour Front. Front depneds on where/which islands you want to go to. There are frequent ferries from the HF. MAke sure you have $10 exact (or what ever the visa fee is) and two blank pages in your passport. One to paste your visa and the other for entry and exit stamps in Indonesia.

We stayed in what was the Holiday Inn Resort.

Exleftseat

Thanks, his is most helpful since we are planning to stay at
that property aas well. How was your experience there? Is
it really true that there is nothing around the property? And
what's around is sort of shady? Need to eat at their restaurants?
No other options?

camsean

As many others as have said there is no late night service so you'll have to overnight in sin.

I would recommend the ferries from harbourfront as they are more frequent. I would guess you are going to Batam to fly domestically within Indonesia. If so Nagoya is probably the best port to head for as it's slightly closer to Hang Nadim Airport.

If you are going to catch a boat onwards to Sumatra then head for Sekupang.

If Batam is your destination, then go to Bintan instead! Bintan is much nicer, although the resorts are very expensive by Indo standards. The capital city Tanjung Pinang is very pleasant and is definetly worth a look.

The Holiday inn is in Waterfront City in the midst of ship building yards. The pools are nice but it is a very strange location for a resort. I wouldn't recommend swimming in the ocean.

The hotels restuarants are singapore prices.

Exleftseat

We are flying into SIN. And we have been in Bintang staying at the
Bintang Lagoon which was pleasant. Looking for increasing point
balance on Holiday Inn Priority Club and the Batam property caught
our eye. So, now we are a bit torn and wonder if it's worth it.

Yaatri

When we arrived, their shuttle met us at the ferry terminal. We had not arranged for the shuttle, it shows up to meet the ferry anyway. There is not a whole lot there. When we were there, they had a substantial breakfast buffet, fake beacon and sausages. Exotic drinks were available at the pool and the bar.

The Gym was so so. My children loved the ATV's that they could drive on a coursed next to the hotel.

There are a few restaurants nearby but we didn't use any of those. We were there for 4 nights. Instead we took a cab into town for some local fare. If you have the hotel call the cab, it would cost you more, 90,000 plus. We just walked outside and hailed a cab passing by. You should be able to get a cab that you hail on the street for about 30 to 40k. Some cab drivers will wait for you while you shop and dine in town, especially if the cabby needs to get back to the area around the hotel.

The room we had was a suite with a separate bedroom and living room with a dinning table and a kitchen area with a mini-bar/fridge. I do not remember if they had a stove/range as we did not cook.

Various buildings surround the pool. It poured every day around 10-11:00 a.m. about the time the ferry arrives. The rest of the day was clear. A covered walkway, with small gaps, surrounds the buildings. There were umbrellas for guests to use when it was raining. You can pick up umbrellas and drop them off when you feel you don't need one anymore.

It's not a bad place if you just want to hang out and relax.

Exleftseat

That fake bacon is something to see in Indonesia, isn't it? Thank you
so very much for your detailed info. We are weighing our options, let's
see what we decide. Thank you again.

sealalula

There are mainly 2 Ferry Terminal in singapore to Batam
Harbourfront Cruise Center and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.
I suggest you go to Tanah Merah because its much nearer to Changi.There is NO
ferry after 7PM i think.
if you are arriving after 7, stay overnight in SIN.

Batam is actually quite boring thru my experience, go to Bintan , thats a great choice !!!