This luxury 3D2N Batam holiday only cost us RM700!

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If you think of how much RM700 can get you for a 2-night holiday overseas, you’re likely thinking of compromises – a backpacker hotel, cheap local food, and booking the ticket a year in advance so it’d be cheaper. But in Batam, we got a legit 5-star holiday on a 1-star budget.

The more time we spend in Batam, the more we’re convinced that Singaporeans are purposely keeping it a secret from Malaysians.

Yup, so many Singaporeans go to Batam Island every year that the locals automatically assume we’re Singaporean. Even our driver (yes, our budget includes a driver) was shocked to learn we’re Malaysians. He never met Malaysian tourists in the flesh… we were just tourist bogeymen that people claim to have seen but can never prove exist.

But that may change once you see what you’re missing out on for just RM700 in Batam, starting with… how to get there.

Take a comfy 2-hour ferry ride from Johor Bahru (RM234)

While there are flights to Batam, it’s way cheaper and (in our opinion) more fun to take the ferry instead. Price-wise it was RM234 for a return trip, including the port charges on the Malaysian (RM23) and Indonesian (RM28) side.

We have to thank our friends at Berjaya Waterfront for telling us about their all-in-one ferry terminal, mall, duty free, and hotel. Also, here’s a protip: Park inside the building. The entrance is immediately on the left of the arches, and costs RM5 a day.

Once you pass this arch, turn left and go up the ramp for the best parking.

If you prefer to park outside, make sure to choose Zone A, B or C, which also costs RM5 a day. Zone D or E however are not just exposing your car to the elements, but also your wallet to a RM15/day parking fee. Ouch!

After we bought our tickets from Dolphin Ferry, we went to the duty free stores to buy some chocolates for the ferry ride. After that, it was a quick immigration check before we went off to the pier.

The ride is close to 2 hours in Dolphin’s spacious air-conditioned ferry with comfortable seats. You’ll be treated to views of the Malaysian and Singaporean coastline, as well as container ships which are fun if you haven’t seen them up close.

There’s a viewing/smoking deck on the bottom and top of the ferry

And don’t worry, you’ll have data connection for most of the ferry trip. We only started losing connection in the last 40 minutes before arriving in Batam.

At the Batam terminal, we booked ourselves a Grab and went off to relax for the night.

A beachside resort stay (RM190)+ driver to drive us anywhere (RM40.40)

Taman Nongsa Indah Village beach resort, Batam

Batam provides many accommodation options to fit your price point and group size, ranging from RM9 for a homestay room to RM1,000+ for a super atas beachside hotel. On average though, you’d be able to find some really decent hotels or AirBnBs for about RM55 a night.

Examples of homestays and hotels we found on Booking.com

Since we went as a group of 5, we decided to splurge a little by booking a stay at Taman Nongsa Indah Village, a private beach resort with gorgeous wooden villas that can comfortably house 6 people. The total bill was RM950 for 2 nights, which works out to RM190 per person.

This has all the basic luxuries you can expect from a beach villa, including a bathroom that’s bigger than your expectations of a RM700 holiday. Like, the upstairs bathroom is the size of a budget hotel room! On top of that, you can look forward to…

The only setback is that this kind of exclusivity means that the place is kinda far from the other attractions, about 40 minutes drive away from town. If you’re traveling alone or in smaller groups, you can book more accessible accommodations at Kota Batam, or use e-hailing services like Grab, Maxim, and – if you’re really adventurous – Gojek motorbikes. But if you’re in a group, we totally recommend hiring a driver.

Rental for an MPV and driver will cost you around RM115 for a maximum of 12 hours a day. However, you’ll also have to cover fuel, the driver’s makan, and a tip. One thing to note is that Indonesians don’t get the same sweet subsidized petrol we enjoy, so don’t give your driver the equivalent of RM20 and expect to fill half a tank!

Including a tip of RM30, we paid about RM202 (RM40.40 each) for a full day’s service. Meanwhile, for the shorter trips we took on our arrival and departure days, we used Grab which roughly costs around RM2 to RM2.50/km.

At this point, we’ve used over 2/3 of our budget (RM494) to cover the important travel necessities. That leaves us with RM206, which means we’ll have to eat Indomie and really skimp on the activities, right?

Nope. We went and ate lobster.

You can have fresh seafood for less than half the price in Malaysia! (RM90)

Let’s start this conversation with a hot take: Indonesian nasi goreng beats Malaysia hands-down.

A decent meal of nasi goreng AND a drink costs around RM8.50 – RM10.50, while a more substantial nasi campur is around RM4 – RM8 (without drink). All in all, you can enjoy many Indonesian favorites like ayam penyet, sate, and soto for around RM7.

This leaves room in the budget for seafood. So let’s play a game… guess how much the following meal costs for 4 people. Keep in mind that these are all live from the tank:

Crabs (live/1kg)
Lobster (live/300gm)
Prawns (live/500g)
Scallops (live/12)

Those scallops and crabs were so fresh, they’d be princes of Bel-Air

TBH we wished we skipped the lobster for more prawns, but for RM69, who can complain?

Well, if you guessed anything over RM250, you’d be way off. The total bill was RM180 for so much cooked-to-order seafood that we had to tapau some of it back.

The lobster, which we felt was the least worth it, cost us RM69. Meanwhile, they gave us a great lunch promo on the crabs which came to RM37/KG. The prawns were around RM22/500g, and the plate of scallops was RM14.

We had the chance to visit two highly recommended seafood restaurants in Batam – Love Seafood and Rezeki Seafood Restaurant. Love Seafood, which is the one above, has fancier options but Rezeki Seafood has a more home-cooked feel and is by the beach.

We were too hungry to take good pics, but the big plate of sotong was only RM12, and RM8.50 for the lala and ikan bilis respectively

Overall food in Batam is the epitome of the saying “good and cheap”.

Batam has many affordable tourist attractions (RM7 – RM25)

Although not as flashy as Bali, there are some nice touristy things that can keep you occupied in Batam.

All five of us unanimously agreed that our favorite stop was Batam Zoo Paradise and Waterpark. It’s a petting zoo that gives you a hands-on introduction to the island’s local and regional wildlife.

For an entry fee of RM25, you can hold, pet and hug many of the mammals, reptiles, and birds under the supervision of friendly caretakers who also point out certain quirks of the animals under their care.

For example, the capybara caretaker told us that one of them, Rexy, had a sayang spot under her chin. Rub that spot and she just falls over for belly rubs. We gave her a lot of belly rubs. She stole our hearts 🥹

And to escape the heat after a day of playing with cute animals, you can hop straight into the waterpark or on a paddle boat in the waterpark (with a small rental fee) to cool off.

Otherwise, you can take a walk to Mega Wisata Ocarina (RM7 entrance fee) where you can picnic, take pictures by the beach, rent a bicycle (RM4.20), or take a ride on the many amusement rides in the area, including a ferris wheel ride (RM4.20) by the beach! Honestly, we felt that Ocarina is a bit run down, but the bicycle rides were very good for healing.

You’ll get a view of the ocarina and the sea from the ferris wheel

You can rent a regular bicycle, tandems, or trishaws

There were also some other attractions farther out from town that we didn’t have time to visit, such as Barelang Bridge, Pa Auk Tawya Vipassana Dhura Hermitage, and Puncak Beliung flying carpet.

We got to see this Chinese mosque though!

Beaches are a-plenty in Batam, and you’ll be spoilt for choice. We were told some of the more pupular beaches are Nongsa beach, Tegar Putri beach, and Melayu beach.

The only thing you need to know is that the sunset in Batam starts at 6pm. We missed out on the beaches because we assumed that the sun sets around 7pm, like in Malaysia.

At least they still look pretty at night 🥲

After jalan-jalan, have a drink or snack at super Instagrammable cafes or cheap massages (RM30+)!

Okay, this isn’t so much about the food, but the experience. Because no trip is complete without them cutesy photos amirite?

The most unique spot we found is Dolyn Cafe, which is a cafe dedicated to all things Doraemon.

From Doraemon curry rice to dishes with puns and references like the Giant Katsu and Shizuka Sweet Potato, you’ll go ang ang ang at this place if you’re a Doraemon fan. We spent just shy of RM15 for the doraemon curry rice and a latte.

For the glamor shots, head over to INFINITY Beach Club, where you can lounge on a pier that extends out into the ocean. Our wallets started to sweat when we were told that buying a drink is compulsory to enter…. until we found out that a drink is RM10. Another spot we didn’t have time for is Cheryl Signature Cafe, where you can sit by the ocean on colorful bean bags.

Next time lah, next time. Image from Cheryl Signature Cafe

According to our driver, the hottest spot in Batam now is De’Sands Cafe, also called the Santorini of Batam. It’s a cafe housed within a Mediterranean-inspired compound complete with multilayered walls and domed roofs. Don’t come here during the day though. It looks best in the evening and night PLUS you get a live musician adding to the atmosphere. The set and promo meals cost between RM8 – RM17, but the photos are priceless.

De'Sands Cafe Batam — You can take photos from the towers

Being driven around, eating, and doing fun touristy things can get pretty exhausting, so a nice massage might really hit the spot. A full-body massage typically costs RM50 – RM62 for an hour in the Nagoya Hill area, but go during happy hour (times vary by shop) and it’s only RM30 – RM35. Clean massage only ah. The happy ending should be your totally relaxed muscles when you leave.

Your Batam holiday starts at Berjaya Waterfront!

In total, we spent on average RM681.20 each, which means we had enough for a snack or a bag of duty-free chocolates after we cleared customs at Berjaya Waterfront.

However, we would have actually spent much less if we were very mindful, very demure about our lodgings.

If Batam is now on your holiday radar here are some tips:

DuitNow QR works in Indonesia – Many places accept QR, but they call it QRIS so you might get blank stares if you call it QR. Exchange rate is also better compared to using cash you got at the money changer.
The sun starts setting around 6pm – If you’re looking to enjoy the beach or the sunset, be there at least an hour earlier than you would in Malaysia.
Park inside Berjaya Waterfront – There’s indoor parking that costs a flat rate of RM5 a day.

Click here for Berjaya Waterfront ferry schedules and ticket bookings!

Lastly, a footnote for non-Muslim travelers, you have to be in Batam for at least 72 hours to qualify for duty free purchases of alcohol. Unless, of course, you bring them into Batam and finish it before you leave 😉