Batam (Indonesia): dream stay in Elysia Nongsa

Batam is an Indonesian island located only 1 hour by boat from Singapore. We didn’t know it was accessible from Singapore until we met Feng 6 months ago (before our world tour). We met Feng via Couchsurfing

He had only been learning French for 3 months but he was already fluent in it. He is extremely smart, so he only needed 2 hours to understand my job (how to create a structure and manage Adwords campaigns). It was also Feng who encouraged me to learn Spanish to fully enjoy our trip to South America. Seeing how well he mastered French in 3 months, I told myself that it was quite possible to learn another language, with a lot of practice and motivation

Knowing that Singapore is included in our world tour, Feng suggested that we go to Batam, where he has several villas in Nongsa Village. He usually rents them via Airbnb, his website Elysia Nongsa or for monthly rentals

Here we are in Batam for a dream mini-stay!

Part 1: Travel Diary
Part 2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Diary

In 50 minutes, the Batamfast boat takes us from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to Nongsa Ferry Terminal

Feng arranged for someone to pick us up and take us to the villa <3

We have never been in a villa as luxurious and as big as this one. We can accommodate up to 6 people, there are sofas and armchairs everywhere, a huge kitchen and bathrooms like a 5 star hotel

The beach is just 10m away, it is super clean, deep in the morning and low in the afternoon. The pool is super clean and big. There is even a super cuddly cat hanging out on the beach 🙂

The villa is part of a hotel complex. The villas are private, and can be rented by Airbnb. There is a guard at each access, making the place ultra secure. All those who rent or own a villa here have free access to two hotels next door: Turi Beach Resort & Nongsa Point Marina & Resort. We often go to Turi Beach Resort (10mn walk) to eat and enjoy the infinity pool

I love the hammock & the pier. You don’t see it here but there is also a swing in the sea.

Yummy! I love Indonesian food too

We particularly like the piers, it makes us want to use them as a diving board (it’s forbidden!)

We are in the quietest part of the island, there isn’t much to do apart from resting, swimming and sitting on the pier. But the beaches are beautiful and clean (the cleanest beach is the one in front of our villa), there are almost no waves

We really appreciate this calm, having spent the last few months in the densest cities in Asia. Moreover, after several months in a hotel, it makes us feel good to have a kitchen. Being able to toast our bread for breakfast or make our own tea reminds us of the comfort of having a “home”. In short, it gives enormously desire to rent a villa of this kind if we decide to expatriate ourselves one day

Thank you Feng for this nice discovery!

Part 2: Practical Tips

How to get to Batam (Nongsa) from Singapore?

From Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, the journey from Singapore to Nongsa (Batam) takes 50 minutes. The ticket can be bought online (we couldn’t do it because of a payment problem, we are apparently not the only ones to have this problem), at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal or at the HarbourFront Center where Batamfast has an office

Other ferries serve Batam Centre from HarbourFront Center. Batam Centre is more lively, but the beaches are less wild than Nongsa

Links

• If you want to rent the same villa (which can accommodate up to 6 persons), contact Feng via his website
• Official BatamFast website: we had a lot of trouble booking the ferry tickets online, we preferred to buy the tickets directly from their office at HarbourFront Center. The purchase is done via computers made available to customers, it’s hyper modern and fast. You can pay by credit card (92$SG for 2 people round trip)

More info

• For the ferry, you have to check in your luggage (like in an airport). The check-in for luggage is free if it is < 20kg
• You must be at the terminal at least 45 minutes before the departure of the boat
• Even if we have not been asked for a return ticket to Singapore, it is safer to have one to pass the immigration control in Indonesia
• There is a time difference of 1 hour between Singapore and Indonesia. Your phone will not always be in the right time zone so be careful not to miss your boat (or be too early)
• Make the change before coming to Batam, each meal costs about 300000 rupees for two, cabs are expensive (200 to 300000 rupees)
• Buy some food from Singapore to cook in the evening (instant noodles for example) in case you don’t feel like going out when it gets dark
• Scooter rental is strongly discouraged if you do not have a motorcycle license
• The prices indicated are exclusive of taxes, add 21% to 25%