Batam

[Singp Guy]

Club Pacific / Club F1/ Holywings / Blue Fire: Did not notice any FLs at the discos. You can hire a "hostess" that works at the disco, to hang out with you, but not sure about what is provided.

KTVs: Some asking for 3 m - 4 m to take them out overnight til 2 PM. I forgot the names of the KTVs.

Take-out only joints: you need to get hooked up with broker (mine was doorman at KTV). He will drive you around to different run-down joints where they have room full of girls, but quality was not very good.

Badoo: not much luck.

[TheDirtyBeast]

Did you try booking joints, where you book a girl till the morning after? (I understand you did not, otherwise you would have written). There are some open again after COVID. No idea about quality.

2) This is very important to me. Did you use a local SIM card in your phone? I read on another forum that there is a new law that blocks foreign phones with Indo SIM. Until 2020, what was needed was to register the phone in Indonesia, which I did. They worked fine with Telkomsel SIM cards. Now, I hope things did not change. I don't want go roaming with my expensive home provider.

Thanks!

Hi black page. Can you clarify booking joints. This is one I have not tried before and has got me curious.

As to the phone, when we were trying to top up internet, the lady at the counter mentioned that you needed a Indonesian phone for any of the sims to work. Not sure if she meant registered or had to buy an indo phone.

[Black Page]

Gentlemen,
I just returned from my first trip to Batam since COVID. I had only been a couple of times prior to COVID so am still learning the place, but here are my impressions.

Thank you very much for providing your report. I will be there in October, if plans will not be disrupted, and I guess I will have some hard time to orient myself in the new environment of post-COVID.

Your most important message is "Batam is not Pattaya". It has never been so. It has been always very hard to navigate for those who do not know where to go, or do not speak a minimum of bahasa. One of my favourite places to hunt on Friday and Saturday night was the NoName club, the club in the Harmoni Hotel, which was closed years ago after some years of decadence. That was great.

Now, I hope you don't mind if I ask you some questions. This will help to understand what changed there.

1) I am not sure if you missed the best of Batam experience because you did not know where to go, or because COVID killed all that scene.

Did you go or hear about Square Club at I-Hotel Baloi? My past reports say a lot. I wish to know if it's still there...

Did you go or hear about discos? Planet 1 (Planet Holiday)? Planet 2 (Newton)? Planet 3 (HH)? Also for discos, I wrote quite a bit about disco. I wish to know what is still there...

Did you try booking joints, where you book a girl till the morning after? (I understand you did not, otherwise you would have written). There are some open again after COVID. No idea about quality.

2) This is very important to me. Did you use a local SIM card in your phone? I read on another forum that there is a new law that blocks foreign phones with Indo SIM. Until 2020, what was needed was to register the phone in Indonesia, which I did. They worked fine with Telkomsel SIM cards. Now, I hope things did not change. I don't want go roaming with my expensive home provider.

Thanks!

[Neidermeyer]

Gentlemen,

I just returned from my first trip to Batam since COVID. I had only been a couple of times prior to COVID so am still learning the place, but here are my impressions.

Navigating the scene in Batam without local language or cultural familiarity isn't easy. There's not a central nightlife location or walking street and it's not a pure point and shoot environment like other prominent mongering destinations in the region so newbies should keep their expectations in check and be prepared for some trial and error.

Most of the girly bars seem to located in an area called Kampung Bule. The Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall is another area close by where many massage spas (legit and otherwise) are located. I think this entire area is broadly called the Nagoya Entertainment District but it's all a bit fragmented and not as organized as it sounds. There are many other clubs, KTVs, and other venues beyond this area but I've only dabbled a bit in these areas so don't have any meaningful intel to share on them.

I used to stay at the Harmoni hotel which seemed to be the best location in Kampung Bule. There was a notorious pick-up bar connected to the hotel property back in the day but it closed a few years ago. Now the hotel itself is also closed but a couple of the bars connected to the property are still open. The best one in my opinion is called The Wine Club. There's a good selection of cute girls here. I hooked up with one pre-COVID but it's a YMMV environment. Like most bars in the area, most of the girls are primarily working for drinks and will only go with customers that they really like. That said, there were a couple of certified 9-10's in this bar.

Outside of the Harmoni hotel there is a scattering of other bars close by, but overall the area is sort of dead and feels a bit dark and shady. There's a well-known bar called Foreplay which was pretty fun but it's more of a legit place with a band playing on weekends. Overall, if you're expecting anything even remotely close to Pattaya, Angeles City, or Phenon Penh, you will be severely disappointed. The area might have been hopping back in the day, but that seems to be a distant memory.

As mentioned, beyond Kampung Bule there are a number of spas located in the Nagoya Hill shopping area. I've only tried Delta Spa which is a well-known men's spa with locations throughout Indonesia. I can recommend it for a quality massage experience with happy ending.

Funny story. This trip when arriving at Delta the ladies at the front desk told me there are no happy endings. At first, I was like wtf, no handjobs? But then they clarified "happy ending" meant sex. I laughed and explained to them that in my country a happy ending means a handjob, which they thought was funny. To them it seems a handjob is considered a standard part of a male massage and only sex is considered extra. You have to love these places!

Overall, I'd say Batam is worth a side trip from Singapore if you have a few days to kill and want a cheaper change of scenery, but otherwise I wouldn't make a special effort to visit. Also, as noted by TheDirtyBeast, a 500 K tourist visa is now required for all non-ASEAN passport holders, which for me makes it harder to justify a quick ferry trip from Singapore. Hopefully they remove this silly requirement.

I hope others can add thoughts on their recent experiences.

[Pazhalis]

Went to Octopuss spa. Loved the ambiance but it was a bit crowded and I had to wait for 30 minutes.

Chose the cheapest option which came to 35-40 SGD (does not have jacuzzi).

The massage was quite good and the girl was slim and decent looking. Happy ending included. But I couldn't cum due to exhaustion and asked the girl to stop after some time.

Will choose the jacuzzi option on my next visit.

Sorry for late report. The one thing that hasn't changed in batam is the shit internet. And local WiFi blocks this site.

The Airbnb I stayed in showed 20 Mbps on speedtest. And this site was not blocked.

[Black Page]

And as of 17th July indo is requiring a pcr test before arrival.

Only for those few ones who are not vaccinated and have no valid reason for that:
https://www.indonesia.travel/gb/en/n...er-2021#_blank

[TheDirtyBeast]

I forgot to mention. There is no more visa exemption for batam. It's a 500 k entrance fee now.

And as of 17th July indo is requiring a pcr test before arrival.

[TheDirtyBeast]

Sorry for late report. The one thing that hasn't changed in batam is the shit internet. And local WiFi blocks this site.

Not much to share unfortunately. The dreaded batam belly hit me on the second day and pretty much sidelined me for the week.

Dating apps aren't as successful here as but you can still find them on wechat easy enough thru people nearby.

The prices seem to have increased quite dramatically from last I remembered. Most are asking at 700 k to 1 m St 1 pop. 1.5 m to 2.5 m LT. But capped at 3 shots. Maybe it's the lack of supply that's driving prices up. Didn't partake in any from wechat.

I did take a recommendation from a grab driver for a massage place. Lavender Massage near nagoya food court. 200 k for the massage. 500 k tip for the girl. Forgot what these places were like. Literally a mattress and pillow on the floor. At least there was a shower.

Select your girls from a photo album. All of them were under 25 I would say. And about 10 to choose from.

And those who liked to go over to batam for raw sex. Those days are over I think. All insisted on rubbers, which was not the case 3 years ago.

[Pazhalis]

Harbourfront (SG) was quite crowded. Ferry services seemed restored to normal. Landed in Batam central and checked into an Airbnb.

Matched with a few girls on Tinder. As expected, they turned out to be working girls, asking me to visit their bar (to buy them free drinks).

Met this half-African chick at Cock and Bull bar. Bought her a couple of drinks and played pool. The scene was not very happening, so I left.

Went to Hom Bar nearby. Was full of white dudes who danced and played pool with local girls, smooching and heavy grinding on the dance floor. Saw a guy leave with a bar girl in a cab. Felt optimistic, but decided to visit some other day as I was too tired.

Recommendations for massage places in Batam? Any help would be appreciated.

I live in Singapore, and wanted to explore Batam. But its really difficult to get info on current situation. My interests are mostly freelancers, KTVs and dance clubs (I like to dance, LOL). Moreover, if there any local members who want to hang out, I can reciprocate in Singapore. I am 45 year old working in business. I can give you color on Korea, Hong Kong and China. Thank you.

[Black Page]

I live in Singapore, and wanted to explore Batam. But its really difficult to get info on current situation. My interests are mostly freelancers, KTVs and dance clubs (I like to dance, LOL). Moreover, if there any local members who want to hang out, I can reciprocate in Singapore. I am 45 year old working in business. I can give you color on Korea, Hong Kong and China. Thank you.

I can't wait to go back and see what changed. If things go as I plan, I will be there in October. I will report duly.

What I know about the current situation is not much and not verified, however:
- Formosa is closed, probably forever (end of an era);
- immigration restrictions between SIN and BTM have been lifted, nearly fully (check official web sites for details);
- ferry service is near to be fully restored, even between HF and HB, which are the best connecting points; fares are much higher than before, and won't go down until regular business as before will be not regained;
- I asked many about P1, P2, P3 discos, but I got no reliable feedback; they were my favourite places to hunt at night; sadly, with COVID, a disco is not the safest place to go...
- massage places are slowly reopening.

My understanding is that for a while there will be much less tourists, much less available resources, and therefore more opportunities for those who know how to move around, but also more difficult for those who do not know. I hope it will get back wilder as ten years ago. Who knows...

[Singp Guy]

I live in Singapore, and wanted to explore Batam. But its really difficult to get info on current situation. My interests are mostly freelancers, KTVs and dance clubs (I like to dance, LOL). Moreover, if there any local members who want to hang out, I can reciprocate in Singapore. I am 45 year old working in business. I can give you color on Korea, Hong Kong and China. Thank you.

[Sargent 50]

Anyone with updated restrictions on the ferry, and if you still have to stay on your resort?

[Black Page]

However, Singapore still enforces quarantine on entry. Still impossible to hop back and forth by ferry in 45 minutes between Singapore and Batam...

News on the way also on that side.

[Black Page]

Black Page:
"as of today there is NO free travel between Batam and Singapore"

Things are moving:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia...rivals-2577231

However, Singapore still enforces quarantine on entry. Still impossible to hop back and forth by ferry in 45 minutes between Singapore and Batam...

[Black Page]

I read somewhere that, as of 1st of March, Singapore has allowed ferries to resume service to Batam and Bingtang. They will be treated as Vaccinated Travel Sea-Lanes. Is that true? This is awesome if it's true. Anyone on the ground wish to take one for the team? Thanks.Funman13.

Besides reading news somewhere, why don't you also scroll down just 2 posts before writing yours and read what others have written on this same forum? Nothing awesome for the moment. VTL = Travel BUBBLE = no fun for hobbists. (bubble is a bubble)

Expat American:
"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but currently if you go to Batam you are restricted to your resort only. You can't go in the town to the usual booking places, spas or discos (if they even still exist)."

Black Page:
"as of today there is NO free travel between Batam and Singapore"