Batam

[Black Page]

Anyone knows which area populates most street freelancers?

I insist. Read here. You don't read enough. If you read, you'll discover that in Batam there are NO STREET GIRLS. Not a single one. Read and you'll discover a whole new world. Lots of information readily available.
Prices vary in a wide interval, from 400k to 2,000,000 and more. It depends on who is the girl, who is the punter, where the meeting happen. The prices I reported in my reports did not change much.
(If you find an old report of mine of about 8 years ago, actually you'll see that to be exact there was a street, but nothing worth to be seen).

[Blanquiceleste]

Thanks for the info.

Anyone knows which area populates most street freelancers?

From my limited experience and knowledge gathered from reading forums like these (you should too) I do not think there are streetwalkers in Batam like you would find in Thailand or Philippines. Anyone with a different view point or better knowledge are welcome to correct me.

[Raymond123]

Sigh!

Prices at booking (massage) joints vary from IDR 800 K to 1. 4 mn. Do not be shy to negotiate.

Freelance girls from discos (not recommended for newbies) can range from ZERO to IDR 1 mn, sometimes even more.

WeChat / Tinder / Badoo hookups for ST should never be more than IDR 400-500 K.

Thanks for the info.

Anyone knows which area populates most street freelancers?

[Kamsutra69]

Don't go. First, because it's the mid 3 days of Ramadan and EVERYTHING close to entertainment will be closed (massage, KTV, pubs, discos, .). Second, because if you have Pattaya in mind you'd be severely disappointed of Batam even on the New Year's Eve. There's NOTHING that resembles even loosely a sex-tourism destination like Pattaya or AC in Philippines. Go to Geylang if you like fish bowls, go to OT if you like dancing and flirting. Yes, I know it's expensive, but in Batam the probability you'll stay bored and with your dick in your pants is high, on any day.

Haha. I will take your expert advice and avoid Batam. Timing and location matter.

Happy mongering!

[Blanquiceleste]

I'm planning to stay at Hotel Biz though. Any comments for this hotel?

BP, I couldn't find the pricing as I scroll down the page, even I did found some but that a long time ago, I believe the pricing now has gotten up so much.

Thanks.

Sigh!

Prices at booking (massage) joints vary from IDR 800 K to 1. 4 mn. Do not be shy to negotiate.

Freelance girls from discos (not recommended for newbies) can range from ZERO to IDR 1 mn, sometimes even more.

WeChat / Tinder / Badoo hookups for ST should never be more than IDR 400-500 K.

[Raymond123]

I have seldom seen a question asked so precisely in the right place. Excellent. Read here, starting from the post below yours, scroll down, repeat, and you'll find all info that you're seeking! Thumbs up.

I'm planning to stay at Hotel Biz though. Any comments for this hotel?

BP, I couldn't find the pricing as I scroll down the page, even I did found some but that a long time ago, I believe the pricing now has gotten up so much.

Thanks.

[Black Page]

And any recommendations for newbies?
Thanks.

I have seldom seen a question asked so precisely in the right place. Excellent. Read here, starting from the post below yours, scroll down, repeat, and you'll find all info that you're seeking! Thumbs up.

[Raymond123]

Hi all,

I'm going to Batam next month, this is my first time to go there. Can anyone tell me what's the girl pricing (all night) out there now?

Girls from clubs, pubs etc.

And any recommendations for newbies?

Thanks.

[Blanquiceleste]

I received some questions from a senior ISG member, who has posted quite a bit here. I thought to share my response in public, as it may be useful to others too.

Fantastic intel here. Thank you BP. This is SAGE ADVICE to newcomers as well as experienced mongers.

[Black Page]

I will try it out. The comparison to Pattaya puts it in perspective. I was thinking of making a trip to Pattaya for the weekend. But it will be a hectic one, considering that I fly out of Singapore on Sunday. I have been to Pattaya many times but never to Batam.
It's the 1st June weekend then.

Don't go. First, because it's the mid 3 days of Ramadan and EVERYTHING close to entertainment will be closed (massage, KTV, pubs, discos, .). Second, because if you have Pattaya in mind you'd be severely disappointed of Batam even on the New Year's Eve. There's NOTHING that resembles even loosely a sex-tourism destination like Pattaya or AC in Philippines. Go to Geylang if you like fish bowls, go to OT if you like dancing and flirting. Yes, I know it's expensive, but in Batam the probability you'll stay bored and with your dick in your pants is high, on any day.

[Black Page]

I received some questions from a senior ISG member, who has posted quite a bit here. I thought to share my response in public, as it may be useful to others too.

1. In one post you have mentioned that during the Ramadan month booking joints open only at 9pm. Is this right? In which case does the girl come immediately or much later? I am more used to the model where one does the booking around 2pm and then taxi driver brings her around by 8pm to the hotel.

See the links to my Ramadan posts. During Ramadan some booking joints open at night (I am not sure anymore about 9 pm, I'd try 7 pm) or are accessible via the backdoor. If you know the place, see if someone is sitting in front of the closed door (tutup).

However, it is likely that many girls will be fasting during daytime. YMMV.

Your model is not what I have seen in Batam. If you go at 2pm (which is the best time, as most girl have just started to work, after the night before spent in someone's bed), and if you book the girl at that time, the girl is expected to stay with you FROM THAT TIME TILL NEXT MORNING. Too boring for me. However, you can agree with the mami to send the girl to your hotel at the time you prefer, even at 8pm.

2. I have read that Permata Indah has shut down permanently. What a shame. So it is Sedona I should go to as the best option for a 2 day trip? Any other notable recommendations?

Sedona is the most reliable. I did not visit it on my last two times. I hope it's still up and running. Happy8 is always a resource, it's also 5 minutes walking from Formosa. See Nono's list on SB, or take an ojek and ask him to take you around to make a tour. Also Bunga is worth a visit, but known to be expensive (not sure if quality is worth the price).

3. I am conscious that a lot of regulars might do advance phone bookings with the OKT, so pickings might be slim. Any tips to avoid disappointment?

No tip, if not "develop your instinct".

I am not used to book girls from those joints. Only short time, because I really get bored with a girl in my room for all the day and night (even if such a girl would be just a DREAM when I am in my home country). I prefer to be free as a bird, have a short time if I am really horny daytime, and go to disco to see what Destiny gives me. I don't get back to room with a girl before 4 am.

For ST, besides the standard booking joints, you might consider the spas (Delta, Octopus, Atalanta.) and the low-end massage places in Utama area.

4. I used to love the discos in Batam. I hear Pacific is shut for renovation and NoName is pretty sad during this time, although I read a report where you trusted the hotel staff and missed out on some hotties.

I am not sure what report you are citing. I don't remember. Pacific is closed, and will stay closed a long time (a girl told me because someone was stabbed after a fight in the JAckpot).

Presently, the only discos to go are Planet 3 and Planet 2 (A. K. A. Newton). Avoid Planet 1.

NoName is my major disappointment. Empty, and even on Saturday no girls who were not local PRs or veteran bar girls.

5. Any day time options other than WeChat / Tinder / Badoo? I guess most massage places will offer extras if I ask, but I really do not like the atmosphere inside a massage parlor, unless it is top end stuff. Also if there is any clean good massage place I would appreciate your input.

WeChat is not advisable for the first-timer. Most girls do not look like the photos, in some cases they are not FL, but some papi is dispatching girls and send the girl he wants. Be sure to NOT wait the girl in your room. Set an appointment at cafe. If she's a professional who works for ST she will not accept. NEVER wait in the room! You never know who is coming. It could be even a ladyboy, in the worst case.
I am usually overwhelmed by messages on wechat, but I am used to ignore.

If you want massage with extras, and IF YOU HAVE MANY DAYS on site, try the Utama area for the cheap ones. Some good girls work there, but you cannot choose from a book. They will send you a girl and, if you like her, you can ask her some extras during massage. Places are mostly run down, yet not dirty holes.

Try Octopus or Atalanta. Ask for the PAKET (package) which means full service. Be sure to talk with the GRO (they all speak English). Total damage at Octopus for a Gold or Platinum girl category is nearly 1 M. You'll get good massage and sex, but don't expect anything that is not codified in the procedure. (even CBJ).

[Black Page]

Harmoni has two properties. The one where NoName is located is called Harmoni Hotel and thsi is one of the best places to stay IMHO. Rooms are clean and spacious and it is close to everything of relevance. You really need not worry about the noise. There is practically none.

There is another property by the name Harmoni Suites which is further South on the same road, and this is pretty decent too, but not close to NED. The other hotel (my favorite) that is strategically located like Harmoni is Goodway. But it is a much older property in comparison. Still some upper category rooms are quite nice.

One should not be discouraged by the distance from Harmoni Suites to the NED, if really the NED is the place one would want to spend time in while in Batam. I don't. I hate the NED.

Years ago it could have been a problem, but today with Google Maps it's impossible to get lost. You don't have a local SIM card to get Internet access in Batam? TOO BAD. Internet is NECESSARY, if not for Google Maps at least to stay in touch 24/24 with the local girls (after few days, you'll have your 2-3 good ones, plus occasional time-wasting ones). Today, everyone has WhatsApp or Messenger. Only the poorest ones do not have a smart phone. Some has a GSM, so be prepared to have a local SIM card also to call or SMS them.
However, even without Internet access, you can download in advance an offline map and you'll be set (except that offline Maps cannot compute the shortest walk path).

From Harmoni Suites to Kampung Bule (the NED) it may be 10 minutes walking. At night it's not even hot. If you don't want to walk, take an ojek. 15 k includes a tip.

Harmoni Suites is in front of the Windsor food court, a good place to eat and chat with beer girls. A cheaper but good hotel there is the Vienna.

Best hotel is maybe I-Hotel. One is behind Nagoya Hill, another in Penuin (10 minutes walk from Harmoni Suites, 20 from NED, but better take an ojek, as the road is dusty).

I-Hotel Penuin hosts SQUARE, the highest-class disco-bar in Batam, the top night destination in Batam nowadays. The high-society goes there. I never had good chance there, as the local girls go there with their VERY HANDSOME boyfriends, and in general are not interested to flirt with white foreigners. I regret the old times of NoName. There are some PRs working there, very elegant and good looking, but they expect lots of money, if they accept to follow you to hotel (even 1 M-2 M, and not overnight).

The bars AC has mentioned are all in NED, but IMHO the women there are well past their shelf life. Perhaps OK to have a couple of drinks with and fool around in the bar, but I would never bring one back unless I am drunk. I am not putting AC down, just sharing my perspective on the women in these bars.
Its all in a grid of 2 x 2 streets. So you will be able to take a quick walk around and survey all the bars within an hour before you decide to settle into one for a drink. Feel free to enter, look around and walk out right back in case do do not see anything you fancy. See the pic. It is an old map of NED but it helps you get the drift

I second the above. I spent long time in NED bars, playing pool and having beers, but now it really does not excite me anymore.

Girls are veteran. The may speak English, that is they had a long mileage with expats working there.

If you have many days to spend in Batam, and if you don't speak any bahasa, I think it's the only place where you could go at night. All the expats living in Batam go there (mainly Aussies).

Beers are cheap, even if offered to girls. So, don't worry. Just ask the price before, to avoid surprises (maybe they could smell the newbie to exploit).

My places at night are exclusively pubs like Square and NoName, and if I don't meet anyone special (100% of the times on my last two stays, that is I met only veteran PR who WORK there, or local girls who are not interested to flirt with foreigners), I go straight to P3 or P2 (Newton) discos. Discos are NOT for the first-timer.

[Black Page]

My two cents.

Ramadan starts on 15 May, which makes the 01 June weekend the midpoint of the holy month of fasting. And it ends on 15 June. Usually, everything (absolutely everything) that is considered entertainment is shut in the first 2-3 days, middle 2-3 days and last 2-3 days of this Ramadan month. So that weekend of 01 June that you are planning might turn out to be a complete non-starter.

Ramadan is a special time of the year to visit Batam. If it's your first time to Batam, AVOID. You'd be disappointed and you'd waste most of your time.

Is Ramadan in Batam really a "NO-NO, NEVER"? Not really. It can be a good time, but you must know how to move around, how to avoid pitfalls, exploit opportunities. Less people around may mean also more gaps to fill.

To have a glimpse of what is possible in Batam, see my three series of reports from those periods:
http://www.internationalsexguide.inf...=1#post1464332
http://www.internationalsexguide.inf...=1#post1344045
http://www.internationalsexguide.inf...=1#post1344038

Yes, dated a few years back, but I have been there 2 times since last December and honestly not much has changed (except that NoName now is almost dead). The environment is still the same. I did not stop visiting Batam, but I stopped writing those long reports in "adventure style", as it is extremely time-consuming and I am not sure why should I. It is fun to read my reports after 5 years, yes.

Would you expect to do the same as I reported? NO. Not necessarily. YMMV. First thing that may help is to speak some bahasa. Then gathering experience. Your 5th visit will be incomparably more successful than your first one.

[Black Page]

Was considering Allium Hotel, looks a little more upmarket, close to NED etc. Any feedback.

Stay at Nagoya Plaza, or best of the best I-Hotel. I think I wrote this already.

I stay at Formosa, because it's much cheaper, staff says hello and addresses me by name, and the bed is sized for 3.

[Kamsutra69]

Oh man.

Thats a very important information. Thanks a ton, Blanquiceleste.

Imagine that weekend. Better to stay in Singapore.

Thanks again!

My two cents.

Ramadan starts on 15 May, which makes the 01 June weekend the midpoint of the holy month of fasting. And it ends on 15 June. Usually, everything (absolutely everything) that is considered entertainment is shut in the first 2-3 days, middle 2-3 days and last 2-3 days of this Ramadan month. So that weekend of 01 June that you are planning might turn out to be a complete non-starter.