Batam

The parents' bed

It was great. Ridiculously cheap package we got. All of us took the honeymoon package. Haha. And boy was it over-the-top brilliant for SGD100+ each. We all had a delicious 5 course candlelight dinner meal by the sea, 1.5hours of spa and massage, a free upgrade to the villa-cabanas by the sea. The cabanas were away from the main hotel so the privacy was excellent. The beds were decorated with flowers, so were the baths. There were chocolates and fruits wrapped up nicely on the table. We had an open verandah overlooking the nicer part of the coastline. The villa had only the four of us - me, riyan and the parents. The pool was also one of the grandest and most beautiful pools I've ever been in, yet it was empty because, well the hotel was quite empty as well. And did I mention the service? The service, food and everything was out of this world. I feel slightly embarrassed thinking about the price we paid for such excellent service.

from Harris' website (the spa looked exactly like this though!)

Then there were free tickets for lots of activities and even bus trips out of the hotel to the 'real city'. It was an eye opener, heading out there for three days. And the prices for the spas and massage in the city centre was shocking. SGD9-13 for 1.5hours massage and spa (with lots of choices from the spa menu), SGD 1-2 for facials, SGD10-13 for body masks and scrubs and so on. I can definitely get used to that. We had time to spare (plus aching feet and bodies) and decided to try one of their massages there to see if the quality will be compromised for the low price. It wasn't! The place was very professional, the ambience was great, nothing shoddy, and the experience was just amazing.

I didn't really do much shopping. I forgot to pay more attention to the clothes there. Or perhaps, at the back of my mind, I already know how much clothes I'm trying NOT to bring to Ireland from Singapore so I managed to refrain myself from serious retail therapy. I did go around asking for D60's prices there though - they all amounted to around the same price as back home. So I guess it's another long wait before I get my hands on that kit. It pains me sometimes knowing it could have already been mine, 9 months ago.

Moving along, we definitely had a great time there. I've heard people having quite a bad time on the island as well. So it could be just the people I got to meet or the hotel I stayed at. Though if it's the former, it would range from the security guards, to hotel staffs, to taxi drivers, and to the common people on the street - which basically means everyone. I enjoyed my time there tremendously. Now I'm back in busy Singapore, trying to pack my bag for the three months in Ireland. Bless me.