Batam is a small but busy island in the Riau Islands in Indonesia that is 45 km by 25 km, and has nearly a million people, hundreds of factories owned by multinationals, towns, shopping centres. Only 30 minutes by ferry from Singapore, it is a gateway to the other Riau Islands.
Located only 20 km from Singapore and 25 km from Johor in Malaysia, Batam is Indonesia's equivalent to China's SEZs (Special Economic Zones) - a place where the nation's economic planners test new economic policies and ideas. The island is an industrial hub with electronics factories, a large and growing ship repair industry and an even larger oil service sector. Quite a few expats head there for work, and pubs and golf courses have sprung up to serve them. Most tourists, on the other hand, come from nearby Singapore. While there is a smattering of family resorts, Bintan is more popular for this; instead, the main lure on Batam is the naughty nightlife.
There are plenty of taxis in Batam, but there are no standard color schemes: however, licensed taxis have yellow license plates, while unlicensed ones do not (and are best avoided). As there are no meters, you will need to bargain with the drivers; the first price quoted is often silly, but if there are other taxis around, you can easily bargain them down. Sample fares for reference: Telaga Punggur to Batam Centre (Rp112,000, 25 min). As of 2015, this was a fixed fare.
Batam has plenty of eating out choices, including great Chinese seafood in the outdoor food courts, such as the Windsor and Nagoya Food Courts and A1 Pujasera. Local best valued Indonesian food are Daun Pisang Resto, where travellers can taste mixed of archipelagos food. Another option is Nasi Padang Sederhana; both are widely loved by local and international travellers. In Harbour Bay Terminal area, there is a stretch of seafood restaurants overlooking the ocean. For seafood over the water, try Golden Prawn Seafood Restaurant in Bengkong. They are famous for their seafood. This large restaurant which resembles several open air marquees is cheap and cheerful in the furnishings.
City authorities claim that Batam's tap water is drinkable, but the rusty color puts some people off. It is wise to stick with bottled water anyway, about Rp10,000 for a 5-gallon jug. Carlsberg and Guinness are produced locally, as well as Bintang and Tiger beer. Most places have Heineken on tap. Imported beers, such as Corona are available, but prices are high. A normal draft beer should be no more than Rp25,000. Wine and liquor is available from the duty-free stores in nearly all of the larger malls, most bars and hotels. Batam Fresh Beer is the only microbrewery on the island, headquartered in Batam Center near the large mosque (behind Pondok Gurih restaurant).
Batam is generally safe during the daytime hours, but at night if you are in the entertainment areas of Nagoya you should exercise caution. Do not walk alone at night, if you want to leave somewhere and it is late, find someone else who is leaving or about to leave, or stay until it closes and then all go together. If you really have to get back to your hotel call the hotel and have them send a car to pick you up. As the taxis are not regulated or owned by a central group (like Bluebird in Jakarta) you may not be safe hiring a taxi off the street either.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Aug, Batam typically sees ~31°C daytime highs and 21 rainy days.
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