Harris Batam Centre Getaway 2012

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Saturday, 25th August 2012

Before I knew it, four of us were on our way to the industrial island of Batam for our weekend getaway. Harris Batam Centre was chosen as it was recommended by a close friend. They had just returned from their company retreat together with some nice reviews of the place.

Our bookings were done through asiatravel.com, an online portal that I had been dealing with for my Batam trips all these years. For me, I remained skeptical of those "coupon" websites given all the fine prints, surcharges and the liquidity of the kucing kurap agents as a whole. Prices quoted remained competitive for our 2 Day Getaway Programme complete with return ferries, 1 night accomodation and 2 meals.

We took the 9.00am ferry from Singapore and was able to reach Batam Centre in good time. Our hotel practically sits next to the ferry terminal. I knew that it was a short distance away but never expected it to be so near. This was convenient since we need not spend additional time on the land transfers. Just opposite the hotel was the Batam Megamall containing the usual amenities for a comfortable stay.

I liked the fact that we had ample time to relax within the comforts of our room. At the same time, there were opportunities for a decent massage and a rewarding swim at the spacious swimming pool. Food tasted pretty okay within Harris even though we prefered the Indonesian food found outside the hotel.

This getaway provided an opportunity for us to catch up on the latest gossips without burning a big hole on our travel budget. I would certainly be back again if I ever needed a short weekend getaway given the nice prices for the decent accomodation we stayed.

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