It was a few days before Indonesia’s Independence day when I went there and it was already almost four years I guess, the last time I spend my holiday in Batam. My schedule was packed enough for that last few months and I thought of spending times alone for myself may be a good idea. It’s Indonesia, my home country, but somehow I was worried about going there alone. Felt familiar but yet unfamiliar. The ferry terminal in Batam where I reached was Harbor Bay, it was about 45 minutes ferry ride from Harbourfront Terminal in Singapore. Fortunately, it was too short for all those negative thoughts digging in deeper and messing around my mind.
There were not too many people on weekdays and the immigration clearance was pretty fast. I carried my bag and walked out of the terminal right away. The weather was good, not too hot as I remembered. I was looking to the left and right till I saw a guy holding a board with my name written on it. He’s kinda puzzled though when I approached him.
“Ms Tracy Chong?”
“Yeap!” I replied and smiled.
“Hi, Ms Tracy! Welcome to Batam. Let me help you with your bag.” He said it with his limited English and helped me to carry my bag to a white car with Allium Hotel Batam logo on it. He was friendly and helpful. And all of sudden, I forgot all the worries I had earlier.
The distance from Harbor Bay Terminal to Allium Batam Hotel was not far, less than 10 minutes. And within those minutes, he shared some information about Batam as well as about the Allium Batam Hotel. Remember, I said he couldn’t speak English that well but he put an effort to make the guest felt welcomed. He deserves an appreciation for trying that hard. And yes, I could have just spoken in Bahasa Indonesia with him but well…sometimes…I am just…just…just..just…*echo*
Btw, you see the white tall building photos below? That’s the hotel where I stayed at to spent some ‘me time’. Here I will start sharing my staying experience at Allium Batam Hotel. 🙂
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Allium Batam Hotel or Allium Panorama Batam
Allium Batam Hotel or previously was known as Allium Panorama Batam, is a 4-stars hotel located in Nagoya, a busy area. Personally, I would prefer to stay in a quiet area and far from the city for a holiday. But I found the environment here wasn’t bad either. I still could feel the privacy and the quietness when I was in the hotel. No loud noises from the traffic and so on.
The hotel building itself is refurbished from the previous hotel and renovations have been done gradually to every section of the hotel to enhance the guest’s stay experiences. So, in certain areas, we may still feel the mixture of the old and new style at the hotel. There are also few ballrooms and meeting rooms that can be used for special occasions or corporate purposes.
Besides conventional hotel rooms, Allium Batam Hotel also offers the apartment with one up to three bedrooms, too. It will be wonderful for us who prefer to have more space than just a room or when we come with a family or in a bigger group.
The Allium Batam Hotel Room & Facilities
My first impression when I entered my room was bright and spacious. Nowadays, at such price, it is hard to get a spacious room like this. You may check on the hotel price on Allium Batam Hotel website. All the bathroom necessities are provided. Free WI-FI is also available in all room. The room is not fancy but warm. I love the wooden flooring. 🙂
There is an outdoor swimming pool with various depth – shallow to deep – from one end to the other end as well as the gym facility just next to it. If you guys concerned about the water in the swimming pool, I can tell you that the water is clear and no chlorine smell.
There is also a spa facility managed by the 3rd party which is available on the same floor where the swimming pool is. So if we don’t bother to go out, we can just get all our pampered treatment done right at the hotel.
The Allium Batam Hotel Restaurant
I am not a real foodie which may be fussy with food. But my personal opinion is what good hotel is without a good restaurant? That’s always what I think as a good measure of one good hotel in my personal opinion. The experience won’t be complete if lacking either one of those.
Paris-Lyon Cafe, that’s the name of the restaurant at Allium Batam hotel. It is located near to the hotel main lobby. It looks decent from the outside but colourful in inside. The big glass window on the side of the restaurant accompanied by the colourful chairs helps to brighten up the whole area. I felt good with the atmosphere and hey, the waitress is friendly, too. Full of smiles I shall say. At least the warm smile could calm down my growling tummy for the moment. Ha! I will share further about ‘Paris-Lyon’ cafe in a separate post. 🙂
In the evening, there is a live performance or probably more appropriate to call it the ‘open-mic night’. Cause any guest may request songs or go up and sing their preferred songs on the stage. I believe, whoever bold enough to go up there deserves applause. It is not my playground definitely – a good audience I am. 😀
Conclusion – What I think of Allium Batam Hotel
I stayed at Allium Batam Hotel for 2D1N and I think it is a good choice of accommodation if you want to spend your free time in Batam – break from your daily routine, out from your home while not really out from the city. The location is good, not far from the Harbor Bay ferry terminal and near to the city. So, either to relax or to shop, the choice is yours. 🙂
Allium Batam Hotel
Komplek Panorama Nagoya Batam
Kepulauan Riau, Riau Islands Province 29432
Indonesia
Phone: +62 778 452 888
Email: contact@alliumbatam.com
