Short getaway with the girlfriends...

Turi Beach Resort, Batam Review

After working behind the desk for too long, we all deserve a little break and it feels wonderful to be standing on the other side of the check-in desk. My girlfriends (from work) and I jumped at the opportunity when Groupon had a deal to go to Batam for just SG$99! It included round trip ferry and also a night's stay at Turi Beach Batam.

Turi Beach Batam

Address: Jl. Hang Lekiu, Nongsa  Batam - 29465, Indonesia
Tel: +62-778 761 080
Website: http://www.turibeach.com/
Email: reservations@turibeach.com

Dates of stay: 2-3 July 2014
Category: Premier Twin Bedded Room + 1 Extra Bed
Upgraded to: Deluxe Room in Riani Wing
Size: 42 sqm
Price: S$99 on Groupon Deal
Includes: Two way ferry, three adult breakfasts, & one extra bed (triple sharing)
Excludes: Ferry taxes

RECEPTION/LOBBY

reception

We were picked up by the complimentary hotel shuttle service and ferried very quickly over to the hotel! At first we couldn't find the hotel representative (very common for Batam hotels and resorts to send someone to hold the hotel's signboard) and I told my girlfriends to go to the shop to buy a few snacks while I searched for the guy. Found him after a while of searching.

my countrymen checking in

We arrived at the lobby, and it's this big, spacious area of... Space? There's a large spacious desk right in the middle of the lobby, forming an island of safety for the front desk staff, and that's about it. There were no lounge chairs or coffee tables that could surround the front desk or even scattered around the lobby. 

lobby area

Also, since nobody really greeted us, or offered us assistance with our bags, or even made eye contact, we just stood there feeling lost, and after a while we just let all the impatient Singaporeans check in first and just spammed a whole lot of selfies while waiting. After all, we're on holiday and were in no rush to really check in (or even move). We also happen to be in hospitality and understand how out comrades behind the desk feels. 

We were offered this lovely ginger tea as a welcome drink. Boy, was it spicy!

sea view from the lobby

G stayed at Turi before and he really liked the new wing better as compared to the old wing, so I tried my luck and asked the reception for a room in the new wing. Besides, the fine print on Groupon stated that we're entitled to a complimentary upgrade if we stayed over the weekdays. The kind lady informed us that there will be no elevators, and a whole lot of climbing. We didn't mind. We're all fat and need to work out a little. Haha. But, I really did appreciate the fact that she informed us, prior to us actually finding out. 

ROOM

patio/balcony in front of the room

The rooms in the new wing are all stand alone and seperate from the main hotel block. It seems like all the rooms are built on stilts and staggered down the hill. We would have a lovely view if not for the large tree right at our doorstep. 

Sliding glass door & netted door

So the main door is actually a sliding door from the patio, followed by a screen door to keep insects out (which is quite useless because mosquitoes flew in anyway). I must say they really cleaned the glass door really well, because I tried walking through it when I wanted to go out to the patio. Thank goodness the door did not shatter. My knee hurt though.

Klutz is my middle name. 

Two twin beds with a sofa bed

The room is really simple with basic necessities. Just twin beds, simple TV, hot water flask, coffee and tea, etc. The room is also equipped with both aircon and a ceiling fan! I like that they provide us options, and not just forcing us to choose between cold aircon and stifling heat. 

Bathroom!

The bathroom is almost as large as the bedroom . With all that space, I was a little disappointed that there's no bathtub. The bathroom seems very modern and is actually done up pretty well, even though the design is really simple. There's also the option of having a rain shower or just the traditional shower head.

Simple design

POOL 

Pool at Tirta (Old) Wing

There are two pools at Turi with one nearer to each wing. We mainly stayed at the pool over at the older wing because it was better maintained and also had an amazing view of the sea. There's also a beautiful lawn where we kept taking photos and doing yoga poses.

On the 2nd day, we went to the pool over at the new wing, unfortunately we were unable to spot any service staff, and while I was cold and drenched, I had to walk over to the other pool to get towels. 

Pool nearer to Riani (New) Wing

Like all gluttons, we ordered lots of food and drinks (though menu is not extensive, food quality nothing fantastic) to the pool side. Our half eaten pizza (which we were kind of saving) was attacked by birds and we had to discard it. I was a little disheartened because I really wanted to eat it. Spoken like a true piggy. 

While the pizza was attacked by birds, we were attacked by mosquitoes! 

MOZZIES!

Beautiful sunset at Island Bar

I must add that there is a pest problem with Mosquitoes!! There were mozzies flying in the room (even after killing two), there were mozzies in the toilet, at the pool and a whole swarm by Island Bar on the pier. I think I was bitten at least a dozen times the whole 15 mins we were checking out the pier and the bar. 

Pier/jetty leading out from Island Bar

At first we were commenting on how beautiful the sunset was and what a lovely place to chill and have a drink after dinner, quickly turned to us taking as many photos as we could in the fastest possible time, and getting the hell out of there. 

What a waste. 

OVERALL 

Even though I had fun, it would be because of the company I had. Turi beach seems pretty dated, even after renovation works and the new wing. The service staff were all warm and friendly, but the hardware is seriously lacking. The pools should be maintained better, the food quality should improve and not serve me soggy fish & chips. 

Personally, I feel that once a week at least, Turi should start fogging their property to rid it of mozzies. Without all the scratching and applying of ointment, I would have enjoyed myself more.

I'm not sure if I would go back though, with all the upcoming new properties around Batam boasting better shoreline and view, newer rooms and better food.